Does anyone on this forum go to church?

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huntertitus
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Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by huntertitus »

After a gap of some 30 years I have for a year or so been going to church regularly. I am sure my fascination with churches as places of beautiful architecture, music and ritual partly derives from my time at CH. I had started a project making photographs of London churches and while at my local one on Lavender Hill a few little old ladies begged me to come to a service. So I did. And kept on going ever since. The strange thing is that I lost my faith completely when quite young so I really don't know why I go. I was talking to the Bishoip of Fulham about this asking him what he thought about a person stuggling to find a belief and whether I was a fraud for going to church with so little faith and he answered vehemently that I was EXACTLY the sort of person who SHOULD be going to church! I wondered if any old blues have stopped going, have always gone, or like me didn''t go for many years but now are going again.
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NEILL THE NOTORIOUS
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by NEILL THE NOTORIOUS »

YES ! I plead Guilty, to being an active Christian.
I am, now reverted to Cof E, but having married a Baptist Missionary, I (Naturally) started attending a Baptist Church (Extra Date on Sunday !)
I am, as many others, a bit confused about the "War of Denominations" and why the CofE, courtesy of Henry Viii has Bishops in the House of Lords ---- Why not the Chief Rabbi ? --- Who owns God ?
Remember that the Twelve, were a Motely Crew, Tax Collector, Fishermen (What did the Dad of Simon(Peter) James and John, think about losing his Workforce ?---the thoughts of Zebedee (Not of the Magic Roundabout )are not recorded ! a couple of Zealots (Revolutionaries ) were also enrolled (One betrayed him !) altogether a group of characters who would be guaranteed to get up the noses of the Establishment !
Jesus came for the Sinners, not the Righteous, and the Message is still just as relevant.

Many of you may think --- OOh 'Eck there goes Neill again --- I just 'aint interested ! and I can appreciate that, HOWEVER -- I have seen, what I call "Battlefield Conversions" --- Who, or What do you turn to when disaster strikes ?

Sorry (No I'm Not !) about the mini-Sermon, ------- Never ask a question of an Ex- Politician !!!! :lol:
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Ajarn Philip »

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote: Many of you may think --- OOh 'Eck there goes Neill again ---
Nay, nay and thrice nay! Well, maybe - just a bit... :lol:
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Mid A 15 »

Yes.

I didn't go for a few years (except Midnight Mass) immediately after leaving CH but started attending occasional Roman Catholic Masses with my girlfriend (now wife) and before I knew it found myself going every week.

After a few more years I became a Roman Catholic myself and attend Mass every week.
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by englishangel »

Not me, except to support my Dad. I have also already planned my humanist funeral.
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Jo »

I'd better resist the temptation to reply at any length on this one, for fear of upsetting anyone (again).

Suffice to say the response is a very, very resounding NO.
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by jhopgood »

I stopped after CH and my disillusion with formal religion started when I actually started to listen to sermons and pick arguments with them.
I got married in an RC church and for a long time my wife was non practising. For the last 10 years she has been a mass a day person. I am very happy to chauffeur her to many of the places where the Virgin Mary is supposed to have appeared, or for other miraculous events to have taken place, and am always amazed by the amount of people who visit these sites. Some (Garabandel), are well off the beaten track. Met an 80 year old Canadian there who had just done the Santiago pilgrimage on foot and was on his way back to France using wheeled transport. We took him to a couple of other sites and dropped him off at Bilbao railway station.
The money spent is also quite excessive sometimes.
As an aside, I was in Amsterdam when Billy Graham came to have a weekend conference. We had someone from Costa Rica stay with us and I was amazed that she had to pay US$3,000 just to attend. Air fares, hotel etc were on top of that. For her money she got to listen to BG along with 5,000 others and get a pretty carrier bag with some goodies. If everyone paid, that's US$15,000,000, quite good for a weekend's work (1983?), even allowing for hiring the conference centre (RAI) and having someone there for a year in advance, setting up the weekend.
I really don't know about religion, but feel very strongly that blind faith in what any formalised religion says, removes one from the thought process , which I think is dangerous.
I almost religiously refuse to do anything just because I am told to do it. Just as well I was never in the armed forces as rather than be a Concious Objector, I would just have Objected.
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by NEILL THE NOTORIOUS »

