Should I attend church regularly?

[Korean-American Christian]

Impossible
There is no such thing as “a place” called church.
Look the word up -ekklesia -

ekklésia: an assembly, a (religious) congregation
Original Word: ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ekklésia
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-klay-see'-ah)
Short Definition: an assembly, congregation, church
Definition: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564 /kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.

[The English word "church" comes from the Greek word kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord" (kyrios). 1577 /ekklēsía ("church") is the root of the terms "ecclesiology" and "ecclesiastical."]

 

[Friend-of-Jesus]

Because you can't give your money if you don't go!

Honestly, churches are cesspools of stagnant and stale Christians, and it gets worse by the week.

I believe Jesus wants us to meet as believers but never in a hierarchical way that current churches do. We are a body and as such are meant to work and live together, but in a BIBLICAL SENSE, that means meeting as often as possible. Sometimes large groups, sometimes small. Whenever any 2 or 3 believers meet they can "have church".

My wife is attended a church right now where they actually believe the altar of God is the building itself and those who minister must dress in a specific way or else God will punish them. I cannot go to such nonsense.

The CHURCH is defined as the community of believers, and until that community realizes that buildings and "services" mean nothing, then nothing will change.

Although I will say this, I have attended house churches too and they can be no better.

Churches became $$$ businesses...

 

[chevyontheriver]

What are the disadvantages of attending church?

You don't get to sleep in, you miss out on some excellent brunches, you have less time to read the Sunday paper, you don't have as much time to wax your car, you lost an opportunity for a long walk, all the best public boat accesses are less busy Sunday morning than Saturday morning, supermarkets are less crowded, the list goes on and on. In a cost benefit analysis going to church is dumb. Except for the Lord and eternal life.

 

[chevyontheriver]

What would you say to those, who, like me cannot attend church regularly because of work and children?

I had an option of going yesterday evening, any of three times this morning, and again this evening. Also options for every day of the week. Your work schedule and your children cannot be that restrictive.

 

[PeaceB]

You don't get to sleep in, you miss out on some excellent brunches, you have less time to read the Sunday paper, you don't have as much time to wax your car, you lost an opportunity for a long walk, all the best public boat accesses are less busy Sunday morning than Saturday morning, supermarkets are less crowded, the list goes on and on. In a cost benefit analysis going to church is dumb. Except for the Lord and eternal life.

I don't think it should really matter much for people who do not go to the Mass. They do not participate in a propitiatory sacrifice. They have a worship service, so I do not particularly see why that must be done at church as opposed to one's basement or MacDonald's. If two Protestants get together, watch half an hour of Joel Osteen or Creflo A. Dollar on TV, and sing Your Grace is Enough once or twice, I am honestly not sure how that is substantively any different than any other Protestant church service.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I don't think it should really matter much for people who do not go to the Mass. They do not participate in a propitiatory sacrifice. They have a worship service, so I do not particularly see why that must be done at church as opposed to one's basement or MacDonald's. If two Protestants get together, watch half an hour of Joel Osteen or Creflo A. Dollar on TV, and sing Your Grace is Enough once or twice, I am honestly not sure how that is substantively any different than any other Protestant church service.

I think that falsely minimizes Protestantism, which is not all TV evangelist and a sappy song. We should not apply such stereotypes even if they are absolutely true in some of their meetings. It's not true far more often than it is true.

 

[Friend-of-Jesus]

You don't get to sleep in, you miss out on some excellent brunches, you have less time to read the Sunday paper, you don't have as much time to wax your car, you lost an opportunity for a long walk, all the best public boat accesses are less busy Sunday morning than Saturday morning, supermarkets are less crowded, the list goes on and on. In a cost benefit analysis going to church is dumb. Except for the Lord and eternal life.

For some reason you give only primitive alternatives to false-church going. How about true worship, studying the Word and prayer? Why don't you suggest that?

 

[chevyontheriver]

For some reason you give only primitive alternatives to false-church going. How about true worship, studying the Word and prayer? Why don't you suggest that?

Because I chose to answer only one of the questions, which was "What are the disadvantages of attending church?" I did not know I was compelled to answer every question.

