Friday, December 24, 2010

"You Should Go to Church Because..."

I know several Christians who say that we should go to church and fellowship with other believers so that we can learn to accept others unconditionally, even when they annoy us. What if I don't want to be around dogmatic, pushy people who seek to shove their religion and their narrow way of doing things down my throat? That doesn't matter, in the eyes of certain Christians. I have no right to choose my friends or the environment that I think suits me.

I have two responses to this. First of all, I'll be put into uncomfortable situations anyway, even if I don't go to church. That's just life. And, in the midst of the jungle that is called life, why can't I be around people who are supportive, rather than people who put me and others down with manipulative guilt-trips?

Second, even those who say that we should go to church to learn to love people unconditionally don't love people unconditionally! So going to church hasn't accomplished the goal that they say it's supposed to accomplish.