Christianity
So the other week I received a call from my mother. Nothing special including when she asked me if I had made it to church that Sunday morning. Now I haven't "made it" to a church service when I wasn't at home in over a year. Still, she tends to ask on a regular basis. Then she proceeded to ask me if I'd like help finding a church in the Des Moines area (I only have lived here for 3 months last summer and since May this summer). She even remarked, "I could probably look something up on the internet for you." ... ... This is coming from my mother who has a notecard detailing how to turn on her home pc. All you have to do is flip the switch on a surge protector... Meanwhile, I am the computer science major who has her new computer at the moment so I can set it up in the exact same manner as her current one. That way she will still know how to use it. Despite all of this, she asks me if I want her to look churches up on the internet!
So now let's move pass the question into why I have not been to a church service except for as a family tradition in a couple years. She thinks I need to go to church so I can be a better Christian. Of the churches she approves of, all they do in a church service is tell one how to live their life. I am 21 years old and have an above average intelligence. My intellectual strength is learning things quickly. So after going to church every Sunday practically of my first 18 years of my life, I pretty much know inside and out how a Christian is supposed to live their life.
My question is this, why should I waste my time getting up on a Sunday morning to be told how to live my life? I would be much better spending that time being a good individual to others and attempting to make an impact on the world. So many Christians today are way too complacent with going to church and making a public display of their piety. I am not saying all of them do this, but unfortunately, a fair portion is. Maybe one day Christianity will be more concerned with making an impact on the world it is a part of and less time trying to separate itself from it. Sure, I get the idea that "worldly things" are "evil". That being said, it doesn't mean we can't try to salvage as much as possible. When a town is destroyed by a tornado, flood, hurricane, or other disaster, do we just completely abandon it? No! We donate our time and money to salvaging as much as possible. At the very least, we attempt to rescue the people affected. We attempt to pick them up and get them back on their feet. Why should things be any different for someone who is down on their luck in spiritual ways?
So now let's move pass the question into why I have not been to a church service except for as a family tradition in a couple years. She thinks I need to go to church so I can be a better Christian. Of the churches she approves of, all they do in a church service is tell one how to live their life. I am 21 years old and have an above average intelligence. My intellectual strength is learning things quickly. So after going to church every Sunday practically of my first 18 years of my life, I pretty much know inside and out how a Christian is supposed to live their life.
My question is this, why should I waste my time getting up on a Sunday morning to be told how to live my life? I would be much better spending that time being a good individual to others and attempting to make an impact on the world. So many Christians today are way too complacent with going to church and making a public display of their piety. I am not saying all of them do this, but unfortunately, a fair portion is. Maybe one day Christianity will be more concerned with making an impact on the world it is a part of and less time trying to separate itself from it. Sure, I get the idea that "worldly things" are "evil". That being said, it doesn't mean we can't try to salvage as much as possible. When a town is destroyed by a tornado, flood, hurricane, or other disaster, do we just completely abandon it? No! We donate our time and money to salvaging as much as possible. At the very least, we attempt to rescue the people affected. We attempt to pick them up and get them back on their feet. Why should things be any different for someone who is down on their luck in spiritual ways?
Labels: Religion
posted by Shawn Sparks at
10:58 PM
1 Comments:
I used to consider church as a great thing.
Then I considered church to be something that people only went to in order to show everyone else what a "good christian" they are.
Now, I consider it a mix of both. I think there is value to showing other people that you do live a good life by showing up on Sunday morning, and there can be valuable friendships made. Not only that, but some people want/need that weekly recharge to get them going again, and that's perfectly fine.
But on the flip side... there's a quote I heard once... I don't remember exactly, but I'll provide a good enough summary.
"The biggest cause of atheism in the world today are the people who profess their love for Jesus in church on Sunday mornings, then walk out the door and deny His existence by their very lifestyle."
That's all I got.
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