For those of you who just don't agree with attending church, what are some of your reasons.

You can name one major reason, or as many as you feel pertain to you as a collge student. Is it the college social lifestyle?

Post on.. Let's start an intellectual forum.

Hey Sweetnflexy!

I see no one has commented and I think this is a great forum. Well I attend church service on the regular. I grew up at church. As a kid my momma always told me, " you gon' get your butt up" ;) . I went through one period in my life when I didn't attend church for awhile. We went from attending church service at a Baptist church to living on an island that didn't have anything but catholic churches. For a while my mother and I both didn't attend because they didn't have our type of church. Finally, my mother attended the Chapel on the Air Force base. I didn't go for awhile because I was uncomfortable with the fact of change. Eventually I went. It was 100% different from what I was accustomed to, but I went. I moved AGAIN, and I had the same thoughts but this time I went. Talk about uncomfortable. I went from attending a church that had little praise and worship, to a mega church that seems like a full blown concert and full of energy.
Now, I hate to miss a Sunday. I hate to be late. If I don't go I feel guilty. If I miss a Sunday now, it is because I have tons of work to do. Frequently, I work late nights or studying late, that is the only way I can miss. I try to avoid missing a Sunday at all cost. I feel it is the least I can we are blessed everyday by simply having the ability to open our eyes. It is the least we can do.

I try to attend church on a regular basis.

I go to a Baptist church because while growing up and being raised, I was always told that I was Baptist.

Now, that I go on my own, there are certain situations that Baptist's talk about that I really don't agree with.

I want to find somewhere where I agree with everything, yet I love the church I'm at because its the only one that I've been to where I actually feel loved.

I wanted to hear some of the reasons poeple DIDN'T attend, but I guess it's EVEN MORE INTERESTING to see why we attend church and HOLD ONTO OUR FAITH, in a society where materialism and sin greatly abounds. Thanks for your input!!!

Great posts. The posts kinda makes me want to go back to church.

I have a thousand and one reasons why I haven't been attending. One because I have Lupus, I have to clean and do a whole bunch of stuff. I was attending regularly and then I stopped then I went back to my old habits. But I'm going to try to go to church this Sunday, tysond is right, it is the least we can do, and I have been blessed abundantly and I should show my gratitude in every way I can.

Thanks.

I used to go to church a couple years ago. I lost my "faith" when I started questioning the Bible and God. Now I'm just starting to believe it's a lie. This doesnt mean I automatically became materialistic, superficial, and a rebel in the world. I still have strong morals, and now I have my own perspective of the world, instead of someone else placing thier ideology on me. I have nothing against the people that do go to church, I just don't like how some religious people tend to push thier beliefs down my throat with the saying "The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ our savior, if you dont accept him you're going to hell"... I know quite a few pastors around here that can pester the same person for a month straight, to get them to go to thier church..

Will it make me to much a smartass to say I don't go to church because I'm Jewish?

Probably, sorry about that...I'll be relevent now...

The equivelent to chruch in Judaism is a synagoge, so I can talk about that...

I really should go every shabbat, but I'm really bad, like I'll oversleep or I'll be too lazy to dress up really nice or I do it b/c I don't want to see people I know will be there...

Anyway this year I'm going to try to attend my synagoge as many Saturday's I can...

up until a few months ago I went to church every single morning at 6 a.m. and then I'd go to school at 7. Because of the location and having no time to come home I'd be getting ready at 4:30 in the morning!

The lack of sleep was hell on my immune system causing me to get mono 3 times, and toncilitus in under 2 years. I missed an abundance of school and it really impacted my intellectual and professional career.

to me it was just getting exsessive and I decided I need to focus on my schoolwork. I know god loves me and I know his teachings due to my past, but the way I see it, is if God really loves me as much as everyone in church says he does, then he should be cool with me focusing on bettering myself and trying to get the most out of the life he's given me.

my motto for life, "Listen, I think the big guy'll understand as long as you're still a good person, giving back to your family and community, and doing the small things in life that make the world great"(My Mom)

I work 9 to 6 and honestly I never have time for anything so Sunday is my day to erst, I attend church sometimes but not regularly. I know people probably see that as sinful, but if god can forgive everyone, cant he forgive me?

I don't go to church because God is in my heart. I talk to him regularly. I was brought up that way. I don't need someone to tell me he is there, my great grandpa was a pastor and he told me God was in my heart everyday and I can talk to him when ever. So I feel I don't have to he is everywhere and I know he is listening no matter if i am in a church or at home.

