A Perspective on Church
Posted By TheUniversalOne on April 2, 2011
“Church No More”
BY CHRISTINA CRONK
MARCH 29, 2011
When I was a little girl, I believed that church was God’s house. But I also believed that God “lived” in heaven… which becomes a little confusing. I thought, ‘Well maybe he lives in heaven, but then he visits our church on Sundays?’
It became more confusing still when I realized how many churches there were, just in our small town, not to mention the entire world. The answer was that God was omnipresent – he is everywhere all at once. Just like Santa’s elves. So I wondered, “If God is everywhere, then why do we have to go to church to see him? Why can’t we just stay home in our pajamas?”
Because church is for people, not God. This is the real reason. Churches provide a sense of community, where like-minded people can come together. Like a lacrosse team for religion. This explains why there are so many different types of churches, because people can have so very different personalities. But it does not explain why many think it’s wrong to not go to church.
When I moved to Tallahassee, I felt a strong need to find a “church family.” It was something I felt was desperately important, and that until I found this family I would never feel truly “at home” here. The loneliness of being in an unfamiliar city was the driving factor: I longed for community. Not the closeness to God, but the closeness to people.
It’s interesting how long I held to the belief of “needing” to go to church. I made myself feel horribly guilty when I would skip church. Like skipping school, except rather than a detention, I would suffer God’s disappointment instead. I was my own bully, and would emotionally beat myself up over it.
I found the same was true for more open-minded churches, when I started attending a Unity church for a little while, followed by a Unitarian Universalist church. Attendance was important, just like at more conservative Christian churches. So was tithing, as the churches could not function without money.
Beneath it all… the songs, the message, the gathering, the show; Church is a business. Using God as its poster boy. And businesses need people (and money) to be successful.
But here is the secret that some churches don’t want you to know: We don’t need them. We are with God all the time. We can worship, or pray to, or reflect on, or sit in silence with God whenever and wherever we want. We can do this alone or with friends, family, neighbours. We can do this in our own homes, or a park bench, or while running a 5k. We can start our own group of like-minded people and discuss our faith over tea. There are no limits for being with God, because God is limitless.
There is no need to feel guilty for not attending church. We don’t need to feel alone without a “church family.” That is a man-made delusion upheld by churches to raise attendance, and revenue. There are many places in our community to get involved, to find a sense of belonging and establish friendships. And there are fantastic causes to which our money can go, both locally and abroad.
That being said, some churches are quite beautiful architecturally. Some have exquisite gardens worth visiting and sitting awhile. Some have very friendly, non-judgmental people who we could potentially become great friends with. Some of their services may be incredibly uplifting, or open our eyes to new ideas. Some may truly enrich our lives. I am not suggesting we must swear off church entirely.
But we need to relinquish the control that “The Church” has over us. The guilty conscience we’ve developed as a result. The idea that it is God’s house, when I know that WE are God’s house, as is ALL of creation. And most importantly, we need to realize that it is a business, not the say-all and do-all for humanity.
If I go to any religious service, it will be because I choose to. Guilt will no longer have a hold on me.
“Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.” ~ The Gospel of Thomas, 77b
” They only sell you what you buy.” ~ Gary Jules, Something Else
“The Church says that the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the Church.” ~Ferdinand Magellan
To read more by this author go to www.christinacronk.wordpress.com
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