I ask this purely out of interest and desire to know.

BTW as background I have no religious belief, but I'm fascinated by the importance of 'Church' in the USA.

Is the importance from a social point of view or a religious point of view?

And please no rude or nasty comments.

I will moderate the replies

Hi Cindy

Though I can't answer for all Christian Americans I can give you my perspective on Church: it's important socially, religious-wise and in so many other ways they can't be quantified.

As for the two reasons you mentioned, I'd say Church is about creating and maintaining relationships. As per my religious beliefs, I can work on my relationship with God through prayer, scripture, repenting and so on. in His house. Socially, I get fellowship with others that share my beliefs and can support me as I attempt to do His will. Kind of like spiritual networking

However, there are those that use the Church solely as a social venue because it makes them seem more relatable to believers in that community. You can see this when politicians, business owners, fundraisers etc. use the Church-a religious building-when they have secular aims.

It is important for both. Some are driven by the intrinsic spiritual need for church, but the church become a social focal point for many Americans and helps certain groups maintain cultural integrity.

I'm Latina, by default most of us are Roman Catholic and many of our coming of age ceremonies are tied directly into the social venues of the church (Quinceañeras, baptisms, Weddings, etc). Often times family traditions tie into it as well. I have a set of china that would only be pulled out to serve only mexican hot chocolate and only after a sacrament was held for a family member or on Christmas. Some affectations related to our ethnicity comes out in this as well. My home (and many other hispanic homes) have to have a cross, one specifically over the matrimonial bed. Personally I always have my bracelet with the Virgen de Guadalupe on it when I go out or my Saint Thomas Aquinas medal on my necklace.

But to be fair, there are many of us who identify as Catholic, but the only time it's hard to get a seat is for midnight mass on Christmas or mass on Easter Sunday or Ash Wednesday. I can't speak for the other denominations.

I hope I'm close to answering your question, don't quite know if I went off on a tangent like I tend to do.

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with America's churches.

At their best, they serve a very important purpose... both community and spiritual. Spiritually, they keep people on their toes, constantly challenge them with new sermons and new Biblical passages that they might not have found on their own, and freely give wisdom from people who have more experience with Biblical texts and life experience. Plus the church can be truly amazing in community-building, in bringing people together, and in collecting money to back charities and community outreach projects, doing a whole lot of good for everyone.

This spirituality focus is actually very unique to America. The experience of church in Europe, for example, is more of a social experience, where people were expected to go to church not necessarily out of a need to refresh oneself spiritually, but rather out of obligation to nation and family, supporting the local ministry and uniting individual areas under one roof. Where in America it is almost completely about beliefs. Even small towns can have several different churches, all of which differ only slightly in doctrine, and yet those tiny differences are enough for each church to declare that it's worth starting a different sect over. It's so much about minute differences in the religious aspect, that often it can be a divisive force more than a community-building one.

This is where the hate part of the love/hate comes in. Because at their worst, churches can be nothing more than a bunch of stuffy politically like-minded people patting each-other on the back each Sunday for how great they are and how wrong everyone else is.

So to answer your question, I'd say that in America church is very much a religious experience more than a social one. Some of the older European churches like the Catholic church are still very much social, where people go out of family obligation more than to really be spiritually inspired, but pretty much all of the protestant branches are a more religious experience in America, where it's all about what is preached and which one of these interpretations is right. It can often divide communities more than it brings them together because of this.

I have a serious dislike of organized religion and their 'churches'. To my mother it is a comfort of people to talk to and belong with. I think there are many who feel as I do but there are many more, usually older people, who feel as my mother does.


Please ignore my bad grammar.

For me church is a place I go to be social, to worship, and to learn. I need to have my spiritual cup refilled periodically and going to church does that for me. Church also gives me a place to minister to the needs of others.

