Ben, I have to say that I agree with basically everything you have said related to this matter.
More on the topic of "Real life person to person interaction is necessary" - God tells Christians not to foresake the assembling of other Christians, because he knows that we need that personal interaction. And like most things, nothing compares to the real deal. One thing that you get from a congregation of real people is LOVE and no matter how you try to simulate that, it can't be done.
In response to those who posted things about churches not being loving: you are either going to the wrong place, or looking for the wrong kind of love. There is love out in the church world. If the church you go to/went to isn't loving then you need to keep searching, not just give up and assume all churches are like that. And what I mean by wrong kind of love is that some people have this idea of what church love is supposed to be like and it is often unrealistic. You are never going to find a whole group of people that is without flaw - that will love you unconditionally and just be these perfect little people. The only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians believe in God and his laws/moral, they are forgiven, and they are (hopefully) trying to be better people on a daily basis. Sometimes people get this idea that Christians are perfect and should be expected to be perfect. That is SO far from the truth.
Church is like everything in life. If you don't find the "perfect job" on the first try, you keep trying. No job is perfect, and no church is perfect. All your coworkers aren't "all that", and neither will all the people in church. But, if you really want to work you keep searching....and if you REALLY want a relationship with God, you should keep searching.
The church, as God designed it, is perfect. But man, like usually, messed it up. There is no perfect church, because the church today has been muddled by the ideas of men over the ages. One is hard-pressed to find a church that matches what the apostles had. One would be encouraged to keep looking until you find the best thing you can that is right by the Bible and makes you feel close to God. If it happens to be virtual, I guess that is where you start.
I think that eventually there will be meetings of the "members" outside of the virtual church. We naturally want to know people. It is just like in the chat world - you eventually want to meet the people you have been chatting with.
I think it is a hokey idea for those who are physically able to go but don't. If you are able physically to go to church and don't, but go to the virtual church, than I think you need to evaluate your reasons for not wanting to go in real life. Motivation and problems aside, you either desire a relationship with God, or you don't.
I do think it will work on the level of shut-ins though. I think there are people out there who are shut-in who could potentially find some comfort in feeling like they are part of a "church" by using this virtual attempt. And if the people do start to meet in real life, then maybe this will be an opportunity to shut-ins to make Christian friends.
I still feel that nothing compares to the real thing, but if this will help bring people closer to God then it will be a good thing. I myself would never use this type of site, and/but I would hope that the site will encourage people to seek out local congregations, of whatever denomination, to find social interaction with other beleivers.
Slashdot Mirror
Ben,
I have to say that I agree with basically everything you have said related to this matter.
More on the topic of "Real life person to person interaction is necessary" - God tells Christians not to foresake the assembling of other Christians, because he knows that we need that personal interaction. And like most things, nothing compares to the real deal. One thing that you get from a congregation of real people is LOVE and no matter how you try to simulate that, it can't be done.
In response to those who posted things about churches not being loving: you are either going to the wrong place, or looking for the wrong kind of love. There is love out in the church world. If the church you go to/went to isn't loving then you need to keep searching, not just give up and assume all churches are like that. And what I mean by wrong kind of love is that some people have this idea of what church love is supposed to be like and it is often unrealistic. You are never going to find a whole group of people that is without flaw - that will love you unconditionally and just be these perfect little people. The only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians believe in God and his laws/moral, they are forgiven, and they are (hopefully) trying to be better people on a daily basis. Sometimes people get this idea that Christians are perfect and should be expected to be perfect. That is SO far from the truth.
Church is like everything in life. If you don't find the "perfect job" on the first try, you keep trying. No job is perfect, and no church is perfect. All your coworkers aren't "all that", and neither will all the people in church. But, if you really want to work you keep searching....and if you REALLY want a relationship with God, you should keep searching.
The church, as God designed it, is perfect. But man, like usually, messed it up. There is no perfect church, because the church today has been muddled by the ideas of men over the ages. One is hard-pressed to find a church that matches what the apostles had. One would be encouraged to keep looking until you find the best thing you can that is right by the Bible and makes you feel close to God. If it happens to be virtual, I guess that is where you start.
I think that eventually there will be meetings of the "members" outside of the virtual church. We naturally want to know people. It is just like in the chat world - you eventually want to meet the people you have been chatting with.
I think it is a hokey idea for those who are physically able to go but don't. If you are able physically to go to church and don't, but go to the virtual church, than I think you need to evaluate your reasons for not wanting to go in real life. Motivation and problems aside, you either desire a relationship with God, or you don't.
I do think it will work on the level of shut-ins though. I think there are people out there who are shut-in who could potentially find some comfort in feeling like they are part of a "church" by using this virtual attempt. And if the people do start to meet in real life, then maybe this will be an opportunity to shut-ins to make Christian friends.
I still feel that nothing compares to the real thing, but if this will help bring people closer to God then it will be a good thing. I myself would never use this type of site, and/but I would hope that the site will encourage people to seek out local congregations, of whatever denomination, to find social interaction with other beleivers.