Do you belive that..

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i go when it matters, obviously sunday is a very holy day but i don't feel the need to go every sunday. sometimes i help out at the kids creche on a sunday but it's not as if i'm going to go to hell if i don't. I go to churches at funerals, i go to mass on christmas eve and if i'm asked along for anything else I'll go. If you believe in God that's enough for him, if you pray and give your thanks that's enough for him, I don't think it matters aslong as you don't do anything too bad and if you do you're to pray for forgivness, going to church doesn't make anyone less or more of a Christian than the next.

[FlyingJesus]

It annoys me when people say "I'm Catholic" just because they believe in God and want to be religious - yet they don't follow any of the traditional methods of Catholicism.

This.
As we're again talking pretty much exclusively about the Christian God rather than any random god you could come up with, yes if you are going to say you're a Christian of any kind then you should be going to church. If you really believe in the God of the Bible then you'd surely both love and fear Him enough to at least do as the book tells you to. I don't know of anyone who actually follows the Bible properly (and most people who claim to be Christian don't even know half the teachings) and the church itself doesn't help this with the new Evangelical attitude where you can pretty much do as you please as long as in the end you say you believe. How anyone can claim to believe in such a force and not do as He says though is beyond me.

If you believe in God that's enough for him, if you pray and give your thanks that's enough for him

Not according to the book He apparently dictated to be written.

[GommeInc]

It depends on what religion and form of christianity you wish to follow. The Anglican Church say no, but the Catholic church may want all Catholics to go to church once a week. The Anglican Church doesn't mind if you can't get to church for health reasons. The church will usually pray for you if anything. But if you can get to church, but it means a long journey, then that may be a problem. Half of the church says you should go while the other half says you should pray during Sunday mornings and attend Bible studies. Not all areas of Christianity follow all parts of the Bible, that would be insane and impossible to do without going back on your word. So you may just find that some areas change the rules depending on their fellowship (members).

[FlyingJesus]

So you may just find that some areas change the rules depending on what makes it easiest to live a normal Western life and not have to actually give a thought to your religion.

More true

[RedStratocas]

most religious people these days only follow their religion when it pleases them. getting up early on a sunday doesnt please a lot of people.

[Bun]

i'm not religious but no, you shouldn't have to.

[J0SH]

There's a church 5 minutes away from us Gord, I guess it is far away when it's a strain on your ankles

[Jord]

I don't think you have to go to church every week, I think your ment to be holy on the sabbath day and pray all day.

I pray everyday

I don't really think its a requirement otherwise it would state somewhere that you have to go regardless of whatever's happening in your life. Normally people who go to church go to be 'closer to God' or are extremely devout (usually God fearing in that respect), but you don't really have to go, one of my friends who's catholic never goes to church, but he's still catholic regardless.

thats like me

[Hecktix]

the church itself doesn't help this with the new Evangelical attitude where you can pretty much do as you please as long as in the end you say you believe. How anyone can claim to believe in such a force and not do as He says though is beyond me.

Erm... the problem with the Evangelical movement is that they take the Bible a little too literally. Not "do as you please" Evangelicals state, you will read the Bible, you will do as God says and most certainly you will believe, or you'll go to hell. Most street preachers are charismatic evangelicals. They believe in spreading the word, so although they do have a very orthodox, strict attitude towards the Bible, they would rather you go out and spread the word than go to church. The other movements I mentioned, URC and New Life, they have hardly any rules whatsoever and their services are more like youth clubs but for everybody.

But under no circumstances can Evangelical followers "do as they please" and they most certainly follow the Bible. I went to a local Evangelical church the other month, just out of pure curiousity... and I questioned the Pastor there, and to whatever religious controversy I could present him with, he referred to the Bible.. Including questions about homosexuality & homosexuals joining the church, women preachers - he referred directly to quotes from the Bible.

Also, Charasmatic evangelicals/pentecostals are known to indoctrinate people, and they are also the idiots who bomb abortion clinics. I have a perfect video of an Evangelical Pentecostal "Jesus Camp" in America, which I shall post in seperate debate.

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Also, Charasmatic evangelicals/pentecostals are known to indoctrinate people, and they are also the idiots who bomb abortion clinics. I have a perfect video of an Evangelical Pentecostal "Jesus Camp" in America, which I shall post in seperate debate.

they bomb abortion clinics because they're against abortion yet they're commiting sins by murder if anyone is ever in these clinics at the time:S
anyway yeh i've seen that, it's just extreme. The kids are actually on their knees crying and "preaching" because this is how they've been brainwashed, it's so stupid.