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The Behaviors of the Christian Church.

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I no longer participate in church activities. To me Church is more like a social club, and to join we all have to go through these nutty rituals. I quit going 2 years ago and am in a kind of limbo as to what I really believe.

One idea keeps haunting me and is one of the reasons I left the church even though I never really gave it that much thought. My preacher kept preaching on the idea that a person's "story" did not matter. A philosophical idea that I have never heard before.

It went kind of like this:

A person's 'story', or background information that makes up who they are does not matter. We really are not even concerned in hearing about your story. The churches agenda is more important than anything you care about.

Didn't Jesus always concern himself with the people and their troubles. What was the purpose of preforming miracles if his "healing" a person never gave a crap about the persons past sufferings. Wasn't that continuously God's purpose of sending a flesh and blood representation of himself to us in the first place? Jesus constantly told us that he came to save the sick not "equip the saints".

I know this isn't really that deep but was just something or other I wanted to share.

@lazymon,

lazymon;159111 wrote:

Didn't Jesus always concern himself with the people and their troubles. What was the purpose of preforming miracles if his "healing" a person never gave a crap about the persons past sufferings. Wasn't that continuously God's purpose of sending a flesh and blood representation of himself to us in the first place? Jesus constantly told us that he came to save the sick not "equip the saints".

I know this isn't really that deep but was just something or other I wanted to share.

Well there is a fairly large gap between the example and teachings of Jesus and the doctrine, dogma and behavior of The Church or of churches in general. (A HUGE gap). All you need is love, love is the answer, yeh, yeh, yeh. When the church is no longer about love, forgiveness and acceptance it is no longer about Jesus.

@lazymon,

lazymon;159111 wrote:

I no longer participate in church activities. To me Church is more like a social club, and to join we all have to go through these nutty rituals. I quit going 2 years ago and am in a kind of limbo as to what I really believe.

One idea keeps haunting me and is one of the reasons I left the church even though I never really gave it that much thought. My preacher kept preaching on the idea that a person's "story" did not matter. A philosophical idea that I have never heard before.

It went kind of like this:

A person's 'story', or background information that makes up who they are does not matter. We really are not even concerned in hearing about your story. The churches agenda is more important than anything you care about.

Didn't Jesus always concern himself with the people and their troubles. What was the purpose of preforming miracles if his "healing" a person never gave a crap about the persons past sufferings. Wasn't that continuously God's purpose of sending a flesh and blood representation of himself to us in the first place? Jesus constantly told us that he came to save the sick not "equip the saints".

I know this isn't really that deep but was just something or other I wanted to share.

Truthfully if you pay attention to the scriptures your self you will see that churches really have no idea what they're talking about or are just believing what they want out of the bible. All the church today are all about persuasion not about truth anymore. Therefore as you can see just as all things in America the church is about sell and advertisement and fun but not truth.

@lazymon,

I belong to the Orthodox Church - its kinda mystical, but it hasn't changed, added, or edited its teachings since the very beginning.
For me all other churches seemed filled with cheap moralizing or dead spirituality.

Anyway, I don't know what yr priest was talking about; but the church is about community.
Then again, its not about self-help. Its not about "getting something" out of it. In fact, its not at all about "you."
Its about worshiping God and taking joy in following His plan for us.

At least thats my 2 cents!

@spiltteeth,

spiltteeth;159216 wrote:

IIts about worshiping God and taking joy in following His plan for us.!

I wish I know what his plan for us was; but I agree we should be thankful and take joy in the majesty and mystery of creation for it is good.

@lazymon,

lazymon;159111 wrote:

A person's 'story', or background information that makes up who they are does not matter.

Actually I am sympathetic to that attitude. There are reasons to leave your personal dramas at the door, so to speak. When you begin to give voice to your situation, it becomes very convincing, and suddenly there you are in the middle of 'my life' and 'my problems' and 'all the things that have happened to me'.

JC said 'He who saves his own life will loose it; he that looses it for my sake will be saved'. No doubt this has been used countless times to rationalise religious warfare. But another interpretation is this exact meaning. As long as you are yourself and your story, then you really are separated from everything and everyone by your self-concern. Spiritual teachings generally are about abandoning your self concern. So, it figures. Forgetting about yourself is very difficult. I sure haven't, although I do recognise that I haven't, which is I think more than a lot of people recognise.

I can't speak for your experience in church, I am not a churchgoer myself. This is just an interpretation.

