Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Churches: A need, a pleasure, or a nuisance?

Lately, I've been thinking about going back to church. And that got me started thinking about this; Is church something needed? I mean, do you absolutely have to go to church? Some people think so. I don't think it is, but that's just my opinion. If you want, you can convince yourself that it's mandatory, but truly, it isn't. Otherwise you would have to go when you were sick, out of town, etc. Just as long as you praise God, it doesn't really matter where. Below are some reasons why you absolutely have to go to church every (or nearly every) week.
  1. Growing. It is very important to grow spiritually, and church is a great place to do it.
  2. God's command. God has told you to go to church, and you're following it.
If someone said that it says in the Bible, ask them for proof. I've searched, and can't seem to find anywhere in the Bible that says we have to go to church. There are times it says talks about having fellowship, but that is different. Now here are some reasons why I think it is good to go to church.

  1. Fellowship. It's good to know other people who believe the same (or nearly the same) thing as you do. It's both spiritually good and simply nice to talk to others about your beliefs. A bonus: You may become friends with these people.
  2. Learning. From listening to you pastor/preacher/priest and others talk, you learn more about God and his workings and miracles, how to become a better Christian, and other spiritual things.
  3. Encouragement. I think everybody needs some encouragement at times, because everyone has times when their relationship with God is not very good. It helps to hear the words of others encouraging you to go to Him, to rebuild what has crumbled.
  4. Fun. Church can be fun, despite what some of you may think. It's fun to learn about Jesus and God, and others who are in the Bible. It's fun to hang out with other people who believe nearly the same things as you. And sometimes a church will put on things that are meant to be fun yet still teach about Him, things like camp; barbecues; even Trick-or-Treating!
These are only a few. Perhaps you can think up a few more reasons. Now here are reasons why church is a complete nuisance.
  1. Time. Going to church takes time. Time you could be spending doing other things.
  2. ...............
I truly can't think of any other reasons why it's a nuisance to go to church. And that one reason I have is pretty lame. Can you think up any others? If you can, please tell me in the comments.

So no, I think that no one has to go to church, yet most people should. Church may not be right for some. Others, it may be perfect for. It depends on who you are, but it is important that you have fellowship with others, and most people choose church.

Well, I think that is all for today. I hope I made enough sense that you could at least understand what I mean. Please freely express your thoughts, no matter what they are, in the comments. Thank you!
Jessica

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting post, Jessica. In the Catholic church you are obligated to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. In college I was quite jealous of a roommate of mine that went to church every Sunday (and I mean EVERY)not out of fear, not out of obligation, but because she wanted to. I never felt that, but went out of the feeling of obligation to the church and to others, not wanting to disappoint those who raised me the best way they knew how. Keep in mind though, church is for YOU, and you can't impose your reasons and desires on others, the way my roommate couldn't give me the desire to attend church for myself rather than for other reasons.

Anonymous said...

Oops, forgot to change Christine to Mom on that, just in case anyone is wondering :-)