 

[Friend-of-Jesus]

Because I chose to answer only one of the questions, which was "What are the disadvantages of attending church?" I did not know I was compelled to answer every question.

Within the question you chose you answer, I can see other possibilities of what one can do on a Sunday.

 

[nanookadenord]

I had an option of going yesterday evening, any of three times this morning, and again this evening. Also options for every day of the week. Your work schedule and your children cannot be that restrictive.

It truly is.

I was only asking as I was curious to see what would be said. I have been given permission to miss church by my priest because of my circumstances.

 

[PeaceB]

I think that falsely minimizes Protestantism, which is not all TV evangelist and a sappy song. We should not apply such stereotypes even if they are absolutely true in some of their meetings. It's not true far more often than it is true.

I actually like that song.

The point is that there does not seem to be any susbtantive difference between what I described and the "better" Protesant churches you may have in mind. The only thing that is different is that you have a different pastor, a different location, and a different song. But fundamentally they are the same thing.

Maybe the pastor teaches 5 point Calvinism instead of the prosperity gospel. Maybe the church is located in a nice cathedral instead of a basement. And maybe they sing an old hymn instead of Your Grace is Enough. At a basic level I still do not see how the two are any different in substance.

Perhaps you have been able to identify what the substantive difference is, but I have not.

On the other hand, there is a substantive difference between the Mass and a home worship service, because the Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice at which only a priest can consecrate the Eucharist. The Anglican liturgy may have all the external appearances of the Mass, but it remains different in substance from the Mass because it is not a propitiatory sacrifice, and their priests do not consecrate the Eucharist.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Within the question you chose you answer, I can see other possibilities of what one can do on a Sunday.

Sure. One could go 'worship' at the mall, go to the casino, hang out with the neighbors, drink lots of beer, watch all the prall sorts of things that one might construe as more beneficial than going to church.

The point is that there does not seem to be any susbtantive difference between what I described and the "better" Protesant churches you may have in mind. The only thing that is different is that you have a different pastor, a different location, and a different song. But fundamentally they are the same thing.

Maybe the pastor teaches 5 point Calvinism instead of the prosperity gospel. Maybe the church is located in a nice cathedral instead of a basement. And maybe they sing an old hymn instead of Your Grace is Enough. At a basic level I still do not see how the two are any different in substance.

Perhaps you have been able to identify what the substantive difference is, but I have not.

Well they do come in all kinds but I don't think they are as similar as they are different from each other. Their unifying thing is that they aren't Catholic. Not much else. So there is not much substantial unity among them, not enough to generalize much of anything. Witness all of the folks here whose opinion is that attending church is not at all necessary. What would Luther and Calvin have said to that?

 

[PeaceB]

Sure. One could go 'worship' at the mall, go to the casino, hang out with the neighbors, drink lots of beer, watch all the prall sorts of things that one might construe as more beneficial than going to church.

Well they do come in all kinds but I don't think they are as similar as they are different from each other. Their unifying thing is that they aren't Catholic. Not much else. So there is not much substantial unity among them, not enough to generalize much of anything. Witness all of the folks here whose opinion is that attending church is not at all necessary. What would Luther and Calvin have said to that?

I do not know what they would have said, but I am unsure what ground they would have to object to the home worship ceremony from the standpoint of Protesant theology. If they do not have a priest and an altar, I am not sure why it should matter whether one goes to a church or worships at home with a friend, from the standpoint of their theology.

 

[Friend-of-Jesus]

Sure. One could go 'worship' at the mall, go to the casino, hang out with the neighbors, drink lots of beer, watch all the prall sorts of things that one might construe as more beneficial than going to church.

There are other options. God isn't restricted to a false church.

 

[Alithis]

ekklésia: an assembly, a (religious) congregation
Original Word: ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ekklésia
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-klay-see'-ah)
Short Definition: an assembly, congregation, church
Definition: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564 /kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.

[The English word "church" comes from the Greek word kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord" (kyrios). 1577 /ekklēsía ("church") is the root of the terms "ecclesiology" and "ecclesiastical."]

Exactly... In none of those forms of definition is it a place or a building.

