to be amazed at people going to church

[Hullygully]

I really didn't think anyone still did the whole church on Sunday thing (this is not meant rudely, am just genuinely amazed).

Why do you go?

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover?

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers?

Do you have roast dinner after?

Where do you live?

I doubt whether people mention they go to church. Some will go for the school place but not the majority. Mine didn't go to church schools.

i used to go to church and would do so again if i could find one where i didn't feel uncomfortable.

i would be going, as i went in the past, because i believe in God and think it is my duty to witness that. currently i'm relying on the large-ish cross i wear to do that for me, as i'm not 'good' enough to for my behaviour to speak for me.

I don't know anyone who goes either although I wouldn't be friends with them if they did.

I wish people wouldn't wear crosses they are so horrible.

Why do you go? Because I enjoy it. Admittedly I don't go very often, but I enjoy the spirituality of it and the community spirit.

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover? No, I grew out of that years ago. I don't do hangovers these days, I'm not a teenager.

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers? Alternate Sundays the service starts at 10.45 so I do get a lie in

Do you have roast dinner after? Sometimes, but I can manage that easily

Where do you live? In rural South Yorkshire.

Why are crosses horrible?

How strange that you can't have friends who think differently. I can't see why it would make any difference. I have no idea whether some of my friends attend or not. All that matters is whether I like them or not.

Why not Lucie?

I would hate to be so narrow minded that I could only have friends who thought the same. Variety is the spice of life.

Don't go dancing Saturday night (not interested) and don't drink (religious)
I get a lot out of going to church, so it makes it worth it for me.
Occasionally we have a nice dinner in the evening.

Just popping in to make this face at Lucie :

Lucie I doubt many people would want to be friends with someone with such narrow minded views. DO you feel the same about those of all faiths or only Christians?

Because crosses are an image of a man dying in horribly gruesome way. Its sickening. Even ones without jesus on them are just little versions of horrible torturous killing equipment. Crucifiction is barbaric and horrible to think about and look at.
If I wore a little model of a person hanging from a noose around my neck people would think it was offensive and morbid, crosses are no different.

I go to Mass most weeks

I go because I have a bit of a think, a bit of a pray. I like it, it's familiar. I can't really think of another time during the week where I have 45 mins to think

I have 3 children so afraid raging hangovers are a thing of the past and I work Sat evenings sometimes

The papers - see answer above

No I don't do a Sunday dinner - we all go to my Mums or away for the day depending on the amount of rain.

I live in NI

I believe in Christ, but I don't like the imagery of the cross either.

A lot of Christian people don't like the imagery of the cross - I was brought up seeing it as a Catholic icon (something of which my parents would have very strongly disapproved ) and placing a bit of a gruesome emphasis on the death of Christ, rather than his resurrection..

Always did wonder why the great Christian symbol focuses on the negative - it ought to be a little empty tomb or something

I have a cross I sometimes wear - it's cast from silver out of a mould made from two real tiny flower stems, with a flower in the middle. My Dad still don't like it though.

"I don't know anyone who goes either although I wouldn't be friends with them if they did."

What an immature attitude! Not all Christians are evangelistic you know. Most of my friends probably don't know that I occasionally go to church. It is a personal thing and not something I discuss with my friends.

People are free to go to church but I'm free to not befriend them surely? I like to have common values with my friends. I disagree with organised religion so it is only logical I wouldn't be friends with church goers.

It's an empty cross in protestant churches Jodie - so Christ is not permanently crucified but dead and risen again. And yes, its very tortuousness (?real word) is a reminder of the enormous cost to God of saving us, but as a result it's a symbol of the depth of his love for us. So the cross is where God's love conquers death, our sin, his wrath and deals with his judgment. His resurrection is proof of its achievement. I don't actually wear one, but seeing them remind me of the greatest wonder in my faith.

"People are free to go to church but I'm free to not befriend them surely? I like to have common values with my friends. I disagree with organised religion so it is only logical I wouldn't be friends with church goers."

But you can't assume that someone who never talks about church isn't a churchgoer. I am appalled at your narrow mindedness.

Clearly most parents
a) don't often go out dancing on Saturday nights
b) don't have hangovers on Sunday mornings
c) don't spend Sunday mornings lying in with the papers

We have a roast in the evening on Sundays.

We never go to church but many of dd's friends' families go every week.

Why do you go?
Because I'm a Christian, and I go to meet with God, grow more in my faith, and see my friends/ be part of the community. I love it :) Some weeks, it's as a church youth worker leading Sunday morning groups for 11 - 14's.

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover?
Nope... Now, because I'm pregnant; before, because I don't get hangovers :) And we're more likely to have house parties than go out, after which most of our friends come to church with us (those that don't get to have a lie in!)

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers?
We get to sleep till 9:30 on a Sunday as our church doesn't start till 10:30 and is a 5 min drive away, we have our major lie-in on Saturday morning. I also don't really read the papers, prefer to catch up on news online.

Do you have roast dinner after?
If we stay at our parents, yes, if we're home, we tend to go out for Sunday lunch with our church friends.

Where do you live?
In Trowbridge, 30 mins from Bath

So Lucie do you basically expect your friends to be clones of you? Are you unable to respect peoples differences>

I really don't know how you would know LucieMay-unless you saw me there is no way that you would know.
I have friends with all sorts of views-I find it very childish to say 'you can't be my friend because..........' I thought you grew out of that sort of thing in the infants.

No I don't expect my friends to be clones but we are friends with people we feel are kindred spirits or else I'd be friends with everyone I met in the street. Why is is narrow minded to have a preference about who I'd want to friends with? I find organised religion abhorrent and so could not tolerate that in a friendship.