But even though my beliefs aren't what you'd call normal, I still like to attend church once in awhile, because I think that it's a good way to regularly get in touch with spirituality and the Divine, and to give thanks for that Divine presence.
Now, having moved to a very small town, there aren't a whole lot of church options. The first few weeks I was here, I found myself attending a Methodist church because that's where I went in my hometown, and I liked it there. But for various reasons, I decided that that church where I live now is not the place for me.
My experience, however, has been that whenever you visit a church, people are really happy to see you, and act as if they expect to see you every Sunday without fail from then on. Then, when you decide not to go back there, there are the phone calls. "Oh, we didn't see you this Sunday. We just wanted to make sure everything is okay!" "We hope to see you again soon!" "We're praying for you!" Later, there are the awkward run-ins at the store, football games, school, etc, and they always try to make you feel as guilty as possible.
So suddenly, what was supposed to be a personal decision between me and my God, turns into a very public thing where I'm disappointing people if I don't worship with them in their way. And you know that even though they're being really nice, they secretly think you're going to hell. And I shouldn't have to feel guilty that I'm doing something that makes me happy and comfortable. It sort of makes me not want to go to church at all, which is not, I think, what the church people are aiming at with all their concern.
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