Are DUers Church Goers?

[ThomWV]

Church, temple, mosque, whatever ... how long has it been since you attended a religious worship service.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. My option isn't there

I am always in church-or rather, church is always in me. :)

[Why Syzygy]

3. Mine isn't either.

My church is right outside. I go as much as possible.

[uppityperson]

41. Mine isn't either since I don't consider "church" 1 building.

I am the church, the church is in me, let me step outside and be quiet and be 1 with the world. That is my best location. Edited to add that I drive pollers nuts because I attend church more than once a day.

[trumad]

7. The last time I went into a church

my forehead started to burn and I head voices saying--- GET OUT---GET OUT!

[A HERETIC I AM]

37. Last time i went they tried to drown me...

haven't been back since!

(Actually, attended regularly until i started to refuse to go, at about 17 - 18 years old. That was 30 years ago)

[SidDithers]

54. Neither is mine...

"No fucking way"

Sid

[aikoaiko]

2. I end up going once every 2-3 years when I visit my mom for Christmas

It makes her happy when I go to Mass with her.

[etherealtruth]

48. I go with my mom on occasion as well

It is such a small act that makes her so happy

[Buzz Clik]

4. Is this our weekly DU religion poll?

[madokie]

5. The last option is me

it is beyond me how a teaching so full of inaccuracies would be good for us as individuals or as a whole. It bothers me none that others do and maybe some really need the religion but not me. The last religious ceremony I attended was in November of '67 if you take the funerals out.

Personally I think the ten commandments are a good set of laws to try to live by but thats as far as it goes.

The thing that really done it for me is just how many Gods are there, do the Catholics have theirs, the protestents, the muslins wth

[frogcycle]

6. oops

i didn't take the last choice because I've been to a funeral and a wedding. didn't know they didnt count

Last time i actually attended church was...

hmmm...

reaching for abacus...

forty years ago

last time I attended and took it seriously...

hmmm...

don't think I ever did that

[Morrisons Ghost]

25. I have always gone by the assumption

That there is one God,many names.That being said I consider myself to be a somewhat lapse Catholic.The pedophilia thing kind of really bothers me and the fact that they actually protected some of these priests and kept them on as pastors just moving them to a different parish,actually come to think of it it made me quite angry.I now refuse to give money to the church after learning just how widespread it had become. It makes me sad really because I really used to enjoy going to mass and the feeling of community that I took from it{If that makes any sense}:(

[madokie]

74. Oh, it makes sense

I was raised as a baptist, my father started the church that still exist today 50 some years later. some of my most memorable times as a very young child was helping to mix the mud, as if I was a help, for the block layers, men in our community, my dad, brothers and others, who built the building, the Church. I love the idea of Church, the camaraderie, the brotherly love, I just have a problem with what I see that they have become in todays bush* world. An entity to be exploited and seemingly with their blessings. I :cry:

[terrya]

8. Every so often.

My partner sings in the choir at a United Church of Canada mass every Sunday. I'll go to that when I can.

[ngant17]

9. I've been going every week

mainly for my mother, she needs the ride to church and she can't walk as easily as she used to. I went ahead and make myself a member of the church.

Now they've got so used to me going, I take up the collections and even usher in the people for the monthly communions.

But I am an aetheist at heart, respectful of other people's beliefs and opinions. I will always believe that monotheism evolved from sun worship.

Other than the occassional boredom, I get used to sitting in the pews for a hour or so.

[Hubert Flottz]

10. I'm afraid of snakes!

[Ghost in the Machine]

11. I just went yesterday to the Church of the Deep Water on the Lake

and worshipped at the altar of the steering wheel of my boat.... it was such a moving experience that I'm getting ready to go back now! :evilgrin:

[hlthe2b]

12. While these polls are fun, with >100,000 registered,

and probably another 200,000 or more regular "lurkers," any findings are of course not representative of anything. Plus, the fact that given the recent controversial threads on religion which have often been deleted or turned into flame fests, there are undoubtedly many who won't want to respond on this poll...

