Tried Out a New Religion - Fieldwork Project
Thesis
If you were raised as a Catholic, you would think that going to church is “ serious business,” and
that you have to speak quietly when you go inside. I went to an Evangelical church that showed me another side of religion, full of upbeat music, dancing, singing, and new friends.
Why?
Most of these people go to this worship house because they get the spiritual energy they need to fulfill their purpose in life. They use this day to reflect on their busy week, receive the word of God, and find the strength to move forward. I spoke to a lady who told me that she grew up in that church, so it is the only place she would go to worship God. I also spoke to a group of friends who live close to the church, so it is easier for them to be consistent with their attendance.
Description
My first observation was that everyone was always smiling. When you go to a Catholic church service, you usually see a more conservative attitude, but here, people behave as if they are celebrating something. A lot of people arrived early (about 40 minutes before the service), especially women. They would gather in small groups and have long conversations about their community and the events that they had in the upcoming weeks (most of them were charity events). The church had an event calendar on the wall where you could see all the activities of the month. They slowly started to find a place to sit and the service began. The pastor of the church welcomed everyone and announced the newcomers by calling out their names (including me) and told us that this would be a great experience that God had prepared for us. After this, musicians from the church began to play songs (the lyrics were on the projector) so everyone else followed by singing out loud. I noticed that everyone would dance and clap, raise their hands, sing, and close their eyes in certain songs, especially the ballads. The pastor then talked about the importance of “giving,” and the service proceeded with more music while people stood up to put envelopes with money inside a box. This is the only time when people took a more reserved attitude and walked slowly, almost always looking down. I'm not sure if this is a way to show respect, or if it’s just the way it works for them. Many children walked up to leave the envelope as well. When everyone was sitting down, the pastor went back to the stage and talked about a specific verse from the Bible. He would ask people to say, “Amen” out loud after a certain phrase and people were energized as they said, “Amen” back. I noticed that everyone felt like a family because the pastor would mention names from the audience, and they would all laugh together as if they knew each other for a long time. This made me realize that, if I kept going to those services, I would have been part of that big family of Christians. At the end of the service, they would hug each other and always go to the next group of people by saying, “God bless you.”
Interpretation
This experience confirms the idea from the lectures that women are a big part of religion because the most involved individuals were women, including the ones who would approach me to ask for my name and background. I see this service as a celebration of life and a way to be thankful. I also felt that their attitude creates an atmosphere of joy that helps you find purpose in going to service: to be happy and grateful.
Interviews
To them, this is the place where God speaks to them. They feel as if they are receiving light and blessings just by physically being there, and that they have worshipped their God on this day to be worthy of His blessings. They have also donated money to the church and this means that they are giving a portion of their income to God to become more like Jesus: the man who gave his life for them.
American Society
American society is a society that focuses on volunteering and helping people a lot more than other societies. I see that this group of people works relentlessly on finding new ways to give. The larger American society is also in tune with the artistic influence of music. There was a lot of music in the service and this creates a connection between Christianity and the rest of American society.
Conclusion
This experience taught me that there are religions and traditions for all the types of personalities in the world. Anyone can find a family in a church like this one. There is no “too serious” or “too dramatic” when it comes to worshipping God, and everything is valid to celebrate your beliefs. I realized I like this energetic way of praying, dancing, and singing to God; it was inspiring and the experience lifted my spirits.
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