Why am I consumed with feelings of shame and guilt and depression when I attend a christian church service?

Question

I go to a Missionary Baptist church a few times a month and listen to biblical discussion in a sunday school class with middle aged couples and attend an hour long music/sermon service to follow. I like listening to the discussion and pastors sermon. Shouldn't I be leaving this place filled with love and joy and peace and happiness. I have been saved and baptised for a couple years. I live a modest, humble life and enjoy helping others and being considerate and caring toward others. Do any other christains experience these things?

Answer 1

I was just looking at your answers history. I saw one other answer on the subject of religion and spirituality out of the last 100 or so questions. Maybe you think this is just nosy, but my thought is that if you love the Lord with all your heart, it is not that you will not have any other interests, but God will be foremost in most of your life. My guess is you are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit to truly repent from a self-centered life and give your heart to Christ. If you feel you have done this, it's time to start walking with Him. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness". Feel free to review my answers history to see if i appear to be someone worth listening to.
May God bring you into His Peace.

Answer 2

Sometimes I think that all has to do more with the service than being Christian or not. Some types of services are just depressing and more like funerals. Some want you so happy you jump pews and swing from the rafters before the service is over. Im not a big fan of either. I love joyful worship and I also love to learn when its time to learn and hear when its time to hear. Maybe you could find a different church. One that feeds your whole being and not just your convictions.

Answer 3

I know how you feel. I'm not going to blame your church for this. If what they tell you it's the truth, it's your conscience that bug you. Since you've been baptised, you have a Holy Spirit within you that convict your heart. Can I ask youn a question ? Did you repent on your sin when you became save ? I was just wondering, since not many people repent when they receive Jesus.
I think you should look around other churches that might fit you. It took my husband and I about 4 years before we found a realy good, biblical church. Ask the pastor what they believe, look at their web-site, and see what happened. Ask God for your guidance.
God Speed (If you need encouragement, just e-mail me through this site. Thanks)

Answer 4

i'm Recon Norse Heathen in England so going to Christian centers is complicated to get out of. so far this 365 days I even have attended my grandmother's Christian funeral in church and her grave edge rites, my father-in-regulation's Christian cremation (which I helped organise which contains in my view designing the order of provider books) and the internment of ashes grave edge rites, a Christian wedding ceremony in a church (which had one thousand 365 days previous Anglo-Saxon font with a dragon, Yggdrassil and a couple of lions carved into it!) and sat with my significant different's relatives and a vicar in her mom's domicile on the same time as they prayed. i'm going to attend any religions' ceremonies yet do not take an brisk area in them, I stand while mandatory or take a seat and so on yet i don't pray to their god(s) or sing their songs as I no not have confidence and consequently something I did may well be fake and that i've got confidence an insult to the non secular followers interior the ceremony. I did whether throw soil directly to my floor mom's coffin interior the grave yet that became right into a fashion of asserting so long not a non secular element. I even have attended Hindu ceremonies which I completely enjoyed and additionally many Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist ceremonies which contains a marriage. i'm uncertain i ought to attend a Trad. Wiccan ceremony as having study distinctive the rituals/chants i hit upon the fairly some strains offensive to my faith.

Answer 5

My husband was a Baptist for many years and the first time he attended a talk at the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, he was in awe. When I finally got him to speak, he said, "Wow, I don't feel like I have been beaten." I do not think that God wants you to feel badly. Otherwise, why would he have said we should meet together to encourage one another??? Think about it.

Answer 6

You should try and figure out where this guilt stems from, It is normal if you have unresolved issues that you need to address, try not to repress it to long or it will end up causing more problems down the line

Answer 7

You need to go to another church that doesn't preach hell fire and brimstone. Try the Methodist. Or Presbyterian. It is time for you to move on to a church that can help you grow. You are stuck where you started.

Answer 8

IF YOU ARE FEELING GUILTY CONSIDER THIS

1. God does not expect you to be perfect, if He did, Christ would not have had to die for you.
2. God takes your sin and casts it as far as the east is from the west, INTO THE SEA OF FORGETFULLNESS TO BE REMEMBERED NO MORE.
3. Jesus is your savior, not you. And your salvation is as perfect as your savior.
4. GOD HAS FORGIVEN YOUR SIN, SO YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO HOLD THEM AGAINST YOURSELF. ONCE GOD HAS FORGIVEN YOUR SIN, FORGET ABOUT THEM
5. Lay aside every weight.

It is a good thing that you recognize that you have failures, it means you care, BUT ONLY GOD CAN REMOVE YOUR SIN, AND HE ALREADY HAS.

Answer 9

Sounds to me like your heart is telling you that you are being lied to, and that christianity has caused much pain and suffering in the name of God.

Answer 10

Everyone has this experience. You need to take it to God. There may be a part of your life that you are keeping from God and he is trying to get you to purge. We must fight daily to give it all to him.