Church for Non-Believers

I've never been particularly religious, but I did to go a church (Presbyterian) with friends for a bit before moving to my current location. I tended to show up a bit late to avoid some of the singing, but I found that I really enjoyed the positive message from the sermon and it tended to put me in a decent place spiritually for the rest of the day, at least. I definitely think you can go without being a) terribly religious or b) being heavily involved.

 

I'm not particularly religious, either, but have never felt like people were looking sideways at me in a spiritual sense at any service I've ever attended with my wife and her family. People are more likely to do so because congregations tend to be pretty tight knit and everybody knows each other, and there's suddenly a newcomer in their midst. In my experience, though, if you're friendly they'll be friendly and introduce themselves. Most services have a quick "turn to your neighbor and say hello" moment. There's also plenty of chatter around the coffee pot.
There are always new people moving into town looking for a church they like -- it's kind of like picking a college, where it really helps to find a good fit with the preacher and congregation -- so they're used to having people pop in and out from week to week.

A couple of years ago my wife got on a spiritual kick and we spent about six months making the effort to go to church every Sunday. We found a modern Methodist service (jeans were fine, there was more modern Christian music, an energetic young preacher who is a family friend, and a generally more relaxed vibe). Our attendance waned because I was having to work late Saturday nights and it was hard to make it even to an 11 a.m. service, but it was interesting and we liked it.
I realized I didn't have to necessarily "get" the spiritual side of it to get something out of it. Viewing it as a philosophy lesson and just learning about Christianity itself was pretty interesting.

An important thing to remember is that a core tenet of Christianity is missionary work. That's not always going to a third-world country to spread the faith to tribesmen. It includes introducing the faith to non-believers down the street, and there are always people in various stages of their spiritual journey at any service. You'll have a few like you that are curious or outright non-believers, or just there to go along with a spouse. You'll have the swaying true believers. You'll have people in between.
If they come on a little strong for your tastes, try a different church. There's a good fit somewhere.
A good church won't care why you're there or what brought you there, just that you're there.

 

My wife and I have been on and off test driving some churches. She was raised Evangelical Christian and I wasn't really raised with faith. I used to go to a Sunday night Catholic service with my girlfriend at the time and just really enjoyed the ceremony and fellowship of it (never took communion.)

We've gone a handful of times to a a protestant church that has the full lights and sound system and a 6 piece band. I like the preacher and the casualness of it is great but it still feels more like Christian performance time than being at a church sometimes. They have a cappuccino bar and you are welcome to bring coffee in to listen which just strikes me as weird.

I went to a gospel breakfast performance/buffet at a hotel in Vegas once and that was pretty fun.

 

Just a note, and referenced above, non-Catholics are welcome at Mass but should not receive communion.
You can participate, cross you arms as you approach the priest or eucharist minister and you will receive a blessing.
It is inappropraite for non-Catholics to partake in communion at a Catholic Mass. Other than that aspect, the service is open to anyone.

 

The older that I get, the more that I love a good sermon and the more I hate organized religion. My wife and 13 year old love temple (my daughter even ran our Seder last Friday) and I have not gone once in the 10 months since my daughter had her Bat Mitzvah.

 

Theologically, people who aren’t Christians - or any in a state of, you know, of Christian humility - shouldn’t want to take communion, since they’d merely be sitting in judgment of themselves if they did. Protestant pastors typically “fence the table” and explain this.

I’ve been in Catholic settings where it is and it isn’t explained. Basically, Catholics believe, among other things, that communion is literally the body and blood of Jesus and not merely a symbol of such. (Which is what most Protestants believe.) I’ve generally found most non Christians have some vague sense of this more than the Protestant traditions because Catholicism is so ingrained in culture.

 

No one will know you're a non-believer, unless you tell them. Spiritual growth, and direction, is a journey, and not everyone is in the same place at the same time.

You would/should always be welcome at any service. Churches always are seeking new members. In fact, many will treat new members or potential members with more enthusiasm, deference, focus, care, compassion and priority than they do their long-time members, who may become, essentially, old news after a while.

Just go in with an open mind and an open heart. You may, in fact, believe, more than you realize yet. Or, you may be seeking, and therefore, on your way to believing in God, again more than you realize. There is often a prompting to go to church, a reason it is happening. Take it to mean something, and you never know, you just might meet God there. And yes, God should be there. If He isn't, well, then it's not church.

I am a believer, so perhaps that makes a difference. But when I'm driving, en route to church, I often get a very real sense of consciousness that I am going to meet, and meet with, God. It's why I go. (I can actually do without the fellowship/community with other people most of the time). And I actually find myself driving a little faster, "feeling it" more and more, and anxious to get there.

Different people get different inspiration and meaning from different things in a service -- some love the worship music most, some the sermon, some the learning/teaching, and some get a little something out of all of it. But God should be there, and, on some level, you should be aware of it. If not, it's probably not the church for you.

 

I recently did a story for our paper's magazine about the local Jewish congregation reaching out to Christians to prop itself up. Jews have been a big part of our small southern town since its founding about 200 years ago, but in the past 20-30 years the numbers have declined dramatically. The younger generation mostly moved away and there are only a couple dozen active members left, most of whom are 50 or older.
So the congregation president (who is in his early 80s) reached out to some local Christian pastors and invited them to come to Temple on Friday nights. They invited some of their congregations and so on, and it's turned into this weird little flock. The Jews appreciate the support, and the Christians seem to enjoy it because Judaism and Christianity have a lot in common. The service is mostly based on the Old Testament. Some of them look at it like a theology class. Afterward, everybody goes out to dinner. It's a fun group.

And I know he's a bit of a crackpot and some people here would rather stick rusty knitting needles in their ears than listen to one second of his show, but radio host Michael Savage actually had a very poignant thought along these lines that's always stuck with me. Even became my own spiritual philosophy to a degree.
He said that religion is like a wheel. At the center, the hub, is God. And all of the various religions -- Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. -- are the spokes. So as long as you're moving along the wheel and one of those spokes, and following a path toward the center, it doesn't matter much which one you take. They all lead to the same place.

 

No.

It really bothers that me that so many trained journalists on this site unquestionably believe shit like this. There's as much evidence for the existence of a metaphysical soul as there is for a Flat Earth.

 

It bothers you against what sensibility?

 

You and I discussing this subject would be as productive as you and I discussing it with the walls nearest our present location.

Live long and prosper.

 

Dude. Really?
I must have missed the orientation session where I had to renounce God and faith upon joining the profession.