Posted by:
knotheadusc
(
)
Date: February 27, 2011 11:56AM
Reading anon123's post about having to go to church today got me to thinking... It really is pointless to make people go to church.
I grew up a mainstream Presbyterian, which is a pretty benign denomination as Christian churches go. Every week, my parents forced me to go to church. I had to sit by myself because my dad was in the choir and my mom was a church organist, often not even at the church where I attended. My sisters were all grown and out of the house. It wasn't like church was a "family affair" for us. In fact, I think my mom just saw church as a way to make extra money.
Every week, my dad made me get up, get dressed up, and go to church. I wasn't at all interested in church. I didn't have a lot of friends my age in church; most of my church friends were adults. I'd sit through the services drawing or reading or whatever... I wasn't mentally present at all.
During the week, my parents didn't talk about church or religion. We didn't pray or read the Bible together. I did get exposed to a lot of music because my parents were into it, but I didn't participate in the church music myself. My parents made me go to Sunday School and attend confirmation class when I was 10, but I didn't even know what my church taught until I was 21 and worked as a cook at a Presbyterian church camp.
As a teenager and a young adult, I could not have cared less about church and got virtually nothing out of attending. Thankfully, my parents let me quit going when I was almost 16 and had a job that required me to work on Sundays. I guess it was more important to them that I make money than protecting my spiritual health. I'm glad I grew up Presbyterian, mainly for cultural reasons. I have a lot of Scottish ancestry. And I'm grateful the Presbyterians don't take over one's life the way the Mormons do. I can appreciate the potential value of church now, but I don't attend and I don't really miss attending.
Reading anon123's post made me wonder how many people are physically, but not mentally, present in churches today... How many people are attending just because someone expects them to? And what is the point of making a teen or a young adult go to church... other than the control aspect and projecting the proper image?
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2011 12:03PM by knotheadusc.