Unfortunately, there may be some (on DU or elsewhere) who will try to use the results of this poll to drive home a point--whatever that might be. So, while fun, this is why these kind of polls on serious topics do bug me. Just one DUers' opinion.. Your mileage may vary. :shrug:

[kedrys]

13. My house is a franchise of The Church of The Big Giant Cat

Think about it: it does explain a few things about the peculiar quality of mercy displayed by the deity...plus it's a lot more cuddly than the Flying Spaghetti Monster. :P

In real life, I'm a terminally lapsed Catholic, agnostic, with small flurries of addressing the ceiling in times of stress.

[porphyrian]

14. I don't really begrudge others who get something out of it...

...but I've never gotten anything out of it I couldn't have gotten on my own in the woods, say. On the contrary, I usually find myself noticing all of the corruptions and trappings left over from the time when only the rich could attend and prayers had to be bought (or, worse, ones created since then) and get angry realizing how much better all of the money and effort could be spent helping people who really need help, like the people living on the street only blocks away.

I've got friends, and I don't have a hard time making them (surprise!, those of you who think my being an asshole here defines me completely, assuming you haven't ignored me and you can read this in the first place). I don't need an artificially manufactured social engagement to do it, and I don't automatically equate religion with "good."

[WritingIsMyReligion]

15. The longer I'm away, the better I feel.

:)

[LWolf]

16. Define "church."

If church is a place that one connects to the sacred, then I go to "church" a few times a week. Sometimes daily.

If "church" is a building where groups of people go to be told how to connect to the sacred, then never.

For me, church almost always happens alone. A few times a year I might do something with a few other people. It never involves a building labeled "church" or someone telling me how to worship their idea of divinity.

[ThomWV]

17. I did, in the first several words

Its any place of worship of a diety you think it is. I'm not trying to define, bemoan, deny, or legitimize anyone's religion, I'm just curious about what portions of the people here atend an sort of 'service' or other orgainzed devotion and worship of something that is not us or of this world.

[LWolf]

58. Ok.

If a rock, a tree, a meadow, mountain, stream, desert, etc. is a place of worship, then I attend regularly. There is no 'service' there, but that is where I ground, center, meditate, and pray. Sometimes it's organized, sometimes not.

As far as an organized group of people, I used to meet with a few (4-5) people once a month or so before I moved, to do much of the same. Since moving, it's just me.

I have, in the past, attended some interfaith services once or twice a year.

[elocs]

18. A church is not a building. It is a group of like minded people, no matter how small,

who gather together for spiritual reasons. Church=people.

[ThomWV]

24. In your version of a religion that may be true, but not for everyone

And I purposefully left the definition open ended. If it is still so tightly constrained that it doesn't apply to your situation or belief I have to wonder why you bothered to reply at all?

[elocs]

42. Because, you simply asked: "What is Church?"

That pretty much leaves it up to each individual to answer as they see fit. If you don't like the answers you get to your questions perhaps you had best not ask them? Since most Americans are Christians, church=people it the early New Testament definition. Next time you can give your own answer to your question and then you won't be bothered with others opinions. (Don't worry, I won't be bothered with answering your questions in the future since I will not see them. And you won't be bothered with seeing answers from me that you do not like or approve of.)

[hlthe2b]

44. Some times polls are posted and worded in such a way

to give the results the poster wanted to see in the first place, or at least their preconceived notion of the results, if ya know what I mean.... Just saying...:shrug:

[LWolf]

56. In that case,

I rarely attend church. While there are a few people I've gathered with for spiritual reasons, they are now nearly 1,000 miles away.

I've met very few like-minded people in my lifetime, and experience has taught me to trust even fewer than that.

On the other hand, I can connect to my concept of the divine all by myself, and do so frequently.

[slackmaster]

19. I was very churchy as a kid - Stayed in youth choir in my teens (to meet girls)

I became Agnostic about age 15 after applying cold, hard logic to religious teachings and texts.

I haven't attended a regular worship service in more than 30 years. I have been in churches dozens of times - mostly for concerts, weddings, and funerals.

[Cobalt Violet]

20. I hate going to church.

I just don't want ever want to go.

