Why people go to church
Benjamin sent me a link to an interesting commentary yesterday in which the author said:
while it might seem obvious that people choose a church (or synagogue, or mosque) because they agree with its teachings, that’s not necessarily the case. In fact, I’d argue that for most people the beliefs of their church are a small, often insignificant part of why they attend.
They might attend because of the community there. They might attend because the church, like the evangelical congregation I hear advertised on WEHM-FM out of Long Island from time to time, offers free baby-sitting, plus a short service so you can “get home in time for the big game.” They might attend because of a cultural loyalty–and this can be true of Jews or Muslims or even Norwegian Lutherans, whose church might be their last meaningful tie to the grandparents who came over from Northern Europe. They might attend because the music and ritual are powerful.
They might attend a church with offensive sermons because having a pastor whom they disagree with is more interesting than having a pastor who never says anything controversial.
Those of you who attend church: why do you go? How important is it to you whether the church’s beliefs match yours?
