Why did you leave church?

[BornReady]

A survey by LifeWay Christian Resources found most Millenials (people born from 1980 to 1991) are not religious and are leaving churches. I read an interesting blog from radicalramblings today which addresses why young people leave. Here's an excerpt.

You want to talk about cognitive dissonance and faith? Take a look at your Sunday School classes. You're the one trying to teach kids to take the Old Testament literally at face value, and then telling them Sunday is the Sabbath. Because some of the OT doesn't apply anymore. But the stuff about Homosexuals, that wasn't even in the commandments, that still applies. And Jesus loves everyone, unless they get remarried. Or dance at a party. Or drink alcohol. Even though King David had 144 wives - AT THE SAME TIME - and is said to be "after God's own heart." And even though Jesus' first miracle was turning water to wine. And even though the Psalms speak of singing, dancing, and making music as worship. See a problem yet? Because I do - and it has nothing to do with what the public schools are teaching, but with your own inconsistency in doctrine.

Is inconsistent doctrine the problem? My nephew blames something else. My brother and his wife are and have been faithful church goers. Their oldest son who recently left home does not go to church now. I asked him why. He said the church is full of hypocrites. (I don't know about his church but mine isn't.)

How about you, why did you leave church?

 

[jassilem]

I was forced to go to church and listen to things I didn't care to hear or believe. So when I was old enough I decided I wasn't going.

 

[Codrus]

im not a Millenial,..but i too stopped, and yes hypocrisy is/was there..so was the constant panderings for money, i can understand maintenance and operating costs but opulence should not be a part of any church, im not a Dolcinite by any means but i do think the church should be poor...sometimes just for fun i'll say "Penitenziagite" to a church go-er or somone i feel is a jesus crispy..the glazed questioning bovine look tells me all i need to know


"....where ever two or more are gathered in my name..."..etc.

 

[BornReady]

I was forced to go to church and listen to things I didn't care to hear or believe. So when I was old enough I decided I wasn't going.

Thanks for answering. Did you have any fun at church at all? Did they have a nice youth program? Did you feel welcome there?

sometimes just for fun i'll say "Penitenziagite" to a church go-er or somone i feel is a jesus crispy..the glazed questioning bovine look tells me all i need to know

You mean the band? I can't say I'm a fan. Although their music may be a lot more real than a lot of the country western I listen to.

Edit: Ok, I googled it... seems I just gave you the glazed questioning bovine look. lol But yeah, rich churches are a turn off. You can donate money to my church but it is not solicited. All of the money collected in the offering plate that is passed around goes to local charities.

 

[Dana]

I went to church willingly, I attended Sunday school and a group of cub scout like kids that did fun activities in a religious way. I just ended up moving and really didn't get back into it. I was almost a teenager and was focused on other things.

 

[Minor Axis]

I was raised Presbyterian. I went with the flow, joined the church because that was expected, but I never really felt it. If God speaks to us as individuals as, "yeah this is my church, come in and obey", he/she/it never talked to me or maybe I'm not as susceptible to the kind of indoctrination that is pushed at impressionable children. I'm not saying they were not well meaning adults, but, I do think a lot of them were "hedge your bets" church goers. Somewhere in high school, I no longer saw the point of wasting Sunday morning participating in a charade.

My wife was raised strict Catholic. We did attend a variety of churches when our son was in school. And we did want to expose our son to religious thinking, going as far as enrolling him in a Catholic school. Later she stopped going to church as an adult because the church is full of hypocrites who say "peace be with you" and then try to run you over in the parking lot, or listen to the words of Jesus and it just goes in one ear and out the other. She also did not like helping fund the Catholic church good ole boy network cover up their sins and crimes against children. Of course, when she stopped, I did too.

I don't want to sound too negative. Overall I feel very good about this life, but my observation is that humans think of themselves as smart, but we are primitive at heart, with a chip on our shoulders, and we sure seem to mess up most endeavors we participate in. Compassion for each other? If it is not family, you see way too much superficial compassion or none at all. Some indicators are at a debate when cheers erupt for the person who is philosophically allowed to die, because they failed to purchase insurance, and for the state with the most executions. Even if you are a law-and-order person, cheering for executions is twisted and a failure before the God I was taught about.

 

[jassilem]

Thanks for answering. Did you have any fun at church at all? Did they have a nice youth program? Did you feel welcome there?

No I didn't enjoy church at all..

I had to go to Catechism and hated it.. bored me to tears.. I knew the lessons finished the work and then sat there rolling my eyes. If we didn't show up.. our Priest would phone our house and complain to my parents.. so my parents then complained to me..

I completely found the whole confessing your sins thing to be the biggest crock known to man. You and beat and abuse your family go to confession and it's ok.. Get a damn clue for petesake. Hypocritical to say the least.

