In conclusion, I think that this blogging experience has seriously changed the way that I view going to church on Sunday and what I think about those who do go to church every Sunday. I used to think that the people who are avid churchgoers thought of themselves as being better than others. That is absolutely not the case. People need to share their experience with others and in a way, prove that they are true Christians. I am very thankful for Shane being so adamant about why it is so important to go to church to show your belief. Church is more than just a building, it is a place for worship and is a place for people to get together and show their love for God, also to build a relationship with others who attend the church as well. “it's impossible to answer the question "What is a Christian?" without ending up in a conversation about the church; at least, in the Bible it is (Dever)."
Previously, I thought that being in a personal relationship with God could be private, and no one else needed to be involved, or even have any knowledge of the relationship. I now know that it is important to be able to voice your belief and church is a way that you can show God your belief. This is not to say that you have to think that your belief is the only belief. You also have to be able to accept others as people, and give them a chance to see things our way, respecting their choice.
Work Cited
Paster Dever, Mark. “The Church: A Family, a Fellowship and the Body of Jesus Christ.” Christianity.com. Salem Web Network, 16 Jan 2009.
"For shut-ins or invalids who aren’t able to go to church, the ministries on radio or TV might be the only kind of fellowship or spiritual nourishment that they get. God certainly understands the circumstances of these people, and recognizes the sincerity of their hearts. However, it is a different matter for those who could attend church but are too lazy, or put other things such as entertainment and amusements before God, or who harbor bitterness or indifference toward other believers (Robbins)." I found this statement to be incredibly true about non-churchgoers and the reasons why they don't attend. I think it is very important for everyone to understand the difference between not being able to attend versus not attending. It may seem like a small difference, but it is really a quite large one. Those who are not able to attend have something going on that doesn't allow them to take the time out to make it to Sunday mass/church, work for example. On the other hand, those who don't attend are the people who think they have something better to do, when they may not even know that going to church could be the best thing for them. These type of people tend to be selfish and have their heads wrapped around something else. They would probably find their life to be a little easier when they have a truly personal relationship with God himself. "Going to church is a visible, tangible expression of our love and worship toward God."
Work Cited Robbins, Dale A. "Why Should Christians Attend Church." Victorious.org. Victorious Publications. 1995. Web. 8 Fed 2010.
Now I know that this may have nothing to do with the assignment; however, I do believe that it does. I think that this is a little conclusion that I did not know was going to happen. The other night, I was doing a little research forthis blog. I was looking to see if I could find anything controversial that could be used as an argument for Easter, like there is for Christmas. However, because of the importance of Easter to Christianity, there was nothing to be found.
As I was typing into Google to look for Easter information, a topic popped up on what the Bible says about the world ending in 2012. I thought this might be neat to check out. Now the Bible does not specifically say anything about the world ending in 2012 or at any time for that matter; as Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." In the words of Jesus, nobody will know when the world ends for sure other than God.
I have read many Bible passages in my day before, but this time was different. As I read other Bible passages, a warmth came all over my body. Other people might exclaim that, " Hey, maybe it was the fact that you had your laptop on your lap. Maybe that caused your body to be warm." However, my laptop was only on my lap, not my entire body. Also, as I read on, I felt an undescribable peace and comfort.
I do not attend church every Sunday, I do not attend Bible Study, and I am not the leader of a Faith Formation Class, all I was doing was reading simple, but powerful, Bible passages. A conclusion I can draw from this happening in my life is that God was trying to tell me something through these passages. Yes the Bible is the Word of the Lord, so in a way He was speaking to me in a different way as well. It was almost as if this blog project itself has given me a closer relationship with God.
Being that I had never fully experienced this before, I decided I should do some research on what may have happened in a scientific perspective. After looking around on the internet, I found a term known as temporal lobe epilepsy. Temporal lobe epilepsy is a form of epilepsy, this condition "causes fitting but it is also associated with religious hallucinations." (Scientific Explanations to Visions of God and Ghosts) Dr. Michael Persinger, performs experiments on temporal lobe epilepsy, has found that if an artificial magnetic field is focused on the temporal lobe, the subject does not "feel alone."
Even though there is scientifical explanation for the feeling of "not being alone," I still believe that God was trying to speak to me. I did not have any religious hallucinations, I just felt at peace and warm. God works in many wonderous ways, ways that science cannot prove.
