In the February, 2010 Reader’s Digest (pages 16-17), psychologist Daniel Gilbert offers insights on how to be happy. Among his observations, under the heading “Go to Church (Or Somewhere),” is the following paragraph about attending church:
“Churchgoers are happier than non-churchgoers, but not for the reasons people expect. Our best indication is that it’s not the religion part that makes people happy. It’s the going-to-church part. It’s the community part. It’s the holding hands and singing. It’s the knowing-folks-who-would-bring-you-soup-if-you-got-sick part. Odds seem to me pretty good that you could also get all the benefits out of a really tight stamp-collecting club.”
If you are a believer, your knee-jerk reaction to these comments may be to sharply disagree with Gilbert, and to assume that he’s just belittling Christianity. However, sadly enough, I believe that he has discovered a heart-breaking truth about church.
Ephesians 4:12-16 gives us the purpose of the church, and the real reasons for attending church services: to prepare us for works of service; to build up (encourage and edify) Christ’s Church in love; and, to reach unity and maturity (“grow up”). Verse 14 says, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”
It’s time that each of us was honest about why we go to church. Do we go to church because we want to become mature in Christ, or because we like holding hands and singing? Are we there in order to prepare ourselves for works of service, or because we want to know someone would bring us soup if we got sick (we want to be served)? Does our church really have any more to offer than a stamp-collecting club?
As a Catholic I go to church or Mass to worship God, and to recieve Christ in the Eucharist. I consider this as a gift from God. Also in some cases, the Catholic church teaches that it is a sin to miss Mass on Holy days of obligation. There is more on this subject at- catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re111.html