Hey I want to start going to church around here but I don't know what are the good ones to go to. I'm looking for something that has a bit of a younger crowd like me so I can meet people and is fun and lively and I can actually enjoy it and won't be boring. I'm not sure what denomination I belong to but I am regular christian, and I am comfortable whether it is baptist, catholic, prebytarian, whatever. Anything that I can really enjoy and meet some cool people and talk about god. I'll even go to a synagogue if it's really cool.

Can anybody help me choose? Thanks!

12/20/2008 1:17:41 PM

you get you some of that naughty godly tail, son

12/20/2008 1:33:54 PM

This thread won't end well...

regardless, I go to Hope Community Church over on Buck Jones Rd and love it. They aren't pushy and the thing I love about it the most is that the pastor is honest about things he struggles with too and isn't one of those "I'm holier than thou" southern baptist preachers. They are non-denominational.

http://www.gethope.net

12/20/2008 1:51:24 PM

I don't go to church, but you should check out the unitarian universalist fellowship on wade ave.

12/20/2008 2:01:40 PM

Just write me a weekly check and I will make you feel like you are a better person than you really are.

12/20/2008 2:08:09 PM

I hear the kids like Vintage21.com

12/20/2008 2:32:38 PM

Quote :

"I am regular christian, and I am comfortable whether it is baptist, catholic, prebytarian, whatever."

does not compute

I second Hope church. The pastor isn't afraid to call out people - not personally, but he does get onto the congregation for certain things

12/20/2008 2:35:51 PM

^nah, that's fine, I think the bigger issue is his mention of going to a synagogue as a "regular christian"

12/20/2008 3:05:42 PM

^I never said that. I said that I am a regular christian.

But I would attend a jewish synagogue if it's really cool.


If you just said that to be funny, then it's ok. But def. not what I said

12/20/2008 3:23:29 PM

^^ True, true.

12/20/2008 3:25:18 PM

I just want to find a cool church to attend on Sundays, that's all. I like the Hope church recommendation, I think I might check it out, tahnks

12/20/2008 3:26:29 PM

you just want to dip your stick in some of that holy nasty wasty

amirite?

12/20/2008 3:41:51 PM

This thread won't end well...

12/20/2008 3:51:52 PM

it sounds like you are more concerned about coolness than religion

12/20/2008 4:04:48 PM

Quote :

"I go to Hope Community Church over on Buck Jones Rd and love it. They aren't pushy and the thing I love about it the most is that the pastor is honest about things he struggles with too and isn't one of those "I'm holier than thou" southern baptist preachers. They are non-denominational. "

try this, the younger crowd sits up top or on the left (if you are facing the stage).

12/20/2008 4:13:59 PM

^and go a little early so you don't have to deal with the offsite parking....there's a reason it fills up fast

12/20/2008 4:14:47 PM

Just started going there with Spontaneous, we like it.

12/20/2008 4:22:26 PM

Quote :

"This thread won't end well..."

12/20/2008 6:03:41 PM

just stick a spoon through your eye socket and hollow out your skull. same effect

12/20/2008 6:11:30 PM

Quote :

"Hope Community Church over on Buck Jones Rd"

cody and i have been meaning to go here for a while.
maybe we will tomorrow

12/20/2008 6:17:24 PM

Haha, TWW sighting @ Hope tomorrow? I'll be at the 11:15 service.

12/20/2008 6:25:05 PM

^if not tomorrow, it will be soon (we'd probably hit up the 9:30)

12/20/2008 6:26:34 PM

cddweller and I will be at the 11:15 at Hope Community Church. We've been going on Saturdays, but she's shooting GREEN JAY's reception this weekend. The first weekend we were there, I gave her a tour of the place. I showed her the paintings that are sometimes made while the sermon is happening. I hadn't been there in a while, so I didn't realize the old older youth place was now Kid City.

Quote :

"I second Hope church. The pastor isn't afraid to call out people - not personally, but he does get onto the congregation for certain things"

I remember this pastor calling out the people who call out others' vanity, by calling out the people who had braces. He also called out the CEO's in church during one sermon. Mike Lee = awesome.

I'm still wary of a church that has a Starbucks and is located in Cary, but it's better than anything I've found so far.

12/20/2008 6:31:37 PM

they have a starbucks at the church?
someone needs to go turnover some tables

12/20/2008 6:34:17 PM

Well, it's not an actual Starbucks store, its their own coffee place that volunteers work at that happens to brew Starbucks coffee, so sorta

12/20/2008 6:36:31 PM

TJB627, did you go to the Christmas pageant this year? I haven't seen one since 2006.

12/20/2008 6:41:30 PM

I did, it was... interesting. It definitely wasn't a normal church Christmas pageant. It had some ballerinas, some comedy, some singing, a little bit of everything really. But overall, it had a good message.

12/20/2008 6:43:34 PM

Quote :

"I remember this pastor calling out the people who call out others' vanity, by calling out the people who had braces."

Ignorance like this is part of the reason I abandoned Christianity.

Quote :

"I'm looking for something that has a bit of a younger crowd like me so I can meet people and is fun and lively and I can actually enjoy it and won't be boring."

Not to question the motivation of this OP in particular, but this goes back to my feeling that the majority of people who go to church these days are looking more for a group with which to identify than to find a place to worship a creator which, if push came to shove, many would disavow in a heartbeat.

