Why Go TO Church to Worship

In the Christian bible, Jesus is quoted as saying “Wherever two or three of you meet together in my name, there I will also be”. So that sets the scene : Christians are supposed to meet together for worship or prayer or whatever. That’s the 1st reason we go TO church.

I’m a British Methodist, and our church emphasises that God doesn’t just want to us pray about stuff, he actually wants us to get organised and go out and do some good. That is a common Christian thing, that’s why you have Christians in hospitals (nurses are called Sister because they used to be nuns), that’s why churches set up schools and orphanages, and so on. It was the Quakers who first got laws passed about maximum working hours, and who started the anti-slavery movement. Nowadays, our church members also operate programmes for visiting the sick, senior citizens, and so on, to give them some help at home - simple things, like reaching up to change a light bulb. So the 2nd reason for meeting as a group is so that you can organise social welfare projects like that.

Finally, we believe that people need to have a chance to hear about God and Jesus and the Bible, so a church is a place where they can come to learn about all that, and where we can learn from each other. Reason 3.

One specific point to add (otherwise I agree with rnealw). You say , basically, ‘men are sinful so anything they build will be sinful’. That’s not Christian belief, but quite a few heresies (where a church goes off message) are based around that kind of thinking. That’s the kind of theology that tells people that bodies are sinful, sex is sinful, food is sinful, parties are sinful etc… Do you see Jesus living like that in the Gospels? Quite the contrary - He was always getting into trouble for going to dinner with outcasts including prostitutes, eating when people said He shouldn’t, and His first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast (hurray!).

So Christians believe that humans (not just men) are made in the image of God; ‘wonderfully made’. We do all sin, but our core being is great, not sinful. Things made by humans are not inherently bad or good, it’s simply how they are used that matters. So no building can be sinful.

But, in line with rnealw’s comments, a church building is just a handy location for the real Church - the people who make up the Body of Christ. That Church can, and often does, meet in other places too - I’ve worshipped with my churches on the banks of a lake, in a field next to a Roman wall, in the streets, in homes, at a swimming pool, in a hotel, in a school… The first churches met in people’s homes, in secret; or in the Synagogues of their fellow Jews. They had no official buildings until they became a recognised religion centuries later.

I especially like worsipping in nature, as you say. But it gets a bit rainy in Britian to do that every time!

Id like to add my two sense to this discussion.

First off lets clarify what sin really is, if you believe that people sin. Basically when God tells you to do something or not to do something and you don’t comply with his request your sinning. At least that’s what people say.

So what is sin exactly?

All sin is, is just disobedience thats all it is. Sin and disobedience are synonymous.

So sin isn’t some special thing that people do, it’s just disobedience. Plain and Simple.

Next, this so called God says that the only way you can truly love him is to obey him. Doesn’t that give you an erie feeling? Let’s change the position for a second let’s say it was a King or President and he said to you, you can only truly love me if you obey me. That sounds a little like a dictator to me.

orangutanuk there was church before Jesus & that doesn’t say why it was built or why go to church

rnealw same & you’re off subject pay attention

TODALY BALDWOLF(that’s interesting name) & JAES thank you you’re the only ones that seem top actually read, comprehend, & answer to where you’re on subject & make sence.

I think the religions built it because hey back then would you rather sit down, in a warm building, or stand outside in teh cold, its a good way of drawing people in

Good point cheddarfix

I love to worship God in a natural setting, however, that is pretty hard to do on a rainy day.. or when the wind is very high, or in the cold, or heat.

A building is much more agreeable, except for certain very nice days, which are limited.

However the temptation exists to put ones trust in the building… or in the group, rather than in the Savior.

Many people have asked me over the years, what church do you belong to? Because they see something in me that they want to identify with a group, or denomination, and I believe that all the seperation of diff. groups, actually takes away from the teachings of Christ, rather than bringing us together, as one, the way that he spoke of his body.

a lot of the older churches have actually been built upon older pagan sites, so I believe that the building itself has become a symbol of power- literally organized religion over paganism. it is my view that the church itself has evolved into an idol of sorts, and by worshipping within- a form of idol worship. and what better advertisement to prospective new members than to have a large grandiose structure to worship inside. I have heard it time and time again from christian friends and family- “this church was the nicest looking and largest in the area” so it has developed into a status symbol as well, a way to figure the prosperity of a certain faith. personally I enjoy the solitude and closeness to nature that my beliefs bring- and it is free!!

The purpose of the building is a common area to meet. The building is not actually The church but where the church meets. so in truth you can meet in the forest if you want.. .. .. I’ve attended Church on a mountain side before and in a back yard among other places. The building also serves as a location for other things like weddings and funerals, Plus it serves as a location the business side of things ( bills, benevolance, counciling, Ect.). And it make it easy for travelers to locate the church.

You have to understand a little about the history of god concepts to know why. Initially, kings declared themselves to be gods, and demanded elaborate structures built in their honor.

As the concept of gods matured a bit, gods came to be viewed as a kings, and so people continued the tradition of building structures in their honor. The structures became places where god was believed to live (just as the human ‘gods’ had lived in the structures honoring them). As monotheism developed, the tradition continued, and evolved into the modern concept of a church.

Interestingly, the steeple you find on many churches, is actually a vestige of the ancient temples, and originally represented the phallus. Most medieval churches and onward placed a cross at the top to mask the origin of the symbol.

you make a lot of sense, and I agree with you

there was church before Jesus. What church are you talking about? Fill me in on that?