Have you given up going to church but used to attend ?

I live in a village where there is an ancient small CofE church. The vicar has to look after four small dioceses (is that word correct?) so Sunday services are held on a turn by turn basis with other villages. I only go to Church at Christmas and for the school service but I have a friend who goes regularly with her DH and even pays over a sum of money every month to keep the church going. All well and good but her DH is now terminally ill and in all the four months or so of his illness the vicar has never once visited them. My friend is understandably upset about this and says she is losing her faith. My point is that some churches are not doing enough to keep their dwindling congregations, never mind attract new members.

Lovetopaint037

ExDancer

Yes.
I don't like the 'peace be with you' part of the service. Some people go so far as kissing strangers - sorry, not for me.

I didn’t like this. It seemed so false and frankly embarrassing. I say my prayers every night and feel there is a loving presence that listens.

This ‘peace be with you’ was a big part of my decision that I no longer believed. Along with the fact that the hypocrisy I witnessed from two close family members who were avid church goers but didn’t have a good word to say about anyone and whose behaviour was simply shocking.
I will continue the as kind and helpful as I can be but definitely no more religion for me.

used to go when kids were growing up......Then my mother went to bed one night and didn't wake up in the morning. such a shock to my life....
tried two churches in my area in recent weeks in search of friendship really. Love the church and hymn singing but don't like 'the rest' the sermon, readings ect. not for me anymore.
there was a man leading the hymn singing on a microphone so loud that only he could be heard, he had the stage. I wasn't happy so didn't go back even though that same church has a coffee/cuppa morning on tuesdays and I attend that as you don't have to attend church...it is for all.
the other which is a minster had those incense things that the clergy wave about.. they made me cough.

I have been a Christian since 1994. I have been to quite a few different churches for different reasons. The largest had 200 plus people, the smallest 10. Apart from one church , zI have not felt truly welcomed or had a sense of belonging. A lot of places have their cliques , and it's impossible to fit in. Due to illness and other issues, I have not been to church since last summer. One person has bothered to get in touch, and it was not my vicar. She's lovely, but never calls or does home visits. Am I expecting too much from my church family ?. I am still holding onto my faith but it's hard work.

you should be getting what you expected but unfortunately it isn't like that anymore. so few people in the churches near me yet still no ministering from the clergy to look after the few.
disappointing.

I am a practising Catholic, very much involved in my parish.
There are parts of my faith I do not agree with and question, so Monica's words resonated with me.

This has given me a sense of loyalty to my religion and I still profess it, but professing a religion, does not mean that you accept everything it teaches, anymore than if you join a political party you accept absolutely everything it stands for and every policy it proclaims.

I too was taught by nuns, horrible, vicious, snobbish women, but that is not a reason to turn against my faith.
I am horrified by the the things that clergy in Catholic Church have done in the past, but the perpretrators were evil, the people who covered it up were evil, but the Church itself is not evil. There are many good people, who are Catholics.
For that very reason, I am a safeguarding co-ordinator in the Catholic Church, which is taking steps to redress the wrongs of the past. I don't want to go into any in depth details about what I do.

I firmly believe that each to his own and we should tolerate everyone's beliefs, live and let live. Regardless of what my faith is, for me, the most important thing is to respect others.
I have experienced religious discrimination because of my religion and we were forced to sell our home because of our bigoted neighbours, who made our life hell, once they found out we were Catholic. Up until then, they were so friendly.

I gave up my catholic faith and am now an Anglican and could not be happier. The church I go to is warm and welcoming and I feel a real sense of belonging. I agree that each to their own and that we should respect the beliefs of others. Kindness and understanding goes a long way.