As someone else said each town may have several churches, and each one will have a different mission, a different emphasis on spiritual matters. For example, some churches are heavy into ministering to people in foreign countries, some are heavy into local ministry, some are heavy into small groups, some have huge music ministries, some focus on serving older people, some focus on serving the young, and so on. Each church has a different feel and a different purpose. This is fine because people have different needs and what appeals to one person might not appeal to another person. My own church has been involved with ministering to the poor in another country and because of our donations the local school will be able to dig a well for water and will be able to serve food to kids that otherwise wouldn't have any.

Another fact that a lot of people don't know is that churches often provide money to people in the local community for food. This is not widely advertised to preserve the dignity of those in need.

Are churches perfect? No. Do I need to go to a church to be a member of my faith? No. But my church functions as a very important part of my faith.

Cindy,
I can not speak for all but just myself.

To me the church is not a social club nor for social meetings. Many feel that the church should be social and such but I take no comfort in that.

I have always felt different from about the age of 5 and later would understand what it is like to have the hand of God on my life and guide me. This started at about age 10 when a woman in church came up to me and handed me a King James Bible saying the Lord told her to give it to me. From that point on that is what I read after school every night and on weekends and whenever I could. There was a zeal there that I never inquired about. Whenever the teachers at school taught something that went against the word of God I answered with the word. the result was a lot of failing grades but I had to answer what I knew to be right.

To me Christianity is a walk that was ordained of old before this world was when my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I was written as part of his body before anyone was born just like my sisters and brothers who endure unto the end. It's not about seeing more come into the faith but trying my best every day to keep my name from being blotted out of the Book of Life.

Since the Lord Jesus Christ was serious enough about fulfilling his Father's word and desires to die for me I take his sacrifice at Calvary very seriously. Since he allowed man to butcher him alive and then nail him to a cross my worst problems and trials on this earth and in this life are nothing in comparison. If I lose all my friends and am shunned and hated by everyone it is still nothing compared unto his sacrifice.

My works are what manifests my faith and love and obedience unto his word to please him. They can never save my soul and when I think of my life and the mistakes I made and how it reflected on him I only wish I could do more for him.

I disagree with about 99% of so-called Christians and am probably hated of them just as bad if not worse than many transsexuals. They hatred they have for me has caused me to see that to many Christianity is but a social club and a status that manifests the great falling away Paul spake of and how 7 women shall take hold of one man (Isaiah 4:1) and want to wear their own raiment (their own righteousness) and eat their own bread (hear words they want and not what the Lord commands) to take away their reproach. (stay friends with a world they are commanded to come out of)

This has gotten longer than I expected so I'll end by saying to me this is what being a Christian is all about. No social club but a way of life loving, serving, praising and fearing he who died for my sins.

May God bless.

Quote from: Del on October 20, 2013, 03:38:23 PM
Cindy,
I can not speak for all but just myself.

To me the church is not a social club nor for social meetings. Many feel that the church should be social and such but I take no comfort in that.

I have always felt different from about the age of 5 and later would understand what it is like to have the hand of God on my life and guide me. This started at about age 10 when a woman in church came up to me and handed me a King James Bible saying the Lord told her to give it to me. From that point on that is what I read after school every night and on weekends and whenever I could. There was a zeal there that I never inquired about. Whenever the teachers at school taught something that went against the word of God I answered with the word. the result was a lot of failing grades but I had to answer what I knew to be right.

To me Christianity is a walk that was ordained of old before this world was when my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I was written as part of his body before anyone was born just like my sisters and brothers who endure unto the end. It's not about seeing more come into the faith but trying my best every day to keep my name from being blotted out of the Book of Life.

Since the Lord Jesus Christ was serious enough about fulfilling his Father's word and desires to die for me I take his sacrifice at Calvary very seriously. Since he allowed man to butcher him alive and then nail him to a cross my worst problems and trials on this earth and in this life are nothing in comparison. If I lose all my friends and am shunned and hated by everyone it is still nothing compared unto his sacrifice.

My works are what manifests my faith and love and obedience unto his word to please him. They can never save my soul and when I think of my life and the mistakes I made and how it reflected on him I only wish I could do more for him.

