Everything After - A 9.11 Youth Circle - Did you go to church after 9-11?

How many of you were Easter/Christmas churchgoers but after sept. 11 went to church more often? personally, i was raised in a Christian home and have gone to church all of my life. But it was amazing how our congregation grew after the WTC attacks. we had 2 make 2 services. but eventually it dwindled back down to however many people there were originally. what about you guys?

p.s. Happy Easter! ;)

Nope, I've always been anti-organized religion and Sept. 11th didn't change that. Seeing it's effects has only given me more reason to dislike it. But hey, I figured God would be cool to a lot of people for the first few months after Sept. 11th. Then when the world didn't end they didn't need to go to church anymore. Thus, bluegirly28, your congregation shrunk again.
...punch and pie
(Josh, I know you're gonna give me some hell for this post. We butted heads on this issue on the old board. Just be gentle.)

We didn't go to church after 9/11...we've rarely gone to church period. Living in the "Bible Belt" has given me reason enough to disagree with the southern Baptists and their beliefs... to me they're all a bunch of hypocrites (no offense to you Southern Baptists or just Baptists that are in here). I see the hypocrisy all the time...the preachers preach and preach about how alcohol is a sin and then on Sunday mornings after church they all run in and buy beer. I see it every Sunday, I work in a grocery store. And that's only one example.

I'm not atheist or anything..I just have my own beliefs and I believe that everyone should decide about religion for themselves. As for the 9/11 attacks, I don't think people here were as affected by it as people in other parts of the country. They never talked about it and it was very hard to get them to donate money to the Red Cross.

I personally was raised where we went to church every Sunday and if we couldn't go we made a point of going at least 2 times a month. Our church has always had 2 services on Sundays but we had to make 3 and now we're back down to 2 again. After the 9-11-2001 though I did go to the church to be with people I knew and to talk about it.

I do go to a Baptist church, but it's not Southern Baptist. We've always had 3 services and I didn't really notice a huge change after September 11. I've been raised in the church, so i've been a christian the majority on my life. After the attacks, I noticed a lot more emphasis on prayer in our nation. Did anyone else notice that? I know that most people think christians are a bunch of hypocrites, and it makes me so sad to think about it. I'm trying to keep an open mind in today's world because I don't want to be a hypocrite. Just thought I'd let you guys know that I'm open to your views.

I was raised in a christian home and I've always gone to a Southern Baptist church -- please don't hate me for that, rainydaygirl15. By the way not all Southern Baptists are like that.....just some and they tend to stick out. Try to look for some that aren't like that.

Everybody is a hypocrite in something that they say. I wish that people wouldn't say they are a christian but when they're alone they're smokin' something crazy -- it makes us all look bad.

Our church didn't really grow or anything, but [9.11] made us pray a little harder.
~happy easter

Yes, I attended church after 9-11. But my family has always attended church. But it's interesting to see how immediately following a tragic situation, people become very "religious," but a few months down the road, when everything seems "back to normal," they forget about their "new found religion" and continue on with this "nothing bad will every happen to me kind of attitude.

We have always attended church fairly regularly, but once in a while we would slack on our church going. I think we have really picked it up after 9/11, just because, because i knew some people that were really affected by it, i knew some in some odd ways, and they were VERY affected. But yeah, we have been attending church.

I used to go to church when I was younger, but only because my parents made me. I have not gone to church in a long time, and consider myself to be agnostic.

There is a direct parallel with this whole patriotism BS. Its amazing how people feel if they purchase an American flag(something that business have made so much money off) and stick it out their window that magically it makes them patriotic. Ever since we have started this "war against terror" I must say that I have never been more sad to be an American. I think in turn this relates back to the whole church thing. I don't know why people feel the need to go to a church after 9/11. Maybe they feel that if they do it then the people who died will be remembered? please someone help me on this.

The 9.11.01 attacks didn't change the way I went to church. I'm a christian and have been all my life. I always go to church and I participate in youth group activities. I also go to my friend's church sometimes because we're worshiping the same God so what does it matter which church you go to?

jessi514 I don't hate you b/c you're Southern Baptist...and I believe you when you say you're not like the ones here. The people here are one of a kind, if you get what I mean. I just don't agree with their beliefs, I mean, down here they condemn all gay and lesbian people to hell. I'm not a lesbian but my best guy friend is gay and I support him totally. I guess that's just one reason why I don't go to church. We're Methodist and there's only one Methodist church within 10 miles of my house. It's kind of wierd. And then I have this friend who goes to a Southern Baptist church and she says that Catholicism isn't a "real" religion...but it is, they just have different beliefs. People here are so close-minded. But that's why we don't go to church.

rainydaygirl5-- Yeah, I know what you mean about some Southern Baptists' views about Gays and Lesbians. I too have a best guy friend who is gay. His parents are very much "church-goers" and Southerners. As a result, his "coming out" was very difficult. Things have improved now, but still, I know where you're coming from with that.

However, I am Baptist (not Southern Baptist-- I'm not from the south) and I attend church on a regular basis. In our church, the issue of homosexuality is not discussed (if it is, it is not discussed as a sermon topic). I feel that there are parts of the Bible that need to be left up to personal interpretation.

Mags2003.... why do they need to show the attendance in a public place? Does your church feel the need to brag about how many souls it's "saved"? Do you guys look at the chart and brag, "Yay! let's be so proud that our church is so popular with SO many people!" Then do you use the same means to show attendance slipping. Once everyone knows attendance is down does it makes ya' all go out and save more "souls" 'eh?

I'm sorry, but I feel that church attendance need not be counted. It's between you and god.

...punch and pie

well, for our church, they don't keep an exact count, but they have to have a guess at the amount of ppl in attendance on average, so they know how many bulletins to print out. they don't want to have too many or too little, so they guess. but i understand how the whole "keeping track and posting attendance" can seem like they're bragging and all that, but i would be so quick to judge the church like that, just be careful.

Locke.....My church is full of old men who are interested in this type of information, so they put it in for them to see and I've been looking at it because they say it has decreased from last year. I don't see the decrease.

Mags2003