What do you like about your place of worship?

the kool-aid

The presence of God is what keeps me coming back. Hearing God's voice through my Bishop keeps me coming back. I chose it because it is full of life and love.

Don't forget full of shit, Beetle. Can't forget that.

You know Anniecski, by this time I would think that you'd know better than to pose a question like that one.

Large TV and cold beer.

God does not dwell in temples, synagogues, mosques, or brick building. He does not show up because you put a steeple on a building with a cross, paste a mission statement of a verse out of context at the front entrance, or you name all the other "religious" stuff people do.

He dwells in the hearts of people and he can speak to you directly through a jack ass or nature if he so chooses. He doesn't need a Pope or a Bishop to talk through, to you.

Unless of course, you are not mature enough to read and understand a book yourself and need someone to explain it in such a way to control you for your dollars and membership count.

Sounds like Beetle has a little co-dependency problem and likes to live in the OT. I wonder how God feels about sending his son in vain?

The "presence" of God???????? Shifts??????? How subjective can we get....oh yea God Told Me....Really??????

How do you define the presence of God? Where is a shift in the Bible? Where are Bishops who don't follow Bishop rules and guidelines? Where? The Bible Beetle, remember?

Hell, at this point I will even settle for another scripture out of context here....something....

I like when they get the real emotional music going right before they take a scripture out of context in Malachi and then start passing the plates and everyone bends over and assumes the position again, week after week. I like the look on the fleecers face....

I like when they bring other wolf friends in for a "conference" to rape all the people they are supposed to be protecting. Kind of like an old fashioned Bishop gang bang on the poor sheep.

I like when the leaders teach one thing and then do another thing repeatedly.

It's so amazing how EVERYONE that leaves over the past 20 years is wrong every single time and the Grand Poo Bah is right 100% of the time....amazing odds! I wish I had those odds at the craps table at Venetian.

Oh I almost forgot, I like when the pastor CEO's rotate 25K watches and when people who have been giving for years fall on hard times and get turned away....because the Church is not a bank.

Man, that really is where God is eh? The Love of God summed up in screwing people every week with twisted scripture messages....

Can't wait till mid week! Maybe we'll get some exciting news that there is another MOVE coming, or Jack in the bean stalk is going to sprout up from the platform, or white unicorns with horns the shape of a cross are going to financially bless you because you tithed on the GROSS and carry you away to be with Jesus on the streets of Gold in your HUGE mansion.

Wake up people...really....

I prefer the solitude of nature. I'm not the first.

I'll answer anniecski's actual question (the one posed to those who attend a church, synagogue, temple or mosque).

Apart from the denomination, what do you like about your place of worship? What keeps you coming back? Why did you choose it over another place of the same denomination?

There are many local options in my denomination, but what keeps me coming back to this particular location is my fellow parishioners. There are many kind, caring, and generous people who truly embody the best of what it means to be Christian. (Like any large enough group, I'm sure there are a few bad apples as well. But by and large, there is a strong sense of a community made up of good people.)

P.S. Way back when, I initially chose our church because it was the closest of our denomination to our home. But now, due to everything I said above, I'd continue to attend our church even if we moved to another local community.

Agree with mom2. Aside from all of the wonderful things I like about my church ultimately it's the people that keeps me going back to that specific one. Though since moving I've been tempted to look for a closer one but can't. Starting to really make some friends there and love the community.

If anyone lives in Perrysburg or BG I recommend Blessed John XXIII. It's right past Levis Commons south bound maybe a mile or so.

It's a good question. When I did attend church (many years ago) I stayed with one congregation because of the Pastor. He was the kindest, most gentle and sincere man I've ever met. I've never forgotten him. If there's a heaven, he's in it.

popo are you following me????? I've missed you so! My goodness all I did was answer this persons question. Why you gotta hate! Take that Midol and a nap and you will feel much better I promise. <:0)~

Steve 155 that's funny!
I'm with Toledolen. My version is vast, wet and salty.

Mad, you're probably right. I was hoping to avoid a holy war, but...

Beetle, mom2, coffee, holland, thank you for actually answering the question.

The music director at our church once told us that, after denomination, the two biggest factors that go into choosing a church are parking and music. I find that a little hard to believe (I'm all for air conditioning, myself), but I can see where they might be important.

Offshore, big fan of the ocean too.

There are some hot moms where I go. Keeps me coming back!

it's got a lot of trees in it and it's only 20 steps from my backdoor. :)

Ahhhhhh, nana. That's the pick for a lot of people (not your back yard sepcifically). I volunteer at Toledo Botanical Gardens (225 hrs + annually - I love that place.) Once when working in the shade garden cutting back the astilbe there was a gentleman who had stood at the gazebo overlooking the pond for quite some time. He was alone. When he walked away from the pond he passed me on one of the paths. We exchanged Hello's and how the nice the garden was even in early fall. He said that he was there at the Gardens because he had just come from a job interview in which he was hired. He had been out of work for about 8 months. He said that he came here (to the Gardens) because that was the first place he could think of to thank God.

"A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to set foot in it. We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope; without it the life of the cities would drive all men into crime or drugs or psychoanalysis."
— Edward Abbey (Desert Solitaire)