The called out ones (being all in whom the spirit if Christ dwells) who gather into Jesus.
Thus the church can gather... Congregate,assemble.
And where it gathers there it is..
2 in a street corner
4 at a cafe
5 in a house
20 in a hall
2 in a desert
Is all the assembling of his body.
Each one a LIVING STONE .

 

[Alithis]

I actually like that song.

The point is that there does not seem to be any susbtantive difference between what I described and the "better" Protesant churches you may have in mind. The only thing that is different is that you have a different pastor, a different location, and a different song. But fundamentally they are the same thing.

Maybe the pastor teaches 5 point Calvinism instead of the prosperity gospel. Maybe the church is located in a nice cathedral instead of a basement. And maybe they sing an old hymn instead of Your Grace is Enough. At a basic level I still do not see how the two are any different in substance.

Perhaps you have been able to identify what the substantive difference is, but I have not.

On the other hand, there is a substantive difference between the Mass and a home worship service, because the Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice at which only a priest can consecrate the Eucharist. The Anglican liturgy may have all the external appearances of the Mass, but it remains different in substance from the Mass because it is not a propitiatory sacrifice, and their priests do not consecrate the Eucharist.

At a basic level there is no difference.both are false.

 

[Alithis]

It truly is.

I was only asking as I was curious to see what would be said. I have been given permission to miss church by my priest because of my circumstances.

See this is a typical nicolatain set up.
Jesus said he HATES this kind of teaching .
A man standing as a spiritual elite ruling over laymen ..giving permission?

 

[jimmyjimmy]

My friend, thank you for providing the Scriptural basis for your belief that church attendance is required

You are welcome.

Like many, I have had some very bad experiences with churches; however, that is no excuse for me to abandon gathering together. God uses imperfect people to help in our sanctification.

If you were in a perfect church, how would you learn patience? How would you learn how to forgive? How would you use the gifts that God has given you when there is no need for them?

I've been just as hurt and disolusioned by Church(es) as you have, my friend, and God has used those experiences to form me into the image of His Son, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,"

 

[Apex]

Should I attend church regularly? Why or why not?

Ideally, you should be an active member in a community of other believers. You can call it whatever you want.

Should I attend every Saturday or Sunday? Why or why not?

The community decides where and when they have meetings and events. It is about convenience and/or availability.

Are there any disadvantages of NOT going to church? If yes, what are they?

Your community is your extended family. They learn from each other, pray for each other, mourn with each other, celebrate with each other, worship with each other, etc. Life was not meant to be lived alone.

 

[Sarah G]

I have been mulling this issue over with my turtle mind and would like to add something more than the posts I made with my hare brain.

What are the real reasons I dislike church? Spiritual life, being a disciple of Lord Jesus Christ, is all about the supernatural. The Bible is full of supernatural events. Being able to have a personal relationship with God, through prayer, and being led by the Holy Spirit are amazing supernatural gifts. When I go to church I find that the supernatural aspects take second place to legalism and man-made dogma. That always looks like lack of faith to me. When we get saved and filled with the Holy Spirit we are so on fire. There is very little doubt in our minds that a supernatural event has taken place. Somehow, sitting in a pew listening to lectures week after week that Holy Spirit fire seems to die down in people? The rules, the dogma, the politics kill the childlike wonder for me. Jesus gave His gift to everybody. The alcoholic hobo can pray and connect with Jesus Christ all day long, for free. That is the gift of Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't cut me off because I can't afford to give 10% of my income to the church. The church doesn't own Jesus Christ. The priest doesn't have ownership of the Holy Spirit and dole it out. So some will say I lack faith and am not a real Christian because I don't go to church but maybe my faith is simply more based on believing in the supernatural aspect. Without the supernatural we have no basis for faith other than Jesus was a good teacher and was killed for it.

If church increases your faith and enjoyment of it and you have a spiritual mentor through the church that is wonderful, go to church! If church slowly erodes the well of Eternal Life Water, the Holy Spirit in you then...I don't know why you want to do that. I loved church when I was a kid. As an adult I tend to prefer empty churches, empty of people that is...at least people that speak. Silent people are fine, haha. Churches tend to be locked during the day now, that is a sad thing.
I guess my point is: believe in the supernatural aspects of religion, that is how it moves beyond religion to spiritual life.