Just wondering.

***please don't turn this into some christian bashing thread, it's just a question for debate****

Someone PM a link to this thread to Jared. I have no idea.

Does the Bible says so?

No. Not really. There was no "church".

In Catholicism, missing a weekend Mass for any reason other than sickness or inclement weather is considered a serious sin (one that must be confessed).

So tradition says you have to go to Church, but i can't think of anything in the Bible that says you have to go.

i dont think so, and churches are useless

you can pray at home, you can pray in your mind


just my opnion

That's exactly how I feel. I don't need to go to a "house of God" to talk to Him. I just hate the concept of church; it's all for show. It's too prim and proper for my tastes. If I want to talk to God, I'll do so individually. I don't need a designated place or time to do so.

You guys are absolutely entitled to your opinion. I'm sorry you've had bad experiences with churches.

You are right in that you can pray anywhere you want. I think if you believe in a communication with God, you should do it wherever and whenever you feel like...and often. Even if someone doesn't believe in God, silent meditation and reflection can be very beneficial.

I can assure you that all Churches are not for show. Going to Mass for me is always one of the highlights of my week (even if i don't want to go). It's a grounding experience. It gives me the humility i need to act in a manner that i believe i need to. It's also a chance to be part of a community of like-minded people.

the problem is that a church is like a gun or drugs, stupid people shouldnt be allowed to join it because you can have a bad use of it

Thou shall keep holy the Lord's day.

With a modern application, the Christian church emphasizes that you need to go to church to do so. But according the Bible, you're not even supposed to do any physical labor on a Sunday ("and on the 7th day, God rested."). Go figure.

You aren't supposed to work on the Sabbath.

Physical labor, during the time of the Old Testament, basically meant working in the fields. This was how people fed their families. But, either way, when is the last time you had to do physical labor at church?

the old testament also have some disturbing material about killing people that arent christian

this is a though subject, seems like everyone i know that goes to church everyweek become "damaged"
its impossible to have an open conversation about god, science bringing down some church theories, etc..

i just wish i could have some talk like "Is there a god? Lets try to think about this" without getting warm reactions, people calling me crazy, people saying im going to hell, or just saying "of course there is"

at least i have the internet

I must have missed that part.

What? The Bible has more deaths than a true crime novel.

So Gimme Some Skin, are you comfortable with Catholic dogma primarily coming from tradition, with what is actually in the bible almost being secondary, or do you depart from the church on some of these issues?

Except that there were no Christians in existence when the Old Testament was written.

It's a tough question since in Biblical times "church" meant a congregation of believers, and no so much a scheduled even or a building. But there appears to be plenty of examples in Acts (which is supposed to be a record of the Apostles and their establishment of Christianity) of people meeting regularly and praising together and the Apostles (and thusly God) approving of this.

But I can find no record of a commandment that one must attend. Of course, I didn't read through the hundreds of occurances of the words congregation, fellowship, and church that bible.com brought up.

Meh... I don't think it's all for show. Certainly it's sometimes for money and usually, I'd say, it's for legitimately good intentions. But I don't think there are many people who attend church just so they look like good Christians in front of the neighbors. A large chunk of the churchgoers were simply raised that way, and many people enjoy the social aspect. Sometimes it's the only alternative for meeting a significant other besides hanging out at a bar or club. Sometimes it's a great way to network.

I'm in line with Catholicism in this regard. I believe that both are crucial. Tradition being no more or less important than the Bible, really. After all, it was the Catholic Church who decided what was included in the New Testament.

I don't believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, for the most part. It is very open to interpretation. Therefore, final authority on doctrine has to rest somewhere else.

Departing from tradition tends to result in lapsed catholics, eh?

I understand that some people go to church with nothing but good intentions, and go there simply to worship their God. And I respect that. But for me, it doesn't work. There are people who go there because they feel a civic duty, and not because they're loyal to their faith. I see the church as hypocrisy from top to bottom. And I've never understood the "social aspect" that you mention, though I do recognize it. Why would people feel more comfortable praying/celebrating God amongst the public? To me, it just seems like a cry for attention. When I pray to God, alone in the dark, that's when I feel I have the strongest bond with Him. And who in the fuck is a preacher (a sinning human, just like me) to tell me what I'm doing wrong in life? A lot of sermons are way too over the top for me to find credible.

As for "networking", well...that doesn't exactly reinforce your argument. You can't say that people go there for religious purposes and then say that it's also a good place to pick up chicks.

I suppose so.

How could someone be anything but a "lapsed Catholic" if they don't subscribe to Catholic doctrine.

The same can be said if they depart from the Bible.