MY PET PEEVE

[Dorothy Mae]

You're completely taking this whole discussion off track.

That is your personal MO, isn't it? And I am not. The OP is about churches being silent and the example I give is 100% in line with that. The government says "shut down" and the pastors silently complied.

I was originally replying to miamited's question in post #5 and you through yourself into it and took it off track. My point was that the Catholic church is one example where a church chose to obey men before God. That is, because of their claim that missing Mass is a mortal sin.

It was an attack on the Catholics because the Protestants did exactly the same thing but you do not mention them. Personal attack on the Catholic church. That is against the rules and worse than "you are taking this off track."

 

[WIP]

Those 100 pastors in England disagree with you. John MacArthur disagrees with you. There are many who feel assembling together is vital. When the disciples were told they could practice their faith in peace but were not to preach it, they did not see Jesus' "recommendation" as optional and can be dropped so as not to get in trouble with the authorities. What was lost by complying we do not know, but we do know that the shut down did major damage, worse than the virus to some. The British pastors refused and the whole nation was blessed.

Vital? Important? Needed? Yes. Commanded? No.

 

[WIP]

It was an attack on the Catholics because the Protestants did exactly the same thing but you do not mention them. Personal attack on the Catholic church. That is against the rules and worse than "you are taking this off track."

You are misunderstanding.

Here's a very good explanation of how most, if not all, protestant churches view the importance of attending worship services. The only church that I am aware of that specifically states that it is a sin and not only a sin but a mortal sin is the Catholic church.

What are appropriate reasons for missing church? | GotQuestions.org

What are appropriate reasons for missing church? What are valid excuses to miss church?

www.gotquestions.org

I was not picking on the Catholic church. I was pointing out that there are some that violated their own law, which they believe is God's law, by shutting down during the pandemic. Maybe there are a few Protestant churches that teach that missing a worship service is a sin but I know not of any and that is why I mentioned the Catholic church. It was simply one example to support my point to miamited, nothing more.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Vital? Important? Needed? Yes. Commanded? No.

Pretty sure God doesn’t split hairs. The fact that churches closed their doors in obedience to the government is sufficient. As it is, church attendance in the US is way down. Christians including pastors who believe the Bible is the inspired Word are fewer since the shutdown. Is it because the chance to stand in the face of untruth was surrendered? What will they surrender in the future?

 

[Dorothy Mae]

You are misunderstanding.

Here's a very good explanation of how most, if not all, protestant churches view the importance of attending worship services. The only church that I am aware of that specifically states that it is a sin and not only a sin but a mortal sin is the Catholic church.

What are appropriate reasons for missing church? | GotQuestions.org

What are appropriate reasons for missing church? What are valid excuses to miss church?

www.gotquestions.org

I was not picking on the Catholic church. I was pointing out that there are some that violated their own law, which they believe is God's law, by shutting down during the pandemic. Maybe there are a few Protestant churches that teach that missing a worship service is a sin but I know not of any and that is why I mentioned the Catholic church. It was simply one example to support my point to miamited, nothing more.

I give up.

 

[Riven]

Pretty sure God doesn’t split hairs. The fact that churches closed their doors in obedience to the government is sufficient. As it is, church attendance in the US is way down. Christians including pastors who believe the Bible is the inspired Word are fewer since the shutdown. Is it because the chance to stand in the face of untruth was surrendered? What will they surrender in the future?

It could also be an indication of a loss of faith. Many people lost loved ones to the pandemic. The grief might have been too much for some. Maybe they feel God doesn't care. This makes more sense to me than not going back to church because it complied with government mandates.

 

[WIP]

It could also be an indication of a loss of faith. Many people lost loved ones to the pandemic. The grief might have been too much for some. Maybe they feel God doesn't care. This makes more sense to me than not going back to church because it complied with government mandates.

That's one possibility. I have been wondering too if part of it is that the pandemic gave them the excuse they were looking for and once they stopped coming, it was easier for them to just not come back.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

It could also be an indication of a loss of faith. Many people lost loved ones to the pandemic. The grief might have been too much for some. Maybe they feel God doesn't care. This makes more sense to me than not going back to church because it complied with government mandates.

The majority who died were 75 and upwards. Losing your 80 year old grandpa is sad but it’s not he was expected to live another 30 years.

It is likely they got out of the habit. And how relevant is the preaching? What is one missing? There are growing evils in our society and many coming from government mandates. Are these ignored? The voices crying out warnings are not the ministers. Some even go along with the narrative as they did in Nazi Germans.

 

[Riven]

The majority who died were 75 and upwards. Losing your 80 year old grandpa is sad but it’s not he was expected to live another 30 years.

It is likely they got out of the habit. And how relevant is the preaching? What is one missing? There are growing evils in our society and many coming from government mandates. Are these ignored? The voices crying out warnings are not the ministers. Some even go along with the narrative as they did in Nazi Germans.

It's possible they weren't that invested in church and were only going out of habit.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

It's possible they weren't that invested in church and were only going out of habit.

That is likely. There is also a growing number of dedicated believers very dissatisfied with local churches which have become clubs in some cases. The preaching isn’t annointed. The songs are self praising. If a man has a passion for God, they won’t feel at home there.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

The OP was on how the church is silent. It has become, many of them, like the world. The alter has been replaced by a stage. The musicians who previously sat in the back so God receives the glory are now under spotlights so they do. They display their devotion to be noticed by others. We used to be asked to “sing” now we’re asked “worship” on command which is like saying “we are all going to now LOVE God.”