How often do you attend religious services?

[mvd]

I am a Catholic, but I don't go to church at all. I believe that I can develop a personal relationship with God. They tried to get me to go during my last years of Catholic high school, but it didn't work. :)

[King Bush II]

1. uh oh

from the looks of this poll i think it will just be more ammo for the freepers to call us heathens with

[SiouxJ]

2. Proud Heathen here!

or you can call me Pagan if you like. Either one works for me :-)

[Disandra]

3. Me too!

I practice by myself, sometimes with a couple of people. Wonder how to answer this poll?!? ;-)

[Chovexani]

23. As a much beloved teacher of mine used to say

Merry Meet, ya'll. :)

[mvd]

4. Who cares what freepers think

I certainly don't.

[BurtWorm]

5. I'll bet very few of them go to services of any kind either.

Not because they don't believe, but because they're hypocritical lard asses.

[King Bush II]

6. very good point

[mvd]

16. Or..

they go, but outside of church don't do what they practice.

[zonmoy]

28. or

what their churches actually teach is a horridly distorted version of their religion.

[BurtWorm]

32. Like Supply Side Jesus's Supply Side Christianity

A toast to Al Franken.

:toast:

[liberalhistorian]

7. Let them call us heathens all they want,

as a liberal Christian who regularly attends my church, I can honestly say that most so-called "heathens" I know are better Christians than those that call themselves Christian.

And when the freeps say "heathen", what they REALLY mean is "non-Christian", since they seem to think that Christianity should be the state religion and that it should be the only one allowed, all the others are "pagan", no matter what they are or how much more enlightened they may be. It never seems to occur to them that not everyone is a Christian, or even THEIR kind of Christian, and that just because someone's not a Christian doesn't mean they're not a good person!

[Skittles]

8. thank you

all my coworkers go to church regularly and I can guarantee you none of them would think anything about driving by an injured dog in the road. I very often wonder what exactly they teach in church.

[geniph]

14. Well, THAT'LL keep me awake nights

worrying what freeks 'think'. (An oxymoron if ever there was one - freeper thinking!)

NOT!

[Ladyhawk]

35. I don't care what freepers think.

They've twisted their religion to suit their own pocketbooks and ideas of morality. I'm proud to be an atheist. My mind is my own.

Pride goeth, so the Christians say,
Before a mighty fall.
But me, I've never felt that way.
I never stand so tall
As when I say I'm proud to be
An atheist, oh yes.
It helps me stand for so much more
And fall for so much less.

-Dan Barker

[TrogL]

9. I'm the organist - it would help if I showed up

Remember that's the day service, plus Evensong.

[arwalden]

10. When I Was A Child, We Were Easter/Xmas Church-Goers...

... even then I was aware of the hypocrisy (even if I didn't know there was a word for it.)

It seemed to be more of a social thing so that the neighbors wouldn't think we were total miscreants and heathens. Like "summer school" for church. If you don't go all year, then you can make it up by at LEAST going on Xmas and Easter.

-- Allen

[Kat45]

11. I go every week because I love to go.

I belong to a wonderful church, with a bunch of really good people, and a pastor who gives incredibly interesting sermons. When we pray for the soldiers in Iraq, we also pray for the people of Iraq. And my pastor can't stand the sight (or sound) of bush either!

[ronnykmarshall]

12. Your pastor rocks!!

[NYYFan]

45. I concur with everything you said

It feels good to belong to a church like that. Finding a comfortable church is important.

[The Blue Flower]

13. Anti-imperial church

My pastor's been speaking against the Christian fascist empire for two years. Even the blue hairs love him!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Rarely...

I get paid to play for services far more often than I attend.

I'm not bothered by it at all. I'd rather try to make my whole life spiritually meaningful than one day out of seven. Mysticism can be found in the laughter of children and the eyes of cats and the songs of birds as much as the words of holy women & men.

[JohnKleeb]

17. Catholic too mvd and have realized the same

[mvd]

18. Cool!

Kudos on your Kucinich stuff, too. :thumbsup:

[JohnKleeb]

20. thanks

[mvd]

21. You're welcome

:hi:

[JohnKleeb]

24. thanks again

You know speakin of Catholicism, we have only had one Catholic president, just thinkin whoa dude, and ethnic wise not really a biggie but the furthest east is Germany. So lol you get a Croatian and a Catholic with DK :) but you get more important things.

[CBHagman]

19. On Sundays and holy days.

Though I sometimes show up late. :spank:

[Chovexani]

22. Somewhere between "sometimes" and "regularly"

But I put regularly. I'm a solitaire Witch and usually go to open circles for Sabbats. Esbats I usually do by myself, or maybe with one or two friends. I just don't have the patience for coven politics the way I used to.

--Chovexani

[redwitch]

25. go pretty regularly

Roman Catholic, well, cafeteria Catholic. We have an awesome pastor. He told me he thinks the whole Iraq thing is pretty "fucked up"! Never having heard a priest use the f word, I was fairly blown away. The people I have gotten to know @ church are truly fine people- they give their time, money and talents to help others in all kinds of ways- providing food to habitat for humanity workers, visiting the sick and imprisoned, we are starting a social justice committee and an outreach program for the migrant families in our community. I feel better when I attend- I have heard some incredible sermons about all kinds of things- sometimes I want to stand up and applaud.

[CBHagman]

29. That's what it says in the Gospel of Matthew...

...feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned, welcome the stranger, etc. Your church is carrying out the Gospel message.

[baldguy]

26. Weddings & funerals.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

27. I've always attended regularly

In Portland, I belonged to a small downtown parish which every week fed more people than there were members in the parish.

Now I'm getting acquainted at the local cathedral, and I've just joined the audition-only first-string choir, so my schedule is going to be almost as strenuous as TrogL's, although fortunately, I won't have to attend both morning services, which is the sad fate of every church organist.

