I went to a Christian high school, where I was told I would go to hell when I died because I didn’t go to church. The reason why, they said, was that if I were really, truly Saved, I would * want * to go to church. “That’s what heaven is, you know,” the teacher told me. “It’s singing and praising God for eternity-- like church. If you don’t like it, something in your heart is not right with the Lord.”
Before I begin, let it be known that I am not a religious person, but I do like to read religious texts in order to educate myself.
Now, with that said I have a few points to make:
-
There is a passage in the bible that, in essence, says ‘do not forsake your congregation’ I wish I could remember the exact location of the verse, but I cannot. I’ll reply later if I find it.
-
The Bible never actually claims that you have some kind of immaterial and immortal soul which outlives your body. The Bible never claims that you go to hell (or heaven) upon death. The concept of eternal damnation in a terrible conflagration ridden with unimaginable pain is simply not depicted in the Bible. The Bible does say Hell, and it does make remarks about going there, but remember the word Hell in the ancient biblical context is synonamous with ‘death’ or simply ‘the grave’.
Biblical texts support what I have said. “The living are aware that they will die, but the dead are aware of nothing at all.” Now suppose you died and really did go to Hell with pain and fire and what have you. How is it that you suffer endless pain (as told by humans) while at the same time you are aware of nothing at all (as told by the Bible, which is from God)?
Bottom line: The early christian church made the attempt to scare people with this going to hell bit, and it was very effective, but those claims are not supported by the Bible.
Sometimes I have trouble communicating my thoughts, can you understand what I said?
Does it matter whether it’s in the Bible or not?
Isabelle, one of the things my father said many times which I agree with is this: “If God can’t tell the difference between a fellow who goes to church every Sunday and does terrible things the other six days of the week and a fellow who does good and honoroable things every day of the week, He aint worth worshipping!” As a rule, even the most conservative Christians, if pressed, admit that all that is necessary for Salvation is to have accepted Christ as your Saviour.
Last October, I walked away from my church, the one I grew up in. The whole story’s in MPSIMS, if you want to look it up. One of the reasons is it was now 15 miles away, but there were other reasons. I wound up going back for Lent, and am back in the fold, the choir and the chalicist rotation. On a purely practical level, is there a church which is closer to you which you’d consider going to? Also, I hope your church is doing something for you other than complaining you’re not there every Sunday. If not, why are you there?
Isabelle, God knows your heart and your faith. Personally, I reject the notion that He could be so cruel and capricious as to condemn you for not driving 1 1/2 hours round trip as firmly as any atheist out there. I agree with my father – “He aint worth worshipping!” I have, however, found my congregation to be a source of support and strength in times of need. It is a way of restoring my strength and my soul.
May God go with you, but that’s redundant 
CJ
Do I think that church is essential for your salvation? No.
Do I think it’s a good thing to do? Yes.
One of the keys of Christianity is learning to love others, whether or not they appear to you to deserve to be loved. Church, where you get to know apparently good people and their nastiest flaws, is a good place to practice this skill.
I’m gonna preface this with the standard “I’m an atheist/humanist” clause.
IMO, if your religion says that by going to church, you’ll be saved from hell and brought to heaven. Wouldn’t that be the final word? I guess I don’t understand where the wiggle room comes in to explain your (seemingly) laziness not to go. If “remember the sabbath and keep it holy” means attending church, then you HAVE to go. Anything else would mean breaking the contract that you have with your belief system. Unless you’re one of the religious buffet people that pick and choose what parts of their religion suit them and disregard anything that may be inconvenient.
As for the hamburger bit, what happened to “You are what you eat”?
The real question should be,
what DO you do on Sunday to keep it holy? If its not church, what is it? and do you do it so as to set an example for your kids?
I feel like Sushi today. 
If you are Christian then yes, it makes a HUGE difference whether or not it’s in the Bible.
I live in a VERY catholic country, my family is VERY catholic, the circle in whic I move is VERY catholic and I, a sinner, haven’t been to church for a long, long time. In fact right now instead of being psoting in this Sodoma (usually known as SDMB), I should be at church because according to the catholic calendar going to church today is mandatory or so says my grandmother.
