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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Non-clicky poll re: religious services
If you consider yourself to be a practicing member of your faith...
1. Do you go to a religious service (church, temple, etc) at least twice a month?
2. If not, why?
This is NOT about whether or not you believe in/like organized religion, so please don't turn this into a debate about that. I'm asking because our church had it's annual meeting yesterday and growth came up. I was asked to write an article for our next newsletter about this generation and why going to church (or any religious service) isn't the norm anymore.
Thanks!
Re: Non-clicky poll re: religious services
I am Catholic - I believe in a lot of what the religion says/believes, but do not believe/follow everything. I believe in God. We rarely go to services (my husband is baptist, I am Christian catholic) but once in a while we will go. Both of our kids are baptised, and the 3rd will be too. We were also married in my Catholic church.
As to the why we don't go - honestly, I don't know. Though I am religious/spiritual, I truly dno't believe I have to be physically IN a church all the time to follow/believe what we do.
I am not a member of an organized religion per se. My family does attend an amazing church that I feel connected to because they have an incredible commitment to community and the rights of people. If I were a Christian needed to choose a church, it would be this one.
My sister attends there, but doesn't go every week. She wants to go because she feels connected, but she is there from 9-12 on a Sunday. With all the other responsibilities she has and the limited time she has to get them done, I think it becomes just one more thing to do.
Yea - that too - I didn't want to admit it, but since you did, I will! haha
Yes, please be honest.
I'm asking because nothing anyone has said surprises me (and I've RPed this on other boards I frequent) and helps me explain this generation's mindset to the older folks.
we go every week now. We are Catholic, Ryan is making his first penance and first communion this year. Its important for us to go. We used to slack because we were lazy but now we are good about going.
From September - March we have hockey just about every Sunday. Travis is 2 - to think that he would sit still and be quiet for longer then 3 seconds is insane.
To add one more thing to my schedule makes me want to scream. I believe in a higher power, our kids were baptised and i don't feel like I have to belong to an organization to contact the higher power.
We're pretty involved... we go at least 2 times per month, and are active in 2 different ministries (Young Adult MInistry and Pre-Cana Ministry)
I will add that, prior to switching to this parish in July 2010, we rarely went because we were so unhappy with our current parish at the time. The one we switched to much better fits our needs... has family mass, does things for people our age (20s and 30s) and is just more inviting and welcoming in general.
I'd be happy to provide more info or answer questions if you want! e-mail me chefvickid@gmail.com
Our parish council is also struggling with ways to get the 'younger generation' involved since we're the "future of the parish"
The Journey of Me
Vacation, 2011
We do not.
We were both raised Catholic. Our mom's go to church still. I used to go when I lived at home. We were married in the church I grew up in and I wish we went more often. When I was in HS I was in the youth choir and the youth group. I was very involved and the priest who was there was great. He's back now but I hate not knowing which priest we will get. One is great and is engaging. The other is just not and has a thick accent. The priest that married us was moved to an inner city parish so he's no longer there but he was incredibly engaging and had a thick accent so its not the accent that bothers me but since he's not engaging it makes it much worse. Our kids (if/when we have them) will be baptized and sent to CCD and all that, however I guess we should look into a church in our town because I would want them with their friends. For the time being we will go to my church when we or are not too lazy because honestly sometimes after a long work week working late all we can do on Sunday is cook and clean for the upcoming week.
Also there are some things about the Catholic religion that bother me but I'm more liberal then the church itself.
This is exactly the thought that crossed my mind when I read this. We are both Catholic raised and we are raising our kids Catholic, but we don't go to church too often. It's one of those things we always intend to do, but just don't. But I do contribute monthly thru automatic paypal payments!
Dup
I always did growing up...Catholic church. Got married...my husband and I never went even though I believed 100% in my religion. I was just lazy about it.
Then Olivia came along and we tried...OMG...she was a monster. Then Bella came along...and Olivia is nothing compared to her . LOL
Now it's just mommy and Olivia time. We go every week together. I just feel at peace when I'm there.
2. i find the servicing to be well BORING. it's so outdated, and needs to be brought into modern times.
I think people don't go for a few reasons. -In older congregations, younger families aren't relating to the sermons. They want to find a place to belong and believe but I think a lot depends on the leader. I've gone to a few christenings lately, in Roman Catholic churches, and there were VAST differences in the services. I'm not Catholic but I LOVED the one I went to in Ramsey. The priest was young, relateable, used pop culture references and songs (with the words changed). He made you want to get up and clap when he was done. The rest- well, nevermind Ethan, but I was trying to prop my eyelids open. Same in the synogogue. Some services I've been to have had a great charismatic rabbi and some have not. One makes you want to be there and one does not. You can take your religion and faith seriously but not have the service be stuffy and boring.
