In Conclusion...

In conclusion, I think that this blogging experience has seriously changed the way that I view going to church on Sunday and what I think about those who do go to church every Sunday. I used to think that the people who are avid churchgoers thought of themselves as being better than others. That is absolutely not the case, people need to share their experience with others and in a way, prove that they are true Christians. I am very thankful for Shane being so adamant about why it is so important to go to church to show your belief. Church is more than just a building, it is a place for warship and is a place for people to get together and show their love for God, also to build a relationship with others who attend the church as well.

Previously, I thought that being your personal relationship with God is between yourself and God, no one else needed to be involved in your belief. I now know that it is important to be able to voice your belief and church is a way that you can prove to God your belief. This is not to say that you have to think that your belief is the only belief, you also have to be able to accept others for the beliefs they hold.

Church Attendance

"For shut-ins or invalids who aren’t able to go to church, the ministries on radio or TV might be the only kind of fellowship or spiritual nourishment that they get. God certainly understands the circumstances of these people, and recognizes the sincerity of their hearts. However, it is a different matter for those who could attend church but are too lazy, or put other things such as entertainment and amusements before God, or who harbor bitterness or indifference toward other believers." I found this statement to be incredibly true about non-church goers and the reasons why they don't attend. I think it is very important for everyone to understand the difference between not being able to attend versus not attending. It may seem like a small difference, but it is really a quite large one. Those who are not able to attend has something going on that is doesn't allow them to take the time out to make it to Sunday mass, work for example. On the other hand, those who don't attend are the people who think they have something better to do, when they may not even know that going to church could be the best thing for them. These type of people tend to be selfish and have their heads wrapped around something else. They would probably find their life to be a little easier when they have a truly personal relationship with God himself. "Going to church is a visible, tangible expression of our love and worship toward God."

Work Cited

Robbins, Dale A. "Why Should Christians Attend Church." Victorious.org. Victorious Publications. 1995. Web. 8 Fed 2010.

A View From Australia

Christianity has influenced Australian culture immensely and is the religion that most Australians belong to. In fact, Christmas and Easter are considered to be major national holidays. However, "the population with a religion other than Christianity hovers around 5 and 6 percent." The country of Australia is slowly becoming like the United States and America. Many different religions living together in one area of land. Australia has been "creeping towards the American custom" of saying "Happy Holidays" so as to not offend anyone. Although, because of the many different religions coming together, saying "Happy Holidays" is not necessarily a bad thing because many religions have a holiday around Christian's observance of Christmas. Easter, however, is more of a religious observance than Christmas. Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas, just like here in the United States, are considered paid holidays, even though Christianity is not considered the state's religion.

I do understand that followers of religions outside of Christianity would argue that this is unfair and unjust. But the fact of the matter is this, Australia and the United States can, and will, keep these three Christian Holy Day's as paid holidays. It is entirely up to each individual nation to decide what can and can not be considered paid holidays.

Works Cited

Frame, Tom. "The future of Easter in a secular society." Quadrant Mar. 2008:68+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

A Little Personal Tidbit

Now I know that this may have nothing to do with the assignment, however, I do believe that it does. I think that this is a little conclusion that I did not know was going to happen. The other night, I was doing a little research for this blog. I was looking to see if I could find anything controversial that could be used as an arguement for Easter, like there is for Christmas. However, because of the importance of Easter to Christianity, there was nothing to be found.

As I was typing into Google to look for Easter information, a topic popped up on what the Bible says about the world ending in 2012. I thought this might be neat to check out. Now the Bible does not specifically say anything about the world ending in 2012 or at anytime for that matter; as Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." In the words of Jesus, nobody will know when the world ends for sure other than God.

I have read many Bible passages in my day before, but this time was different. As I read other Bible passages, a warmth came all over my body. Other people might exclaim that, "Hey, maybe it was the fact that you had your laptop on your lap. Maybe that caused your body to be warm." However, my laptop was only on my lap, not my entire body. Also, as I read on, I felt an undescribable peace and comfort.

