• 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!

Uncomfortable Feeling?

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?
 

Marcion

gopa of humanity's controversial Taraka Brahma
In the begining I felt a bit uncomfortable because in the group meditations, ladies and guys sit or dance separated from each other. Later I realised this is due to my feeling more non-binary than most people. I also had to get used to the picture of the guru in front of the meditation room.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Only a couple of times that I remember. The first was in the Basilica where they had the huge organ and the rituals, songs, and blessings bounced off the walls in a dull deep hum. It gave me a very unsettling picture of death in christian history.

The other is when I went to Latin Mass and the whole of "christian history" flooded me when seeing the priests with their back turned to us and the different way in which we take communion compared to "somewhat freestyle" in most masses I've been to. Every mass I'd just stare at the jesus hanging from the cross and think to myself while he is bleeding that people are worshiping and taking his blood and body. To me that's literally watching a stranger get killed and then identifying with that stranger so I can have peace. I can't remember how long after that before I left. I felt similar in the ShoShu "denomination" of Nichiren Buddhism and their temple. Anything that feels like, how to say, an indoctrination type feeling where (in the temple) we have to look a certain direction, can't walk in others, and cant talk about X topics makes me step back.

There's a lot of back history behind why I'm like that religion, politics, or just plan not a follow-the-leader person.

Outside of that, no.
 
Last edited:

Viker

Häxan
Years ago I went to a gathering around a street preacher (I was volunteering to serve food to the homeless). The sermon was very tin-foil. He went on about Satanists and the like ruling the country/world being pedophiles and sacrificing children. I'm glad I didn't wear a pentagram that day. I did get a little nervous as many in the audience seemed to approve.
 

Batya

Always Forward
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?
My family and I went to a service once where there was a charismatic-type pastor doing "baptisms of the Holy Spirit," and the atmosphere was really uncomfortable to me (he was actually calling people out to come up front and I was afraid he was going to pick me, so that was part of it :D). Now I'm not one of those people who believe that the work of the holy Spirit, healings, etc, (sorry to those who aren't of my belief system :) ) were only for a past age, but I have some serious misgivings about some of the things that go on within the charismatic movement and consider some things to be highly questionable and unbiblical. So that was the cause of my feeling uncomfortable, but that was really the only time I can remember feeling very uncomfortable.
 

Jose Fly

Fisker of men
Absolutely!

Despite being raised in a conservative Christian environment since I was literally one week old, I never believed any of it, "accepted Jesus", or considered myself a Christian. The church I grew up attending (3 days a week) had a pastor who, once someone like me turned about 12-13 years old, would oftentimes end the Sunday service with an "alter call" where she would ask if there was anyone in the congregation who wanted to accept Jesus and be saved that day. But it didn't stop there! About once a month or so, she'd actually walk up to me with a microphone and say something like "The Lord is speaking to me right now and He's telling me that this is the day 'Jose' gets saved." Then she would put the mic right up to me and ask "What do you say to God?" Of course me being me, I'd just look her straight in the eye and say "No", but the pressure to just say yes was intense. It was probably the most group pressure to conform that I've ever experienced.

Years later after I'd been married and had kids, my wife became a Christian (mainstream, non-conservative). For a while, she'd invite me to her church, I guess hoping that I'd finally see the light or something...lol. During the service they'd do a communion ceremony, where everyone would file down the aisle, get their wine and cracker, and go back to the pews. Everyone except me that is. Not being a Christian, I just sat there as people had to walk around me, and they'd usually have a sort of condescending smirk on their face as if to say "That's too bad". It really sucked. So after about three services I just told my wife (in a very loving, nice way) that I'd grown up in church, knew what the faith believed, didn't believe any of it, and didn't see any point in me attending Sunday services. I also explained how awkward it was being the only one in a large church that sat during communion. Thankfully she understood and it's never been an issue since.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
My family and I went to a service once where there was a charismatic-type pastor doing "baptisms of the Holy Spirit," and the atmosphere was really uncomfortable to me (he was actually calling people out to come up front and I was afraid he was going to pick me, so that was part of it :D). Now I'm not one of those people who believe that the work of the holy Spirit, healings, etc, (sorry to those who aren't of my belief system :) ) were only for a past age, but I have some serious misgivings about some of the things that go on within the charismatic movement and consider some things to be highly questionable and unbiblical. So that was the cause of my feeling uncomfortable, but that was really the only time I can remember feeling very uncomfortable.
I also find the Pentecostal and Charismatic stuff very uncomfortable.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Years ago I went to a gathering around a street preacher (I was volunteering to serve food to the homeless). The sermon was very tin-foil. He went on about Satanists and the like ruling the country/world being pedophiles and sacrificing children. I'm glad I didn't wear a pentagram that day. I did get a little nervous as many in the audience seemed to approve.

