Why is it that people who go to church feel you have to belong to a church to be happy?

I know I live it the Bible belt now but it seems everyone I meet here has this idea that you must belong to some kind of church or you are just out there on your own. Maybe, that I where I want to be right now. I only left in 2005. Still trying to figure out if I believe in anything anymore. The god of the Bible let me down by letting my marriage end. Since he is supposed to hate divorce. There are plenty of churches down here to choose from but none that I feel inclined to go to. I love sleeping in on Sunday. My sister doesn't call me to wake me like she does during the week, she is at church. It is a day to look at the paper and relax.

no more kool aid

I agree. We love Sundays now. We finally have a day to sleep extra and then maybe get some things done around the house. Projects that we have literally been putting off our entire lives are getting done. I don't feel a void.

loosie

I live in the bible belt as well. And when I left the JW's I got a lot of invites to other churches. I am perfectly happy to not go to any church. but my hubby misses the social part of it. So he might go to some church for the social aspect.

Mrs. Fiorini

Because it has worked that way for them. The problem with that idea, though, is that everyone is different. I do not believe there is a one-size-fits-all spirituality.

LouBelle

I went to a couple of churches after I initially left, but soon realised that they have the same kind of structure in place, perhaps with a bit more perceived ""freedom"" than the witnesses but you definately have to commit to their ways at the end of the day and I wasn't about to do that. Plus I realised that I don't need someone telling me how to live my life and what god wants from me. I'm quite capable of doing that for myself.

It's that feeling to belong, that you're not along, that you're valid.

What I see with my christian friends is that it's a huge social thing. A big club for people to get to know one another and hang out. Not much spirituality or thinking outside of their church walls.

MissingLink

Misery loves company

talley

I wonder if part of that 'feeling' is the unintended pleasure of having social contanct and being part of a group/herd. Man actually is a 'herd/pack' animal.

Our situation is that our livlyhood (dairy farmers) kept us really close to home and on a rigid schedule 24/7. Now we are retired and I find myself without any real social contacts. Hubby has 'friends' through farming, guys that rent our land, mechanics, parts people, fuel delivery people, etc.

But I was either in the barn working or in the house preparing meals and cleaning up afterword. I realize now that I have no friends...... mainly because I really was not a friend to anyone..... and it's my very own fault.

So I have seriously been considering going to our local Unitarian 'church' just for the social contact, even though I am an Apathetic Agnostic.

I would not be seeking any 'spiritual enrichment', simply social contact/meeting other people.

Judy

poppers

Hi talley. Not to hijack the thread, but I see you are from Wisconsin, as am I - an hour north of Eau Claire in what is considered western Wisconsin. How about you? I no longer practice any religion either, but I did go to a local Unitarian church a few years ago to see what it was like and met some very nice people having a very wide range of beliefs and interests.

WTWizard

ENVY!

People that go to church generally feel restricted in their activities, because all churches teach that man is inherently wicked (some "upbuilding" that is!). They are taught that there are things they must and must not do in order to benefit from the supposed "solution(??)" to the problem that God created in the first place (original sin). And, since that inhibits them from the full use of their own lives, they want to destroy your freedom to enjoy freedom, too.

If you enjoy certain aspects of church, by all means continue going. Some like the structure; others like the social aspect. Others like not having to make decisions themselves (in fact, it can be even harder to be your own God and make your own decisions than to go into a sequestered ministry in many churches). But, I do not like it when people that go to church start telling me that I need to go also (and no, this isn't the f***ing Bible belt, either).