Why don't people understand my decision to not go to church?

Question

I have nothing against anyone who goes to church all the time, part time, or not at all so why am I being judged?

Many people keep telling me that I need to go to church which wouldn't be a problem but I feel that I would be creating a sin persey if I went. I think it's worse to PRETEND to believe and go to church than it is to just be content with life and stay away from places where I don't understand or believe in what's going on there. It's not that I don't believe exactly it's just that I'm the type of person who has to "see" to believe. Plus I can't get out of my head the thought that it could all be a made up system to help people cope with life and death. And there is plenty of scientific evidence that evolution is possible but maybe "God" created it to be that way....really I don't see how anybody could know for sure. After all wouldn't something like a bible usually be concidered hear say in court if it wasn't so "popular"?....

Anybody have any input for me on this?

Answer 1

I completely understand where you are coming from.

I fought long and hard as a teenager against the pressure. Even as a young adult until very recently I would go to the Temple (as I was brought up Hindu, rather than Christian) just to keep my parents happy.

Now I see this as a hypocrisy I can't justify. I have no problem with my parents attending but I will not spend my valuable time to participate in prayers and rituals to a God I consider to be mythological.

God was a hypothesis made up by our ancestors as a way to explain the world around them. At the time, given their lack of better hypotheses and evidence, it was a pretty good hypothesis and a reasonable way to live their lives. In the light of modern scientific knowledge of the universe, and the huge fallacies and contradictions present in religious texts, it is simply untenable to rationally believe in religion or God.

There is no strong evidence whatsoever for any religion. All the evidence is tied up in old storybooks which, as you say, would be dismissed as hearsay in a court of law. Why should we live our lives on the basis of hearsay?

Answer 2

first of all scientific evidences that you call are not different then you say "all be a made up system to help people cope with life and death".
Islam, the last and the true religion, has respect for both the people who goes to church or who does not. In any way you may choose the best way, Islam.

And finally, although i am a muslim, and i want you to choose Islam, I will advice you to go to the church, because sometimes "pretending" works. It gives you time for thinking, having decisions about the subject. Think twice...

Answer 3

Any choice that you make that does not support a particular thought system is seen as an attack on that system by those who believe in it. Any deviation is seen as a threat because it points toward the possibility that the entire thought system may just be a fabrication.

If you are seeing this clearly on your own you are probably ready for a graduate course in reality and human relations.

I suggest that you get a book called the course in miracles. It somewhat exhaustively explains many of the ideas you are talking about in great detail.

It’s well worth the effort.

Love and blessings

Answer 4

It is better not to "pretend" or be lukewarm as the bible says. I think other than saying go to church...(i am a Christian btw) I try to undersatnd where someone is coming from..I answer any questions about My faith in Jesus, as best I can, then I just be there for them I cannot make a desicion for anyone, but I can tell them the truth as I see it. Also "nonbelivers" bring up evolution a lot of the time as an excuse not to dig deeper into Christanity, it is a theory.
Sometimes there are better/bigger things to look at than questions we can't know the answer to.

Answer 5

religion and spirituality are as individual as the person. You don't HAVE to believe anything you don't want to. There is no law. At least not in my country.
If you think you might believe or want to try to believe you could go to a service with an open mind just to research your thoughts and your mind. It probably does not offend God that you are trying to figure this out.
If you are seeking God then just fake it till you make it and see what happens. It may take you a lifetime to get your answer.
I believe as long as we live a just life and not inflict pain on others we should be pretty much ok in the end.
For me, I have found my God and he is very much part of my life. I can honestly say I love having a God of my understanding in my life. It enriches my life.

Answer 6

Wow, what you just said is exactly what I feel. I have said those exact things for so long now. It's not that I don't believe, but I just don't know what to believe. And that is a big reason why I don't go to church, too. I was brought up as a Christian and went to Sunday School. But I was never taught to judge others. After Sunday School it was my choice to go if I wanted, but I chose not to. Now I am 25 and have a 10 month old girl. My husband shares the same views as me and we will allow our daughter to believe what she wants and try different churches when she is old enough. My husband knows a lot about the different religions, more than most because he is very interested in learning about them, so he will be able to help answer her questions. We have noticed that most of the people that "judge" us seem to be our own family members. Finally, after long discussions, they have backed off and are willing to allow us to bring up OUR daughter, not theirs, as we choose!

Answer 7

Because organized religion is a scam. They brainwash all these people into believing that they are good and decent because they sit in a building for an hour or two on Sundays. Then they ask for money at the end. Anyone who doesn't go is looked upon as bad because the organizers want more "butts" in the seats so that they acquire more donations.

Honestly...the truth is that if you beileve in God then he is everywhere. Go for a walk in the woods and enjoy the wonders of nature. This is the BEST way to worship in my book.

Answer 8

Ignore what people say about religion most of the time. When they have no answer they will say you have to have faith. I have lived with this problem for a heck of a long time. I figured out when I was still young that religion was not something sent to us by any mythical thing. Man himself created religion to use to control the masses. Most began as a way for us to live together and get along. Over time man has changed and divided religion into so many factions that now they spend most of their time fighting each other. There has to be control but religion has out lived its usefulness. Civil law is replacing it to some degree but even civil law gets tainted by religious beliefs. Hold to your knowledge that religion is not needed this day and age.

Answer 9

As you are beginning to realize, religion is just a human invention arsing from fear and ignorance. This is the obvious conclusion to draw once you start thinking for yourself. Many people find it easier to believe in fairy tales (God will look after me, I'll go to heaven etc) rather than face reality. It's not always easy to accept the world the way it really is (as opposed to how we wished it were) but it is much more rewarding since then you are acting like a person of psychological maturity and intellectual integrity rather than staying like a child for the rest of your life. Good for you.

Answer 10

The word for you is "agnostic". You would be a hypocrite to go to church with that belief. Church is based on Christianity and Christianity is based on faith, and faith is based on the Bible, and the Bible says "without faith it is impossible to please God" Hebrews 11:4.
If you must see things to believe then you don't have faith since seeing is the opposite of faith. 2 Cirinthinsa 5:7 You are better off to stay away from church until God gives you faith.