I wasn't attending church for a long time, and I had a good reason for it. To try to make a long story short, the priest was rude. I was going to church all through my pregnancy and even had my daughter baptised...once she was born, I took her to church every week, and she was a great baby. Other than some normal coos, she never made noise, and if she did, I would take her outside. One day after church the priest pulled us aside and told us that the baby was disrupting the service and that we need to arrange for a bottle or pacifer to keep her quiet. I was so hurt and offended that the priest did this to us. She was not a problem in church at all, and priests should welcome babies and children into the congregation. Anyway, after that confrontation, I never went back. My daughter is now 5 and we just started going back to church...but this time, a different church, one that is more open and kid friendly.

Well sweetnflexy,

I pray, read the bible , and I know that God loves me for who I am and I love him. So he knows me in and out and he knows why I don't attend church. It is plain and simple as the people that are the most active in Church are just straight hypocrites. I shouldn't have to go to church and be looked at like I don't belong. I shouldn't have to go and be judged by them when some of them do far worst things than me. So my main reason is that people in the church are just so ignorant to you if they think that you don't belong. The will talk about you behind your back and just do all sorts of things. In my opinion the people who do that are not as Holy and christian as they think they are. It might not be like that everywhere but around here where I am mostly all the church people are like that.

Another reason why I don't go to church is because I work two jobs to get myself through school. People may say that it isn't right to put work before the Lord but I don't. The lord blessed me with these jobs and the lord bless me when he allows me to wake and go to work. I know that I have his blessings as long as I keep him in my heart and he isn't leaving my heart.

The institution of religion is a device used for waging wars, controlling a populous, and propagating agendas.

I don't need an organization to tell me how to believe in a higher power.

I haven't been going to church for a while...I went this past week, and it was a Catholic church (I'm Presbyterian).

College is stressing me out. Either I don't feel like finding a local church, or I have too much to do to even THINK about going to church. I pray almost every night, and I try to remind myself of quotes from the Bible.

I also didn't go to church for a while because my church "fired" our youth director; they told him, either you leave, or we fire you. And they had no right to do that. He was a good man, and wasn't really doing anything wrong. They just wanted a puppet they could control. Only a few parents had a problem with him, but that minority took hold of the church. I totally disagreed. AND THEY DIDN'T WANT US TO SAY GOODBYE TO HIM! We had gotten so close to our youth pastor, and they didn't want him near us anymore...
Needless to say, we didn't necessarily heed to that.

I'm not in college but...
I go to church often with my family although I feel uncomfortable and distracted. I am unsure of my beliefs and whether or not I want to communicate with those close to me how I feel.

Yeah, I know your probably already typing, "you should really talk about god, its wonderful youll feel great..blah blah whatever" no disrespect, but i am not going to be influenced by you most likely. It's a growing process and whatever I decide to do in the end I'll be better for it.

Once in college (I plan on going somewhere away from home) I doubt I will attend any religious services. It will be easier to express my true feelings on my own, I will probably have a job and classwork to complete, and I will be busy having fun. In my opinion, church is no fun.

I don't go to church because I'm an atheist. To me church represents a place where people tell you to believe things because other people believe things. The reasons you get in church for why you should be altruistic is: we see in this book in this place, where christ says this. Altruism may or may not be a good thing; that isn't at issue here. What is at issue is whether or not thats a good argument for altruism. I think it obviously is not.

I am agnostic and I don't believe that one has to go to church or even read the bible ... I believe that it is the individual's perception of quality life that matters

I believe i just can't find the time to go. Last year me and my friend would go to a diffrent one every Sunday there were so many Diffrences.

I used to go to church regurlarly..but for the past couple of years I haven't been mainly because I got a job. But also...the I've had a hard time finding a church here that I feel like I fit in at...many churches just don't feel very loving to me. :( i don't know...but i really should get back into it...it helps me keep closer to God. I still feel that I have a good relationship with God, but it would be much nicer to be able to share that friendship with others in the church environment and have them there for support and stuff. :)

I know this is about why people don't go to church..but some other people posted why they do..so i just thought i'd trow my "two cents" in.

I go to church because part of developing your relationship with Christ is fellowship. I would definitely have to say that Christianity is supposed to be a relationship..not a religion...But a lot of people are "religious" and go to church on Sundays but live how they want the rest of the week. But I don't think Christians should be stereotyped...we're not all shallow and just like everybody else.


to clogan22...
you're right. there are an awful lot of hypocrites in the church. but they're out in public as well...at wal*mart, the mall, convenience stores...but I bet that doesn't keep you from going there, does it?
but i do think there are a lot of people in the church who genuinely seek to honor their Father and try to turn away from sin...but we're human. We all make mistakes. I think people just choose to see all the Christians as messing up all the time because we're the ones who aren't supposed to be. But..we will make mistakes.