Speaking for myself as I’m working through some of this but wondering if this affects others: Did you go to service because of spouse/family/kids/s.o but just not feel the Holy Spirit/presence of God/whatever? After having attended services out of habit with and without my ex for the last 15 years, it just feels more clear that I couldn’t and can’t be a megachurch Christian in particular not just because of my doubts, but I just get bored by what is supposed to be uplifting praise music even when it is technically performed very well..,the whole but where some in the crowd raise their hands up in the air and what not.

And yet when I at least tried more traditional mainline denominations, I could at least feel a sense of sincerity in the choir, as old-fashioned as some of the hymns may have been, and for a long time I thought I might just be a Mainline Protestant who could deal with staid traditions because I could at least agree with the social justice messages, but the overriding message I’ve seen recently from a lot of Evangelicals around here is that any such church is invalid at best and to some, no better than nihilism (actual discussion I had with a couple of Christian Reformed Church pastors). So I guess what I’m trying to figure out is whether I tuned out the message because I’m not a “Believer” or if the message just isn’t communicated in a way that would ever get across to me.