I do not attend church every Sunday, I do not attend Bible Study, and I am not the leader of a Faith Formation Class, all I was doing was reading simple, but powerful, Bible passages. A conclusion I can draw from this happening in my life is that God was trying to tell me something through these passages. Yes the Bible is the Word of the Lord so in a way He was speaking to me just through the words that I read. However, I felt that He was speaking to me in a different way as well. It was almost as if this blog project itself has given me a closer relationship with God.

Christmas and Easter Continued

Christmas and Easter are two times of the the year that are supposed to be spent not only with family but also are supposed to be spent in the presence of God. Like I said in my first post, because of the importance of these two holidays it is not ironic that the attendance in church is much higher around these two times of year. Just because these are two very important holidays, however, does not mean that you should only go to church on these two dates. The Bible does not say that Christians should even celebrate Christmas, but has been celebrated since the 4th Century. Today's society, however, has taken away what the meaning of Christmas is truly all about. Yes Christmas is a season of giving and being with family and friens, but people today, as quoted by Brian Lewis, "spend more time at Wal-Mart and less time at church."

What is "Christian?"

As Americans, we live lives of relative ease. Even in our current economic state, we can see that we have much more than a large portion of the world. Perhaps the tragedy in Haiti has brought this fact to the attention of some. The comfortable, yet busy, lives we live allow us to place our trust in ourselves. We don’t really need God. Therefore, it would seem that many “Christians” have an extremely small view of God. I understand this because I spent the majority of my life thinking of Him as some distant being who exists for the purpose of granting or denying applications to heaven and to keep my family safe as they travel. A deeper look into Christianity exposes a vision of God that is much greater than this limited, and quite frankly, insulting view of Him. In his book Crazy Love, pastor Francis Chan encourages Christians to see that God - creator of the vastness of the universe, and the infinitely minute details in nature - desires to have a close, personal relationship with us. In light of this, how can one continue to live a "normal" life, which shows no interest in this offer, while carrying the label "Christian?"

In Matthew 22: 37-40, Jesus gives us ALL the requirements for gaining not only eternal life, but also the best possible life we can live on this earth. When asked what the most important commandment was Jesus replied:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

This passage communicates a couple key ideas. First, how can one love God without knowing Him? It is impossible to experience meaningful love without an intimate relationship. This means that Christians must be diligently seeking to know God more intimately if they are to love him with everything. The second thing I notice is what separates Christianity from the rest of the world. Jesus says to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Here lies much of the appeal of the Christian faith, should this point be put into practice. A Christian must learn to love other people just as much as they love themselves. This is how God is represented to the world.

Notice that what Jesus says is a commandment, not a passing recommendation. It is mandatory that Christians love God with everything if following Him. So, what is love? Aristotle defined love as “doing kindnesses; doing them unasked; and not proclaiming the fact when they are done." This definition clearly states that the person possessing love will do things to show it. Aquinas expanded on Aristotle’s definition, using the term agape, by expressing the paternal love that Christians receive from God and reciprocate. Christians should be living a life defined by love. Shouldn’t this love for God, then, be noticeable to spectators?

This current life is short and fragile. Most have had someone close to them taken away prior to reaching old age. Someday we will all be six feet deep and no one will care how well dressed or popular we were. This reality should prompt a paradigm shift, causing Christians to live lives that count for something important - something that doesn't die with their bodies.

Works Cited

Chan, Francis. Crazy Love. 1^st ed. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2008. 25-28. Print.

“Philosophy of Love,” by Alexander Moseley, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/love/

Zondervan NIV The Quest Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. Print.

Christmas and Easter

Christmas and Easter are extremely important holidays in the Christian community; one holiday celebrates the birth of Christ and the other celebrates the rising of Christ from the dead. Therefore, it is not ironic that more people attend church around these two holidays than any other time throughout the year. You do not need to go to church every Sunday to consider yourself a Christian. However, attending church should still be a part of your life. Communion, the receiving of Christ, still needs to be obtained. Plus a sermon every once and awhile never hurt anyone.