Wow. One time I went to a nearby baptist church my neighbor invited me to. At the time the neighbor knew I was catholic. I went in and the pastor was talking about Free Masons and all of that at pulpit. Then one lady jumped up and said "I'M GLAD I'M NO LONGER CATHOLIC!" and fell back into her seat while everyone else mimic their approval. I would have walked home if it weren't late since I don't drive.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
Wow. One time I went to a nearby baptist church my neighbor invited me to. At the time the neighbor knew I was catholic. I went in and the pastor was talking about Free Masons and all of that at pulpit. Then one lady jumped up and said "I'M GLAD I'M NO LONGER CATHOLIC!" and fell back into her seat while everyone else mimic their approval. I would have walked home if it weren't late since I don't drive.
That's horrible.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?
My experiences being in an Ashram in the South of India:
1) Touching the feet of the Guru, really not my thing. Luckily Sai Baba told me personally that He does not want me to do that (+ reason why:cool:)
2) Flat prostration on the floor, though when the floor is cold in hot India that part I did not mind. Again Sai Baba made clear "not for you"
3) Men and women separated, not a little, like "miles" apart. Of course sleeping apart, living apart, eating apart, even lining up for Darshan apart
The last one was also meant for me:D. Though Sai Baba was kind enough to send beautiful damsels to me all the time, so that I slowly could adjust

Of course, after reading about Indian culture I understood why they did what they did, hence my judgments were gone rather soon, and I could even appreciate their culture. And after staying for ca. 10 years in the Ashram it felt like home (still not doing the flat prostration and feet touching of course)

Good part of the Ashram routine was, that all were free to participate. So, many Westerners went flat on the floor also. And the Teaching of Sai Baba was very clear. Though worship is useful in the beginning, the end goal is to find the Divine inside.

I have participated in quite a few worship services also. And that was very useful for me. Because when I came there fresh from Holland, I was quite arrogant, and judgmental towards these practices. I thought that the path of Jnana (wisdom) was superior than Bhakti or Karma. And I had to learn that there is no such thing like "my path is superior than yours" when one wants to understand the Divine a little.

So, all these different cultural worships I see now as a good thing, they taught me to introspect and reflect on my thoughts, words, deeds (judgments)

I see no need to change things. I rather focus on changing "myself". That is already hard enough.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?
This doesn't quite apply to me, but every time I've
been to such a venue (wedding, bat mitzvah), it
was really really uncomfortable. It's all either
creepy or offensive (eg, excusing brutality towards
Palestinians). I hope to never set foot in one again.
 

AlexanderG

Active Member
There are two moments that stick in my mind to this day:

1) Being a left-coast liberal for a while before I moved to the Midwest, I attended a Unitarian Universalist church in Minnesota for a while. One Sunday back during the fallout of the Iraq war, the minister ended his sermon by asking us to "hold in our hearts and forgive" all people, and started to list off various imperfect liberal icons that we all liked, then finally asked us to "hold President Bush in our hearts and forgive him." There was this awkward silence, and I remember having a very distasteful feeling. Looking back, though, I really like how he challenged us to be forgiving and charitable even towards the people we thought were causing evil in the world. I've often thought about that awkward distaste, and how that feeling can actually be problematic when trying to deal with complicated people to solve messy problems.

