to be annoyed that church is so boring and missing an opportunity to teach something inspiring

[somethingmustchange]

We rarely go except on visits to MIL. Each time the service is read from exactly the same booklet, the sermon teaches nothing and is just boring reciting of the bible, the hymns are dire and sung terribly by everyone including choir. I always leave feeling depressed and cross that the vicar doesn't try to inspire a new generation or give feelings of hope, happiness, community etc. Then the church goers (all 70 plus apart from maybe 2) have coffee and judge other people that are their supposed friends. How are churches supposed to have a future if they carry on like this?

I agree people with faith are getting a hard time here. My personal view: there is something bigger than us, and more to life than what we can see.

But I don't believe in the theory of creation. My parents are scientists (physicist and biologist) and I've grown up with the origin of species. I also don't believe my God would commit slaughter on a global scale, murder children or the innocent.

My God doesn't allow for women to be inferior to men. My God doesn't condone violence against anyone or unkindness towards anyone. He doesn't deny individuals a right to love any background/sex/race they please. He supports it.

Whether a believer or not, the message I've always felt was intended for humankind is to live and let live without causing any harm. It's how I live my life. I think it's how many others do too.

It's not about selecting your favourite bits, it's about taking what you know and what you've learnt and applying it to being as good and as happy as you can be.

That's all my God wants anyway. The one I pray to and worship.

Hollowtree

Your ideals are laudable. Unfortunately, no religion on earth that I have ever heard of supports them in their entirety.

You sound like a very nice person, why not just continue to be a nice person and take the credit yourself, instead of relying on the psychological crutch that is religion?

Cut out the middle man and be done with the fairy tales?

Just a thought.

I believe in God.

Did I ever say I was religious? I agree that the majority of religious text are an outdated means of controlling the masses.

Hence why my God is not represented by these.

To support the OPs original post; I think if Christianity is going to survive, it needs to accept science, it needs to accept it's mistakes (crusades, etc) and move on. Leave the concept of putting 'the fear of God' into people behind and promote an all accepting new movement of Christianity. Based on Bible interpretation rather than Bible worship.

Example: Jesus feeding the loaves and fish to the many = share and it will go further.
Water into wine = make the most of what you have and be grateful.

I do see what you are saying, I do agree that you can just be nice because you want to! Not just because 'God said'. But I have always felt a strong connection to something beyond this life.

I can't tell you what it is because I don't know. So I call it God and I continue to live a life I believe He would be proud of

It always amazes me that so many people think its fair game to belittle, harangue and generally be rude to people of faith.

I don't understand why they think its acceptable. Does it affect you how other believe?

But no religion represents me or how I feel

Flying flipflop

How is asking people of faith to justify their belief rude? On a thread specifically about religion?

The greatest con that religion ever pulled was to convince people that being asked to explain their beliefs and justify them is somehow out of order or rude.

I think flipflop is saying that questioning with a genuine interest is fine, but belittling and mocking is hurtful when people devote their lives to their beliefs

Mockery is defined as 'teasing or contemptuous misrepresentation'.

As far as I can see on this thread, no religions have been misrepresented.

They have however been criticised, which is fair enough. When your position is criticised and you have no answer to that criticism, it's often an indication that you might be wrong.

Yes back I suppose I am

patriarchy it's interesting that you think anyone should have to "justify" their beliefs to you. How very entitled and arrogant of you.

The thread is actually about why some churches are boring.

The tone of your posts are rude and belittling. You know they are, but you'll now state that I'm misinterpreting the tone. We both know I'm not.

Have you not noticed how most of the posters have left the thread? Not because they're not willing to defend their belief or justify it, but because they've seen enough times the people piling into them. Whatever they say will never be enough or satisfy you as you'll just keep twisting it.

Its better to just walk away from the nastiness.

patriarchy I think you've made some really good points, but try to remember that not everybody who believes in God is religious.

I think with things like this it is always best to respect other people's views, whether we understand them are not, as questioning them as a means to criticise them can be seen as mocking. I may not be one of them but many people do dedicate their lives to religion and I think we have to respect that.

Anyway I'm off as my baby is screaming bloody murder. If you're listening God... please make her stop!

Frankly i dont know why any woman would want to go to an openly misogynistic place such as a church

Eh? In what way could my Church possibly be described as misogynistic? . Or are you one of those posters that lumps every Church together ?

I agree FlyingFlipFlop. Those who - for whatever reason- hate 'Church' or religion, are apparently allowed to be downright rude and insulting on MN, seemingly for sport, when their behaviour wouldn't be tolerated against any other group of people. I'm never sure why this is allowed by MNHQ ??

OP, YANBU to wonder why the particular Church you visit s like that, but YABU to then lump every Church together as if all Churches are like that. It's certainly not my experience of Church.

Golden - what you are describing is not any mainstream Church. You seem to be either involved in some kind of a cult, or you are in some way vulnerable and being controlled by others. Your situation sounds awful, but it is your individual situation, and not a reflection on any mainstream Church denomination (in the UK at least)'

if you claim the earth is flat, your beliefs will be questioned and probably ridiculed. same if you think the queen is a lizard, elvis is alive, the moon is made of cheese

what makes religions so special that they cant be questioned or ridiculed too?

religion and flat earthers have exactly the same amount of evidence to their beliefs- none

We can prove the earth isn't flat. Can you prove there isn't some higher spritual being?

Backforgood- all Abrahamic religions are patriarchal.

That means misogyny.

You may have an apparent woman friendly smiley happy clappy church, but you can't change the foundations.

LoniceraJaponica

No- we prove the Earth is a sphere.

The onus is on the claimant to provide evidence for the claim.

That's the magical trick of religion. It's seen as beyond question by its indoctrinated followers.

Indoctrinated? Or just following a different set of beliefs to yourself? You're insinuating that we are aren't following religion of free will. Erm, yes I am. My choice.

People aren't looking to mock or insult you @backforgood - they're trying to save you.

And if a someone from a church offered to "save' you, you would be up in arms.

So if I claim a blue flying hippo lives in my fridge and you can't provide "evidence of non existence" then the logical conclusion is that this flying hippo actually does live there.

Right.

A strange world you live in.

Flying flipflop

The tone of my posts is robustly critical, that's not the same as being rude. I haven't insulted anyone or made any personal attacks.

I do think that religious belief, particularly the 'al la carte', pick and choose type being exhibited on this thread is slightly ludicrous though. It can basically be summed up as "I don't believe any of that bad stuff, but what I believe is still all true and if you criticise it you are being nasty to me".

Apply that logic to anyone other position a human can hold on any other subject and you'd think it was ludicrous as well.