Hello, friends!
As part of my trying to understand my girlfriend's religion a bit better, I went to church with her. It was kind of a weird experience.
My family is Catholic, so I have a Catholic background. I used to go to Catholic church when I was a kid (they are extremely pretty) and I was baptized as a baby. I was kind of expecting to see something similar when I went to church with my girlfriend. What I saw, though, was completely different.
Catholic churches, for those of you that never went to one, have wooden benches and they all point towards the altar and they have kind of like a step that you kneel on when you pray. There are saints, icons, and a big cross on top of the altar and Jesus is on the cross.
The protestant church I went to had many tables and people sat around them. There was breakfast before the service and a band was playing some music. The have projectors and a stage. Jesus is not on the cross (He resurrected) and there are no saints or icons of any kind. More than half of the service was the band playing and the projectors showing the lyrics so people could sing. The people singing had their hands in the air (I had never seen that before and I was quite surprised). I felt completely out of place.
Even though I felt that I didn't belong to that Church, I see that they have a great sense of community and I find that very important. I promised my girlfriend that I'd attend service with her every Sunday, even though I don't believe what she believes. I mean, I love her and I want to spend time with her and this is very important for her so I want to be part of it even if I'm not Christian myself.
I want to know if you'd be willing to attend a church / temple / mosque of a different faith than yours on a regular basis. If you have already done it, did you feel as awkward as I did? I'm really looking forward to your comments, particularly ThatBastardFromBellingham's since it seems that we have a lot of things in common, haha.
I was an acolyte from 5th to 7th grade. The church was small and not very pretty, though I agree most catholic churches are. I did it mostly because I got free from school for the time serving the lord :D
ReplyDeleteI think your girlfriend is lucky to have you. It is good to have someone who cares and gives out unconditional love. It is pretty rare nowadays I guess...
Wow, that protestant church sounds very cool. Music + food is A ok in my book. Plus the fact that it isnt as solemn as the catholic, its interesting and appealing.
ReplyDelete@GMSoccerPicks: objectively it was a good place. The people were very nice, the music was good, the breakfast was yummy. The problem is that I couldn't sincerely sing the songs since I don't believe what the lyrics say and I couldn't honestly agree with anything the preacher was saying afterwards. If I had to pick a church, it would probably be that kind of church, it's just the idea of worshiping a god that sounds awkward to me. I only went there for my girlfriend otherwise I wouldn't have gone.
ReplyDeletegreat read! interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou did kids and religion yesterday. Hmm. I think I would do this as well. I wouldn't enjoy it, but if my loved ones are into I guess I could try. Unless it is all a ploy to make me religious.
ReplyDelete@JuX: I did kids and religion yesterday, but that's different. The decision of going to church affects me. The decision of what to teach our kids affects them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I could pick not to go to church but be okay if they want to go.
I fist-pound my chest in your general direction, sur. If I could brofist ya, I would. Will you accept this e-fist?
ReplyDeleteEnough triple homoerotic entendres, my response is as thus: if I step into a church, flames come out and it burns down.
No, seriously. I don't mean it like I burn it down or someone burns it down, I take a step in and REE-REE-REE, freakin' Damien all over.
NOW, my experience with churches and why I won't inexactly go to a church without persuasion.
Y'see, I'm from California originally, and my family (not only being an Army family) is also a staunch black Baptist family. Now, y'all should know by now that there's a MAJOR DIFFERENCE between "black" religion and anything else, even asian. We didn't go to church, I actually DID get a chance to experience "chech."
And, like, all three times it nearly goddamned killed me. Heart attack each time, I swear to friggin' gawd.
So yeah, black Baptist chech - that shit is frikkin' fun, I gotta admit. Singin', dancin', just in generally loud. "PUH-LEEEEZ-AH GIVE US YO MONEH 'CUZ DA LAAAWD WANTS YA TA GIVE US-AH YO MONEH!!!!!" and so on and so forth. Preacher had a purple mink coat and an equally purple Cadillac, and the entire congregation wore purple.
Er, congregation...the people who do the singing? Yeah, them.
Anyway, there's the usual niggas-hopped-up-on-crack jumping around and all kinds of fun. THEN comes the actual moment when we have to bow our heads and pray in silent communion to the Lord.
