• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Houses of Worship

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
what is essential about worshiping in a specific place if the heart/spirit isn't in it? is the motivation proving to your neighbor that self can worship where ever it wants, or is the self interested in a loving god and neighbor as self?


can't a worshiper essentially believe they are there and worshiping a god they believe is too?


or is it just an absurdity of belief run amok?
 
Last edited:

lostwanderingsoul

Well-Known Member
A person can worship anywhere they want. A house of worship is just a place where they can go to be with others of similar beliefs if they choose to do so.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
So it's about having the riggt to socialize?
We can also see some 'ministers' making a good living running a church. Such types exist in India as well though there they act like renunciates and ask for bhiksha (alms). Of them it was written:

There are many hypocritical saints with long matted hair and their bodies besmeared with ashes. Tukaram says: "Let their dead conscience be burnt; it is no sin to thrash them!"

Of course not all are like that but too many are.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
what is essential about worshiping in a specific place if the heart/spirit isn't in it? is the motivation proving to your neighbor that self can worship where ever it wants, or is the self interested in a loving god and neighbor as self?

can't a worshiper essentially believe they are there and worshiping a god they believe is too?

or is it just an absurdity of belief run amok?
Humans are not especially logical. And religious humans even less so.

Logically, there is no reason that humans would have to physically gather together to gain access to or attention from "God". But the emotional desire to be with others of like mind often overwhelms logic. And blind faith tends to lead to a blinding illusion of immunity to logical consequence.
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
what is essential about worshiping in a specific place if the heart/spirit isn't in it? is the motivation proving to your neighbor that self can worship where ever it wants, or is the self interested in a loving god and neighbor as self?
Ideally, the heart/spirit would become involved while the individual is worshiping.:rolleyes:


can't a worshiper essentially believe they are there and worshiping a god they believe is too?
In theory I suppose that's possible, but, I think there would be a spiritual benefit from putting in the effort to be there in body and spirit both. :cool:


or is it just an absurdity of belief run amok?
Coming from you, absurd is high-praise. :p:D
 

Katja

Member
Some people put a lot of stock into community religion. Sure, there are reasons it may be important, but IMO it's not the end-all, be-all of worship or religious experience, so it's odd to me that some people seem to think it is (I've wondered just why some of them are afraid to meet God alone, or perhaps it's that they feel he doesn't reside anywhere outside of a church building).

It seems some of the fuss is also from Catholics, and I think they have a stronger sense that they need a clergy intermediary between them and God to be doing it "right."


You know, I think if churches can't open, maybe there should be some rule about atheists getting together also.
There is. It's called, "Most places aren't allowing gatherings of people, for any reason." Not even at funerals. It's not just churches closed. Christians aren't being singled out.

Do atheists get together for religious reasons?
 

IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
what is essential about worshiping in a specific place if the heart/spirit isn't in it? is the motivation proving to your neighbor that self can worship where ever it wants, or is the self interested in a loving god and neighbor as self?


can't a worshiper essentially believe they are there and worshiping a god they believe is too?


or is it just an absurdity of belief run amok?
God is everywhere, and is everywhere forgotten. There is something about the human mind and heart, that we need to divide the sacred from the non-sacred. The includes creating sacred places.

Exodus 25:8
And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
 
Top