No saftey net

[Call Me Apple]

When people convert out of Christianity or just give up religion altogether, their history is prodded into, to see what went wrong.

For example, my father stopped taking me to Church when I was a pre-teen, those I know say this was the crucial time in my life. I was experiencing more of life, questioning more, and I had no saftey net.

Would things be different if I HAD went to church weekly? And had a saftey net to fall back on when i needed help and had questions? We'll can only speculate.

This was an interesting concept to me, reminds me of lost sheep and what not.

What do ya'll think? If a person stops going to church and loses their community, are they more susceptible to convert out?

 

[Matt Pniewski]

I forget which comedian said it, but I think it's true.

"People hear I went to catholic school, and they ask me "How come your not Catholic?" "Well, I want to Catholic School...."

Its not matter of going to Church or not going. Enough people fall out of touch with their faith (including me) not because they didn't go, but rather, because they did.... A bad Church community could cause it, or just having your own brain and using it as you see it...  

[rmcdra]

Depends on the community and those responsible for teaching. If the community demonetizes questioning or being unable to accept "cookie cutter" answers then it's going to be very hard to want to stay in that faith. It also doesn't help when those teaching the religion doesn't understand why those cookie cutter answers came around in the first place.  

[xxEverBluexx]

Pretty much what they said. If your church encourages thinking then that's probably going to be a factor that encourages you to stay. That's obviously not the only factor or even the most important one though. If your church has a lot of people who really love the way that Jesus did, no matter what their thinking is like, you probably will want to go that church and will be encouraged to seek after what they have. Church is only one factor to it too; there's Muslims in the heart of the Middle East who convert to Christianity where there isn't another Christian around and there's Amish who after living in a place where all their friends and family are Christian decide they don't want it's not for them. The individual and God are the most important factors.  

[freelance lover]

I will say, have a community that you share your faith with is important, but not essential to maintain your religious practice. I had a close knit group at church all through high school and I've been unable to recreate that group since I left for college. I've experienced a few times during my summers with Project Transformation, but that was only for a few months.

I've become very liberal in my theology since, which some people might blame on my lack of church attendance, but I think it would have happened regardless.  

[The Amazing Ryuu]

I do think not going to church (used broadly to cover the name of your particular religious institution) does have an impact on how you think about your religion. I don't necessarily think that impact is negative. Getting the same information every week every year doesn't give you breathing room to digest it, and think about whether or not that rings true for you. I've always had a rather nontraditional view of Christianity, and this guild has actually been one of the cornerstones of me bouncing my thoughts off of someone other than a clergyman. I haven't been to church in a long while, and I know I miss the feeling of closeness and community I find there, as well as someone more educated than myself to pose questions to. Did my lack of attendance turn me into the raging liberal I am now? No. Would going more regularly have stopped me from becoming a raging liberal? Nope. But accepted doctrine of any faith is a good foundation, and from there you can make your faith your own.  

[Fushigi na Butterfly]

Interestingly enough, I find that fellowship, whether it's church or just getting together to do Bible study with some friends, is the biggest thing that's ever held me to my faith. Getting to learn and discuss with others has helped me to grow. However, that didn't stop me from experiencing the crisis of faith I'm still currently in; even when I was attending church, my questions became more desperate, more "questiony." Eventually I just settled on "I don't know, and I don't know if I'll ever know." And that's when I stopped going altogether. I tried to continue going, I tried seeking others out, because I knew it was what helped me in the past, but it wasn't really doing much for me. So I took a break. From all of it. Now I find myself wanting to come back. I'm making slow progress, but here I am, in my guild again, getting fellowship from others that have encouraged me so much in the past, and who I hope can encourage me again now.

Church has an influence I think, but I think more important than that is being able to see Christ's love reflected in the people around you on a day to day basis.