The New Exchange

You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



5/03/2015 8:53 pm  #11


Re: Want millennials back in the pews?

Thanks, Tennyson.....worth the proverbial thousand words in demonstrating that Christianity's 21st century "base" truly is the southern hemisphere.   The Cardinals did well in choosing Francis.


Life is an Orthros.
 

5/06/2015 3:10 pm  #12


Re: Want millennials back in the pews?

The key to bringing people back into the church is, in my opinion, authenticity. They touched on it several times in the article.

I haven't been to church (save for a Christmas Eve service with my girlfriend's parents) in...oh...almost three years I think. This coming after being raised and actively participating in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). My biggest complaint was, and still is, the perception of inauthenticity. I say perception because not everyone is going to see it that way. But for me, it became difficult to keep going when I felt like the only sinner in the room. All of the "I am so blessed" and "my faith was rewarded" and "I am sooooooo happy yay!" ate away at my self-image. Why didn't I feel blessed? Why wasn't my faith being rewarded? Why wasn't I happy too? And if I asked those questions, I would get the textbook answers - "well, nobody is perfect"..."try harder"..."did you remember to pray this morning?" I knew that other people weren't perfect, but I didn't want to be the only one standing up at the pulpit begging God for forgiveness. Maybe I wasn't being fair. Maybe I just needed to get over it. But I could not keep going to church every Sunday with a fake smile on my face. I couldn't do it, and I couldn't watch other people do it.

So I stopped going.

And, at the same time, I gave up on relying on a church or a higher power for my happiness. I had to reboot myself, for lack of a better term. Get rid of all the preconceived notions and expectations and pressures, and focus on doing the things that I felt good about. Getting back in shape. Giving my daughter stability. Working hard. Doing things that I was passionate about. Loving everyone, regardless of who they were or what they believed. Expanding my horizons without looking at the world through the lens of organized religion. What I've found is that I might not ever go back to a church because I am living a more authentic life than ever before.

My two cents.

Last edited by opendoug (5/06/2015 3:11 pm)


¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

5/06/2015 5:14 pm  #13


Re: Want millennials back in the pews?

Doug, you found the emptiness of the "happy-clappy" pablum that works fine until one faces a major crisis like a loved one with terminal cancer; and then no amount of postive thinking or "naming and claiming" will change the course.

There are a couple of denominations out there that address life head on, acknowledge that we have a life long struggle against sin, and are given grace by God not because we have earned it but simply because He is good and loves mankind.

PM me for more.


Life is an Orthros.
 

5/07/2015 12:32 pm  #14


Re: Want millennials back in the pews?

Thanks for your story Doug.
Authenticity is, indeed, the key word.

BTW, I love term, "Happy-clappy", Tarnation. It describes to a T the intellectual vacuousness of so many.
I've met them, just like you have, Doug. They think that faith is some sort of quid pro quo. You believe, and in return you get money, happiness, a girl,,,whatever.  And, if you don't get these things,,,,,,, well you just aren't doing it right.

Faith is not a shield against suffering and loss. Suffering and loss are part of life. 

A good faith for an individual is one which helps you deal with those things.
 


We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists. 
     Thread Starter
 

5/07/2015 5:44 pm  #15


Re: Want millennials back in the pews?

Goose wrote:

Faith is not a shield against suffering and loss. Suffering and loss are part of life. 

A good faith for an individual is one which helps you deal with those things.
 

The power of the Christian message is that God chose to enter into the suffering and loss of this world in the person of Jesus Christ who became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh;  and that God the Father felt the pain of every parent who has ever lost a child when His only-begotten died on the cross.

In our sufferings and losses "the Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold".

Last edited by Tarnation (5/07/2015 5:47 pm)


Life is an Orthros.
 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum