Sacred formality vs. Casual atmosphere? Effects on worshipfulness?

[~Anastasia~]

Being there with mouth agape from the culture shock doesn't lend well to blending in. But it puts us ready to receive the bread of friendship.

LOL!

I was too busy trying to figure out where to stand, what to do. That church had prostrations, metonias (?), and all KINDS of gymnastics going on, and I was flipping pages and watching people move around.

LOL I pictured someone popping antidoron into your open mouths like feeding little birds.

 

[CalmRon]

Edited:

In formal churches (I have only visited a few) I see more reverence, there seems something more of the sacred there (in the visual things) - and it seems an atmosphere that really invites worship, to me.

My experience is more with very casual churches, and I have had the best worship in those - and they tend to emphasize a relationship with God ime.

I wondered at others' opinions, and if any ever felt something was missing and desired the "other"?

That was what I meant to ask. Tried to explain further in post 11.

My sincerest apologies - the truth of my own experience I have related in here are NOT meant to disparage any church or denomination at all, just a relating of my own experience. If anything I say offends anyone - and I'm afraid I may have - please forgive me and know it was my clumsiness that was the cause, not an intent to insult in any way.





(none of these terms meant to disrespect anyone) ... it seems to me that we regard God sometimes in different ways depending on how our worship experience is set up. What do you think, and have you ever yearned for a different kind of worship experience because of it?

Below is the inspiration for the question ... I'm going to start a new thread instead of posting on the old one as this is too different a topic.

Any comments welcomed!





Your comment makes me very curious about something.

You were raised RC, but you left that part of the church? And you mention "pompous pontification" ... I am very curious ...

I am not sure, but it seems that I see some raised with a lot of external "churchiness" (I don't know what to call it) ... the robes, the formality, the stained glass perhaps, the ceremony, the bejeweled Cross in the procession, I've heard of censors and bells ... all of these things are very foreign to me, but they seem to fit together in some kind of religious-focused atmosphere.

It seems that sometimes those who were raised in it want to get away, and see it is "pompous" (not saying you do, but I borrowed your word).

Then sometimes, people like me, see it for the first time (or nearly so) - and it's not that it "impresses" me (I'm not easily impressed), but I guess I like the air of reverence, the importance that it seems people give their place and items of worship. It resonates with me, when I've spent too long in churches that seem to regard God and the things of God in too casual a way.

I'm not saying either is wrong. At one time I disliked my husband's semi-Baptist mega-church with all their formality and symphony orchestra. I saw that they did not "relate" to God but kept Him too "other" from themselves as though He never walked among us.

Maybe we need reminders that He is there for us in a very real and personal way, and we also need reminders that He is holy and worthy of all the pomp in the world.

Eh, I hope it's ok to reference other posts in a new thread. I think that might be best for this topic.

*Late comer*
For me it doesn't matter, I had been to one catholic mass and it didn't mean one whit to me, though it was a different matter for the parishioners, most of my experience was in Baptist churches which ran the gamut from' insanely formal' to 'how is this a church meeting?' The formal attempted to make me wear a suit and tie which I do not own and that relationship didn't last very long; not to mention the very dry sermons. Another church was set up by a friend in an old store front but had zero experience running a church building, service was very informal and I still found the sermons essentially meaningless . My basic issue is with substance ratger than the form and order of the services.

 

[~Anastasia~]

*Late comer*
For me it doesn't matter, I had been to one catholic mass and it didn't mean one whit to me, though it was a different matter for the parishioners, most of my experience was in Baptist churches which ran the gamut from' insanely formal' to 'how is this a church meeting?' The formal attempted to make me wear a suit and tie which I do not own and that relationship didn't last very long; not to mention the very dry sermons. Another church was set up by a friend in an old store front but had zero experience running a church building, service was very informal and I still found the sermons essentially meaningless . My basic issue is with substance ratger than the form and order of the services.

I can relate to some of that. And I do find substance to be important, of course. I was only just seeing new forms of this type, and gave come to understand what I valued in them (and still do).

Substance is another issue. The Orthodox Church (where I am attending now) very much has substance, but does not deliver that much of it in sermon form, as I'm used to getting it. Fortunately I'm versatile, as long as I get it.

But outside of the liturgical churches (or those that at least have some tie to them), I see nothing of these kinds of forms. It does tend to focus on music style, formality or casualness of dress, and of activity. I've been at VERY formal Baptist churches too, as well as casual ones, but not as casual as you describe. But I've been in other very casual meetings - just not Baptist ones.

What I do remember from my Baptist days is that their strength was often in their sermons. I doubt I would analyze them the same way now as I once did though. But if you can't relate to the sermon in a Baptist church, then you are probably left with not much other than fellowship? That would be a problem.

Have you found something that suited you better?