Call me the naive one (or a sinful and willingly 'dead in ignorance' type), but last I went to church was at sixteen. This was around the prime time of questioning as to what I believed and followed and thought that the solution was to head to church after insisting myself weeks prior to it that I'd go. Attended Sunday night mass and left. It wasn't the same anymore. It used to be something that helped me to get through the week even if I didn't know everything about it. The people who attended weren't so bothersome, but there wasn't a connection either.
In a way, I'm glad I was raised in the Catholic church I went to for religion classes and whatnot. It wasn't the best and there were definitely flaws now looking back. But with the way many shun you just because you don't do something they say is what drives one out so quickly. I remember a nun told us that if we didn't attend to every Sunday mass, we would be questioned and ultimately sent to hell. -shrugs-
I've looked into other sections somewhat. Some seem a bit crazier than others, but I'll admit that I'm probably going by stereotype more than anything else.
For many, many years I didn't go to church myself, as I always said going to church won't save you....people disappoint and then you have the examples that have been posted previously about injustices and judgments placed on us by people who are sinners too....
I finally got to the place that when I go to church it is to be with God and spend time with Him and I don't care what goes on around me. If someone said something not so nice to me I'd probably take a look back at the sermon of the day and say....Oh, that's why satan is working so hard to keep me out of church because we are learning about salvation and God's love and the ultimate sacrifice He has made just to save me.... Because really don't we all want to become more like Jesus and have that close connection that He had with the Father? I do and that is why I go to church...
I know tourist and I thought we were going to an SDA church one Saturday and ended up in a Hindu temple but we worshiped God there anyway amongst the idols when we knelt down to pray we prayed to the Creator Living God and He knew it.... got to witness to the kind gentleman that was in the temple and left Christian literature with him that he was looking at as we were leaving....
God lives in our hearts and He has promised to be with us to the end of the world....He goes where we do when we are doing His will....when tourist realized it was a mistake he wanted to leave and I said no...we are on a mission from God and this is where He wants us and we worship here today... and we did....lol