I am a Christian and am active in my faith even though I haven’t attended church in awhile. According to my Christian friends I am heading to hell if I don’t go to church on Sunday’s. And I am really going to hell in a hand basket for not forcing my children to go.
I believe in the Ten Commandments and one of them say to “Keep The Sabbath Holy” but I can keep Sunday holy in my own house. Isn’t a “personal relationship” with Jesus just that? PERSONAL? I don’t see why I should be forced to attend a service. Going to a church doesn’t make me a christan just like going to mcdonalds doesn’t make me a hamburger.
The people who claim to believe in a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” are usually the ones who need societal encouragement and reinforcement the most. Thus, they push for things like mandatory prayer in schools, demand active acknowledgement of their religion in public, pray in public instead of privately, insist that people attend services, are the most concerned about symbols of belief, etc.
Ignore them. They’re idiots. There are plenty of perfectly good reasons to go to church, and looking good in the eyes of those people is not one of them.
I’m not Christian, so I don’t know how much relevance my comments might have, but I’m always amazed at the people who proclaim “you’ll end up in Hell” for the (apparently) mildest of infractions. It turns (the J/C/I) God into Mrs. Grundy.
FWIW, your relationship with God/Jesus is between you and Him and no body else. Ignore your prophesying friends. If it gets really bothersome, switch to a friendlier congregation.
I know I SHOULD be going to church but don’t. I feel justified in why I don’t. I commute 5 hours a day. (Sat I only commute 4) on Sunday I don’t want to drive 45 min to church and 45 min back and get back home at 8:30 at night.
Isabelle: take your friends over to a calendar and say 'gee, look at this, the last day of the week, the sabbath, is Saturday." The church dropped the sabbath 17 centuries ago and started keeping “the 'Lord’s Day” after keeping both the sabbath and the lord’s day for a while. Where is this hell they say you are going to? Have they visited it? Do they have pictures? Ask them what the process was that certified them to send people to hell. Did they take a test? Ask them if they can take you on a visit to see if it as bad as they think it is. Ask them if they will come and visit you on visitors day? I am fairly sure that they will think that I, being Jewish, will go to hell for sure. And I guarantee you that you are not going because I won’t let you in!! Tell them that. Cordially, Daniel.
I am a Christian. Let me ask you this: does everybody who attends church go to heaven? Is going to church going to get you to heaven? Thet answers are, of course, no.
I believe God is smart enough to know whats going on in your heart. Maybe the real question is: what is the reason you have decided not to go? I do not propose to know all the answers, but I believe in a God that is bigger than counting church attendance. There are plenty of Christians in the world who have no church available, and no opportunity to go.
Church is supposed to be about worship. Joining with others who love God, and communing with them and God. It isn’t about filling up God’s merit badge checklist.
Personally, I want to worship God, and want to commune with others who love God. That is the reason to go. If you don’t want to go to church, that isn’t going to send you to hell. But again, the real question is, why don’t you want to be there?
I’m sure your friends are trying to help by being true to Hebrews 10:25. However, they seem to not be really thinking it through. Our distinguishing characteristic is supposed to be how we love one another. From what you are saying they are not walking in love, as well as being wrong in their interpretation of scripture. Nothing can separate you from God’s love. Tell your friends that you are not condemned and if they can’t get over it, get some new friends. You might want to try finding a different congregation that is not so into overtly controlling its members.
See earlier post Rotorhead. Because of the travel/time. Sunday is the ONLY day I don’t have to commute. I’m tired at the end of the week after commuting 6 days a week.
I enjoy going to church and worshipping and being with others that believe too but…my current travel circumstances outweigh the desire to go.
All the Christians I know -1 go to church on Sundays and I feel like an ass for not going.
The book of Acts still deals with the church gathered together, and how that works for the glory of God when people gather together for God. Gathering together is wonderful, but sometimes people can’t do so for a while. Going to church does not make you Christian, but being Christian may result in a desire to gather together with others for the purpose of glorifying God. A 45 minute drive each way could well lessen that desire!