I disagree with about 99% of so-called Christians and am probably hated of them just as bad if not worse than many transsexuals. They hatred they have for me has caused me to see that to many Christianity is but a social club and a status that manifests the great falling away Paul spake of and how 7 women shall take hold of one man (Isaiah 4:1) and want to wear their own raiment (their own righteousness) and eat their own bread (hear words they want and not what the Lord commands) to take away their reproach. (stay friends with a world they are commanded to come out of)

This has gotten longer than I expected so I'll end by saying to me this is what being a Christian is all about. No social club but a way of life loving, serving, praising and fearing he who died for my sins.

May God bless.

The question was about church though not Christianity in general.  The bible has much to say about the purpose of the church in Christianity and to me it mostly is a social thing.  Not social as in a place to hook up or become popular but for fellowship, social interaction to share the love of god and grow together spiritually.  Christianity is not a solo religion, Jesus himself spoke to this. 

I was not posting about a solo act. I'm sorry if you took it that way.
The way I feel is just how the small body of believers I assemble with feel as well. None of us feel it should be the social club we see where the services are so much like the world we were commanded to come out of visitors cannot tell the difference.

That is why I am in disagreement with about 99% of Christianity. Nowhere in the scriptures did Christ say to be like the world to get people to come in. That is man's attempt to get more tithes. The bottom line being money.

The Lord went as far as he will go when he allowed men to rip his body apart and nail it to a tree. He went as far as he will go when he sent his Spirit back to guide his saints and glorify him. This mess called Christianity today is the most abominable and heretical get together of reprobates as defined by scripture as there ever was. Jesus was very clear about his temple and how men should assemble and worship him. He threw the money changers out of the temple and threw over the tables. he made a scourge of small cords and whipped the ones who sold doves. The problem today is this one sided "love only" Jesus that is taught. The one that is not Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God.

According to the mess called Christianity today people can do anything and not even bother to assemble.

If the family of Noah failed to assemble they would have perished with the ungodly. And after 500 years of preaching Noah had 0 converts. The gospel is not popular and the myth about the multitudes is wrong. That which is highly esteemed of man is an abomination in the sight of God.

If Lot's family had not assembled they would have perished with Sodom. Lot's wife looked back just like the church today looks back at a world they are commanded to come out of.

If the children of Israel had forsaken the assembling they would not have heard the voice of God. Sadly today people assemble where they want to rather than where the Spirit commands them and they do not hear the word of God. Just the vain words of man.  The children of Israel were always commanded where, when and how to worship the Lord. Not where and when and how they wanted.

This mess called the church is not the betrothed of the Lord as it should be. If it was it would follow the commandment given unto Eve, Thy desire shall be towards thy husband and he shall rule over thee. The church would be led of the Spirit with her Husband Jesus of Nazareth commanding how and when and where the services were held. The sermons would be the rightly divided word of truth sent forth by the Spirit and not the vain or profitless teachings of men trained in seminaries.

I hope this answers your concern about my answer and how I feel about the churches in America.

While the church is not a solo act it is getting fewer and fewer al the time.
The scriptures about the great falling away are making true houses of worship harder and harder to find.
It is starting to appear a solo act when in fact the words of the Lord are coming to pass. The way unto eternal life is strait and narrow and few find it. Fewer and fewer every day.
And just as the Lord said he will return as a thief in the night when the church is not looking for him nor desiring him. Those who are led of the Spirit and love him above all else are indeed looking up seeking spiritual things in heavenly places in Christ and awaiting his return. Those who don't believe are mocking in a time when they should be looking for their betrothed.

I just felt I would add this.

The churches in America are as sinful as the world they are commanded to come out of.

I agree that the state of the majority of churches today are not what I believe God has intended.  The church I used to go to has socializing as a major focus in the sense that I believe it should be.  They never ask for money from the congregation, I believe it really was what God had intended for a Church to be like.  Of course this thread is about the US so maybe I shouldn't be replying here since I'm in Canada.  Maybe the state of things is much worse in the US.