@lazymon,

I certainly wouldn't join any community if I never had a chance to speak and find some sort of connection with it. I am thankful for this forum as it allows everyone to come with friendly discourse about things we find serious. Some churches are good about not judging others and listening other wise many people would be turned away.

I think I see what you mean about losing your self. I just found it very hard to do and if no one is to help me in doing this, and they even preach from the pulpit that they don't care anyways, then I found it more beneficial to just remove myself physically and all together. So I left Smile

@lazymon,

lazymon;159695 wrote:

I think I see what you mean about losing your self. I just found it very hard to do

I agree it is a very hard thing to do. I have by no means done it! Ideally in a spiritual community you will find someone who understands it, but often you won't. My own formal involvement with the Christian Church ended when I declined confirmation at 13. I am not hostile to the Church (many are, mind you). But I decided to seek answers elsewhere. Now I understand a lot more about the symbolism and inner meaning of the teachings, but it takes a lot of study and soul-searching. Besides, there might be really good Churches too. One of the contributors above mentioned the Orthodox faith. I have read a lot about their understanding and I very much admire it. I think Eastern Orthodoxy is far superior to Protestantism in terms of understanding the spiritual meaning of the Bible.

@lazymon,

It seems you have not rejected church so much as you have rejected what I call "churchianity." Churches have an agenda and a plan. This is usually bigger numbers, bigger buildings and bigger paychecks. Of course they spiritualize this as being a fulfillment of God's plan for hem and their church. How else will you know if you are successful if the seats and offering plates aren't full? Of course most people realize this is a problem.

I say you have not rejected the church, because for a Christian this is really impossible. The church is "the assembly of the called-out ones." You are part of that. This is supposed to have a local representation in a group of believers meeting where they are to worship together, lift one another up and encourage one another. It is not to be a heierarchy, a program, or a building. One point is that this kind of fellowship is essential in the life of a believer so I hope you find a group you can have this with.

Christianity is to be very simple. I like to use the acronym: KISS--Keep it Sanctified Simple. Keep it the simple holiness that God established it to be. It is a relationship.

So how does such a faith express itself in the world? How does it interact with those around? For too long it has interacted through buildings and externals.

@lazymon,

lazymon;159111 wrote:

I no longer participate in church activities. To me Church is more like a social club, and to join we all have to go through these nutty rituals. I quit going 2 years ago and am in a kind of limbo as to what I really believe.

One idea keeps haunting me and is one of the reasons I left the church even though I never really gave it that much thought. My preacher kept preaching on the idea that a person's "story" did not matter. A philosophical idea that I have never heard before.

It went kind of like this:

A person's 'story', or background information that makes up who they are does not matter. We really are not even concerned in hearing about your story. The churches agenda is more important than anything you care about.

Didn't Jesus always concern himself with the people and their troubles. What was the purpose of preforming miracles if his "healing" a person never gave a crap about the persons past sufferings. Wasn't that continuously God's purpose of sending a flesh and blood representation of himself to us in the first place? Jesus constantly told us that he came to save the sick not "equip the saints".

I know this isn't really that deep but was just something or other I wanted to share.

Imo it's the thing about compassion that should see no color, no history ..no nothing. That all should be treated equally, that no one should have more because they are some VIP, or less because they are a beggar.

Therefore your history does not matter in the sense of equally, but it matters when it comes to mental health which Jesus was concerned about, a broken soul only lives half, and such illness may bring others down, why it is importaint to heal such broken soul.

@HexHammer,

HexHammer;166611 wrote:

Imo it's the thing about compassion that should see no color, no history ..no nothing. That all should be treated equally, that no one should have more because they are some VIP, or less because they are a beggar.

Therefore your history does not matter in the sense of equally, but it matters when it comes to mental health which Jesus was concerned about, a broken soul only lives half, and such illness may bring others down, why it is importaint to heal such broken soul.

Thanks, that makes more sense.

@lazymon,

lazymon;166719 wrote:

Thanks, that makes more sense.

It is I who thak you, for allowing me to help.

@HexHammer,

Hi Lazymon,
May I just add that - the church is not made out of bricks and mortar, nor is it made out of crosses and pulpits, traditions and rituals - The church is in YOU, wherever YOU are, the church IS too.

To make this world, a better place
All you need to do
Is hunt your soul... confront control
And forge
A better YOU...

Have a brilliant day, Lazymon.
Mark...

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