Church

During cribbage night on Monday, friends and I got into a conversaion on the function of churches. It is my opinion that churches are a good thing for meeting new people and having something to do on [insert day of week] if you're [insert religious preference]. I attended church for much of my formative years, until about 15 I think. As stated in my previous blog, I developed a severe distaste for the doctrine of Christianity and discontinued my attenance. That's not to say I didn't retain friendships that were formed in the church. However, I have an ethical dillemma when thinking about churches (most, not all).
If people are to gather and congregate and celebrate each other's beliefs, why must they do so in a religious setting? It is naieve to say the only function of church is to form a community; it is to form a religions community. Churches teach their attendees of the doctrine, and if you're a major religion, then spread these beliefs like an infection. My main problem with all this is being part of a church, or most religion, does not encourage intellectual individuality. Being part of something means you accept and live by it's "laws" or guidelines. When these guidelines contradict what you believe to be true, you are instantly given contrary reasons (as defined by religion) why you must change your truth in order that it parallels the religion. Of course, people do not literally become unthinking robots, but on some level they do. Surrounding yourself with others that believe the same things that you do doesn't encourage development. In fact, it usually means you are rarely challenged, and if you are, there are plenty of people around you to remind you of "the doctrine".
If you accept anything as absolute truth, without questioning what it is and why it's there and what you should do about it and on and on, your mind will remain stagnant and unquestioning. This method of thought is not necessarily rewarding (which, I am convinced, many people's only concern is "getting something in return"). It should and will be difficult and at times very confusing. I see my consciousness as a gift and anything that could take away from my ability to question "what is", does not deserve my attention.
If your goal is to live in a community and be connected with those around you, then do so. Churches are an easy way to meet and greet, but the cost to your belief system is far worse than the benefit of meeting a few people. Meeting to celebrate beliefs that you accept to be true because they're "part of the package" does not lead to better ethics and viewpoints. It leads to laziness.