Do you feel obligated to attend church on religious holidays?

[PollyOR]

I have not attended church for several years. I have one family member who tries to persuade me to attend on religious holidays. Personally, I don't believe it is more important to attend on one particular worship day during the year than another.

[Gentlemommy]

I agree. We didn't go today. I knew it would be crazy crowded, and we'd have our toddler (and other kidsm but she's the issue lol) there and she is...difficult at church lol. Instead, daddy read to them from their bible book and we spent a lovely day together, just enjoying each others company.:001_smile:

[KRG]

We don't normally attend church and I do not feel obligated to attend on holidays. When we did go to church we would sometimes skip holiday church services because there were so crowded.

[Mrs Mungo]

We attend a sunrise service on Easter instead of attending our regular church service. We came home, had breakfast, I put on a roast, we took a nap, watched a movie, had lunch and I boiled eggs while the kids went on a bike ride with dh (I can't ride with my sprained foot). They can decorate eggs once they get home. :) It has been a relaxing day.

[Zebra]

No, I don't feel that I have to go to church ever, including "religious holidays". My favorite verse about this is Romans 14:5 "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind."

[frugalmama]

I've only been twice for Easter in my life - once on Easter Sunday when I was Baptized Catholic in college {I'm no longer Catholic} and once with a friend in college. Never attended for any other holidays.

 

I don't see the point, especially now that I don't identify as Christian anymore.

[Carol in Cal.]

I feel privileged, not obligated, to attend church on religious holidays. I love the way the celebration of the church year fitly sets Christ's teachings and His victory over sin and death into the context of our historic Faith, and links us with other Christians throughout history.

[mytwomonkeys]

no. but before i was a christian i did attend on easter and christmas. i don't know that it was out of "obligation"or anything, it was more about family tradition. on christmas we alwyas went out to eat first, then church, then my parents hosted a huge christmas eve party. on easter, we woke up to baskets, went to church, and then had a huge family easter dinner with an egg hunt. church wasn'the main part of the day, just one aspect of it.

[JessReplanted]

I feel privileged, not obligated, to attend church on religious holidays.

 

:iagree:

[milovany]

I feel privileged, not obligated, to attend church on religious holidays. I love the way the celebration of the church year fitly sets Christ's teachings and His victory over sin and death into the context of our historic Faith, and links us with other Christians throughout history.

 

We feel similar to you! Obligated? In a way, I guess, but it's more that I want to go RUNNING to church for Pascha/Easter! And truth be told, I feel that way almost every Sunday, I long to be there and there's hardly anything that can keep me away. Christ is there! But on Pascha, on Nativity, on other church feast days, especially so, because we were designed to celebrate things and the life of Christ is something to celebrate. The joy, the thankfulness, the unity, the singing, the special things that only happen once a year ... yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I want to join with my fellow believers as we meet together Christ and experience all that the Holy Trinity has given us.

 

This is a taste of what our Pascha (Easter) is like. No minimalism here, LOL. And to us, this is what Heaven will be like. :001_smile: I'm so looking forward to it. Today was Palm Sunday in the Eastern church, with Pascha next Sunday. May God bless Holy Week as we traverse it ~ we'll have about 20 or so extra hours of services this week, with both a morning and evening time of gathering. It's going to be exhausting, but good exhausting, and then the celebration come midnight Saturday night will be awesome and stunning -- just like our God and King.

Edited April 8, 2012 by milovaný

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't feel obligated to go any Sunday but I want to go to learn about God.

[Singingmom]

Not at all! We didn't go to church this Easter, but we prayed with our family, and talked to our little ones about the meaning of the day. The Bible only says "do not forsake the assembling together" . Well, we did that as a family who loves Christ, we just happened not to go to a church building :) .

Edited April 8, 2012 by Singingmom

[Heather in Neverland]

No. I love going... Even moreso now that we don't have a church home. I miss it terribly.

[chepyl]

I dont ever feel obligated to go. I enjoy going to church, but I am mote likely to skip on Christmas and Easter. It is so crowded! This year DH is out of town, I was not up to the crowd pregnant with two kids.

 

We read John 20, talked about the whole story, had lunch with my parents, colored eggs, ate chocolate bunnies, I took a nap, and now we are in the back yard relaxing.

[*********]

No, I don't feel that I have to go to church ever, including "religious holidays". My favorite verse about this is Romans 14:5 "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind."

 

This is how my dh and I feel as well.

[Remudamom]

I don't feel obligated. Blessed to be able to is more like it.

[Vida Winter]

We feel similar to you! Obligated? In a way, I guess, but it's more that I want to go RUNNING to church for Pascha/Easter! And truth be told, I feel that way almost every Sunday, I long to be there and there's hardly anything that can keep me away. Christ is there! But on Pascha, on Nativity, on other church feast days, especially so, because we were designed to celebrate things and the life of Christ is something to celebrate. The joy, the thankfulness, the unity, the singing, the special things that only happen once a year ... yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I want to join with my fellow believers as we meet together Christ and experience all that the Holy Trinity has given us.

