Coming from somebody who does not go to church on purpose, but visits occasionally, it has a lot more to do with relational and doctrinal issues than anything else. I think community is important, but I don’t think my kids will not know Jesus just because they don’t go to church in fact, they are learning from me every day, I spend a majority of my day listening to teaching studying and probably get 15 to 30 hours a week of just studying, listening to other people and even getting different perspectives from other religions or atheists or satanist just for the sake of relating. and from that I have realized much of the church preaches a god that murdered his son so he could love us when that is not the case, Also known as penal substitution atonement theory that God needed a sacrifice so he could love us and that Jesus was separated from God when Jesus cried out my God, my God why have you forsaken me… But He was quoting Psalms 22 and further into Psalms 22 it says that God has never left him. And this teaching of separation and a god that needed child sacrifice is what creates atheism and other sects of beliefs because they love their own children or people better than a supposed unconditional loving God that had all sorts of conditions. I personally think more and more people are leaving the church because they are looking for something more, looking for truth, looking for authentic connection and honestly for me that has been very hard in the church when so many feel they need to live up to a certain image and look a certain way to be accepted… and my naturally inquiring mind is not allowed to ask the questions I ask within the church because of fear… one is reprimanded for asking questions, told they are in a dangerous place & could lead others astray so then you are asked to leave the church or in the very least don’t talk to people and sway them another way… 40,000 denominations and everyone thinks they have it just right. So, sure some people may have left the church because of business, but in my opinion, that’s a small majority… and they likely come back because of guilt, shame, duty and obligation and so they escape “hell” not because of connection, relationship and experiencing Gods love… generally speaking here, maybe your church is different but every time I visited our old church it was the same message… “go to church, you only meet God in church, serve, tithe, do this, do that… only since I have left the church and organized religion, I have had a much healthier, closer, loving relationship with Father God than I ever did out of fear, guilt and obligation.
Coming from somebody who does not go to church on purpose, but visits occasionally, it has a lot more to do with relational and doctrinal issues than anything else. I think community is important, but I don’t think my kids will not know Jesus just because they don’t go to church in fact, they are learning from me every day, I spend a majority of my day listening to teaching studying and probably get 15 to 30 hours a week of just studying, listening to other people and even getting different perspectives from other religions or atheists or satanist just for the sake of relating. and from that I have realized much of the church preaches a god that murdered his son so he could love us when that is not the case, Also known as penal substitution atonement theory that God needed a sacrifice so he could love us and that Jesus was separated from God when Jesus cried out my God, my God why have you forsaken me… But He was quoting Psalms 22 and further into Psalms 22 it says that God has never left him. And this teaching of separation and a god that needed child sacrifice is what creates atheism and other sects of beliefs because they love their own children or people better than a supposed unconditional loving God that had all sorts of conditions. I personally think more and more people are leaving the church because they are looking for something more, looking for truth, looking for authentic connection and honestly for me that has been very hard in the church when so many feel they need to live up to a certain image and look a certain way to be accepted… and my naturally inquiring mind is not allowed to ask the questions I ask within the church because of fear… one is reprimanded for asking questions, told they are in a dangerous place & could lead others astray so then you are asked to leave the church or in the very least don’t talk to people and sway them another way… 40,000 denominations and everyone thinks they have it just right. So, sure some people may have left the church because of business, but in my opinion, that’s a small majority… and they likely come back because of guilt, shame, duty and obligation and so they escape “hell” not because of connection, relationship and experiencing Gods love… generally speaking here, maybe your church is different but every time I visited our old church it was the same message… “go to church, you only meet God in church, serve, tithe, do this, do that… only since I have left the church and organized religion, I have had a much healthier, closer, loving relationship with Father God than I ever did out of fear, guilt and obligation.