The Religion of Joanne

Joanne left this comment on my facebook page concerning my previous blog... "Coolio. I'm sure this will be interesting. I have my own religion, Religion of Joanne. I worship in my own space at my own times. My mother in law hates that we don't go to church because we have "so much to be thankful for". Well, I am thankful...every day. I don't need a building to go into to be thankful. Ok I'm done. LOL"

So many times someone says “religion” or ‘Christianity” and you think “church” or probably more accurately you think “I’m not going to church!” Personally I don’t think Joanne has it wrong.

I drive 50 minutes to church every Sunday and 50 minutes back every week. Sometimes I do it twice a week. Do I do it because I think I have to? Do I think God sits around in a big red suite with a checklist marking off who’s naughty and nice. “Oh Jimmy went to church this week, check! Diane missed this week, tsk tsk.” Of course not, that‘s Santa. I do it for me.

To me church is a community of people I know have my back. A second family. The Bible says that when you join a church you join a family, more than that you become a part of one whole. “All the believers were one at heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything they had” Acts 4:32. Church gives you a community of people who follow the same doctrine of beliefs who come together to support one another.

Psalm 35:18 says “I will give you thanks in the great assembly: among throngs of people I will praise you.” It also says in the Bible, “Where two or more gather I will be.” But does that necessarily have to be in church? It does go into great detail about how a church should be run, but that doesn’t make it a prerequisite to a seat inside the pearly gates, does it?

How many people are sitting in church on a weekly basis hating every second of it? How many of them are leaving their with the same sins they came in with? Is Carol, who goes to church every Sunday but then refuses to forgive her neighbor for running over her flowers any better than Mike who doesn’t go to church but volunteers every Sunday at a homeless shelter? (See Matthew 25:37) I’d say absolutely not.

If your not careful church can actually hinder your spiritual journey. What I mean by that is so often Christians think religion is designated for Sunday between the hours of 9-11. The rest of the week I can do whatever because I went to church. Psalm 1:2 says “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” “Day and night,” not once a week.

Parents I’d caution you too. Maybe I’m so leery of saying “Oh no, dear reader, you must go to church, it is the house of God and you should worship him in it, yadda yadda yadda.” because it was so force fed to me as a child. My well meaning parents brought me to church religiously (haha get it?) for the first 11 years of my life. Sit down, Kneel, Stand up, Sing, Sit Down, Kneel… it all meant nothing to me, Eventually the idea of a cold hearted God who would caste you to the burning fires of Hell for the tiniest indiscretion (like not going to church for example) is the very thing that sent me running screaming from the church.  If you want to give your children a REAL base in Christanity, which I think is great, I mean come on, "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for it is right. Honour thy father and mother: which is the first commandment with promise.: Ephesians 5:1-2 Can't go wrong there! Teach them about it, teach them to love it, and then they will probably want to go to church.  My kids can't get enough, OK Eric can't get enough and Ricky is going through a praying in secret phase so no one knows (I wonder if he got that one from me, bad mommy!)

If you asked me, “Amanda, I’m thinking of joining a church, do you think I should?“ I would say “Absolutely!“ I love church, I wouldn’t want to miss a week. I think that church is beneficial to those who take advantage of it, and helps people looking to deepen their spirituality feel a sense of support and to stay on track. In MY opinion church is essential for someone trying to live a Christian lifestyle. Will it make or break your way into heaven? I doubt it. II Corinthians 5:1 says “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” I’ll see you there. :)