 

This is a taste of what our Pascha (Easter) is like. No minimalism here, LOL. And to us, this is what Heaven will be like. :001_smile: I'm so looking forward to it. Today was Palm Sunday in the Eastern church, with Pascha next Sunday. May God bless Holy Week as we traverse it ~ we'll have about 20 or so extra hours of services this week, with both a morning and evening time of gathering. It's going to be exhausting, but good exhausting, and then the celebration come midnight Saturday night will be awesome and stunning -- just like our God and King.

 

:iagree:My sentiments exactly, and our Catholic service last night was very similar to the video you posted - very moving and beautiful.

[Ellie]

I feel privileged, not obligated, to attend church on religious holidays. I love the way the celebration of the church year fitly sets Christ's teachings and His victory over sin and death into the context of our historic Faith, and links us with other Christians throughout history.

:iagree:

[littlebug42]

For me, it isn't Easter and Christmas without going to mass. Last night's vigil mass was just beautiful and my spirit feels renewed. My favorite mass of the year i on Holy Thursday. Before I became Catholic, we never made a big deal of it and now I look back and realize all that I missed.

[PinkInTheBlue]

No I don't. :) I never truly enjoyed church during the years and years of going and now that I've peacefully understood what I believe I don't feel an obligation to go just to make extended family happy. But that's just me. When I did go to church I knew I didn't understand then why non-church-goers would only come on those days.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I feel privileged, not obligated, to attend church on religious holidays.

Us too!

[Tina]

Exactly. Going is a gift from Him to me.

[mytwomonkeys]

That said, I am not convinced that attending from a feeling of obligation is an entirely bad thing. We do all sorts of good things out of obligation, whether or not we are in the mood to do the thing at any given moment. That doesn't mean that it isn't good to do them.

 

i really agree with you. i absolutely cannot let my feelings alone navigate my steps in life. i really love our current church home, but there have definitely been times in the past 15 years of my christian faith that i didn't feel like attending church, reading the bible, or even praying for that matter. although feelings can keep us in check for sure, they aren't fully reliable for how i live out my faith. often the right thing to do is opposite of my feelings.

[Bluegoat]

I guess, though I don't think about it that way most of the time. Though really I would say that of worship every week, not just on holidays. Generally I enjoy church and get a lot of strength and healing there. But I wouldn't not go because I didn't feel like it that day, or just would rather at that moment do something else, and that happens from time to time. But I am part of a community and communities don't work when people only give what they happen to feel like on that day, yk? It is no different than being a mother or wife - sometimes I feel like I would rather be doing something else right at that moment but I wipe a dirty nose or listen to my husband talk about weather models or whatever.

 

This morning I was involved in taking making sure the nursery area was ready for those who needed it and related duties so I would consider doing that an obligation.

 

On a more directly God-and-me-personally perspective, I know that I need the things that come from being present at regular worship, especially access to the sacraments. I don't do so well in the general run of things that when I hear "Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, shed for thee" that I think I can say "Oh, no thanks, I don't need that today". Accepting the Grace offered through the sacraments, the Church, and the parish community is a sort of obligation I have as a Christian.

[Seeking Squirrels]

We are LESS likely to go on a religious holiday. Because we are likely to have our day full of plans with family. I can connect with God at any moment of any day. Getting a large family together around work/school schedules and each members visits to other family is not nearly as easy to do. We go out of our way to make sure we can all get together at the same time for holidays and this will often mean skipping church. I have no hesitation over missing church on a holiday.

[OnTheBrink]

I don't feel obligated. Blessed to be able to is more like it.

 

:iagree:

[mommaduck]

Not obligated, even though it is considered an obligation. We look forward to it! I was so excited to be able to go to the Bridegroom Service tonight. I can't wait till Pascha! I'm praying that this year, we not only make it all the way through, but that we can stay for the feasting also. I need to get candles to decorate this week :D

[Chris in VA]

That said, I am not convinced that attending from a feeling of obligation is an entirely bad thing. We do all sorts of good things out of obligation, whether or not we are in the mood to do the thing at any given moment. That doesn't mean that it isn't good to do them.

 

We send birthday cards, write thank you notes, ask people how they are (without caring, really), cook dinner, and so on, very often out of a sense of obligation. These acts still provide goodness irrespective of the motive.

 

"If it feels good, do it" is not always the best guide to what is the good or right thing to do. KWIM?

 

I love this.

 

Honestly, some days I want to run away in the middle of the service. It's sort of an internal anxiety thing. And some days, I can't wait to get there, enjoy and get so much from the service, and don't want to leave. Some days tears stream down my face, and some days I feel cold inside and too conspicuous.

 

So much better for me not to live only the way I feel like--because it's too mercurial, and I don't always choose the right thing.

 

Which is also something that keeps me going. :D