No, back before I actually, y'know, READ religious books and came upon my own opinions concerning theism of any kind, I was an impressionable young lad. My parents were very free about religious theory, but my grandmaw and my young (at the time twenty-something) aunt were rather religious types. So I went into it expecting awesome, and it wasn't that bad all things considered...
The silent communion dragged on, right? Now, I don't mind this. I could feel the power of the Lord coursin' through the church, comin' down the aisles and touching our souls-
Then the loudest, most humongous, blackest woman I have ever known in my life jumped up next to me and nearly shook the chech with a screamed out "HALLELUUUUUUUJAH!!!!'
Seven years old and I somehow survived the heart attack.
This has happened twice more afterwards, each at a different chech yet I swear ta gawd it was the same woman! Shit was whack, man.
Sooooo yeah. No. Nononono. Noooooo.
Now, if I HAD to? If her parents and grandmother wanted me to, she joined in on that and all that rot?
...let's just say it'll take a shitton of persuasion for me to get into a church and not directly challenge the congregation and the preacher/priest/whatevers themselves with questions, deliberately pushing them to the point where their only defense is "WELL YOU GOTTA HAVE FAITH!"
And I would. I would push them for no other reason than I cannot simply believe in something so blindly that I cannot see its' flaws, the history of so many times being so absolutely wrong.
If something is flawed once, it might be a mistake. Second time? Hey, everyone's human and to err is to be as thus.
But modern day religion has been wrong so many freakin' times about so many topics that its' just out-and-out inexcusable.
...the only other way for me to deal with being in a church is to simply stay shut up and not pay attention. Just being there 's all I could get away with.
Sorry that I don't have a much less biased or much fairer answer, but that's the truth of it with me. 'S all I got.
OH, I completely forgot during my rant - your girlfriend is currently with you? I thought she was, like, far away or somethin'...?
ReplyDeleteIs she visiting you? Jesus, dude, go be with her screw the blog~! :D Tell us 'bout it afterwards!!
@That Bastard From Bellingham: Thanks for all the comments you leave me! I really appreciate them =]
ReplyDeleteNo, my girlfriend is not currently with me. We don't even really have protestant churches here (there probably are some if you look really hard, but for the most part it's a catholic country). I wish she were visiting and it might happen before the end of the year; it's possible, but not probable, sadly.
I went to church with her during my last visit.
Thanks for the post, man. I'm following your blog very closely as I find it interesting.
ReplyDeleteOnce I went to one of those churches; it was in USA. Saw exactly what you saw.
ReplyDeleteI'm also from a Catholic family so it was weird for me.
I agree with That Bastard From Bellingham, especially what he said on that first post. Really interesting and true. I do agree a lot with that
ReplyDeleteI understand the shock of going to a different church. I was raised Lutheran but I have to say Baptist churches are more comfortable for me. I have never been to a Catholic church, but I know that they are a lot different from others.
ReplyDeleteLMAO @ BofB's "chech" comment... Black churchs are legit. Everyone's so nice and generous with food. :P
ReplyDeleteI'm not a religious person, but I do visit curches and temples from time to time to admire the stunning architecture, and to get a better understanding of other cultures, nothing wrong with that I suppose
ReplyDeleteActually I'm not Christian too but I used to go to church when I was younger, but on the other hand I didn't know myself enough to judge if religion are good or evil, necessary or useless. Religion has always been a bug question mark for me, right or wrong, believe or not, which one is the best and which one is the worst. After years of thinking I've found my own thought, my own way of life knowing and understanding, so now I often visit church of any kind of religion, but for me are just monument or building that contain a way of expression, are just art.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my bad English
cool man, nice to see you putting the effort in
ReplyDeletechatholic family too, but thanks god everybody here in brazil is chatolic! :)
ReplyDeleteI can see trying out going to church with her if that is what she would like. But I would not go on a regular basis if it was not something you wanted to do. Don't just go because she goes. If you continue to go, it should only be because you enjoyed the experience.
ReplyDeleteI would be willing to go to church with someone else just for them, although i would not enjoy it at all.
ReplyDeleteI've been to events where it involved the worship music, and I have to say it absolutely freaked me out when they would put their hands in the air, and jump around. Logically thinking about how wrapped up in Christianity it must take to feel that way is scary to me.
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