What are your reasons for not attending weekly church services?

If you believe in God at all, but do not attend church service on a regular basis, is there any particular reason why?

I've always felt that you don't have to attend a group gathering to believe in God and practice your faith. The "church" is not the building, but the people who are believers, and sometimes it doesn't always work out that some are able to fellowship with others.

Like me, for instance--I work most weekends when services are being held, and my husband is a non-believer and mistrustful of God, so to keep the peace in the home, I'm a closet Christian. It's better to remain silent, read and study on my own, follow along with online church services, than to listen to him make a big stink about how stupid he thinks it all is, and how I should not waste my time, be more like him, etc.

God knows my heart and mind, and He does meet you where you're at, and allows you to still have a relationship with Him, regardless of how non-stereotypical or unconventional it may be.

Hyacinth Girl wrote:God knows my heart and mind, and He does meet you where you're at, and allows you to still have a relationship with Him, regardless of how non-stereotypical or unconventional it may be.

^^This, I pray and have that one on one relationship with God, and that's good enough for me.

I haven't attended regular weekly church since I was a kid.

Don't have time. I've never been a churchgoer like that anyway.

My great great great great great something or other grandmother was a firm believer that you didn't have to go to church to be close to God, and I happen to agree. I've never been to a church in my life, but my father went to Bible college and was a minister, so we have our own weekly church service at home.

Not interested in it.

cheaps wrote:


^^This, I pray and have that one on one relationship with God, and that's good enough for me.

I haven't attended regular weekly church since I was a kid.

And sometimes that's all you need, and it's enough--everyone's walk with God is an individual one, and there are many ways to put belief and faith into practice outside of the actual church building. And in fact, that's what believers actually supposed to do--incorporate it into your daily life.

Sometimes just the simple things like lending your time, helping out someone in need, giving of yourself in whatever way suits the situation is the true show of faith-in-action.

FM always finds topics like these interesting. Gives FM a lot of fodder. FM should be a columnist.

Forgiveness Man wrote:FM always finds topics like these interesting. Gives FM a lot of fodder. FM should be a columnist.

FM sounds like "Jimmy" on Seinfeld, who always spoke in the third person.. . .

Opa Shale wrote:

Well, sorta brings home the message "A House Divided ..."

Sorry to hear that your ol' man is such a jerk. Altho it would be nice if both partners were of the same faith, it doesn't always work out that way - so quiet tolerance is about the only option that I can see. My wife was Christian tho she didn't go to church.

He was brought up in an Italian Catholic home where they force-fed you Catechism on a routine basis, but the religion aspect is merely amplified by other issues he has yet refuses to see. It's not that the husband is some mean ogre, but he has some personality traits I wish I'd seen for what they truly are, 21 years ago when I was skipping down the aisle in a wedding dress. He means well and most of the time he's fine, but now and then he gets into a tailspin where all the ugliness comes out and he's a complete bastard, and his attitude reaffirms my overall feeling that I have many reservations about spending the rest of my life with him.

That unfortunately, blows away any period of calmness and goodness that has happened. His issues stem from a bit of snobbery where he thinks he's better than most people, he also thinks everyone but him has the problem, and he's a control freak to a certain extent.

He tries, but has gone about some things the wrong way over the years, that have had an overall negative effect; while being a caring father, he's put our daughter first above all else, at the expense of cutting out everything in life that I like to do, he liked to do, things that should be done as a couple--it was unintentional, but now he's going to be left standing all alone someday with no friends, hobbies, or whatever, once our daughter leaves home, and he refuses to recognize that.

So there's my rant, but to get back on topic, the religion aspect only gets compounded by the other issues at hand, and the less things he has to pick about, the better, hence me being a quiet believer.