See what I mean ?--------- :lol:
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Angela Woodford »

Billy Graham! Bane of my youth. At home, I would practise the piano eyeball to totally sincere eyeball with a huge photo of BG. Frequently - my mother had learned to tune in to Trans World Radio - his voice would crackle out of the giant Bush transistor , exhorting me to get out of my seat and give my heart to the Lord Jesus!

I absolutely could not bear BG or his Crusades.

CH! A Billy Graham free zone! Wonderful to get away from the wretched man...
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Ajarn Philip »

Angela Woodford wrote:Billy Graham! Bane of my youth. At home, I would practise the piano eyeball to totally sincere eyeball with a huge photo of BG. Frequently - my mother had learned to tune in to Trans World Radio - his voice would crackle out of the giant Bush transistor , exhorting me to get out of my seat and give my heart to the Lord Jesus!

I absolutely could not bear BG or his Crusades.

CH! A Billy Graham free zone! Wonderful to get away from the wretched man...
That strikes a chord, Angela. I had a happy-clappy Baptist (pre-CH) childhood (Northcote Rd, SW11); swimming pool on 'stage' for weekly dunkings for the converted, Sunday school, Boys' Brigade (clean thoughts, clean living), Cliff Richard and Billy G. CH, although rather confusing at first, was rather refreshing with its old-fashioned but very moving (and great fun to sing) hymns. Never quite caught the religion/church habit though.
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Richard Ruck »

No, can't say that I do. The last few visits have all been for funerals.

The last time I attended church with any sort of regularity was when I was at university in Edinburgh, and even then I only wanted to listen to the glorious choral music. Of course, I led such a spotless life as a student that there could have been no other reason :wink:.
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by J.R. »

Just for 'Hatches, Matches and Dispatches' !
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by huntertitus »

A friend from my church said I HAD to go and see the saints relics which are at Westminster Cathedral for just 72 hours, and having a slightly morbid curiosity I cycled there this morning and it was mayhem. You think no-one's interested in church / religion but the whole area was heaving with people - round the block queues and mounted police everywhere closing roads. The wait was going to be over 3 hours so I went back home. I had a chat with a policeman and he said they were as surprised as me about the number of people flocking to see the relics and hadn't prepared for such a show!
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by Angela Woodford »

Were the relics of St Teresa?

I have had the most fascinating time this summer working at Exeter Cathedral. It's given me interesting insights into the workings of the C of E - but what I most liked were People who Complain.

Visitors got truly furious over all sorts of things. The summer's coloured banners got many people in a rage. Organ tuning day and a very loud African Sanctus caused particular agitation - many was the hearing aid that burst into noisy whistles of protest. The failure to find a long dead relation's name on a memorial caused some grief - on the other hand, a Swiss visitor became highly indignant at all the military commemorations.

"Zeze sings haff no place in a Church!!!"

There were many complaints at an admission charge - and I completely agreed with those objecting to this. Certainly no charge for those coming in to light a candle and/or pray! Absolutely not. However, I waved through people who looked a bit broke. (I hope my ex-boss doesn't read this.) Then there was the time I admitted an adorable little girl Jack Russell terrier with her family. Pleading brown eyes, wagging tail... the virgers weren't too pleased.

"She's a girl dog" I protested. "She won't pee on the pillars." But my new little friend was ejected; alas.

I felt that People Who Complained frequently had a valid point, and were absolutely entitled to their point of view. I really enjoyed smoothing things over for them. And I got to listen to some great music!

Now I am missing my job!
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Re: Does anyone on this forum go to church?

Post by englishangel »

There were many complaints at an admission charge - and I completely agreed with those objecting to this.
And just how is the cathedral going to be maintained? by the power of prayer? I don't think so.
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