Sermon question time?

Hey KH.In my (admittedly) fundamentalist church services, the sermon is considered a presentation during which it is common practice to simply listen, absorb and comprehend.That's not to say there isn't an inordinate amount of grunting, incomprehensible muttering and/or other gutteral noise-making going on, usually after the pastor says something one or more people think is profound or important. In fact, they sometimes ripple around the sanctuary in sort of self-sustaining waves, dying out during significant, pregnant pauses. Since I generally don't agree with much with regard to religion, I enjoy rattling the animals' cages by asking various, frequently probing questions of the pastor. Yes, this time is either directly after the service or actually, anytime not during the sermon proper. These Q&A sessions will tend to get me into trouble with my wife, and usually gravitate toward a back hallway or somewhere other than common areas filled with nosy laity. However, I take the tack that the only stupid question is the one not asked.I do believe my pastor is getting frustrated with me. Have a good one.

Hey hooah.The church I attend touts as its main selling point that sermons are nothing more than large group bible studies. Each Sunday, one verse is highlighted and dissected, and each subsequent Sunday highlights the next subsequent verse, etc... "Verse by verse", book by book until you get to the end. Then you start over.Which is all fine and dandy, because on the face of it you'd think, "Hey, think of how much I'll be learning. We're really digging in to the text!" But as every different denomination has its own dogma, so this church spews some pretty fundamentalist, literalist BS as its dogma.So while you may think you're getting some straightforward tutelage on what the bible actually says, you're just being fed your church's interpretation of what they think these verses mean.What a joke it all is.Have a good one.

Hey Coyote. Subjectively, the faithful will all aver that their own dogma is the "most" true. Although no one faith can objectively and legitimately claim this, it doesn't stop them from attempting to do so based on unverifiable "miracles", "revelation", "religious experiences" and the like.Personally, I prefer to view these reasons for belief with skepticism. There's the rub, eh? Have a good one.

It seems as if you're under the impression that if a certain church service were to be offered under a Q&A format, that you'd get something other than his or her personal interpretation. I assure you, at least in my experience, that this would never be the case.Even after the service ends and you're in a more accepted venue in which to pose certain questions or comments, then still: I'm sure the main reason why questions aren't asked during the sermon is due to the fact that most people aren't there for that type of thing. Sure, it may allow someone to clarify this or that point, but I'd think the risk that it'd turn into an all-out debate is something most preachers would like to avoid, at least until a later time.But make no mistake: you'd still be getting his personal interpretations (or those of the church) whether in some hypothetical Q&A sermon or 6 hours later.

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"My own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose. J.B.S Haldane 1892-1964