[baldguy]

21. Weddings & funerals

[sandnsea]

43. That's my answer too

I couldn't vote because I did go to my father's funeral a few years ago. Haven't been in a church since then, probably won't again until my niece gets married or somebody dies. Some recent opinions on DU has convinced me I wouldn't like liberal churches any better. That self-righteousness condemnation just pops out at the most amazing times.

[GliderGuider]

57. Belief I can tolerate just fine. Churches not so much.

I find them fascinating as social/historical artifacts, and I'll go to the weddings or funerals of friends and acquaintances. That's as far as it goes, though.

[Marrah_G]

22. My faith doesn't really have a "church"

Clear a spot in the woods, or a field, or a back yard, or a special room in a house (new england winters can get a bit chilly for out-door worship. Wiccans don't have alot of use for the pews and such, we'd just trip over 'em or accidentally catch 'em on fire. :)

So my answer is none of the above. I'd go in a church for a wedding or funeral, but other then that there really is no need unless its some special event family or friends asked me to attend.

[Solon]

28. Same here, though the backyard is mostly my "church"...

That, or, on occasions when I have access to a car, a public park.

[conscious evolution]

23. I went to the church

of the flying spaghetti monster last week:http://www.olivegarden.com/menus/

This is what happens when unbelievers and other heretics step foot in the church: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16223079/

[Pendrench]

26. Yes - I go to church every week (Roman Catholic)

In fact, my daughter will be making her First Communion next Saturday.

Tim

[JitterbugPerfume]

27. I go to christmas mass

with my grandchildren , and I do not mention that I am an athiest.

When they are a little older I will drop the "a" bomb on them . The twins are seven and Ashlee is 9 , and a little too young to be told.

I think they might figure out for themselvdes though as I am not exactly shy about it.

[MasterDarkNinja]

29. Once or twice a year my family drags me there

Most of them barely ever go to church either anymore (except my older brother, who's very religious). I only really go to christmas and easter services.

[supernova]

30. In between churches right now

I did go to the Presby church, but in the end I became more philosophically liberal than what that church could accomodate.

I may join the Quakers or UUs some day. I enjoy going to worship and seeing everybody, but the focus on committees and what not gets to be draining on me.

[Bucky]

31. you do realize that asking this question on a Sunday morning will slant your poll, right?

Kick this puppy up a couple of times this coming week and see if that doesn't balance your results.

[hlthe2b]

34. There is no way this poll will not be slanted IMO

and will offer nothing but quotable quotes for Freepers and Hannity who wish to paint the Left as being against religion.

I have no problem (and I think most DUers similarly have no problem) with those who either choose religion or identify as agnostics or atheists. I sincerely wish we could be tolerant of each other, whether we think each other's beliefs wrong or ridiculous or "based on superstition or magic" or whatever. Like the threads that tend to be dominated by those who "have an axe to grind," this poll too will be influenced by one or another more motivated group--particularly when it is posted on Sunday morning during the most popular "church-going" time period.

[Evoman]

68. "and will offer nothing but quotable quotes for Freepers and Hannity who wish to paint the Left as

being against religion"

Lol..you say it like its a bad thing ;)

[hlthe2b]

85. Intolerance is a bad thing.. Intolerance is not a progressive value

Even as I have my own very conflicted feelings towards organized religion, yes, I do believe it to be a bad thing..

:shrug:

[Solly Mack]

32. I tour old churches here in Europe...does that count?

:)

[Arugula Latte]

33. Churches creep me out like few other things ...

The musty smell ... The stench of silly dogma ... The earnestness of the little lambs so happy to embrace all that nonsense ... :scared:

[devilgrrl]

35. but but but I thought Liberals were godless commies!

:sarcasm:

[TahitiNut]

36. I attend St. Mattress, Our Lady of the Perpetual Orthopedic.

:silly:

[A HERETIC I AM]

38. "Our lady of the Perpetual Orthopedic"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

And the chapel at the side of the main sanctuary, "St. Sleeper's of the Divine Snooze"?

[knitter4democracy]

39. Just not today--feel ill (again).

I go when I can and sometimes when I should be in bed. I find that it helps rejuvenate me and gives me a time of peace to gather myself for the coming week.

[bigwillq]

40. I only go for weddings and funerals.

That's it. Haven't been a regular church goer for almost 10 years.

