Today a person came into our church office to ask us about the Easter service schedule. In the course of the conversation, this person revealed that he had left a church after having attended for 25 years, and is now worshipping with our congregation.
I don't know the strength of commitment that this person had to the previous church, and I don't really know the circumstances surrounding the departure. But the encounter made me wonder about what it would take to lead a person to leave a church relationship of 25 years, which is also to ask why a person goes to a particular church.
So I thought I would take a survey. In the comment section, explain 2 things:
1. why you go to church
2. why you go to the particular church you go to
Let me know!
Jeremy
11 comments:
You ask: "1. why you go to church
2. why you go to the particular church you go to"
I answer: 1. Don't go to church.
2. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home with thinking, professional, well-educated parents who didn't force us to accept any system of supernatural beliefs and encouraged us to decide for ourselves - when we were old enough to use critical reasoning - what path to follow.
It doesn't take a master's degree to realize that all man-made religions are at best hokum, and at worst quite dangerous. I'd put the major religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) in the latter catagory certainly.
Buddhism (and the Tibetan form especially) is least offensive and your "wacky" religions such as Mormonism, Scientology and the Moonies are - upon closer inspection - no more or less wacky than the "major religions."
Peace.
You ask: "1. why you go to church
2. why you go to the particular church you go to"
I answer: 1. Don't go to church.
2. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home with thinking, professional, well-educated parents who didn't force us to accept any system of supernatural beliefs and encouraged us to decide for ourselves - when we were old enough to use critical reasoning - what path to follow.
It doesn't take a master's degree to realize that all man-made religions are at best hokum, and at worst quite dangerous. I'd put the major religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) in the latter catagory certainly.
Buddhism (and the Tibetan form especially) is least offensive and your "wacky" religions such as Mormonism, Scientology and the Moonies are - upon closer inspection - no more or less wacky than the "major religions."
Peace.
Hi Tyler,
Thanks for being the first to take the survey. Hopefully you will get the ball rolling.
Do you mind if I push back a bit on your answer to question 2? If that's okay, I'll do it in another post so the "Church-going" post stays on target with the survey proper and doesn't get mixed up with a tangential discussion.
If "yes", check the main page soon for a post entitled "It doesn't take a master's degree..."
Let me know,
Jeremy
i go to church because joel osteen said that i needed to be in a church where the bible is preached...and since his church doesn't do that i had to find another one. :)
i go to church to hear the preached Word & receive the sacraments. to have fellowship with other people who trust in Christ.
i go to the church that i go to b/c i feel like they preach COMPLETELY the work of Christ for me...not my work..not the law. and i think that their minister od ministry development..with the gotee and bow tie is HOT.
Laura and Tracey: thank you both for taking time to comment!
Jeremy
First, Let me say that I wish I had written Laura's post. Dang. Second, Let me recommend that Laura starts to listen to Sufjan Stevens, because, though well-rounded according to her blogger profile (Pedro, Shins, Damien, etc.) she must cross the Sufjan bridge to achieve complete indie nirvana. So:
1)Seriously, can I use Laura's answer? Okay. I go to church because it is what God desires, and what God has made my heart desire.
2)I believe that the particular church that I attend strives to worship God as He intended.
Micah,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, you can use Laura's answer. But for everyone else: you gotta make up your own; we have a one-plagiarist limit.
I will pass on your Sufjan recommendation to Laura.
Jeremy
Laura,
Good. I half thought that might be the case, I mean, Damien Jurado? You gotta have the love to listen to him.
1)I listen to music because it is what God desires, and what He has made my heart desire.
2)I listen to Sufjan particularly because he strives to construct music as God intended.
Not that you are answering any questions that I asked, but how is it that you know that Sufjan is making music the way God desires? This is, of course, to ask at least these two things:
1. How does one arrive at an understanding of God's desire for our music making? (this is not to suggest that such an understanding is impossible...I'm simply interested in how one might arrive at it.)
2. How do you (Micah) know that Sufjan is striving to make music in this way? Has he said as much? I would much like to read (or listen to) his words on this.
Jeremy
ps: the letter combination for my word verification this time was "Zatelyx", which I take to be a remote biosphere-spacestation on a distant star. It is probably one of many like it, so it could be "Zatelyx 7" or even "Zatelyx 11-d." Probably something like that.
Shucks, can't a guy just make inferences around here?
No way.
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