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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

CBBL

I used to go to Church regularly. As my husband became more disabled, our attendance grew less, though we still had home Communion.
I miss the hymns and the traditional C of E services, and since we have recently separated, I might look at going to Church again. Much will depend on the welcome (or otherwise) I receive.

Your sentiments remind me of when I was alone for a period of 6months during bitter divorce, without any family / DS included. I went along to every type of church in area in was living at time to find some reason to life maybe? I was ignored by C of E congregation at coffee am after service.Inwas grilled by Catholics as to which parish I was from? Then it order and shunned when I said I was going through painful separation period ( they almost threw me out!)
I was welcomed and fussed over at one place, seated with the ladies given lovely food and drinks of gorgeous coffee, one lady held my hand another put her arms about me as I told them why I was there visiting their place if worship, they made me feel loved , worthwhile and hopeful. I loved them all for their generosity and kindness their genuine concern. Where was I? The local synagogue on a Saturday morning!! Never have I felt so welcome And relevant. Weird thing? I found out years after that my birth dad was Jewish!!! Only after family all dead and adoption opened upmwas that seen by me.

#lied TO PA TELLING HIM
Are we ever gonna get editing like normal sites?!?!

Charleygirl5

Floradora I come from an Irish/catholic background on my mother's side, my father went to a Church of Scotland church each week.

I went to a boarding school run by nuns and they finished me off, church x2 a day every day of the week.

I was around 17 when one Sunday at home I told my mother I was not going to church with her. She could hardly take me there kicking and screaming but apart from weddings etc I not entered a church since.

A#tellmeaboutit! I too was under Catholic control forced to church etc under duress of a slapping silly if I dared protest! Even when I got married first time I lied to panelling him I still went as did my sis. I finally stopped lying when I moved 30 miles away and he couldn't check!!! Now? Not bloody likely! I even regret sending DS to Catholic schools, they were bad but not as, and education centred around fairy tales too so not the best. I'd never ever ram my beliefs down anyone's throat and detest those who do!

I started attending church after returned from abroad some years ago. I envied others who had such strong belief in God and faith. I am so glad I went back to church as I have met lots of lovely people locally and there is a sense of belonging - we all need to believe in something and I think it can bring us comfort in these testing times.

Monica, I was going to post something, but you beat me to it. I'm an Irish, Catholic girl....what MOnica said.
.

I go most weeks. I and like the quiet when I can just sit pray and think.

I am a practising Christian. Church has been a big part of my life all my life. Christianity is about love and hope and l am sorry so many people have been put off it.

Except for weddings, funerals and Christmas Carol services, I haven’t set foot in a church* since being confirmed in my teens - and that was really a social thing, in the days of Sundays being so deadly with everything closed - at least I met a few friends for the Sunday comfirmation session before Evensong.

I’m an agnostic I suppose, and TBH if there was a really lovely old church nearby, like the one near a dd (she doesn’t go) I might go for the peaceful atmosphere and hymn singing - I still love a lot of the old hymns. Readings from the King James Bible would be good too. I know I have have no right to an opinion, but I hate the trite modern version - the old language is (to me) infinitely preferable.

*I do sometimes use the cafe in our town centre church though - lovely and peaceful when the shops and streets are hectic - especially around Christmas time. Beautiful stained glass, too.

I find comfort in much of traditional religion and believe in God. I am Church of England. I find it very sad when many clergy ignore the rich heritage and traditions of the christian faith which many have found helpful.

However, I believe the Church of England has got above itself. I don't believe in state religion, bishops in Parliament etc. It is clear the CofE is top heavy.

The recent news about sex abuse by clergy and the appalling way bishops have played it down to save their reputation really shocks me. I will support the local church but never the Church of England as an institution beyond the parish.

Religion is daft.

I went to Church as a child. I am like a few of you where I prefer the old traditional hymns rather than the modern ones. My local church has a more modern service which puts me off from going.

I was raised Catholic; went to Catholic school (although no nuns or uniforms, it was quite progressive) and mass regularly. Dad never went, but we went with Mum. Although religious, she disagreed with many teachings of the church, and we had discussions about it. Their thoughts on divorce, birth control etc. was questioned. I agree.

I brought my kids to mass, and they all did their communion and confirmation, but after that I left it up to them. None of them attend mass. I do not attend either, for the above reasons. I have sat through some sermons thinking if I was brave enough, I should just get up and walk out. We've had some priests that I really didn't like, and I don't think they were good men.

So I guess I am a believer in a higher being, but not necessarily as the bible tells us, nor do I believe 'the Church' should make all the rules for morality, when they have done so much wrong in the past.

But I do take comfort in being in a beautiful church, and communal singing of hymns. Don't know if that makes any sense.

I went till I left home. After some time I went back. Wherever was the book of common.prayer, the King James bible? Why all the handshaking when I went for some spiritual space? Have not been.back.

And they were wrong, wrong, wrong.

I have thought and studied God and the history of God and dislike that sort of Supreme Being, and think He is potentially a dangerous idea .

Colonisation of other people's lands, slavery, and genocide have all been ratified by God.

I was brought up a strong atheist/humanist.

I attended the school assembly, our headteacher taught love not judgment. Despite my upbringing, I loved the hymns and listened to the readings. The school choir, one year, did a production of the Messiah. I cried when I sung it sometimes but didnt know why. Everyday we said the Lord's Prayer and there was a lot of " The lord is my Shepard". ( and a bit too much of St Paul telling me what to do especially wives obey your husbands.)

I didn't go on a search. But when I was about 34 I found myself singing the hymns I'd learnt at school. I could never believe that "God" was a sort of person, who had the power to intervene in our personal lives, nor life after death.

It was a feeling, a feeling of something in my heart, something in us yet beyond us too, the spiritual at work.

So I hied me to the local C of E church. It could never have worked for me, because of the the creed. I was also very familiar with alternative faith ways like meditation and studying texts like the Upanishads and the Tao Te Ching.

Not surprisingly therefore I took myself off to a Quaker Meeting for Worship, (I'd met Quakers in the Peace Movement in the 1960's as my parents were involved with Quakers on that).......sitting quietly on a circle waiting on each other in love and if someone gave ministry, which could be personal, a poem, a reading fro the Bible or the Quaker handbook written over 400 years Quaker Faith and Practice. I felt like coming home.
I know Quaker who does not have a commitment to faith in action (unless illness gets in the way or you are one of the few called to a mystical life.

If I wish to bear you up in my thoughts I will say (as appropriate of course) "I am holding you in the Light" We have no creed, no ministers, and women have always had a strong role.

After my Christian start school wise, I find myself often drawn to the music and texts it has engendered, but not solely that. Quaker views vary greatly, but one of our key ideas is to be open to the Light from wherever we find it. We are searchers.

The church has been a constant all my life, and I can't imagine life without it. We also have a food bank in the church and have unity with other churches in the town. We also try to help those in need and collect for good causes. But it has been noticeable that some people have not returned to church since lockdown. All Masses are live streamed too, but that is supposed to be for the housebound now. There is a sad shortage of youngsters. I don't know what the answer is there. It is a pity not to have some sort of spiritual life, I think.