Another reason is people just having other priorities with their family. Now that there are more 2 working parents, weekend time together is precious. There are birthday parties and other things going on. If your house of worship isn't directly involved in your family plans, I think people skip to have their together-time.
I also think if you expect young families to feel comfortable going, there has to be adequate space for children who are very young to be children. I have friends that said they don't go because they feel judged when their child doesn't behave or sit still and quiet but there is also no good space in the church to take their children. I watched a special on Joel Osteen and part of why his congregation is so successful is because they have volunteers doing things with the kids during the service that are religion based but fun. The KIDS WANT to go the services because it's fun. Then the parents can be in the service getting what they need out of it. I thought that was such a great idea. Sure, i guess in a perfect world, 2-3 yr olds, etc would sit nice out of interest or fear or whatever but the reality is that they don't. And I don't know that they're getting anything out of it. But, if there was a place for the children to go where there was age appropriate religious activity going on, that sure seems logical that they'd learn what they're supposed to and like it.
We go to every event that E's preschool has, that is also religious, but we don't go to services. Because the activities we choose to go to foster relationships with the children and parents in his class but services bore me to tears. I still want E to get the religious education he's getting because it's stuff I didn't learn as a child and I think it's nice for him to not be the minority for once. I like the sense of community it offers. But I don't find myself yearning to be any more religious or go to services. It's just not my thing. I don't believe in anything but me. I'm around me 24/7 so I don't need any extra.
1. We do not attend a religious service at least twice a month.
2. I think the only reason that at least I don't go often is because I've become lazy and simply not used to going to church often. I grew up in a very large, very religious family. I had already started to slack off from going to church shortly before I met MH but once we were together it sort of stopped altogether. Although he was raised Roman Catholic he has pretty much become at the very least agnostic but has atheistic leanings.
He's very concerned about raising our son religiously since MH sees so much wrong with organized religion and also has a problem with the whole concept of teaching about hell to kids. He's very jaded. Evan does participate in the choir during the holiday programs and go to many of the rehearsals in preparation for them.
I would like to attend church more often, specifically my family church, if only for the sense of community that it gives. My parents go there, sisters, brother and some other extended relatives. I just like the idea of knowing what's going on with people and being part of special occasions like preparing for the Christmas and Easter pageants and that sort of thing. I miss that.
We are Roman Catholic. Bella was baptized and will be enrolled in CCD when the time comes so she can receive the rest of her sacraments.
Laziness is a big part of it for us, too. We go a few times a year...Ash Wednesday and a few other important days.
I also believe that just because you go regularly doesn't mean you're a "better" Catholic than me, or a better person in general. So, that doesn't factor in to influencing us to go.
"Like" me on Facebook
we used to go every week, sometimes more (not to more than 1 service, but to an event at church, to a meeting, etc + a service)
but lately we have not been going as much... the kid are at a difficult age - and we've had some issues at our church... we're hoping to get back into going every week in the coming year when the twins are more managable IN the service (right now when we go we spend the whole time in the nursery and feel like it's mostly a waste to go).
We do. Ryan's in Church school and I teach the 2 year old class. I like being a part of it, and our church is very progressive and our pastor's sermons are very intelligent.
We would probably go less often if I wasn't a teacher and if Ryan wasn't enrolled. The few Sundays we stay home I love the quiet morning we get to have
I won't teach next year with this new baby coming and we're going to have to see how the baby going to the nursery works out. Ryan hated it and we didn't go a lot when he was younger.
We are Roman Catholic. When we moved to our current home/town, we found it important to find a parish that we felt comfortable. We tested out two parishes, and fell in love with one. We try to go at least once to twice a month, if not more. We want our girls to have a strong religious upbringing and this parish reflects most of our beliefs fully.
When we were looking for a Church, the two parishes were VERY different. The first, the one we did not join, was very old school and traditional. I don't think they had female altar servers and the priests seemed very elite. There wasn't a warm feeling.
With the second parish, the one we ultimately joined, we felt welcome the first moment we stepped in. Besides this, the Church is very family orientated. For example, at the Children's Mass on Christmas, Santa Claus walked down the aisle during the processional & recessional. In lieu of the traditional Bible reading for the Gospel, our priest called up all the children and read the Nativity story from a big book as they sat at his feet. He then answered a bunch of Christmas related questions and ended with a cake being brought out w/candles lit for Baby Jesus. The entire community sang Happy Birthday to baby Jesus...twice!
We chose this parish because it felt right.