Did you go to church ?

[Kimberlaina]

I lived with my parents until recently and they attend church regularly, but I conscientiously abstained for three years.  I think this makes them very uncomfortable.  I used to attend their church and I'm sure people ask me where I am, etc. and it embarrasses them.  Thinking about it gives me a very icky feeling.  :sigh:

There are many good churches out there, and I was once a member of one when I lived in a different city.  Once you discover what church can really be, it's hard to join another congregation that is caught up in money and appearances, as many are.  I have a couple big issues with church membership.  First off, for many (not all) people it is soothing to say, "I'm a good church-going person."  It's as if the sum total of being a good Christian is Sunday worship, and the rest of the week is optional.  While other people may make this choice for themselves, I had this attitude for far too long and wanted to change myself.  I also don't like the "us vs. them" mentality of churches.  I don't like the subversive witnessing that uses things like games, computers, money, etc. to "lure" people in and then nail them with a message, like some sort of trick.  All the marketing human beings can produce cannot make someone come to God -- God draws people to Himself.  I also didn't like the way churches talk about the "unchurched."  When my parents' church switched to a contemporary service, the pastor warned us that homeless people would start showing up.  Logically, homeless people don't have the culture to appreciate a hymn!  My parents live in a very small, affluent town where you're unlikely to see a homeless person any time, anywhere.  :dontknow:

I say all this critically, yet there have been people in my life who understood the true spirit of the church and were there for me in some really tough times, and did incredibly great deeds for others in spite of their own poverty.  Church has a lot of potential that is rarely developed to its fullest.   :HeartThrob:

[preistsplace]

to answer your question, I still attend Church but I do not feel moved in that setting . I experience the presence of God when I am alone listening to Christian music or thinking or driving.