Are you the once a year person who just goes to church on holidays?
Merry Christmas all.
Full Version: Christmas and Church
Are you going to church on Christmas eve or Christmas day?
Are you the once a year person who just goes to church on holidays?
Merry Christmas all.
Are you the once a year person who just goes to church on holidays?
Merry Christmas all.
I will be in church once on Christmas day! And twice every Sunday until then and every Sunday after (two different sermons) and New year's day, once.
17 years , never missed a sunday , 16 years never missed a sunday, wed , or sunday night.
At my church I see a lot of people who just come for the holidays, Christmas, Easter etc. Even our pastor joked about it once during his homily.
I won't be in church! i don't go at all anyways, so i don't see the point of being one of those that just goes around Christmas time, God and I are close, we do just fine without me going to a huge organized money sucking building!
| QUOTE (Redstripe @ Dec 7 2007, 12:13 PM) |
| I won't be in church! i don't go at all anyways, so i don't see the point of being one of those that just goes around Christmas time, God and I are close, we do just fine without me going to a huge organized money sucking building! |
I kinda feel this way to. I spent half of my school life in private school, so we were always in church. I'm very close to God, but don't feel I have to be in a man made building to pray when I do that all the time here, and I know He's listening.
I don't want to be one of those who just goes on a Religious Holiday.
I agree. If you believe, I don't know why you have to go to church every week because God is watching us all the time and not just to see if we go to man's church.
God sees how we treat each other in our everyday lives and not just if we go to church. I do love Christmas Eve mass, you can feel the spirit all around.
God sees how we treat each other in our everyday lives and not just if we go to church. I do love Christmas Eve mass, you can feel the spirit all around.
My dad was Catholic and my mom was Mormon. I got both religions. My grandfather was a minister. They were wonderful people. I joined the Southern Baptist Church in Mississipppi when I lived there and worked in the civil rights movement and Project Headstart. I left the church when they gave me a hard time about working in Headstart. I've never been back to a church since (over 30 years ago).
My mom died and had a nice funeral. My dad starting going to her church every Sunday. When he died, we could not get anyone from the Mormon church to do a service because he was not a member. The Catholic church would not do a service because he had not been there for so long. It was a horrible time for my sister and me. A good man who prayed at his bedside every night and lived a good life could not get a church to bury him.
From that point on, I know that God is not in buildings that man has built. And religion is not about rituals and dogma that man has written. If we have God in our hearts and pray, He will hear us. It doesn't have to be in a structure that can fall to the ground tomorrow. Faith should not be about crystal cathedrals and walking in circles to prove that we are good in God's eyes. He knows what is in our hearts.
And my grandfather used to tell me that we don't have to preach about our faith, that people will see it in the way we live. Just my opinion.
My mom died and had a nice funeral. My dad starting going to her church every Sunday. When he died, we could not get anyone from the Mormon church to do a service because he was not a member. The Catholic church would not do a service because he had not been there for so long. It was a horrible time for my sister and me. A good man who prayed at his bedside every night and lived a good life could not get a church to bury him.
From that point on, I know that God is not in buildings that man has built. And religion is not about rituals and dogma that man has written. If we have God in our hearts and pray, He will hear us. It doesn't have to be in a structure that can fall to the ground tomorrow. Faith should not be about crystal cathedrals and walking in circles to prove that we are good in God's eyes. He knows what is in our hearts.
And my grandfather used to tell me that we don't have to preach about our faith, that people will see it in the way we live. Just my opinion.
| QUOTE (Greys4Us @ Dec 7 2007, 08:09 PM) |
| My mom died and had a nice funeral. My dad starting going to her church every Sunday. When he died, we could not get anyone from the Mormon church to do a service because he was not a member. The Catholic church would not do a service because he had not been there for so long. It was a horrible time for my sister and me. A good man who prayed at his bedside every night and lived a good life could not get a church to bury him. |
that's horrible, i'm sorry you had to go through that...
I love Christmas Mass, it so uplifting. I go to church every week, for me its a time for me to reflect on the past week and to say thank you and for me to have the strength to carry on and to be able to handle the problems of the next week to come. I like the feel of a community coming together to worship, the closest of people. I look forward to hearing my priest give his homily , its like a little wisdom, I feel at peace. Oh, I do pray at home every day, but, church is different, a closeness, a unity.
i think i will end up in church sometime next Sunday.. i went with my best friend to her church's christmas play practice last night and her parents want me to come to the play so i probably will..
but i was reminded of why i don't like church... some unity and family, it was nothing but hearing other's talk about other people, gossip and whisper, it was ridiculious and embarassing actually
no telling what people were saying about me.. black cargo's on, black shirt, and piercings, i'm sorry i don't own nice clothes.. but i don't see how God could care what i wear...
oh well.....
but i was reminded of why i don't like church... some unity and family, it was nothing but hearing other's talk about other people, gossip and whisper, it was ridiculious and embarassing actually
no telling what people were saying about me.. black cargo's on, black shirt, and piercings, i'm sorry i don't own nice clothes.. but i don't see how God could care what i wear...
oh well.....
I truly believe that God's message is written on our hearts. We are all here for some reason and we should go with what we feel is the right thing to do. There is no right and wrong. We need to follow what our hearts tell us to do.
For me, walking alone in the woods and sitting along a quiet stream is knowing and understanding God. I was an archaeologist for many years and I spent long hours, days, months by myself and the most wonderful times in my life were spent in those moments.
Perhaps that is strange to others, but it is what made me happy. Also, spending time in my gardens brought me closer to my God. And working to find homes for greyhounds is fulfilling some deep desire in me no matter how hard it is to do or how discouraging it can be sometimes.
That is what is wrong in this world today and what has caused so many awful things to happen to humans in the past. We make the mistake of thinking that what we think is right should apply to everyone else.
When we learn to accept and respect God's message on other's hearts, we will discover peace forever in this world.
God Bless You and I hope you find contentment in whatever way you have found Him.
For me, walking alone in the woods and sitting along a quiet stream is knowing and understanding God. I was an archaeologist for many years and I spent long hours, days, months by myself and the most wonderful times in my life were spent in those moments.
Perhaps that is strange to others, but it is what made me happy. Also, spending time in my gardens brought me closer to my God. And working to find homes for greyhounds is fulfilling some deep desire in me no matter how hard it is to do or how discouraging it can be sometimes.
That is what is wrong in this world today and what has caused so many awful things to happen to humans in the past. We make the mistake of thinking that what we think is right should apply to everyone else.
When we learn to accept and respect God's message on other's hearts, we will discover peace forever in this world.
God Bless You and I hope you find contentment in whatever way you have found Him.
No, I haven't been to church for years. I pray on my own and I don't have to go to a building to be told I am a good person.
I do pray but haven't been to church(building) in years. Can't leave the kennel.