Alot of churches today have the idea that "Everybody's welcome", but they really dont practice that. Alot of churches focus inward on their own views, ideas, and people, instead of doing what the Bible says about reaching the outward to the lost and dying world and getting them to know Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior.
There are alot of churches making church seem like its just for church people instead of all people. Jesus said in Luke 5:31-32 "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." When alot of churches don't go out into the community and spread the gospel but focus only on themselves they destroy themselves from the inside out, then they wonder why their church isn't growing.
Alot of churches make it difficult for non-believers to have a relationship with Christ. They set standards and rituals you have to go through just to be accepted. I just want to her others views on this.
2006-12-05 15:20:44 · 14 answers · asked by Bebela3 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Now i am not saying all churches do this because there are some who do practice "Everybody's welcome", you can be from any race, gender, culture, or background and you are still welcome into the house of God.
2006-12-05 15:23:59 · update #1
Let me repeat I said alot NOT ALL! Just want to clarify!
2006-12-05 15:25:22 · update #2
The type of churches i talking about in particular are Christian churches. This is not a bashing of other churches but i see alot of churches destroying themselves because they become "Me" churches instead of "We" churches.
2006-12-05 15:32:35 · update #3
You're absolutely right. There are many churches that are so completely focused on being more pious than their neighboring churches that they lose sight of what's important. I've been to churches where members look at you sideways if you're not in the finest Sunday attire; or they're constantly preaching that they are the correct church to attend, but those other strands of Christian churches are all wrong, and you're going to hell if you don't belong to my sect.
I try not to let this affect my faith. I am a Christian. I am churchless. It's hard sometimes to find a church in which you feel welcome and comfortable, and one that teaches the Bible in a way that you were brought up to believe it.
2006-12-05 15:28:01 · answer #1 · answered by MamaMia 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You say you have been away from your family for several years. I think that is part of the problem. You don't say that you are interested in another religion, just that you don't like the controls in your current one. That is the same issue that confronted Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the results were the same. They were driven out of the garden and their relationship with Jehovah was compromised. As a young JW, raised in the truth, you would be very naive and could easily get hurt in this cruel world. Your friends do not sound like good association. I suggest you talk to the elders about your feelings and perhaps they can help you to understand. There are too many bad influences in the world, and unless you stay close to God's organization, you can get caught up in them. It seems to me that you are trying to justify something sinful that you want to do. If you have close friends in the organization I see no reason why you would want to leave unless you plan on committing some sins. Make sure any new thoughts you have are taught in the bible, and make sure the scriptures are not taken out of context. Your profile says you are a musician and singer and it may be that you want to pursue a career in the musical arena. Because you are artistic, you may be more of a dreamer than most. Don't let your dreams turn into nightmares.
2016-05-22 23:05:32 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic Church welcomes everyone to come to Mass.
As far as communion, a non-Catholic should not receive communion because they don't know what it is they are receiving unless they have been fully instructed in the faith and make the decision to convert to being Catholic.
A Catholic should NOT profane the body and blood of Christ by receiving communion if they have any grave sin and have not gone to confession.
I am a Catholic, and I have gone to many Masses where I voluntarily did not go up for communion because I knew that I had serious sin and had not done an act of contrition and gone to confession.
This is also for people's own protection because if a Catholic receives communion with grave sin and without receiving absolution, they are actually putting a curse on themselves. This is up to each person to judge their own conscience, there are no communion police. And sadly, a lot of people abuse communion and are actually putting a curse on themselves by doing so. The Bible supports this teaching.
2006-12-05 15:27:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you. Most churches (including those who do outreach and support missions) are mainly interested in getting you to be a regular who conforms, stays quiet and gives tithes and offerings.
By years of experience I've found that if you really want to grow in Christ and not wither up you have to strike out on your own, and at least loosen the relationship, and have no dependency, on your church or any church.
Having said that I also agree with the person above; it's easy to fall into the trap of judging other Christians and churches. 'Judge not that ye be not judged", but also "The spiritual man judges all things, yet is judged by no-one".
Discernment is needed!
2006-12-05 15:31:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think that alot of churchs (do you mean religions or individual congregations?) want people to come and see them as they way they are, but may be afraid to go outside their comfort zone to see how others are. It is actually difficult to answer this question as I don't know what exactly you mean by "churches". Are you meaning "church" as in "religion" or "church" as in particular congregations? Those two scenarios are very different.
2006-12-05 15:27:32 · answer #5 · answered by harpertara 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not so for my church.
We're very hip.
We have loud contemporary Christian music.
We don't sing hymns.
Sometimes we even have break dance ! Are you flipping over now ?
80% of our church are young people below 35.
Our senior pastor always says : " For the marketplace, in the martketplace to penetrate the marketplace."
Our church exist primarily to welcome unbelievers.
You'll see many with tatoos , wierd hairsyles and colors.
We like it that way. Non - believers feel quite "at home"
2006-12-05 15:28:09 · answer #6 · answered by Toshihiro 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a constant struggle to reach out of our comfort zones and be accepting. Accepting people different than us, is not in our human nature. Church should be a place where everyone is welcome, but it is also a place where people come to get better, not just stay sick. It's a thin line.
2006-12-05 15:25:13 · answer #7 · answered by The GMC 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i find it the oposite. all the churches i know seem to spend all their time for the new people. they spend all their time reaching out to the community.
i think what would be good is to assign newbies a mentor to help them and do Bible studies with them. then focus all their energy on the people who have been there for a long time.
2006-12-05 15:25:11 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Once upon a time the Church doors were always open, today they have dead bolts.
What are they protecting, some candle sticks and a microphone no one wants. Like a robber couldn't break into those stain glass windows!
2006-12-05 15:26:31 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because they are self righteous hypocrites
2006-12-05 15:26:08 · answer #10 · answered by Mr Bellows 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