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4,464 Posts
Hi all,
I come here in search of a little advice. I feel compelled to rejoin the Christian faith in some capacity, but I don't know how, or if it's at all possible for me.
I have gone to church services the past few Sundays, only to feel intense fear and confusion the entire time. Some of it is, I'm sure, social anxiety. Some of it is negative feedback from the religious tradition I was brought up in (and to which I won't go back). Some of it, though, may be valuable and valid fear, fear that tells me that this isn't the right place for me.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to distinguish between these types of fear. On the one hand, if I'm truly uncomfortable in a religious setting, and it's going to hinder my spiritual growth, I don't want to do that. On the other hand, if it's something that I can overcome, something that is a challenge that could help me grow, then I don't want to cross it off the list just like that, or I could be missing out so much.
I know that going to church doesn't make you a Christian, but I think it helps. I don't really understand why, but I do feel 'called', if you will, to find a church where I can worship and grow. I just am having a hard time teasing out my SA from legitimate discomfort from old scars of my youth.
It's very frustrating. I know that I like more formal liturgical worship, i.e. Anglican, Catholic, whatever. I get a lot out of Compline. But when I go into a church building, I don't know, all I know is that I'm overcome by a feeling of 'not belonging', of being a total outsider.
So that's my question: how do you find your spiritual community? How do you know when fear is a legitimate sign that the community isn't right for you, and how do you know when it's 'just' SAD feedback that can be overcome? I honestly don't know. I thought maybe someone here had some hints or some stories to tell how they did it. Thanks,
- Chris
I come here in search of a little advice. I feel compelled to rejoin the Christian faith in some capacity, but I don't know how, or if it's at all possible for me.
I have gone to church services the past few Sundays, only to feel intense fear and confusion the entire time. Some of it is, I'm sure, social anxiety. Some of it is negative feedback from the religious tradition I was brought up in (and to which I won't go back). Some of it, though, may be valuable and valid fear, fear that tells me that this isn't the right place for me.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to distinguish between these types of fear. On the one hand, if I'm truly uncomfortable in a religious setting, and it's going to hinder my spiritual growth, I don't want to do that. On the other hand, if it's something that I can overcome, something that is a challenge that could help me grow, then I don't want to cross it off the list just like that, or I could be missing out so much.
I know that going to church doesn't make you a Christian, but I think it helps. I don't really understand why, but I do feel 'called', if you will, to find a church where I can worship and grow. I just am having a hard time teasing out my SA from legitimate discomfort from old scars of my youth.
It's very frustrating. I know that I like more formal liturgical worship, i.e. Anglican, Catholic, whatever. I get a lot out of Compline. But when I go into a church building, I don't know, all I know is that I'm overcome by a feeling of 'not belonging', of being a total outsider.
So that's my question: how do you find your spiritual community? How do you know when fear is a legitimate sign that the community isn't right for you, and how do you know when it's 'just' SAD feedback that can be overcome? I honestly don't know. I thought maybe someone here had some hints or some stories to tell how they did it. Thanks,
- Chris