Last night my roommates’ parents took us out to dinner and the conversation of megachurches came up. Mentioning my congregational visit really sparked the conversation and brought them to tell me about how they visited someone else’s church yesterday in La Verne. They said there was a couple thousand people there, so I considered it to be a megachurch. I brought up how the people go to church because of the figure head that is leading the church rather than the belief of the religion or they are still astray at why they are there. This lead my friends and roommates’ parents to talk about our religious backgrounds and how they are so different. Being from a private Christian school going to the site visit of an evangelical protestant church was very close to home for me. Talking about the book of Romans and how Paul gave his life to devote others to worship God through his word. The pastor talked about how any exposure to the Gospel is exposure to God. Listening to one verse is an encounter with God and can change your life forever.
The church was a very formal place with an informal vibe to it. The people around didn’t dress too nice with some being in khaki shorts while others were in jeans and a sweater. The pastor was in a suit and that really made him stand out as an important figure. It was a good experience and next congregational visit im going to branch out and go to a Mormon church to see how it is.
Interesting that the pastor alone dressed formally, when the congregants didn’t. Also, interesting to consider what draws people to churches, it is the beliefs, the pastors, or the fact that thousands are attending???
In a sociological perspective, do you think talking about religion in a public setting is somewhat of a taboo or unusual? I know from my personal experience, religion can sometimes be an awkward conversation to talk about if people have differing views.