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Is It Necessary To Attend Church?

Do you feel that it's necessary to actually go to church with like-minded people in order to feel fulfilled in your religion or worship? Or do you believe that it is too personal to share, and that you are best served by worshipping alone? Here's a thoughtful message I received via email today:

Lonely Ember Story

(Author Unknown)

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending
services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to
visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home
alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led
him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made
himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated
the play of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up
a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all
alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all
this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember's flame diminished,
there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was
cold and "dead as a doornail." Not a word had been spoken since the
initial greeting.
Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead
ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it
began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals
around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank
you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall
be back in church next Sunday."

Church Attend Necessary Is

This story is an excellent example of why it is important to attend church to keep your faith strong! As a teenager I always wondered about this myself, thinking that if one were to worship on their own, read the Bible, and perform good deeds, that their faith would be as strong as anyone who attended church regularly. When my uncle, who was like my father, died suddenly, I realized the importance of church and its members. One's faith is not tested until bad things happen to them in life, and it is during these times that the church becomes that fire that keeps one's faith alive and prevents it from going cold. If it were not for the church during that time of my life, who knows if I would have been able to maintain my faith in God. Going to church regularly and sharing your faith with others who may be going through hard times, is the best way to maintain and strengthen your own.

Is It Necessary To Attend Church? Beliefs Religious General

There is a similar thread like this opened that refers to if you need to go to Church to be holy or something like that. I believe that it is necessary to attend Church to 'remember' what you are suppose to be doing and check yourself just as it is necessary to attend school to remember what you have been thought and test yourself. In the day you become perfected Church will no longer be necessary.

Lastly, since this is an open Religious board may we extend that to...
Synagogue, Mosque, Temple, and so on as not all attend 'church'?

Church Attend Necessary Is

Nice story Farseer. I agree also with Malealexander, although I think his statement is really for someone who can see in their Church and its members a place of refuge. Attending Church is a very important thing, specially if in your Church you partake the sacraments every Sunday.

Church Attend Necessary Is

Well, for me attending Church uplifts me spiritually. It helps renew me for the upcoming week. I would imagine this is true for those who are attending Mosques, Temples, or Synagogues as well, but can't say this from a personal viewpoint never having attended.

I don't think you can get that same uplifting spirit from just staying home and studying on your own. There is strength in numbers. I think, much is to be gained from meeting with others who share your beliefs and perhaps even your struggles.

Is It Necessary To Attend Church?

I know some people who have decided not to go to church because of past social difficulties or because they are worried about others' impressions of them. I have to ask myself (and them) what they really expect from the Church. If it's friendship or social interaction, service, pity, therapy, or financial help, those may not be available to them. Hopefully everybody is able to find a friend and whatever help he or she needs in or through the Church. However, these are peripheral functions of a religious organization. They are sprinkles on a much more substantial cake. The true purpose of a religion is to worship God in the way He has prescribed, and to be taught the truth about Him and His plan for us.

Thus, if we are not practicing the religion we profess by worshipping in the way we understand to be true, we must examine our real motivations and act upon that which the Holy Ghost teaches us. Equally important, however, those of us who do attend weekly religious services must analyze why we continue to do so. If we are idly ignoring the untrue doctrine of a religion we do not believe, simply because our friends and family are there, we have two options: 1. Remain stagnant. 2. Study and pray with an open mind and heart, asking for God to show us the truth.

Once we have the courage to ask tough questions and live by the answers we receive, our relationships with God will be stronger. This will either lead us to greater intensity in the path we have been taking, or to a course correction leading us to the lives God would have us lead.

As for myself, I do attend Church weekly. I can't say that I do it for the right reasons every week, but I am doing my best, and I see the blessings from it. For example, I had many Church responsibilities this past semester, and in fulfilling them, my study and homework time were reduced dramatically. Yet, I made better grades this past semester than I ever have at the college level. With the amount of time I put into school work, I can only ascribe my success to divine guidance. I have learned much about myself and my relationship with God and other people.

Is Necessary Attend Church

If your faith need somebody else to sustain it , maybe is not yours entirely but some other peoples faith that you embrace. The TRUE faits should never dies in your heart if you are attending the services or not !

Is Necessary Attend Church General Religious Beliefs

That's a good point - I would hope that I would be strong in my faith even if I had no congregation to attend. However, a vital part of my faith is the idea that we are children of God and thus brothers and sisters, and attending Church helps us to remember both who we are and how we should be treating each other. Plus, if one believes there is such a thing as eternal truth, the idea of solitary, individual worship must be accompanied by an organized system of teaching. In other words, if there are important steps we need to follow to return to God, he will organize a way that every person can receive that knowledge. I believe he has done so, and thus I continue to receive greater knowledge and strength through activity in the Church.