Beeep! Nope, Desmo, the “gnostic heresy” (actually a suite of them, like “the common cold” is a suite of viruses with the same results) is that one can obtain oneness with God through the pursuit of a set of arcane doctrines – kind of a formalizing and systematization of mysticism. One variant on it may teach that church membership is unnecessary to pursue this knowledge, but that’s not the core of it.
Yes, you’re right, Poly. I shouldn’t post when I’m half asleep.
I go because my mom used to drag me there against my will, and now, even though I still don’t usually want to go, I feel better afterwards- a sort of stress relief, you know. I personally have absolutely no clue waht the Bible says on the subject.
I go to learn, to be with people who are like a second family, to worship and to give. I volunteer with the kids and anywhere else I can.
I don’t have to. My family never went and I didn’t go regularly until I was thirty-five. Now I can’t imagine Sunday without going.
At my church, everyone from the Pastor to the person who just walked in wears jeans and is judged on who they are, not how others see them. We host AA and the Foodbank, Community Suppers, and Me&Mom’s. I’ve never met a better bunch of people anywhere, any time. They are really Christ’s family.
Not that this is news to you all, which it shouldn’t be to you devout church-goers who go to learn the doctrine, but Jesus didn’t write, or say, many of the things in the Bible. Paul took some liberties, and often the two (jesus and paul) disagreed.
From what my religion professors have told me, (so this is totally mooched info in which I am not fully versed) Paul and Jesus actually disagreed on many things.
Jesus never actually even said that you have to be ‘saved’ to go to heaven, Paul did.
Jesus wanted to establish a ‘kingdom of men’ but Paul’s opinions differed when the actual testaments were written, and he included the formation of churches. Possibly, this was in order to compete with the synagogue idea. Granted, competition might not have been his motive, but it seems probable.
As far as I’m concerned, Jesus Christ didn’t do it, man. So church isn’t part of CHRISTianity. Part of Paulianity 
You are right on one thing, MattX, that it comes as no breaking newsflash to any of the respondents in this thread, or regular readers of The Straight Dope. A lot of whom ARE very well-versed on the issues and the information.
However, since the OP is not about whether Jesus “wrote or said” anything about Church attendance, but as to whether the Bible actually outlaws it, the answer is STILL that the NT – whoever may have written it – actually encourages it. Plus, if the part of the scripture attributed to be the words of Jesus is silent about some issue, that cannot be interpreted as an affirmative or negative injunction about that issue anyway.
There’s nothing worse than a Pauliana.
My reasons for going to church have shifted over the past couple of years as I’ve begun the process of changing denominations (raised Baptist, plan on being confirmed in the Episcopal church). Not to knock Baptists as I believe that one great thing about there being so many denominations is that people can find a church that fits their worship style best, but I had found that attending worship services in the Baptist church had become more of a chore than anything else.
Now that I’ve started attending an Episcopal church I feel that I truly do worship God during the services. My faith is my first priority in my life (or I try to keep it that way) and attending church reminds me of this. I also consider the other church members an extension of my family – I enjoy spending time with people who care and challenge me. I enjoy attending Bible studies because I’m exposed to a variety of beliefs and opinions and leave inspired to study further on my own. I also find through church a way to become involved with the larger community of believers (we do a lot of inter-denominational events).
We went to a United Methodist church real close to us.
We had been there a few times last winter.
We enjoyed the contemporary songs (they have 2 services).
We shall see if we can find any friends also.
I dunno what their official beliefs are.
Here’s a website that seems to be created by the United Methodists and begins with and contains many flash or flash like animations that you can’t skip or get away from.
Here are some other statements of belief (it seems.)
http://www.umc.org/abouttheumc/beliefs/
http://www.umc.org/abouttheumc/creed/
http://www.umc.org/abouttheumc/policy/
They actually sang Jesus Is Just Alright!
vanilla, to echo cjhoworth, I was brought up in an evangelical Anglican church that had both a kind-of traditional morning service and a Bapist/Pentecostal type evening service- praise choruses, prophecy, and everything. So there are some Episcopal churches that you might find very comfortable.
I am unfortunately no longer attending that church because I’m gradually becoming very High Anglo-Catholic (incense and kneeling) but it was a good church.
Addressing the OP, what everyone else said, really, as well as that the spiritual discipline of actually hauling my butt into church helps me with my day-to-day discipline. It helps keep my eyes on God.