'Church' These Days

[vortech]

Who went to a church this Sunday?! I'm just curious who still goes to church and what kind of church. I know a lot of people who have either given up on religion, and if they haven't, they just kind of put it in the background of their life. A lot of people in the 'millennial' age group (of which I am the oldest- one more year and I would be 'generation x' or whatever they call them now) simply identify as Spiritual with no religious affiliation. I met someone yesterday who claimed to be both Buddhist and Christian (Buddhism is actually a philosophy according to most definitions so not exactly a conflict) . That's when I told everyone about the Unitarian Universalist church that I had been attending less than a mile away, and hardly anyone knew what UU is. It basically embraces the truth and goodness of every religion, and instead of focusing on 'God' (they literally don't say the word in their service) they focus on ethics/morality/equality/grace/miracles and The Mystery without putting a label on it, and the church operates primarily to serve the community in any way needed.

Point being, I believe 'church' and the whole concept of people coming together in harmony, to serve, commune, celebrate, create etc. is essential for a healthy community, I hope one that believes in and practices evolution, equality, and PLUR kind of stuff, which is why I feel greatest affinity with the UU fellowship because they resonate with these principles.


A great example from my past that subverted the whole religion aspect and kept all the cool parts was a weekly event from my Tucson days, ironically called 'Church Night' held every Wednesday night as a venue for the local Burners and Friends community to connect, dance, share food, etc, generally abiding by the 10 Principles of Burningman, so it was grounded with some structure and guidelines from the start. It wasn't perfect, and during its last days it had to go private because non-burners (sometimes underage) who didn't understand the Principles heard about it and used it as a place to get free food and dance to the DJ, and many times drugs were involved. I'm split on the fence on whether any drug can be rightly considered a spiritual or religious sacrament, but I do know too much of ANYTHING will get you slapped in the head by forces of Divinity.

 

[vortech]

By the way I am very happy I attended my Unitarian Universalist Church today. There was a large volunteer drive after the service in which I signed up for 5 different volunteer groups. Stuff that fills the spirit, like sheltering homeless on the coldest nights of winter (part of a an 8 or 9 church alliance which I think is quite righteous how they are collaborating), hospitality for the church's after-service, training in religious education so I can eventually teach the kids, and signing for an LGBTQ sect to promote awareness and acceptance of that whole spectrum (I myself have bee questioning, not knowing it if a hetero male, lesbian in a male body, heterosexual woman in a male most etc. Or simply just 'poly' in the sense of being able to love anyone. But yeah, I have been increasingly blurring the lines between gender roles and stereotypes,and feel greatly empowered as I go around public with earrings eyeliner and,various blasphemous/sacred jewelry.

 

[CfZrx]

But yeah, I have been increasingly blurring the lines between gender roles and sterotypes,and feel greatly empowered as I go around public with earrings eyeliner and,various blasphemous/sacred jewelry.

Lol, didn't read whole post,but based on this sentence I am guessing you didn't make it to church this week

 

[vortech]

Lol, didn't read whole post,but based on this sentence I am guessing you didn't make it to church this week

Lol, if you read the the FIRST sentence of the post you would know that I DID attend church today, with all of the aforementioned jewelry and eyeliner. Unitarian Universalism is not your average 'religion', for Christ's sake, they have a group DEDICATED to TGBTQ awareness.

 

[vortech]

You are either a troll being funny, or actually only read the last sentence of my post. It's hard to determine these days.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Can't say I've been to church today Vortech, but you make it sound like fun. I've been thinking to myself it is time for me to participate in community based outreach of some kind. I used to tutor math at a juvenile detention center and look back on it as a really great time in my life. spirituality is rarely a group activity for me and rarely involves being of service to others. It has gotten rather intellectual for me lately. I think that is missing the point in a way if it remains predominantly introspective. Might do me good to be of service to others, especially at this time.

best wishes to you man

 

[RDP89]

I've only been to two actual church services in my life.

 

[Foreigner]

I've been to a lot of religious ceremonies in my life. The only Christian related ones I like are gospel Churches, where they sing and build energy. Yes I even enjoy watching the radical healings. I think there is something energetic happening when a big group of people build the energy, though they wouldn't call it that. They think of it as God's involvement.