2) The other time, I was in high school at a different UU church and we were going around town each week for a while to visit other churches, synagogues, etc, to listen in on a sermon and compare the different faith traditions. I don't remember what kind of Christian church it was, but the sermon was about how bad it is to doubt or question your faith. (Of course, 'faith' coincidentally referred to believing everything else he told the congregants at this church.) I recall the minister saying that "doubt is a many-horned, many-tailed devil." I thought this was one of the most disgusting and disturbing things I'd ever heard, and that sentiment goes against everything I value. I think it was my first time being exposed to the tools of indoctrination, and I didn't care for it.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?
A great deal of Southern Baptist teachings made me more than uncomfortable. Everyone is going to hell, frequent and many threats of hell, an angry god itching to send people to hell, and all these different things that offends this angry god who dangles us sinners in his hands above an eternal roasting pit.
It was so bad and left such deep emotional scars that many years later, when I first moved here I got around to checking out a UU church and overall it was still just too protestant and it made me feel uncomfortable and I wanted to leave. But I didn't want to be rude either, so I waited to leave after services.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?
I’ve been caught off guard by a whole congregation breaking out in tongues. I felt rude because I wanted to LOL and say wtf, I just was not expecting it.
 
Last edited:

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Have you ever found anything uncomfortable at your worship service? Is there anything you'd change, even? Or have you gone to a service you don't usually attend, such as a different denomination, and has anything made you uncomfortable or shocked etc.?

I have never felt uncomfortable at any Hindu temple here in the west. In India, the heat, and the crowds were occasionally crazy. My daughter and I hit Tiruchendur on Tamil New year. I hired a priest to get us to the doorway of the central sanctum just as the curtain opens, a major highlight of any puja. He literally dragged us through a ridiculous maze of priest-only narrow stone corridors in +40 humidity. But we saw the curtain open and the brilliant glow of Murugan's face beyond the lights of the alankara deepam. Any sense of uncomfortable dissipated.

Later at Trichy, the trek up the stone hill to the Uchi Pillaiyar shrine was burning hot on the feet. Every fourth step or so had a towel on it to pause. The children laughed at me, dancing on each towel. But I made it. There was shade up in the shrine. It was there I discovered you're allowed to wear socks.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
My experiences being in an Ashram in the South of India:
1) Touching the feet of the Guru, really not my thing. Luckily Sai Baba told me personally that He does not want me to do that (+ reason why:cool:)
2) Flat prostration on the floor, though when the floor is cold in hot India that part I did not mind. Again Sai Baba made clear "not for you"
3) Men and women separated, not a little, like "miles" apart. Of course sleeping apart, living apart, eating apart, even lining up for Darshan apart
The last one was also meant for me:D. Though Sai Baba was kind enough to send beautiful damsels to me all the time, so that I slowly could adjust

Of course, after reading about Indian culture I understood why they did what they did, hence my judgments were gone rather soon, and I could even appreciate their culture. And after staying for ca. 10 years in the Ashram it felt like home (still not doing the flat prostration and feet touching of course)

Good part of the Ashram routine was, that all were free to participate. So, many Westerners went flat on the floor also. And the Teaching of Sai Baba was very clear. Though worship is useful in the beginning, the end goal is to find the Divine inside.

I have participated in quite a few worship services also. And that was very useful for me. Because when I came there fresh from Holland, I was quite arrogant, and judgmental towards these practices. I thought that the path of Jnana (wisdom) was superior than Bhakti or Karma. And I had to learn that there is no such thing like "my path is superior than yours" when one wants to understand the Divine a little.

So, all these different cultural worships I see now as a good thing, they taught me to introspect and reflect on my thoughts, words, deeds (judgments)

I see no need to change things. I rather focus on changing "myself". That is already hard enough.

Interesting. I love prostrating full out, and like Guru protocol as it's prescribed in the Agamas, the Guru Gita, and elsewhere.
 
Top