I would like to go to church, where should i go...I'm not a believer though...?

Question

I like the community, but I don't believe in supernatural. I see these mega churches and they seem so postive and such a great community.

I've gone to a Unitarian church before,which seems to be open to people who belive all sorts of things. It just seems like some of the fundamentalist churches have so much ...I don't know positive energy. But again I don't belive, so i don't think I'd feel comfortable there.

Also some of the megachurches seem to have so much other stuff going on outside of church , groups ans fun events...vs...other small eclectice spiritual organizations.

Answer 1

For the actual community I'd suggest sticking with the Unitarians. Many of them don't believe either but are also there for the community. They are accepting of your non-belief and offer opportunities for socializing, charity work, contemplation and many of the good things about church without the judgmental claims that they have the one true path and that you must believe as they do or be evil.
On the other hand, charismatic and spirit filled they are not. So you might want to become a regular at the Unitarians so that you have a group you really belong to but periodically check out other churches for the pageantry (grand, history filled ceremonies with excellent costumes at, for instance, the Catholic or Episcopalian churches) but for sheer joy and foot stomping, hand clapping, shout out loud fun you should check out the black churches. Good old fashioned black baptist gospel infused celebrations. Don't worry about not being the right color. They will accept you there. I'd stay away from the fundamentalists, though, because they have a lot of negative energy mixed with the positive energy.

Answer 2

Where you plan to attend depends on what you really want.

If you want a lot of happy talk do-it-yourself there is no right or wrong type of theology, then the Unitarians are your choice. The Unitarians who are NOT Christian throw great shows in many towns. They hire touring singer-songwriter acts for their Sunday entertainment.

The superchurches - offshoots of offshoots of western Protestant Christianity are very much into "christitainment" with powerpoints synced to rockband performances. The music is very upbeat, but not very intellectually deep. There is also lots of happy talk in the super churches, but at least it is biblically sound and you will get some good Christian teaching if you sift through all the entertainment.

Neither choice, the non Christian Unitarians and their do it yourself theology or the SuperChurch Protestants. Find an Orthodox Christain Church. That's the HISTORICAL Christianity.

Answer 3

Well, one way to find out if it's right for you would be to go there and give it a try. Don't limit yourself to one church though. What's right for someone else might not be a good fit for you. Try several until you find one that makes you feel safe and welcome, rather than out of place. There's a place for you, you just have to start looking.

Another idea would be to ask friends and coworkers you trust about where they worship, if they do. If you feel they wouldn't pressure you into believing something you don't, they may make a great support system. Having someone to sit with can really make all the difference.

As for the belief, that may come in time; going to church and learning what others believe about God may help you learn about your own beliefs. But you don't have to be a believer when you start going to church. That's often something that develops in time.

P.S. I attend the Church of the Nazarene, if you want to give that a chance. Positive energy without fancy clothes or chanting. Might work for you, might not. I like it though. They don't tend to force religion down your throat; they just give you information about God.

Answer 4

The size of a church can always vary. All that matters is that the church correctly follows the Bible's doctrine without additions or distortions. I recommend staying away from denominations and I'm warning you to stay away from cults (Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses). Smaller churches seem to be more personal yet bigger churches generally have the funds for retreats and childrens camps and transportation and missionary outreach and extra stuff like that. The only thing to look for is whether or not they truly follow the Bible.

Answer 5

I understand how hard it can be to find a church you think you might like. I am in the same boat. But, I do belive. Are there any smaller churches around where you live? I would try that it seems like the bigger ones (not all) are more about how much money they can make etc... good luck!

Answer 6

Unless you stick with Unitarian churches there aren't many more options for non-believers. If you start attending a Unitarian church regularly you could help that church organize some extra events.

Answer 7

You must understand that a church is a community through God and that the only reason those people attended that church in the first place is through their belief in Him. Im not saying dont go, Im just saying dont go for the wrong reasons, sometimes people have a negative reaction to people that join a church but dont necessarily believe in it's foundations

Answer 8

My friend, May the Lord who called you guide you to the His church that He instilled Himself.

For starters, you have to know that not all churches are same...unfortunately, due to human error and pride, people come up with their own teachings and put their own knowledge before God who created all, and they start their own churches away from the truth.
The only thing I can tell you, is that the mother church is still around, and has not been corrupted, and is still the same way the Lord Christ Himself has instilled her 2000 years ago...despite the errors of people that split away, yet she still remained faithful to her childeren such as yourself, and to God who designed and instilled it.
I am a bit cautious to tell you which churches are still maintaining the perfection and the path that Christ designed, because I am worried that some people might get offended...But it is worth doing the following:
- Pray that God leads you to the truth of His path and show you Himself and His church that he wants you to join.
- Do some research and learn the origins of every church and you will soon learn which churches are for real, and which ones are missing a few bolts and screws.
- lastly, listen to your heart and see what God tells you.

Not forgetting, you are more than welcome to e-mail me is you want and I am happy to give you a helping hand.

God bless you my friend

Answer 9

Well, the one I got to is not really a church. They will not convert you to their religion but they leave that choose to you. Not all the time are those big and fancy churches are the best to go to, they may seem like the answers you've been waiting for but it's not really what you would expect. Hope this helps you out.

Love, Daphnee

Answer 10

You can find great social and community activities without going to those mega-churches. They will just try and get you to join and pay to build more mega-churches in the name of Jesus Christ.

Spirituality is awesome. Religion is bad. Religion is man made and is the cause for almost all wars.