That's pretty much it. I went to Catholic church growing up and holy moly... not only boring, but talk about repressive. Everyone is just supposed to sit there quietly and feel guilty about their sinful lives. No thanks.

 

[swilow]

I think Catholic Church has at least a high sense of ritual and drama, even though it is mind-numbingly repetitive. It is so intensely solemn, everything said and done is weighty and important. As a child, I found this really boring and hard to relate to, but I sort of appreciate the idea now. Though I have not been inside a church for probably 5 years, and that was for a wedding and I can't remember it.

People attending churches and services has probably declined. I wonder how much this is a social issue. Churches were often central social places for communities, and the world is so much more deeply linked nowadays. To an extent, perhaps people are getting that fulfilment and connection elsewhere now.

I've been to a few services of the local O.T.O Thelemite sect. They actually do a something I really relate to Catholicism, at least in the stylised and grave nature of what I witnessed. I found it somewhat difficult to take seriously- and I don't knows I was alone in that feeling. Yet, the guys leading the ceremony were totally into it. Its really why I stopped going, I felt that I was diminishing it for the people who were deriving meaning from it.

I like to attend the Buddhist temple near my mothers house. I do not do it enough, but they hold bi-weekly meditation 'classes' where you get to sit around and be lead in meditation by a resident monk. He answers all sorts of question and just relays his thoughts on various topics. I actually find that I emerge from this feeling really refreshed so I'm not sure why I haven't gone in over a year.

I've never been in either a mosque or a synagogue and I would like to witness the ceremonies held in these places.

.

 

[Mysterie]

i try to make it to a shambhala meditation group which is on every week, i guess i consider that my church or in buddhist circles 'sangha'.

its on the same night as indoor cricket so yeh i'm in a bit of a pickle.

i was brought up in the catholic church aswell and praise god it didn't kill my connection with religion or spirituality.

 

[Yourbaker]

I was in church this Sunday, I haven't attended for 15 years or so. I began this spring.

Being a medical marijuana user and being gay I thought they'd seat me in the 'Special section' but i think attendance is low enough that even us gays are welcome now. I would attend a Buddhist temple if I was even close to one, I feel the Buddhism is a huge complement to any spiritual belief. I understand the simplicity of a Christian Buddhist belief and have been lucky enough to have a partner who was raised in a Buddhist setting.

I go to still have a physical connection to my beliefs. It gives me a point to get my hands dirty as well, the "baker" in my name is more about a 30 year long career than my drug use. Without some kind of point of human contact and action or agency to my religious beliefs, they become rather meaningless to me. When possible I work in some sort of food kitchen, this time of year they start ramping up. I picked the church I am attending on their community involvement, I'm not much for traditions or ceremony.

My partner says I just go to check out cute guys....

 

[vortech]

I'm glad many are getting theme of service to the community in some way and how volunteer can help distribute free food or literally keep a person from freezing to death in out country through Code Purple (yes, the US, where homeless is rising). If enough of us took initiative (and felt the intrinsic reward) in enough different ways we would eliminate or at least have available resources for a lot of the peoples' problems.
Technology has done its part in isolated us, now it is time to to use it to remember the local levels of communities, neighorhoods and municpalities.
It could also be a way to subvert traditional currency system in a way of bartering services/resources and instating local time bank that logs volunteer time that can be redeemed for other services.

I may have mentioned that I am a member of a recently-established Food Not Bombs chapter for our town. I really love the way FNB operates, the ethos, guerilla-style food redistribution. I have met a lot of who I consider my best friends through activism events such as our weekly free community meal. What we get out of it is so much greater than what we put in, and the community meal grows in moths to feed every week as word gets out.

I've been to a lot of religious ceremonies in my life. The only Christian related ones I like are gospel Churches, where they sing and build energy. Yes I even enjoy watching the radical healings. I think there is something energetic happening when a big group of people build the energy, though they wouldn't call it that. They think of it as God's involvement.

That's pretty much it. I went to Catholic church growing up and holy moly... not only boring, but talk about repressive. Everyone is just supposed to sit there quietly and feel guilty about their sinful lives. No thanks.