The fact is I feel guilty, I am sorrounded by believers and I don’t think I believe anymore, for me the question if there is a god, and afterlife, etc simply is not relevant. I wish I had faith.
That being said, my cynical side is now speaking, I can´t belive that the lord of creation, if he exists, gives a damm if I or for that matter go to church or pray to him.
or for that matter everyone else…
Also I would like to add that the lord of creation, in my opinion, again if he exists, doesn´t give a damm if I have premarital sex… except if he is omniscient and a voyeaur 
Hi, me name’s Ben. I’m agnostic. (Hi ben)
My 2 cents. I reason that if there is a god, he’s more concerned that you are a good person. How can a the christian God send a good person to hell? It’s bad karma too
The church is a man-made institution run by humanity. Humanity is evidently fallible (greed, murder etc) and thus can’t accurately convey the divine; just look at how many versions of the bible there are, or how many ‘churches’ there are. This is why I don’t go to church, or follow a religion.
The church is good for conveying the ‘idea’ and educating those who wish to be educated in christianity. Isabelle can’t possibly go to hell for not going to church.
**Well then, in that spirit…
Possibly Hebrews 10:25, already cited -
“The Day” in this context probably refers to the day of Jesus’ return.
Actually, it does - Revelation 6:9, Revelation 20:4, Mark 8:36, 3 John 1:2, etc., etc.
Luke 12:5 -
Also Mark 9:43-48, Hebrews 9:27, and several others.
The word “Sheol” is synonymous with “death” or “the grave”. Jesus and the writers of the New Testament also use the words "Gehenna"or “Tarturus”, which refer more specifically to hell.
You are confusing the more ancient Jewish idea that there was no afterlife, with the New Testament version of the survival of the soul and heaven and hell, which was specifically endorsed by Jesus in Matthew 22:31-33.
No, I understand what you are claiming, but it is incorrect.
Regards,
Shodan
What about the parable Jesus told in which the rich man begs from hell to be allowed to return to witness to his family so they won’t suffer the same fate? He memorably asks Jesus to dip his finger in water so he may have a drop on his toungue for he is “tormented in this flame.”
Now I know that the Bible has undergone a bit of, shall we say, editorial tweaking, but that seems to be a pretty clear depiction of hell to me.
Wasn’t he asking Abraham to have someone else dip his finger in the water?
If I understand it correctly, the gist of the Old Testament commandment to “keep the Sabbath holy” wasn’t so much “go to church [or the Hebrew equivalent]” as it was “don’t work, and don’t force anyone else to work either (like your servants or livestock).” So I’ve often wondered if churchgoers who go out to eat afterward aren’t breaking the spirit of the Sabbath commandment by making other people work for them.
I see that you have already been pointed to Hebrews 10:25. Keeping that verse in mind, your “friends” who are trying to tell you you are doomed for Hell because you don’t attend church are WAAAAY off base.
No where in the bible does it say that a person has to attend a formal gathering of believers or be a member of that gathering in order to gain admission to Heaven. I don’t know what your friends are basing their opinion on, but it sure isn’t Scripture.
Do what you feel is right for you. Your personal relationship with God is nobody’s business but yours and Gods.
Our relious education (which was wholly Bible education) used the image of a Christian as a burning ember. If it falls away from the other embers (=fellowship) for too long, it burns out.
Well, this may be true for some people. But I’d like to know her views on Christians locked up and persecuted for their faiths for decades, who still kept the faith.
Basically, it’s bollox that you have to go to church to get to heaven. God is everywhere, you can talk to god whenever you want. And it’s up to your children to follow when and if they find god, certainly not up to you to force them to go to church (which puts many young people off, in my opinion).
Love thy neighbour - love thy god - and it doesn’t matter where you do that.
If God is omniscient (or is that omnipresent, I can never get it right. Perhaps its both) does it really matter a hoot where you worship him? Personally, I’m an atheist, but I have always been interested in religion and especially the rules with which it constricts it self!
Both I think, Izzard