As for making your kids go, their relationships with God are between them and God. Forcing them to go to church will not necessarily do anything for their relationships with God.
Also, please forgive me, as I have not read my Bible closely in entirely too long, but where does it state that the punishment for not going to church is hell?
First of all, I wouldn’t worry so much about rules, and would worry more about relationship with God. I know this is an emphasis thing in different denominations, but legalistic things give me heartburn — if God is a God of love, then getting to know and love Him is better than treating Him like a cop on the beat.
That said, pretty much every Christian thinker and spiritual directer I know of stresses the importance of a corporate spiritual life as well as a personal spiritual life. I know it is nice to say, “I can make it on my own” and all like that, but let’s face it — if you never encounter other Christians, then nothing is going to challenge you or confront you when you go off the rails. Yes, your personal relationship with Jesus Christ is personal, but are you really, really, really saying you are perfect? That you don’t do anything wrong? Worse, that you can really see all the things that you do do wrong? That you know all about the Christian path? That you don’t need any help? Sounds just a little prideful, doesn’t it? Whoops, one of those seven deadly sins…
Being a Christian is more than just a little sticker you wear. It is growing relationship with the Lord of the Universe. That is something we can help each other with. It is also something that other people have encountered before you, and that other people have stumbled over before — a road with known potholes and pitfalls. I suppose if you like, you can break bones in those same potholes, pitfalls, take the same bad detours, turnoffs, and so on that others have before you. But, I mean, why? Do you really want to avoid learning from the experience of other people? It’s your privilege, but it seems kind of dumb to me.
Isabelle, sorry. I saw that in there, but then it got forgotten along the way. Apologies. I understand about the travel distance thing. I’ve been there myself. Out of pure curiosity, is there a special circumstance that puts you 45 minutes from a good church? I’m not trying to be judgemental at all, just curious.
I live in a very small city. There are only a handful of churchs in my area and I have visited a few and didn’t like their doctrines. I do like the church that is 45 min away (and actually the church is non-denominational) but with my travel schedule I just can’t bring myself to do it on Sunday’s.
I did bring my kids to church when I went but the older they got the more they rebelled. 4 out of 5 kids accepted Jesus as their personal savior so I am very thankful for that. If I understand the doctrine right that means from the moment they accepted, they became responsible for their own relationship with God. So me forcing them into going wasn’t doing any good.
I know I should go. I am not perfect. FAR FROM IT!
Ah, well this is a kind of “do your best” situation. My impression from the OP was “why should I?” not “I know I should, but I really can’t”.
Suggestion: find some friends and do a Bible study when you can. Call the pastor from the church that you like, see if there are people in your area you can meet with. Go when you can – even if it’s once every couple of months. Find times to talk with your kids about the issues every once in a while. In other words, do what you can to establish a corporate religious life. You may find things working through you.
Don’t kill yourself. Just do what you can, when you can, as you can. Let God work through you. Pray about it. Be gentle with yourself.
To quote a phrase: If Mohammed won’t go to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammed.
Try this, Isabelle. Talk to your friends and explain your situation, see if they’d be willing to come and see you on Sundays after services and maybe bring the preacher along to offer communion, etc. Not exactly the same thing, but wouldn’t it be the charitable thing to do? Maybe offer a compromise, you drive to their church every OTHER Sunday alternating with them coming to see you on the other Sundays?
No you won’t go to hell for not going to church. There are many things we can do, as well as many things we should do, in order to grow as a Christian. If you were to never read your Bible or go to church, you wouldn’t end up in hell if you are a Christian, but you sure would miss a lot of what God desires in your life, IMO. But there are some who don’t go to church because they don’t want to be accountable to anyone, or they choose to do things they know they would be disciplined in if they were members of a church.
