When I was young (before I joined WCG), I would go to church, hear the organ music, sing the hymns, listen to the sermon, drop in my offering, and go home. People were quiet and respectful when they walked in and sat down; there wasn't the noise and hubbub you hear in churches today. They didn't have a dozen different adult classes for everything under the sun. Classes were mainly for the youth. Yes, there was a Bible study night for those who wanted to come, and evenings when one of the missionaries showed slides, but since my dad worked a part-time job in the evenings, we only went to church on Sunday mornings. (By the way, you don't call them "churches" anymore. They are called "worship centers." But some are more like entertainment centers.)

The main problem I had with the fifteen churches I visited was all the "we" this and "we" that. For instance: "We meet for Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. and we hope to see  you there" (growing up, I remember Sunday school was only for the children); "We are having a fund raiser next Saturday; we all need to pitch in"; "We will have a potluck on Saturday night; we will have a good time"; "We will pass out tracts next week; we need to serve"; "We will ride the church bus to such and such city next week to hear Pastor so and so speak"; "We are having a mother's banquet"; "We are having a seminar to learn how to communicate more effectively"; "We will go to the Christian rock concert on Thursday night; we are going to have a blast"; etc., etc.  The one that finally got to me was "If we don't want to serve, then there is something wrong with us." Maybe that's what people today are looking for--a family away from home--(and I certainly don't begrudge them if they truly need that), but I had enough "we" in the WCG to last me a lifetime. I have my own family (thank you) and I don't need an extended family that takes me away from my immediate family every weekend. Even if my children lived nearby and all of us were involved in some church's "we" activities from morning 'till night, isn't that still using Sunday for only church functions? What if, instead, I wanted to go to the zoo, or a museum, a picnic, a car show, or just a family barbecue? Sure, I could still do those things, but the rope around my neck from the "we" church would still be tugging at me in the background. Sorry, but the "we" church of today is too much pressure, and too much involvement for me.

I'm still a Christian and always will be. (I've gotten to know Jesus in a much closer way now.) But it feels wonderful to be free! In fact, I'm beginning to feel like I used to before I was recruited by Herbert Armstrong. I'm reclaiming my former self, the one who was independent, free and happy. It's been a long, hard struggle.

By Janette
June 8, 2005

Are Exiters Are "Out of Fellowship With God" if They Don't Attend a Church? 

Back to Struggles With Attending Other Churches