I've been in Pentecostal churches in the past where people have got really caught up in the emotion and started acting, well, quite scarily to me. You know what I mean, crying, shaking, speaking in tongues, fainting. I've never quite known what to make of that, it doesn't happen in the Church of England.

But there is something that touches me when I hear a wonderful church choir or a gospel group. I don't know if it's just the music, or something else. Most of the time, when I allow myself, I can hear the music. I'll reserve judgment on whether it's something more than sounds + acoustics.

Heh. I'm in the AMEN corner for our choir. I don't generally get all worked up in church, but sometimes when the choir just nails a hymn, I'll shout out from the back, "AMEN!" when they finish.

But FYI, these devotionals are all written by Presbyterians, otherwise known as The Frozen Chosen. Probably not unlike the Church of England in emotional content typically.

This Christmas in Ohio I'll attend two churches - Lutheran and United Methodist. If I were staying at home, I would probably go to the local church for the candlelight carol service on Christmas Eve, but would otherwise not go to any other service. But I'm a guest, and my hosts are churchgoers, so I will go with them.

The Lutheran church is very much like the most staid C of E churches I've been to. Lots of worship but not much, er, rejoicing.

The UM church, OTOH, is great. It has a young minister and a vibrant congregation, with lots of outside community activities too. I enjoy the services for the music and fellowship. The only difficulty I have is that I'm not a believer.

Heh. It can be pretty hard to believe it you just don't. I've flitted around that neighborhood but always seem to land just this side of the believer/non-believer line....

I believe there is something to all this Bible stuff, that there is an ultimate being behind it all, but I can't help but feel a lot of Life-of-Brian stuff went on during the early days of the franchise.

I believe there is something to all this Bible stuff, that there is an ultimate being behind it all, but I can't help but feel a lot of Life-of-Brian stuff went on during the early days of the franchise.
You nailed the way I feel exactly.

I often get the impression that God gets a chuckle over how the terrestrial knuckleheads messed up the message.