12/20/2008 7:00:36 PM

Quote :

"Not to question the motivation of this OP in particular, but this goes back to my feeling that the majority of people who go to church these days are looking more for a group with which to identify than to find a place to worship a creator which, if push came to shove, many would disavow in a heartbeat."

That seems to be 90% of churches these days. I still like Hope and would like to do more with the church and for the church.

12/20/2008 7:10:40 PM

Ah yes, coolness. That's a good reason to pick a church. It ranks way above your actual beliefs lining up with the church's.

12/20/2008 7:40:21 PM

i recommend Vintage 21

12/20/2008 8:48:21 PM

Quote :

"you just want to dip your stick in some of that holy nasty wasty amirite?"

12/20/2008 8:50:12 PM

What about that fucking cult that used to prey on college kids? I went to a "service" for that one time. Seemed like it was in an office center out by the airport. Not a single cross or anything, and you had to buy your damn hymnal. WTF?

12/20/2008 11:14:42 PM

Quote :

"What about that fucking cult that used to prey on college kids?"

any religion? you're talking about any religion, right?

12/20/2008 11:19:58 PM

You mean the Grace folks?

12/20/2008 11:23:39 PM

Quote :

"Ah yes, coolness. That's a good reason to pick a church. It ranks way above your actual beliefs lining up with the church's. "

I'm starting to think church for a sense of community is better than church because you think everyone else is going to Hell.

12/20/2008 11:26:00 PM

Fuck if I know. Just know it was in an office complex and looked NOTHING like a church and pretty much had nobody over 35 in the audience. And they strongly discouraged their members from moving away from the area to pursue their careers once they graduated because they didn't want them to leave the flock. Fuck that shit. Any church that tells me I can't move because I would not be with them is bullshit. The church I go to had a longtime family leave because they got a good job in Alaska. Instead of pulling them down, we had a dinner and going away party for them.

12/20/2008 11:28:40 PM

Helpful guide for what is allowed by religion
http://www.acme.com/jef/religion_sex/

12/20/2008 11:30:05 PM

Every religion is going to have people that take the religion too far and scare people away and other people will have churches that do relatively nothing. You have to realize you are dealing with humans here. 95% of them are stupid.

12/21/2008 12:39:14 AM

how the hell can you be comfortable no matter what religion?

surely you have something between your ears

and what the hell is a regular christian, u just named three different christianities


i dont think you know anything

12/21/2008 12:45:17 AM

http://www.catholic-ncsu.org/

very close to campus and I like the student masses on Sunday. mainly Students but a few older adults. More laid back because its aimed for students. and they'll be happy to talk to you about God

12/21/2008 12:48:39 AM

You can come hang out with Snewf, myself, and some other Atheists if you want. We have no problem with talking to you about your god.

12/21/2008 12:51:24 AM

i consider the more laid back churches to be geared towards the older crowd

12/21/2008 1:00:44 AM

Quote :

"how the hell can you be comfortable no matter what religion? surely you have something between your ears and what the hell is a regular christian, u just named three different christianities i dont think you know anything"

Not sure if this was directed at me, but I'll answer anyway. I'm sure there is a God, because science cannot explain everything and will never explain everything. I love God, it's the Christians I can't stand, since people usually interpret the Bible to push their own agenda. I don't want to be an eat, drink, and be merry Christian, nor do I support the "faith only" Christ followers. I like churches that can explain the theory and actually practice the theory, without alienating people by forcing them to adhere to extremist policies (ie Grace).

I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do know how to start looking. Realistically, people find faith in whatever is the most comfortable and/or convenient, whether it be sex, money, power, or God. I am of the mindset that there is something better than this moronic, sick, and twisted world, but I am not going to be pigeonholed into one person's version of the Bible (at the same time, I try to avoid being a selective-rules Christian). It is up to every individual to want to find the answers and it can be much easier if you go at it with a community.

12/21/2008 2:12:00 AM

its not about being pigeoon holed into one persons view

its about finding doctrine that you agree with, you should have some form of inclination towards something if you are looking to fit in and be involved

12/21/2008 2:56:22 AM

Quote :

"I'm starting to think church for a sense of community is better than church because you think everyone else is going to Hell."

There are a lot of ways to get a sense of community. All kinds of organizations you can join that don't involve faking, ignoring, forgetting, or otherwise subjugating the things you actually believe.

People like this wankstain are part of why I quit going to most protestant churches, especially those that are "youth oriented." They were consistently full of people who just wanted a social club that would make them look like good little boys and girls while in reality just giving them a cover to be whores. And whether the little bastards are going to hell or not, they're cheapening the church and everything it stands for by using it as a clubhouse.

12/21/2008 3:58:04 AM

Thank you!

12/21/2008 9:06:08 AM

dharney are u sigle? Y/N
i see high probability of Y

12/21/2008 10:04:15 AM

Quote :

"I'm sure there is a God, because science cannot explain everything and will never explain everything."

How does that give proof of God's existence?

The "God of the gaps" argument is especially dangerous as it encourages those who want a god to exist to seek him not through knowledge but through ignorance.

12/21/2008 10:09:18 AM

I have no counterargument, except to bring up the whole knowlege is not equal faith thing, but that is a dangerous can of worms as well, since to spout faith as a defense trivializes the whole doctrine.

Part of me thinks that I'm against the American/Epicurean lifestyle merely because I was not able to be part of it. I also believe that Pascal's Wager is a good way to go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager

12/21/2008 10:17:39 AM