Church

I may offend a few people by typing what I'm about to type....but these are just my opinions regarding religion and "going to church".  


I believe in God.  In fact, I grew up going to church every time it was open from the time I was 5 months old, until I was 18 years old.  I rarely missed a service unless I was sick or someone else was sick.  I was brought up in the Church of Christ.  Growing up in that church, I never really noticed anything "off" about it.  I was so accustomed to what their beliefs were and how they ran their church services.  Now that I am older and talk to people from that church, all that I can see is judgmental people.  I'm not saying that everyone that goes to that church is judgmental, but several people are.  


This Church of Christ believes that if you go to church on a Sunday morning that you MUST be dressed very nicely.  In other words, most of the women wear dresses and the men wear suits, or at least khaki pants and a button down shirt.  I honestly believe that if someone walked in there on a Sunday morning with jeans on, he would be stared at and probably talked about afterwards.  I used to think that you had to dress up very nicely to go to church.  Now, I don't believe that is right.  I don't think that people should come to church dressed scantily but as long as someone is covered up, that should be fine.  


The Church of Christ that I used to go to has a problem with people raising their hands during worship.  One time that happened while I was still going there.  The song leader's wife raised her hands during a song, and the members of the congregation treated that like it was the biggest scandal.  People even confronted her about it.  Now that I think about it, that was ridiculous.  She was praising the Lord and I don't see anything wrong with it.  Even in the Bible it says that people raised their hands in praise to God.  


The Church of Christ also believe that having musical instruments in the worship service is wrong.  I think that it is wrong if it takes away from praising God, but in almost every church that I have been to that has had musical instruments, it made praising God even better.  I did go to one church and it was like they were a rock band playing at a concert.  I didn't like that and I never went back to that church again.  Plus, that church was all about getting money from the people in the church and it seemed that they focused more on that than they did in worshiping God.  That's wrong.  Very wrong.  As far as having a piano or something like that....I don't see a problem with it and I don't think it is a sin or that it is wrong.  It just adds to praising God, if you ask me.  


When I was a teenager, I went to a music camp in Kentucky.  I took a lot of pictures while I was there.  Two of those pictures were of me, dancing with a boy.  We were slow dancing and it was completely innocent.  I took all of the pictures from camp to show everyone.  About a week later, one of the elders approached my mom and got onto her for allowing me to slow dance with a boy.  According to the Church of Christ, dancing is a sin.  I could understand it if I was bumping and grinding with the boy, but I wasn't and never did while I was at camp!  Do you see the judgmental aspect in this church?  That boy and I didn't even kiss at that camp.  We held hands and had a few innocent slow dances.  That's it.  Yet, the elder was so bold about saying that what I did was a sin and I needed to ask for forgiveness.  Yeah right.  


Judgmental people bother me.  I can be judgmental about things sometimes, but I don't cause myself to be a hypocrite by going to church.  Right now, I don't attend any church services.  It's not because I don't want to, but because I don't trust people in churches easily.  A lot of people go to church on a regular basis, and then during the week they do things that are sinful.  That is what is called a hypocrite.  They say one thing and do another.  I can't stand people like that.  I may be judgmental at times and I may do things that aren't right at times, but at least I don't go to church and act like I'm sin free, like a lot of people do.  I do pray to God and I do believe, but I don't feel like I need to go to church because I feel that I might be judged or looked down upon.  It has happened to me many times, and it isn't a good feeling...especially when I go to church to try to become closer to God, and end up leaving the church feeling worse than I did before I went!  That's terrible!  


I'd like to find a church that is very accepting but I know that it will be hard to find.  I know that God would love for me to be closer to him and I want to be.  I think that he knows that I still do believe in him and have faith in him.  I know that he has been here with me my entire life.  If he hadn't been, I know that I probably wouldn't be alive today.  


That's my take on church and religion.  It is frustrating that some churches are the way that they are...and it is also sad.  I just hope that at some point in my life that I can find a church that accepts me and is non-judgmental about me and about my past....and that the members are all there for one reason...to become closer to God.