Church has a point, not just on the steeple.

On the way to the dentist this morning, Daniel Jr. and I started discussing church. He wanted to know why we have to go to church. "Why can't we just be good people?" Ironically, it sounded very much like the sentiment expressed in the majority of comments on this blog yesterday. I explained that church is not just a building, or a boring hour of listening to a man talk. I told him about the importance of community. I explained that church is a faith community, where people who believe the same things, gather together to learn about their faith and support each other.

He looked at me smugly, "Well, we have a community in our house and I know everything there is to know about God, so I don't need to go." I knew that trying to reason with him, would be pointless, so I made him a deal. I told him that if he could answer 1 question about our faith, that he would not have to go anymore. He agreed on the conditions of our deal. I asked him what heaven looks like. He sat quietly for a moment, then answered, "I'll never know the answer to that until I'm dead." Well, then that is when you can stop going to church, because that is the only time that you will truly have a complete understanding of our faith. " He continued to think for a minute, then replied, "Well, I'd better be a good person then, or I'll never get to stop going to church!"

I think he missed my point.