Do you think it is imperative that church is attended in order to be religious (not just spiritual...i.e., "I believe in God, but don't follow any religion") – but rather, actually, religious. Is church a must?

No, I don't think so, you can carry your religious beliefs around with you all the time and if you want to pray (LOL) you can do it anywhere that is private.

I don't believe that church is a must if a person is religious. I think that everyone should follow their own spirituality and/or religion in their own way, and if that excludes church, then it excludes church. If there is a God, and one chooses not to go to church, God knows who has faith in him and who doesn't.

I say it is a must. If you can't get your butt off the couch and too the local church for an hour a week, I don't believe you really are religious. I think the "I can be plenty religious without going to a building" is really just an excuse to not go. Besides, I highly doubt you're spending that hour doing something "religious" anyway.

So yeah, I'd say it is necessary to be religious. It shows some humility. That's not to say just going is enough but it's part of the recipe.

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

I say it is a must. If you can't get your butt off the couch and too the local church for an hour a week, I don't believe you really are religious. I think the "I can be plenty religious without going to a building" is really just an excuse to not go. Besides, I highly doubt you're spending that hour doing something "religious" anyway.

So yeah, I'd say it is necessary to be religious. It shows some humility. That's not to say just going is enough but it's part of the recipe.

I agree with what you are saying about how most people who say that are just looking for a reason not to go.

But there are people who have had very bad experiences with churches and therefore, they have their own spirituality. So instead of letting yet another church disappoint them, they just choose to continue to know God on their own, read the Bible, and live according to their own interpretation of the Word. And I don't mean for a person to interpret it to fit what sins they want to commit!

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

I say it is a must. If you can't get your butt off the couch and too the local church for an hour a week, I don't believe you really are religious. ...

And as noted, being spiritual is not dependent on being religious. In fact I have often seen quite the opposite.

No, I don't. Of course, we do our own church thing at home on Sundays, my father used to be a minister. So rathre than get dressed up and get in the car and go sit among 600 other people, some of whom will no doubt have screaming brats, and older kids who can't stop complaining about they want to go home, we just stay home and do it.

RedBedroom wrote:

I agree with what you are saying about how most people who say that are just looking for a reason not to go.

But there are people who have had very bad experiences with churches and therefore, they have their own spirituality. So instead of letting yet another church disappoint them, they just choose to continue to know God on their own, read the Bible, and live according to their own interpretation of the Word. And I don't mean for a person to interpret it to fit what sins they want to commit!

I reject personal interpretation. I think that despite what you warn against, it will lead directly to that. And I think a lot of people burned by religion are not necessarily sitting home and reading their Bible all day, at least not the majority.

I understand that people have been burned by churches. The best analogy I can use is that a bad experience at a dentist doesn't eliminate the need to go. I had a really mean dentist when I was a kid. Would that mean my need for annual cleanings and occasional dental work would disappear? Could I just get by with brushing and flossing? And to relate it to the question, do I need to regularly visit my dental to be considered to have healthy teeth/gums?

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

I reject personal interpretation. I think that despite what you warn against, it will lead directly to that. And I think a lot of people burned by religion are not necessarily sitting home and reading their Bible all day, at least not the majority.

I understand that people have been burned by churches. The best analogy I can use is that a bad experience at a dentist doesn't eliminate the need to go. I had a really mean dentist when I was a kid. Would that mean my need for annual cleanings and occasional dental work would disappear? Could I just get by with brushing and flossing? And to relate it to the question, do I need to regularly visit my dental to be considered to have healthy teeth/gums?

That is actually a bad example because a couple years ago on the news, a reporter went undercover to 10 different dentists to see what they would say about his teeth. 10 different dentists had 10 different diagnosis of what kind of work he needed, but all of them agreed he needed to spend thousands of dollars to get his teeth right, if you can agree on that and NOT what needs to be done, there is a problem.

If a person is generalizing, then yes, it is probably a safe bet that a majority of people who claim to have had bad experiences with church are as you said, not necessarily sitting at home reading the Bible.

However, I speak only from personal experience. There are other ways than attending church to be religious, practice faith, or however one puts it. Such as a YMCA led bible study group, or women's studies bible group that is non-denominational and does not have affiliation with a church. That is what I do.

Supernova wrote:

That is actually a bad example because a couple years ago on the news, a reporter went undercover to 10 different dentists to see what they would say about his teeth. 10 different dentists had 10 different diagnosis of what kind of work he needed, but all of them agreed he needed to spend thousands of dollars to get his teeth right, if you can agree on that and NOT what needs to be done, there is a problem.

Fine, drop the dental work. Just focus on regular routine cleanings. If you never go in for cleaning, do you honestly believe your teeth will be healthy? What about other doctors?

Sorry, but you can't just reject something altogether just due to a single bad experience. And I also think a lot of bad experiences, based on what I heard, equate to not getting what you want.

No. If someone follows the rituals, traditions and buy into the belief of a faith, then habitual Sunday service isn't required.

JM130ELM wrote:

No. If someone follows the rituals, traditions and buy into the belief of a faith, then habitual Sunday service isn't required.

You're right, if you follow the rituals, traditions, and faith, it'll be obligatory, not habitual.

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

Fine, drop the dental work. Just focus on regular routine cleanings. If you never go in for cleaning, do you honestly believe your teeth will be healthy? What about other doctors?

My dentist has never cleaned my teeth, only filled the ones with holes and taken out the ones that were too long or had REALLy big holes.

And the only other doctor I go to is the eye doctor for my glasses, and I don't even see him anymore, just his assistant to put in new lenses when I need them.

Supernova wrote:

My dentist has never cleaned my teeth, only filled the ones with holes and taken out the ones that were too long or had REALLy big holes.

And the only other doctor I go to is the eye doctor for my glasses, and I don't even see him anymore, just his assistant to put in new lenses when I need them.

Well just you don't go doesn't mean you don't need to. lol My point exactly. xD

But you get my point. Just cause you don't go doesn't mean you don't need to go.