[realisticphish]

45. on big holidays, when i'm home

I'm agnostic, but it makes my mom happy, and i don't really mind. I like the music, and its not like it hurts or anything.

[MedleyMisty]

46. I went with the last one

Even though I would set foot in a church without a bet.

Just none of the others seemed to apply. It has been more than a decade, but as in never, not as in I used to go but don't anymore. I've never gone to a formal Sunday service.

[Blue_In_AK]

47. It hasn't been a decade

but several years, at least. I used to go with my mother fairly often shortly before she died, just because it made her feel good, but since she's passed, I haven't felt the need. I grew up attending church and Sunday School every single Sunday until I moved out of my parents' house at 19. I've read the Bible several times in several different translations. I think I've got the "gist" of it.

At this point in my life, I see myself as spiritual, not religious, and I try to adhere to the overarching principles that are (or should be) common to all the religions of the world, peace, love, tolerance, and justice.

[Gabi Hayes]

49. the only church ANYBODY needs

http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/sacred_heart_elvis.html








don't miss the above image

[woofless]

50. There's a patch of "Old Growth" cedar and fir up the road.

I prefer that to any church I've ever been in.

[Breeze54]

51. Other

Last time I was in a church was for my father's funeral.
That was five years ago. Otherwise? No!

"God is everywhere"...isn't she? :shrug:

That's what they told me in grade school.

[Vinca]

52. Oops - I answered incorrectly. Although I "wouldn't step foot in a

church on a bet" for services (we atheists are like that), I spent some time in the sanctuary of a local church admiring their 2 stained glass windows which are beautiful works of art by Louis Comfort Tiffany. I like gospel music, too . . . go figure.

[Burma Jones]

53. This nation is nearly all "American Materialist" and we are at Church

every time we go to a Mall or even turn on the TV.

We're the Richest Nation on Earth (TM).........Jesus, and he wasn't alone in this, taught that you could serve the Lord, or you could serve the materialism of the world.....I think the choice of America is pretty clear.....given the choice, we'll take Mammon every time.....

All that other house of worship stuff is a lame attempt to cover up our world record avarice and consumption....

That being said, I go to Church or Temple a couple times a year for Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, etc.....I used to go to church every Maundy Thursday for Communion since that seems the be the only time Jesus actually TOLD anyone to go....

[fortyfeetunder]

55. The only church I will attend with some regularity

was the one I was baptized in, which is at least a plane ride away. Can't find one nearby like it.

[MN ChimpH8R]

59. Only if I have to go to a funeral or a wedding.

Dedicated atheist/secular humanist here.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

60. I attend the Church of Steven Colbert, Messiah

and Sean Penn is my confessor.

[Initech]

61. Ha ha, Stephen Colbert sounds like the kind of guy who would start a cult based around him.

[EFerrari]

62. I actually like the idea of getting together with my hood

and talking/thinking about spiritual life but there's no church around here where that happens in a way that makes sense to me.

So, it's been well over a decade except for memorial services.

[Kazak]

63. I'm a UU, does that count?

;)

Every other week or so...

[LiberalEsto]

65. U bet it does!

I'm one too

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

64. It's been about 40 years

except for funerals and weddings. And Army training, where we were given the choice between sitting in a chapel and picking up litter. Church seemed the more inviting option.

[KG]

66. i tried, but militant atheists blocked my path.

:eyes:

[Canuckistanian]

67. I never fail to miss it

Like clockwork.

[More Than A Feeling]

69. I like going to church, even though I am now a Secular Humanist.

I like the community in my American Baptist church, and I occasionally attend a UU church because I like that they are asking questions about life, the universe, and everything, without looking through the supernaturalist-tinted glasses

[Evoman]

70. Funerals and weddings.

I also went to church a couple of times with my gf and a friend to understand them better. I wanted to share that part of their life with them. Lol, I failed miserably. It freaked me the fuck out... a bunch of people responding to the priest like mindless zombie drones (anglican church).

I'm what many people here like to call a "atheist fundamentalist" (whatever the hell that means, lol). I really don't understand why people would LIKE to go to church...its so boring. Its like going to a graduation ceremony :puke:.

