Church or Club?

[Menotu]

It's Sunday. We see many people going to church. Once there, they socialize, sing, laugh, eat, cry...compare hats, ask where he bought that blazer.

But are they there for the right reasons?

It seems, in many churches these days, it's more of a social club than a place of worship.

I've been to churches where people literally in front of me were talking bad (gossiping) about the people a few pews away.
I've seen people 'hit on' others for dates.
I've seen people cursing immediately afterwards (or before) service. I see people singing their hearts out for 1½ hours or so, but later, you wouldn't be able to tell they were Christian much less part of a church once the service is over.

To be fair, I've also seen much love and compassion. But it seems this is the exception many times more than the rule.

It makes me wonder: are churches today more of a social gathering and less of a place of worship?

What's your opinion?
What's your experience?

[brunumb]

If it is just about worship then churches are really unnecessary. You worship God every moment by sincerely trying to be the kind of person God wants you to be.

That is true....we LIVE our worship. But the Scriptures indicate that God wants us to gather ourselves together "to incite each other to love and fine works, not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24,25)

I'm sure that whoever wrote the scripture was aware that the best way to maintain a group, and even expand it, would be through congregation. Pernicious leaders today rely on tightly controlling their flocks by encouraging meeting and using peer influence on members to ward off apostasy. It also provides the perfect means for passing the plate and filling the coffers. OK, maybe I'm just too cynical.

[onewithhim]

If it is just about worship then churches are really unnecessary. You worship God every moment by sincerely trying to be the kind of person God wants you to be.

That is true....we LIVE our worship. But the Scriptures indicate that God wants us to gather ourselves together "to incite each other to love and fine works, not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24,25)

I'm sure that whoever wrote the scripture was aware that the best way to maintain a group, and even expand it, would be through congregation. Pernicious leaders today rely on tightly controlling their flocks by encouraging meeting and using peer influence on members to ward off apostasy. It also provides the perfect means for passing the plate and filling the coffers. OK, maybe I'm just too cynical.

You are right. Pernicious leaders use their congregations to be a controlling format for themselves, and, the huge advantage for them in this is the passing of the plate. But this doesn't mean that the gathering of Christians together should be avoided. Obviously, under the right direction, it can be a benefit, as the verses bring out. We, as Jehovah's Witnesses, find that we enjoy encouraging one another and sharing our enthusiasm for the love of Jehovah, Jesus, and people. The collection plate doesn't exist in our meetings. People can donate, but it is between them and God. There is a donation arrangement, but no one feels obligated, and no one knows who is donating what. We do not believe in giving a tithe, and those churches that do are taking advantage of the congregants unfairly. Nowhere in the Bible are Christians told to give a tenth of their money or possessions. (If the subject interests you, go to the website www.jw.org and type in "Tithe" in the search box.)