 

[Codrus]

You mean the band? I can't say I'm a fan. Although their music may be a lot more real than a lot of the country western I listen to.

lol...no, penitenziagite is said to be a shortened form of "penitentiam agite," which basically means "repent," and was what Gerard Segarelli would cry while wandering through the streets of Parma. The phrase was also later used as a short form of the motto of the Apostolici movement (which Segarelli founded), the full motto being, "Poenitentiam act, appropinquabit enim regnum caelorum - "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is near." it was also a rallying cry for the Dolcinites who believed that the church should be poor, i think they were the ones who spent years pondering whether "Christ owned the clothes he wore"...or maybe they were the ones who would simply kill wealthy priests,...to be honest the only reason i even know the word is because of Umberto Eco's "the Name of the Rose"..excellent book.
here is the line from the book

Penitenziagite! Watch out for the draco who cometh in futurum to gnaw your anima! Death is super nos! Pray the Santo Pater come to liberar nos a malo and all our sin! Ha ha, you like this negromanzia de Domini Nostri Jesu Christi! Et anco jois m'es dols e plazer m'es dolors... Cave el diabolo! Semper lying in wait for me in some angulum to snap at my heels. But Salvatore is not stupidus! Bonum monasterium, and aqui refectorium and pray to dominum nostrum. And the rest is worth merda. Amen. No?'

 

[BornReady]

I went to church willingly, I attended Sunday school and a group of cub scout like kids that did fun activities in a religious way.

Yeah, from what I hear, the boy scouts are a religious organization.

And we did want to expose our son to religious thinking, going as far as enrolling him in a Catholic school. Later she stopped going to church as an adult because the church is full of hypocrites

I had to go to Catechism and hated it.. bored me to tears..

My nephew went to a Catholic church too. Catechism sounds terrible from everything I've heard. But it's not just Catholicism. Protestantism is experiencing the same trend.

 

[jassilem]

My nephew went to a Catholic church too. Catechism sounds terrible from everything I've heard. But it's not just Catholicism. Protestantism is experiencing the same trend.

Well it's the only one that I have had dealings with. My son is being raised without the church.. mainly cuz I think my husband would spontaneously combust if we tried to talk about teaching him some sort of religion.

 

[BornReady]

to be honest the only reason i even know the word is because of Umberto Eco's "the Name of the Rose"..excellent book.

I haven't read it but the title is familiar. Have they made a movie based on the book?

 

[Dana]

Yeah, from what I hear, the boy scouts are a religious organization.

the boy scouts are just to gear you up joining the army... LOL

 

[BornReady]

I think my husband would spontaneously combust if we tried to talk about teaching him some sort of religion.

not to worry, it's an urban legend

But, yeah, I don't believe kids should be indoctrinated. Religious belief is a personal choice and should be made by them without pressure when they're older. I go to a UU church where I feel pretty comfortable with their sunday school program. One of the sunday school teachers is an atheist. Kind of an oxymoron. lol

 

[jassilem]

not to worry, it's an urban legend

But, yeah, I don't believe kids should be indoctrinated. Religious belief is a personal choice and should be made by them without pressure when they're older. I go to a UU church where I feel pretty comfortable with their sunday school program. One of the sunday school teachers is an atheist. Kind of an oxymoron. lol

You don't know my husband.. and his temper.. I have seen him in a church twice.. and it makes him woefully uncomfortable.

Wow.. that is a new one.

 

[HK]

I was never technically in church, but I was baptised and taken to Sunday school, probably more because it was expected than because either of my parents are religious. Neither of them are church-goers. And evidently none of it stuck because once we stopped going I never had any desire to go by myself.

 

[BleedingBull]

I had the church rammed down my throat from a young age, and my mum was a cleaner in the offices then she eventually became an accountant in her most recent church, I saw first hand the hypocrisy and treatment of members that werent "higher up on the spirit train" then I saw the pastor of the church practically living off the tithes and claiming it on fringe benefit for mobile, trips away (under the cover as preaching) majorly high wage, while members that were struggling tithed all they could oblivious to what was happening upstairs. I'm not saying all churches do this but this one did, I think the last straw for me going was when we used to have a lunch downstairs for the local community as a outreach and to help those that were hungry, well while we sat down there with them and talked and served them food, the pastor and upper staff went out to gloria jeans or some other restaurant because they felt to good to sit with the "lowly" I'm sure and then had the audacity to hand us reimbursement slips to refund there lunch, That pissed me off and after a fall out with my mother for personal reasons I left the church as well as cutting her off. I dont want to know any of them and its funny that a church that preaches about caring for there flock hasnt botherd to phone me not once to see if I was ok. Bitter ? yes I am.

 

[Niamh]

I was born into Catholicism, when I was old enough to not believe everything I was told without question and I began to logically think about it. I didn't believe a word of it.

 

[Minor Axis]

not to worry, it's an urban legend

But, yeah, I don't believe kids should be indoctrinated. Religious belief is a personal choice and should be made by them without pressure when they're older. I go to a UU church where I feel pretty comfortable with their sunday school program. One of the sunday school teachers is an atheist. Kind of an oxymoron. lol

I'm trying to remember the name of the liberal church that as far as I know does not push any traditional doctrine. I believe it treats religion and the search for divine truth as just that, a search, where the answers are not known. I would find this philosophy/environment to be very attractive.

 

[Panacea]

I have been lucky enough to not be a part of any church. Went to my friend's gossip/baked goods/general condemnation/money grubbing club on a few Sundays in my childhood, but it didn't impart much impression on me either way.

My parents worked every Sunday most of their lives. I think that fact may have saved me from being brainwashed.

 

[BornReady]

I'm trying to remember the name of the liberal church that as far as I know does not push any traditional doctrine.

Sounds like my church, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations or UU church for short. We have all sorts there, some Christians, a few pagans, a couple Buddhists, several atheists including myself and many who don't want a label. I don't know of any Muslims. But they would fit in well as long as they believe in love instead of oppression as I'm sure many Muslims do. Homosexuals are respected as human beings who are different than the rest of us but in no way inferior.