need to worship? (page 2)

Dawn

I don't feel required to worship - if by worship you mean attending church. But I do attend a non-denominational church now regularly because I enjoy it. But if I feel like sleeping in......I DO!

gumby

Hi Frank,

but because of my "JW Adventure" , I not longer feel the need to worship.

It took much more for me to not worship.

When I left the dubs....I STILL believed in the bible and it's god. It took much re-search to convince me otherwise. It still amazes me how many who leave the dubs, also leave god and the bible at that point. I suppose we all have our various reasons and feelings....it just seems to me that people would have more of a reason than to simply learn the borg is bunk. I'm not belittleing people who do this....I just don't UNDERSTAND it.

Gumby

bebu

A short comment...

I think worship is only possible if there is a cognitive understanding that something/someone is worthy of awe and respect and love.

People around the world have worshiped nature in various ways, because they recognized something awe-inspiring there. The Japanese built shrines near every impressive site to honor the god of the place. It was a natural response to their awe.

If there is no recognition, then worship feels empty, and God comes across as paranoid or neurotic.

But if we see God's hand in any aspect of life--nature, children, passion.--worshiping God doesn't seem unnatural at all.

bebu

sens

Frank...

I still do...its something I struggle with....the 'where 2 now' thing...

But I dont view the jw meetings as worship....Id rather call it one extended study of bs...their bs..to be exact.

Carmel

It is the "natural" human condition to want to contemplated the metaphysical, to commiserate and cooperate with fellow human beings and to be in awe of natural forces around us. No biggy! We are bred to be gregarious, while at the same time have urges to be in "control" (ie autonomous). All these are conflicting and confusing urges that cannot be satisfied by "old time religion" that stiffles the spirit, disempowers individuals or worse condems us as "sinners" just by being born. If a religion is to be satisfying to contemporary humanity, it must empower the individual, allow for leadership without sufficating control and encourage the eflourescence of talents and faculties inherant in our nature as spiritual beings.

So sayeth the soothsayer!

carmel

bebu

Stumbled across this online today:

A poet praised a star in the night

Another praised a parrot's hue;

A merchant praised the wares he sold

Ane he, at least, praised what he knew.

bebu

outnfree

I still have a need to worship. I think Alan may have something when he says it's culturally ingrained, in fact, it may even be inherited in my case. I have a BUNCH of ancestors who were ministers and/or religious refugees on both sides of my family, and I wonder sometimes if this need hasn't something to do with the way that portion of the brain said to be responsible for "religious experiences" works in me.

Unfortunately, I feel a lot like Estee. I don't want to be told that I'm a worthless sinner, or that my salvation depends on doing things a certain way. I tried several churches after my way out of the JWs two years ago (actually, I started before I left). I was comfortable at the local non-denominational church and really liked some of the congregants, but got turned off when I did some small group Bible study and realized there was an AGENDA even while all the time the material being studied denied that there WAS an agenda. Sorry, but my BS meter was highly sensitive post-Borg. I cannot abide narrow-mindedness.

My husband is Catholic and my son decided he wanted to become Catholic as well, so I attended mass quite regularly for quite some time. Somehow (and this is strange even to me) I became very emotional when I could not partake of communion (something that I had begun to do again at the non-denominational church after having a sort of revelatory experience there). Some days, I would actually cry from the ache of not being allowed to share in communion. (Because Catholics believe in the transfiguration of the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ, non-Catholics are not welcome to participate in the Eucharist.)

Finally, I took myself to a couple of more churches, and right now I am happy going to a local Lutheran church when the need for worship overcomes me. It's not every Sunday, nor every day, but I always feel better when I share in the communion ritual. And, the added benefit at this church is twofold: 1) I find it endearing that the pastor and the servers take their communion last, and 2) they actually break a loaf of bread and provide wine (as opposed to grape juice).

I have NO logical explanation for why participating in this ritual should make any difference at all in the way I feel, but it does. I am inclined to think that Steve is right, that there is a creator somewhere who is NOT intimately involved in our affairs, but Jesus is a good role model. Therefore, viewing him as part of the Source of Life and communing with him in this way makes me feel connected to The Light.

Strange, but true...

outnfree

xandra360

I still feel the need to worship and miss having a spiritual routine, eventhough its been nearly 4 years since I did the fade. I do go to a local Buddhist centre to meditate, but don't feel I could really get into another organised religion. The whole idea of it just brings back too many bad connotations for me. I don't think I'll ever lose that feeling of wanting to do something spiritual but I just can't see myself committing wholesale to another religion again.

xandra360

Nosferatu

I worship myself. I have created the personality I have adopted, and the life that I'm living. Noone else can do that for me.

joannadandy

I worship you too Nos...

First Presbyterian Church of Nosferatu the Devine.

need to worship?

Share this