The opposite of what you described at catholic church (and this was also my memory even at the relatively 'liberal' Methodist church I attended as a child) is what I have been desiring. One of the things I signed up for yesterday at the UU church was to be a part of a Covenant, which is basically just a 5'-6 person groups that meets once a month, same people each time so you get to a familial type bond that helps for sharing hard things in confidence ('what happens at fight club stays at fight club). The concept is simple. First each person just goes around and talks about what happened in their month, give everyone an idea of what they've been dealing with and feeling. Second partis a topic for every month that goes along with the ministry and an associated spiritual practice, which this is 'work on repairing a broken relationship'.

 

[vortech]

The greatest part for me is being surrounded by sober people who are lit up on life. The last few years since I've moved here I kept getting caught in vortices of the drug-using community, and except for psychedelics and medicinal herb it always leads right to life-ruiningly expensive heroin and crack in this town, and it is just awful. I hate the energy of it, and people I used to call friends, when they are under the influence I just feel sad and so far away from a real connection. I'm tried to get o e friend into my suboxone program but he is the typical 'stupid kid' who doesn't listen to the advice of his seniors who have been through the fire. Months later, his life is such a shit show and he still so t get himself help, he has thoroughly destroyed his relationship (and they used to be very very close but she could only take so much of the lies and fucked-upness) and has basically nothing around him but people who want to take advantage of them in some way to get drugs. My last 3meo-pcp binge (i know, irony, but I consider it psychedelic)really helped me see the reality of this stuff, and how quickly I can change my life with different decisions. I hope to remain sober until some time that I forget these lessons.

 

[Foreigner]

Forgot to mention that I lived in a Buddhist monastery for a good couple years there, and it was very worthwhile in the beginning. They're probably more comprehensive that most modern psychologists, except when you start to get into things like karma, merit, and past lives.

People attending churches and services has probably declined. I wonder how much this is a social issue. Churches were often central social places for communities, and the world is so much more deeply linked nowadays. To an extent, perhaps people are getting that fulfilment and connection elsewhere now.

My friend has been a pastor for 20 years and he said the numbers are noticeably dwindling, and he's Anglican.

I've been to a few services of the local O.T.O Thelemite sect.

Tried OTO, and Golden Dawn, and even the Free Masons for a while. None of them have any real power. For me the power aspect is important because without it, the ceremonies don't build spiritual momentum or they come across as inauthentic.

At this point I'm only into services that are led by lineage practitioners from traditional paths, and they're not easy to find.

 

[swilow]

I'd quite like to visit a Church of Satan ceremony. Clips I've seen appear intersting/amusing.

But yeah, I got nothing from O.T.O besides a good show. I dig Crowley though so am pleased that I experienced it...

 

[Nixiam]

My stepfather is about to put me in church.

 

[swilow]

^What do you mean? He's going to make you go to church?

 

[Nixiam]

He's going to put me in chuch every Sunday

 

[Ninae]

Poor you, I don't think I could have dealt with that. My parents were happily agnostic with no interest in religion whatsoever. Oh well, I guess as you're still under 18.

 

[vortech]

Forgot to mention that I lived in a Buddhist monastery for a good couple years there, and it was very worthwhile in the beginning. They're probably more comprehensive that most modern psychologists, except when you start to get into things like karma, merit, and past lives.



My friend has been a pastor for 20 years and he said the numbers are noticeably dwindling, and he's Anglican.



Tried OTO, and Golden Dawn, and even the Free Masons for a while. None of them have any real power. For me the power aspect is important because without it, the ceremonies don't build spiritual momentum or they come across as inauthentic.

At this point I'm only into services that are led by lineage practitioners from traditional paths, and they're not easy to find.

If you are seeking,real power in a ceremony I agree I don't see it in church services. A performance and healing session by a multi-cultural ritualist and didgeridoo master....that was tapping into some real strong spiritual power than no one could deny the existence of experiencing it in the moment. I used to work for him as an assistant, but it wasn't long before he was in California at the top of that scene, and likely making a lot more money.

On the other hand, it you really want to feel some spiritual power in a ceremony, many will say that it is the role of psychoactive substances such as peyote, DMT/ayahuasca , or in the case of The Temple of the Divine Inner Light if I remember the name correctly, sacramental DPT. I'm not sure if I had my own church what the psychoactive sacrament would be for parishioners to best feel the presence of the holy spirit....who am I kidding, it would be MXE mixed with some mushrooms/4-subbed tryptamine.