[Tesha]

81. Someday, you should go to Quaker meeting

> I really don't understand why people would LIKE to go to church.

Someday, you should go to Quaker meeting. It's amazingly
different than "a bunch of people responding to the priest
like mindless zombie drones". I'm not saying you'll like
it any better, but it's probably a learning experience
that everyone should have in their lives.

In fact, IIRC, the last time Mr. Tesha and I attended a
church service was the meeting down in Massachusetts when
two friends of ours were finally allowed to marry. Mr. T.
and I are not the least bit religious, but Mr. T. still
found something worthwhile to say at the meeting and
both of us were moved to tears for our friends.

I'm no insider, so I may be miscontruing this, but the
point of a Quaker metting seems to be to help you right
here in the here and Now, not to give you some kind of
"Get out of Hell Free" card that you can cash in after
you're dead.

Tesha

[Bjorn Against]

71. I occasionally attend Quaker meetings

I do enjoy the Quaker meetings because you don't get preached to but you are surrounded by others who have a very strong commitment to peace and social justice.

I have also been dragged to some very extreme evangelical churches for family events however and after witnessing those services I can understand why so many people are afraid to set foot in a church. After witnessing the insanity preached by the religious right I find the Quaker meetings very refreshing because there could not possibly be more of a contrast. At the Quaker meeting house they will marry gays and lesbians even if the state refuses to recognize it, and they will also organize anti-war demonstrations. The religious right on the other hand, well they will have their men go to church dressed in camoflouge while their pastor plays drill sargent and screams to them "YOU WILL NOT MASTURBATE!! YOU WILL NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT SEX UNTIL YOUR WEDDING DAY!!!" It is just like Full Metal Jacket without the swearing. I swear I could not make this up, if you don't believe me I can find you a link.

[qanda]

72. I went today

And I'm trying to go back more often. Growing up, I went to church three times or more a week. About four years ago, I decided to leave organized religion (long story), but I like church and have decided to try to go a little more (about twice a month).

[and-justice-for-all]

73. What reason is there in going to church? nt

[Tesha]

75. You wanna get married in a church, we'll be there.

If you're friends of ours and you want to get married in a church,
Mr. Tesha and I will be there. And we'll be even be well-behaved
and smile at everyone.

If you're a friend of ours, you've died, and you want to be sent
off from a church, we'll be there too. And we'll say consoling
things to everyone and not make the least bit of fun over the
beliefs you held during your life.

But if you want us to come to church so some imaginary sky
god won't roast us after we've died, well, "Thanks, but we'll
have to take a pass on that." We have no need for any fairy
tales to get us through our terrifically sad meaningless
reality-based god-free lives.

Tesha

[SidDithers]

77. Wish I could rec just this post...

:applause:

Sid

[Tesha]

80. Thank you. (NT)

[Rob H.]

76. I do weddings and funerals. That's it.

Never went when I was growing up, and I'm not about to start now.

[MrSlayer]

78. I will be in church twice this year.

Tomorrow I will be attending a funeral service for a good friend's mother and in September I will be attending another good friend's wedding. I never go to church other than on occasions such as this.

[libnnc]

79. You forgot to add "Really, it's none of your freaking business."

That would be my selection.

[AuntPatsy]

83. Couldnt agree more, nt

[xchrom]

82. generally, yes -- episcopal -- i love parades.

and episcopalians do great parades.

[GliderGuider]

84. I worship at "Our Lady of the Erroneous Assumption"

What the congregation lacks in size it makes up for in skepticism.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

86. I sing in a cathedral choir, so I'm too busy during the service to get bored

:-)

Episcopalians do music up right.

However, I also enjoy the sense of community, the one-stop opportunities for community service, the opportunities for study and discussion on spiritual matters, the sense of tradition, and the Spirit that manifests itself on occasion during a really good liturgy.

[mdmc]

87. St. Mary Newburgh NY

:)

[spanone]

88. Don't you know that all democrats are satanists????

:sarcasm:

[jannyk]

89. Big difference between being in a church and

participating in a religeous service. I've been in dozens of churches/cathedrals in the past few years while touring in France but haven't participated in a 'service' in 40 years.