What are people looking for?

diplomatically changed the conversation to focus on the people she knew who had tried out different churches to search out what they were looking for and were disappointed when they could not find their peace

Maybe not so diplomatic then!

I think if you have found peace in your own way you don't need her to challenge you because she is aligned to a specific branch of religion.

i was talking yesterday about why do i still go to church? i dont believe in most of it,virgin birth,resurrection,trinity along with so much in the bible. I don't like the vicar, his sickly followers and the hypocrisy of the institution. I can only hint a guess that it is some of the teachings ,sermon on the mount etc,maybe the ritual aspect, maybe as marx said, the heart of a heartless world.i am working on it.........

Heart of the heartless world

is the first line of a heartbreaking poem by John Cornford.

Not being picky at you but he is so forgotten that I couldn’t let it pass.

A few years ago I spent a year exploring different religions, searching for one whose followers actually lived by their beliefs even if it was hard or painful or just “denying themselves “.

The nearest I got was Buddhists in Tibet.

I live near the church and I'm not a church goer. However from time to time I have gone in and the peace and quiet which descends on me is wonderfull. Its not religion its just
such a calm place. I do think those who believe have a
structure to their life.

i forgot to add ,meditation is also i feel a calling for myself ,often gone on solitary retreats up the sides of mountains,being meditating since 87, doubt i will ever stop now. Ive been through many types of meditation, for myself i settled on the advaita method taught by ramana maharshi. empty churches can be havens of peace also but then other places too. churches do not have the monopoly on that!

Surely most are looking for answers, why are we here on this planet, is there life after death, is there a higher being that created the big bang? If not, where did all those swirling gases come from, does a higher being really care about us?
Animals don’t know they will die one day so can be content with life, we do know and that makes a big difference.
I think you find peace in many different ways, it could be through church / synagogue/ temple but also through yoga or mindfulness or by simply accepting the situation and making the most of it.

Knowing God is the first step to achieving "peace of mind".
Second, forgiving and loving yourself.
Yes, Hebrews 10:25 says, “… not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.." But God especially wants us as an individual instead of a group because the race is a very personal one.
Let's not forget, our bodies and soul is worth more than a church building, our 'bodies are the true temples of God' (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Let's not get this twisted, God wants us to go to Church in order to strengthen each other in the faith, not for peace of mind, and also, one can be very close to God without going to church every time. So just balance your self on Bible principles and you won't go wrong