Consider going to a Rolling Stones concert and being the only audience member.  It would definitely be cool to have the band to yourself, but it's also nice to be able to share the experience with other people.  Being an audience of one is totally different from rocking out along with thousands of people.  It's also not quite the same when you're the only one there to wave a backlit cell phone.   

Joseph

Quote from: Joseph on April 27, 2007, 11:33:33 PM
It's also not quite the same when you're the only one there to wave a backlit cell phone.

whatever happened to lighting a lighter above your head, this cellphone stuff is just silly

Less and less people smoke these days; more and more have a cell phone. Yes, it's silly.

  Nfr

Quote from: Seshatneferw on April 28, 2007, 02:35:28 AM
Less and less people smoke these days; more and more have a cell phone. Yes, it's silly.

  Nfr

bah, when i go to a concert ill bring a lighter even though i dont smoke.  its just the right way to cheer on a song.

I haven't been to a concert for years so when a couple people started waving their cell phones in the air during a 50th anniversary concert at our church last summer it brought back memories and made me laugh at the changes.

I love the concert analogy, Joseph!!!

Debbie

Thank you all for your replies, they help quite a lot. ^*curtsey*

As for the concert analogy, that even drives it home even more. I don't like concerts; The music stinks the crowd is annoying and frankly it is no fun at all.

Amusing, isn't it? The diversity I mean.

Thank you again,
Blessed be,

Quote from: Kimberly on April 28, 2007, 03:30:50 PM
I don't like concerts

Ah, my apologies.  I suppose almost every analogy breaks down somewhere.  But yes, the diversity is interesting.  For the analogy to work as intended you must use a subject matter that the person greatly adores, or finds beautiful or praiseworthy.  It could be a band, or an orchestral symphony... or a favorite sports team, a work of art, great actors in a play, a mountain view.... etc.  For such subjects, our time spent with them is not viewed as drudgery, rather we relish those times.  We look forward to them.  We "get to go" view, applaud, soak in, immerse ourselves in the experience, become overwhelmed with beauty, and if possible, tell the subject how wonderful he/she/they/it is.  There are times when doing these things alone is preferable, but as I said before, it is also nice at times to share in the experience with others, to be able to roar with approval as a crowd, rather than with one lone voice.

All the best,
Joseph

Oh, I donno, maybe I require a Church (my own Church, even!) in order to do stuff like, make a lot of money, have a better rationale to get rid of enemies, you know, like that...

Njc

People don't need a church to show their love to God. God's church is all around us. She is anywhere and everywhere and sees all and knows all. So what difference does it make if we worship God at home or at church? I do go to church but its more for a social aspect and because mmy basic beliefs of god are similar to theirs. Unfortunatly I might not be church goer for much longer, because mine is pretty close minded about the GLBT group of people.

What is important is your spirituality in your belief, not the Religion or the building it is practiced in.  A building is a building, and the most ghetto of slums would make as good of a place of worship as the Vatican in Rome would.  All that is important is that you are comfortable, happy, and can relax enough to worship your given religion, or spirituality if you have no "religion".

Church is a wonderful social outlet.  Assuming you find like minded people there, it is a way to get out and meet people.  Seeing the same people every week gives you wonderful opportunities to make new friends.  I know that people often disregard this very important aspect of religious worship.  A sense of belonging and close friendships is key in having a happy and successful life.

Too many of us are ostricized and live alone.  We need that social contact. You can get it in a number of places, but if you can a church that supports your needs, you have found a treasure.

Cindi

my opinion:

a church is a political organization. it tells people how they should or should not live. it asks for donations. it's a force in the local community. it even [some] can tell you which politician you should or shouldn't vote for.
that being said, if you are a [spiritual] person, then what do you need a church for? what purpose does it serve? if you believe that god hears you all the time and that he answers your prayers no matter where you are, no matter what time of day, no matter what the situation, then why would you need a special building to go to once a week to pray? on top of that, this building is essentially useless for the rest of the week. there are millions of homeless people who don't have a roof over their heads at night, yet a giant building stands empty, because 'god' supposedly lives there? does that make any sense?

Quote from: Katia on May 21, 2007, 06:17:14 PM
my opinion:

a church is a political organization. it tells people how they should or should not live. it asks for donations. it's a force in the local community. it even [some] can tell you which politician you should or shouldn't vote for.
that being said, if you are a [spiritual] person, then what do you need a church for? what purpose does it serve? if you believe that god hears you all the time and that he answers your prayers no matter where you are, no matter what time of day, no matter what the situation, then why would you need a special building to go to once a week to pray? on top of that, this building is essentially useless for the rest of the week. there are millions of homeless people who don't have a roof over their heads at night, yet a giant building stands empty, because 'god' supposedly lives there? does that make any sense?

Let me publicly apologize to you, Katia... I had initially deleted this post since I took it as trolling. Susan and a few others disagreed with me... and I'm glad they did. On careful reading, it's clear that I was wrong.

Please accept my apologies for deleting this post, which was just fine the way it is.

Now... my response to the post:

Any church that has a building also has the responsibility of using it at every opportunity by taking care of those who need help. I agree wholeheartedly that for a church to remain empty during the week is a complete waste, and thankfully, many churches both large and small use their buildings throughout the week to serve those who are in need.

Quote from: Katia on May 21, 2007, 06:17:14 PM
my opinion:

if you are a [spiritual] person, then what do you need a church for? what purpose does it serve? if you believe that god hears you all the time and that he answers your prayers no matter where you are, no matter what time of day, no matter what the situation, then why would you need a special building to go to once a week to pray? on top of that, this building is essentially useless for the rest of the week. there are millions of homeless people who don't have a roof over their heads at night, yet a giant building stands empty, because 'god' supposedly lives there? does that make any sense?

Very good point Katia. I also feel that if you believe in any God, He can be present to us in more than one way. An example is that you can be present on the phone when someone picks it up on the other end, but you are present in a different way when you are there in person.  But my observation is that a church is just a place where like-minded Christians gather together to worship, praise and sing to God together. It helps build up their faith.

An Excerpt from The "Scholars' Translation" of the Gospel of Thomas
by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer

...

Quote
3 Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

...

I believe this unofficial, unsanctioned passage makes it evident that you do not need a church.

This gospel never made it into the bible, supposedly it threatened the integrity of the church.

That's an interesting quote Jessica.  It is important to realize that the Bible was assembled from the available books by a council organized by the Roman emperor Constantine, who was not a Christian.  This was centuries after Christ's death.

There were many that were left out for who knows what reasons.

Cindi

Yes. 

Interestingly, from the research I have done, anything that threatened the institutional power of the church, including most mentions of reincarnation (The reason I began researched all of this in the first place), were not included.  I can post a ton of information on this subject.

I believe the term is called fellowship.  People like to be around those that love them and will support them.

Quote from: David W. Shelton on May 21, 2007, 06:56:28 PM


Let me publicly apologize to you, Katia... I had initially deleted this post since I took it as trolling. Susan and a few others disagreed with me... and I'm glad they did. On careful reading, it's clear that I was wrong.

Please accept my apologies for deleting this post, which was just fine the way it is.

Now... my response to the post:

Any church that has a building also has the responsibility of using it at every opportunity by taking care of those who need help. I agree wholeheartedly that for a church to remain empty during the week is a complete waste, and thankfully, many churches both large and small use their buildings throughout the week to serve those who are in need.

no need to apologize, david.  i'm very aware that sometimes i come across as [very] self-opinionated, yet my post was only a [personal opinion].  thank you.

I saw a new church today driving home, "A Church for Whoever", now there is a name for you.

Sarah L.