Take time to worship God with others.
To learn about what a Godly life looks like
To learn how to live my life in a better way.
to learn to forgive unconditionally.
To learn how to better live with others
Ans much more.
If going to church is not changing you either you are not listening to what is being said or you should consider finding a different church.
I recall driving through Kentucky, mostly on the 2-laners, and observing that even the tiniest berg had a church of some sort. My partner, who is from Wisconsin, noted that there every tiny town is marked at the very least by a bar or tavern – which is also the baseline out here where I live. I think there is a correlation, being that both are gathering places. Humans are social animals.
Human beings are all flawed creatures. We all have lofty moral standards we aspire to, but don’t always manifest. Going to church helps us to be reminded and to feel amidst others trying to get closer to their own aspirations morally.
Ritual is fun, weekly gathering with the like minded, in a pleasant calming atmosphere, plus music and group sing along, and being part of a community, in a world where people are more disconnected than ever, all seem pleasant attractions.
Even without the religion part, church going has a lot of attractive attributes, in my opinion.
The social aspect of attending church is very rewarding. The majority of my closest friends are people I see at church.
The sermons are informative and uplifting.
It’s a opportunity to pray and worship God in a supportive atmosphere.
Finally, the church and it’s members are there when I need them. If there’s a death in the family or someone gets sick. My pastor is one of the first to call. He’ll come to the hospital. That kind of support makes all the difference in getting through tough times.
I go to church. Thomas Aquinas, Mother Teresa, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Thomas Merton, and me. All of us sitting there in the pews, breathing through our mouths.
Yeah, laity doesn’t mean what you thought.
My MIL (my gf’s mom) attends Catholic church every Sunday. She spends one day a week cleaning the church. She is 80 yet she spends one day every week on her hand and knees (replacement knees actually) scrubbing. She helps with every church sponsored sale, meal, event, etc.
When we’ve discussed my atheism, she has confessed to me that her true beliefs mirror mine. She attends church because that is what she has always done. Her friends are there. It’s “who she is”.
If I ever shared this info with my gf she’d never believe me, not that I ever would.
I’m told that the lower ranked U.S. Army enlisted forces typically use religious services as a way to get another hour of sleep.
You don’t go to the kind of church I was raised in! We had fire-and-brimstone preachers who spent an hour yelling until redfaced about how everyone is sinners who deserve to burn in Hell.
You are correct; I don’t. I’ve been going to church all my life, and literally never heard a sermon like that. Of course, I’m a Lutheran.
I go also to receive the Eucharist, which I can’t do on my own, and for the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren.
For me, it is like asking why people go to parties. Or even, in some way, why do they post on the Internet.
Regards,
Shodan
My answer to the OP: why do people with any common interest get together to share that interest as a group?
You win the thread.
One reason you left out: It makes them feel better than the people who don’t go to their church. “I am right, you are wrong.”
Hoo boy. I was still undecided about That God Fellow, but the parents had me dipped into the Mormon church anyway. Completely scandalous to the extended family in Mississippi. I remember going to visit one time, and when Sunday rolled around I got dragged out of bed, thrown into the back of a pickup with half a dozen cousins, and carted off to The Church. The Southern Baptist church. Where we were assured even the meekest of the wicked would end up in The Devil’s heart of fire along with those who sin outwardly, like thieves, murderers, and faggots; as well as those who follow false prophets as the Mormons do. Silence. 11 blood relative eyes turned to me imagining, sadly, my skin melting in perpetuity under the white hot glow of the infernal fires. It got a little uncomfortable. After service, Aunt Dee had a go at the preacher man for singling me out and mused about relocating her worship powers to the black church in Olive Branch–at least they were civil to guests. It was an empty threat, but she made her point. Gave the grownups something to marvel about for the rest of the week. Dee was such a rebel, a fierce Christian. Strange people.
If you have a good pastor who’s a good speaker, it’s like going to a live taping of a weekly podcast, with a lovely sing-along and maybe some soul cleansing Eucharist too. Then afterwards you get to hang out with your friends for a bit.
Kind of a broad brush you got there. Seems like there are plenty of places to go to feel that way, if that’s what you want to feel.
This thread is very enlightening.
Church is about corporate worship. It’s about the created (us) offering sacrifice to the Creator (God).
If church is anything other than that, you’re doing it wrong.
Growing up in Wisconsin, my father and I used to joke:
I know that’s not true for all church goers. However, amongst the “rah-rah’s” (Really Religious) many of them do act superior because they go to the “right” church. And every one else’s place of worship is wrong.
That’s an interesting perspective on matters of faith and our collective relationship with the greater unknowable.
Perhaps it’s simply a failure of my faith but I really don’t see the sense in trying to define someone else’s spiritual life. Doing so would require me to claim a superior level of understanding of the greater truths and I try to avoid that degree of what could be considered hubris.
My intention was not to define anyone else’s spiritual life.
It seemed to me that the context of this thread was Christianity, since as far as I know, Christianity is the only religion that uses the word “church”.
Jesus instituted the Catholic Church as his body on earth. The Catholic Church has authority from Jesus and his apostles to proclaim “the greater truths”. It’s not hubris, it’s authority.
I am a weekly church attender. 830 AM every Sunday. I’ve missed maybe once in the last two years. So, I can’t speak for everyone, but I guess I can speak for me.
Firstly, I go because my Mama would cry if I didn’t. 
(Actually, she wouldn’t. My Mama is a miner’s daughter and she’s more likely to smack me with a board than cry about anything, but she wouldn’t be happy.) She raised me right.
Secondly, I go because the church is a means of God providing Grace to the world. It’s a place where we can encounter the transcendent. It’s a place to be quiet and block out distractions and concentrate upon the Divine.
Thirdly, I go because it’s a weekly reminder of my obligation to the world. I think that I need that reminder. I get caught up a lot in my own stuff and it’s very easy for me to think of my own desires first. Our church sermons tend to focus very heavily on thinking about the other as opposed to the self and I think that’s something that I need a constant reminder of. When I want to flip off Texans for putting Cruz back in office, I need to remember that they are people with their own journeys and my obligation is to help them, not judge them.
Fourthly, I go because it serves as a means to effectuate change in the world. Our church did over 75 community and missions events last year. We provide dinner for the homeless, provide emergency relief for natural disasters, sponsor substance abuse disorder clinics, winterize elderly people’s homes, and a bunch of other things. It’s a one-stop volunteering shop where I can choose from a smorgasbord of volunteering activities and charitable causes. At least once a week, there’s some sort of volunteering need in the community and the church keeps me plugged in.
I guess lastly, I go because I was taught that even if you don’t go to Church for you, you do it for everyone else. There are always going to be people that need a touch from God and the church is where they get it. If the people that don’t need that touch don’t show up, then the doors close for those that do. I think about a man who came to our church a couple of months back - convicted felon, served his time and couldn’t adjust to the outside world. He needed people and a community to love him and if we weren’t there, where would he have gotten it? We’re a downtown church and every week we have a homeless people and people down on their luck that just need someone to let them know they are valuable and provide human contact. If we didn’t do it, who would? Homeless shelters are great, and we partner with ours, but they tend to just keep you alive and don’t provide you with a reason to live and the church can do that, so I think it’s necessary for us to be there, providing that reason.