I've never attended a right-wing church, and I wouldn't stay in one that turned right wing.

I've mentioned this on another thread, but we've had some great sermons. Last week was about resisting evil, and as an example of evil, the priest mentioned spending billions of dollars a month in Iraq while the churches were seeing more and more destitute people asking for help (he even mentioned that the U.S. government had aided Saddam Hussein in the past!), and also labeled all the prejudices such as racism and homophobia as "me-ism": "the belief that everyone should be like me."

I am not a fundamentalist, or a dogmatic Christian of any type, but I believe that there is a Force behind the universe, and every culture has ways of connecting with it. This is a way that feels right to me, but in Japan, I have offered prayers at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines that seemed to have some sort of special aura about tham.

Music is one of my principal paths to spirituality, and I also like being part of an organization that can accomplish more collectively (like feeding the hungry and working on Habitat for Humanity projects) than anyone can accomplish singly.

[Cheswick2.0]

44. again I find someone that must be me

I would say that my experience is very similar to yours. Music is my attachment to my spirituality. In times when I couldn't survive any other way, music has made it possible... several times music has pulled me bck to church. It has been years since I didn't attend almost every sunday.

[leftist_rebel1569]

30. Unitarian who has never

been to a Unitarian Service before. Although, my parents do occasionally take me to a catholic church...so, I voted for sometimes

[FloridaJudy]

33. Unitarian/Universalist Here

You should check your local UU's. Great place to hang out on a Sunday morning.

The old joke is that a Unitarian is "an Atheist with children". It's true for some of us, but I joined because it's probably the only church in town that doesn't think I'm odd because I cast protective spells on my friends and believe that God is a woman. The jokes that we tell at our own expense make it worth the while. Never trust a religion that can't laugh at itself.

What do you get when you cross a Unitarian with a Jehovah's Witness?
- Someone who knocks on your door and asks "why am I doing this?"

[Chovexani]

40. I'm a UUer in spirit

Here's another oldie but goodie:

How do you scare a UU family out of the neighborhood? Burn a question mark on their lawn.

:)

[Amaya]

31. Only on Christmas

I guess I'm pretty much a heathen? :)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

34. I'll go to anyone's church once

I am eternally curious.

[jus_the_facts]

36. ....don't go and don't affiliate myself as any denomination....

.....I'm just ME...and live my life attempting to treat others like I like to be treated.....unless you're a moran repuke then I always seem to fall into the....do to others what they do to you mentality...ahhh the paradox...such is life O8) :evilgrin:

Hey mvd!! :pals:

[Shanty Oilish]

37. Over my dead body

...I once averred, but since then I have gone over other dead bodies. Funerals are a social imperative. :(

[rucky]

38. I'll Attone Next Yom Kippur

bad jew! baaaaad jew!

[redeye]

39. Never - I'm an atheist and goddamn proud of it (n/t)

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

41. Goddamn Proud?

Isn't that an odd term for an atheist to use?

[LWolf]

42. It depends.

On your definition of "religious service."

I attend interfaith services a couple of times a year. Where leaders from a wide range of faiths speak a little and offer a prayer from their faith, and the choir sings songs from all faiths. Our interfaith council locally is led by an orthodox (not roman) catholic arch-bishop. Members include protestants, catholics, jews, various pagans, native americans, muslims, b'hai, christian science, scientologists, and maybe more that I don't remember right now.

I also attend meditations, sweat lodges, and circles put on by various eclectic non-judeo christian groups several times a year, if they count.

[Az]

43. Its a big tent

We have heathens and pious believers. We have clergy and scientists. We have theists and atheists. We are the party of inclusion. They are the party of exclusion.

There may be only one truth but we have a limited means of approaching it. As a result not everyone has the same understanding of the world around us. It is unfair and unwarranted to expect everyone to believe the same things. We all hope to open the eyes of our neighbors and friends but we have to understand the limits of what we can impose on others. This is the way of the big tent.

[Cheswick2.0]

46. couldn't agree with you more AZ

!

[wyldwolf]

47. Christmas and Easter - when the wife drags me to them...

...kicking and screaming I might add.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

48. I almost converted to catholicism last year...

Because I think a religion where I can drink and have sex is ok as long as I go and do a few hail marys or our fathers and I'm forgiven is one I can get behind. hehe But I didn't because i didn't want to have to go through confirmation with the seven year olds. My father was catholic...doesn't that mean something? Couldn't I get in on a technicality? The preist won't know the difference...and can you honestly tell me God gives a crap if the church confirms me? Can't I confirm myself? Do you see now why I didn't convert? LOL To many questions...and I'm confused. lol
Duckie

[mvd]

51. I wonder how many liberal Catholic churches are out there?

I'm hearing good stories about churches here, but I wonder if I'd have to change religions. I don't even know about the local Catholic church.

[Boudica]

49. Don't go

Work schedule does not allow it and until recently did not know that a meditation group was meeting near by. I will have to negotiate with my boss to see if can adjust my hours to go. Basically just a solitary Buddhist.

[zekeson]

50. Finally foudn a church we like

we'll be going much more. the kids need to at least know what its all about and I enjoy the reflection time.

[noonwitch]

52. Pretty much weekly

I go to a hippie, new-age church, so according to freepers, I'm still a heathen. It's an "interfaith fellowship", too.

Fundamentalists also like to sneak into the church during the week and insert tracts in our literature packets for newcomers. The tracts are about how satan is really behind the new age movement and encourage them to not come back to our church. Every Sunday, the volunteers have to check the packets to make sure that the idiots didn't sneak in and do this. The church is open during the week because there's a bookstore and coffee shop inside, and there are 12 step programs meeting there almost every night.