Works Cited
O'Hearn, Timothy. "What Does the Bible Say About the End of the World?" Minutes with Messiah. 2005. Timothy James O'Hearn, Web. 8 Feb 2010.
"Scientific Explanations to Visions of God and Ghosts." High T3ch. 20 Sep. MistaPrimeMinista, Web. 5 Mar 2010
As Americans, we exist in relative ease. Even in our current economic state, we can see that we have much more than a large portion of the world. Perhaps the tragedy in Haiti has brought this fact to the attention of some. The comfortable, yet busy, lives we put so much value on allow us to place our trust in ourselves. We don’t really need God, or so we have decided. Therefore, it would seem that many “Christians” have an extremely small view of God. I understand this because I spent the majority of my life thinking of Him as some distant being who exists for the purpose of granting or denying applications to heaven and keeping my family safe as they travel. A deeper look into Christianity exposes a vision of God that is much greater than this limited, and quite frankly, insulting view of Him. In his book Crazy Love, pastor Francis Chan encourages Christians to see that God - creator of the vastness of the universe, and the infinitely minute details in nature - desires to have a close, personal relationship with us. In light of this, how can one continue to live a "normal" life, which shows no interest in this offer, while carrying the label "Christian?"
In Matthew 22: 37-40, Jesus gives us ALL the requirements for gaining not only eternal life, but also the best possible life we can live on this earth. When asked what the most important commandment was Jesus replied:
“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This passage communicates a couple key ideas. First, how can one love God without knowing Him? It is impossible to experience meaningful love without an intimate relationship. This means that Christians must be diligently seeking to know God more intimately if they are to love him with everything. The second thing I notice is what separates Christianity from the rest of the world. Jesus says to “love your neighbor as yourself.”Here lies much of the appeal of the Christian faith, should this point be put into practice.A Christian must learn to love other people just as much as they love themselves.This is how God is represented to the world.
Notice that what Jesus says is a commandment, not a passing recommendation.It is mandatory that Christians love God with everything if following Him.So, what is love? Aristotle defined love as “doing kindnesses; doing them unasked; and not proclaiming the fact when they are done." This definition clearly states that the person possessing love will do things to show it.Aquinas expanded on Aristotle’s definition, using the term agape, by expressing the paternal love that Christians receive from God and reciprocate. The Christian life should be defined by love.Shouldn’t this love for God, then, be noticeable to spectators?
Our time on this earth is short and fragile.Most have had someone close to them taken away prior to reaching old age. Someday we will all be six feet deep and no one will care how well dressed or popular we were. This reality should prompt a paradigm shift, causing Christians to live lives that count for something important - something that doesn't die with their bodies.
Works Cited
Chan, Francis. Crazy Love. 1st ed. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2008. 25-28. Print.
“Philosophy of Love,” by Alexander Moseley, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
Christmas and Easter are extremely important holidays in the Christian community; one holiday celebrates the birth of Christ and the other celebrates the rising of Christ from the dead. Therefore, it is not ironic that more people attend church around these two holidays than any other time throughout the year. You do not need to go to church every Sunday to consider yourself a Christian. However, attending church should still be a part of your life. Communion, the receiving of Christ, still needs to be obtained. Plus a sermon every once and a while never hurt anyone. Sermons can seem boring to some people or they can be the highlight to the day for other people. There are also people that read the Bible but do not fully understand what is being said, and a sermon can help to reinforce the message of the Bible. This is why you do not need to go to church every Sunday, however church should still be apart of your life.
Is it true that in order to be a true Christian one would have to attend church every Sunday? You don't have to be a zealous in order to be Christian. A zealous Christian is one who is "extremely devoted to their faith and have intense enthusiasm in working for a cause." This is not necessary for one to be a Christian, because Christianity is about personal relationships: one with God and others with other people. I want to make sure that I emphasize that it is a personal relationship, not necessarily a public or group relationship. There are more ways to show your belief then to be in church every Sunday. It is also important to note that Christian's are not supposed to judge people based on their belief and how and/or when they practice their belief. Belief is ones' own personal relationship with God, no outsider should be able to say whether you truly are a believer or not. You can still be a Christian and not have to be a zealous Christian and push your belief of what Christianity is onto others. Work Cited "Zealous" Webster's New World Dictionary. Third Edition. 1988.
