Reflections

Okay. I haven't been to church for 2 weeks.

Why not?

Last week I attended a cat funeral and wrote a really depressing post about pet death and death in general. It was sad. It wasn't finished until Friday at five o'clock. I am many things, but I'm not the kind of girl to crap all over your weekend with dead cats and grieving children. No. I'll save that post for later this week, because I didn't want to post it today either. Monday isn't a day for such things. In my opinion, sadness is best dished out on a Wednesday. That way, you don't start the week out on a sour note nor does depression rule your weekend. So just go ahead and pencil in "crying over cat death" on Wednesday and emotionally, spiritually, and physically prepare yourself for that.


Moving on...


Church. I haven't been. Well, actually I have. I attended a wedding in a church this weekend. Then we had a camp out in the woods. I made 200 Jell-O shots. It was awesome.

But that's not what I want to write about. Not today. There's a topic that's been on my mind for sometime and since Amazing Wedding + Whiskey Jell-O Shots + Dance Party + Tent Snuggles Under the Stars = No Church (other than the wedding ceremony) For Super Sleepy Sarah this is probably a good time to write about it.

The topic you ask? Get to the point you say? But I have six paragraphs of reflections from my childhood I want to share with you first. Ugh. Fine. We'll skip appetizers...THIS TIME.


Why do people go to church? This is a question I've been reflecting on for the past nine months. As a lady who went from a huge church devotee to emphatically anti-church only to become a regular church attender and church connoisseur I feel uniquely qualified to address this topic.  
 

 

Why Do People Go To Church?

 

1. Donuts and coffee?

2. Community/Friendship/Connection?

3. Learning?

4. Shared belief structure?

5. Free childcare?

6. Spiritual development?

7. To be saved/Forgiveness/Change life direction?

8. Tradition/Family pressure?

9.Peer pressure/Societal pressure?

10. To use the bathroom?



 

 

 

This topic has come up regularly for the past nine months. People frequently want to speak with me about their own spiritual journey and wish to find a church/gathering of similarly minded people. People who grew up in church but never attended as adults, people who never attended church, people who infrequently attend church and people who recently left their church have all spoken to me about their desire to find a "church home".

 

Why?

 

Why do people want to go to church?

 

Whenever I have a question my first resource is always Google. Frequently I ask Google to help me figure out the various facets of my life. I think of Google as the Dear Abby of our generation.

 

Dear Google, what should I make for dinner? Dear Google, what does the word "cupidity" mean? Dear Google, where can I find pink sparkle heart glitter in South City STL? Dear Google, I forgot to plan group therapy today. What book should I read? Dear Google, why did my relationship fail? Dear Google, here is a picture of this red itchy thing on my leg. What is it? Dear Google, tell me everything you know about attachment parenting for cats.

 

Google doesn't always give me an immediate answer but generally guides me in the right direction. But when I Googled "Why Do People Go To Church?" there weren't a lot of great answers. Most of the articles were about why people DON'T go to church. Well, duh. It can be boring and full of judgement and expensive and takes up some of your precious weekend time.

 

Church is a Christian term, I know that. But I'm not talking about seeking a Christian building with people inside. Church is my catch-all term for a spiritual gathering place. Temple, Zen Center, Synagogue, Place of Peace, cathedral, meeting hall, whatever you want to call it - why do people want to go to there?

 

 

Belonging. Connection. Growth. God.

 

 

You can have a beautiful fulfilling relationship with the spiritual on your own, but there's something special about sharing and experiencing your spiritual path with others. There's something meaningful about belonging to a group. Take fire spinning for example. Through YouTube videos and hours of self-practice you could become a great fire spinner. Maybe one of the best.  

 

 

But there's only so much you can accomplish on your own. People bring in new ideas, new concepts, new tricks, new resources. Not to mention fire safety. It's nice to have someone around with a blanket and a bucket of water in case you catch on fire. Plus, though you look rather impressive taming fire with your barehands it's even more impressive and downright magical when you and a group of people you know and trust do it together - in perfect harmony with rhythmic drumming the background.

 

 



Church is similar. It's a place to belong. It's a place to find connection. It's a place to grow. This God crap ain't simple stuff. The Bible? Reincarnation? The afterlife? How to live your life? Social issues? Prayer and meditation? Why evil exists? How do you make sense of it all? Whose ideas do you trust? These aren't simple questions and I completely understand why someone would seek out assistance with them, because trying to answer them alone is freaking hard and kinda scary.

 

 

 

Throughout this experience I've been presented with new concepts and new questions and new ideas and new resources. Church has provided me a new outlook on religion, life, myself, my beliefs, the world around me and so much more. Church has challenged me. Church has irritated me and sometimes infuriated me. Church has given me new questions. Church has given me a new perspective. It's kinda like college for your soul.

 

 

I like going to church. Did I just say that? Yup. I did. I've enjoyed challenging myself.  Each week I challenge myself to a different perspective, a different way of seeing the world and a different realization for myself. It's exhausting and I'm ready to take a break. I still have three full months left to delve further into the world of organized religion and I have quite a few more spiritual places left to explore. So these two weeks of rest and reflection were much needed.

 

 

Let the churchgoing continue....