Opinion Please. Donating Time at a Church When I'm Not Religious

Keep volunteering. It is wonderful that you are doing this.
For what it is worth, I don't see this as hypocritical.

It would not bother me, people of faith teach my son non religious studies all the time. I also am a person of faith, but not a religious person.

I think they are lucky to have you. You clearly are wanting to do good for the community, and are very respectful of others' beliefs. This is refreshing to me! Things sometimes feel so divisive between religions and secular folks, I think you could be a great example of how we are all more alike than different, and that we can all co-exist!

Number one, you aren't a hypocrite. You are honest in your feelings. Number two, church is not just for believers. It's for people with questions or ambivalent feelings about religion.

Have you ever heard the term "preaching to the choir"? Ministers preach to those who already are believers, but they also want to minister to those who DON'T believe.

Any church that doesn't want non-believers to enter their doors is a church that has forgotten what their core mission is, J..

It is a sign of respect to bow your head in a house of prayer. That's not being hypocritical. That's being respectful and appropriate.

I would have no problem at all, especially if everyone and anyone is invited to attend the classes, not just church members.

In fact, I would bet the church wouldn't mind (as long as you don't go around deriding their faith), and would even secretly hope you would be so impressed by their community that you would eventually want to join the church. This could eventually be the one that "clicks" for you.

As a church member, I would be grateful that you were willing to volunteer your time to support the program.

well unless your "art" lesson centered totally on something connected to the churches religion then I am not sure why it would be a problem for anyone. My kids were all raised in catholic schools. not ever teacher in the schools was catholic.

We started going to a church because my kids participated in a vacation bible school our friend was running. We aren't very religious, but the kids loved it. I reconciled my doubts with the idea that this is not just a religious organization but a community support center. It helps that it's a methodist church that is a very open and liberal community and welcomes everyone. We've been going for a couple of years now. Still not sure how we feel personally, but I appreciate the community outreach and giving nature of the people - I serve on a couple of committees and even help teach sunday school, but still, I'm not deeply religious. I accept God as the good and loving nature of the human spirit. We are that supreme being in many ways. Perhaps not the only way. We are told we are made in His image, but I believe that we make him in our image. The lessons of how to behave and be a good person and universal, and I like the goodness that comes from that church. I don't know that all faiths or even all UMCs would work for me. But this does.

If you were teaching my child art, I wouldn;'t care what religion you followed or if you followed none at all. The only time I would be concerned about your religion in connection with my child would be if you were trying to convert her.

J.,
I don't think there is anything wrong with you teaching art to children in any setting. You're giving back to the community, and you're offering the talents God gave you. I don't think you are a hypocrite by doing that. If I were you , I wouldn't be concerned about how members of the church feel, if they were to see you in a negative light their being judgemental and that's not their place to pass judgement. What we do as believers ,(attend chuch and so forth) is supposed to be between us and God, and ultimately He is the one who will pass Judgement. There are plenty of people who attend church, but, it doesn't make them any better than anyone else when they don't practice Christianity or whatever their beliefs are,they are actually hypocrites. The church on Sunday & Wednesday, and in bars the rest of the week is a little contradictory, (unless you are there to bring people to the Lord) wouldn't you say. I applaud your efforts ! Happy Teaching, C. S.
I would not be offended if you taught my child art. Thank you for showing respect for other's beliefs, to bad there isn't more of that, there would be a whole lot less conflict in the world ,if everyone could do that. The bottom line is you are there to teach art, not religion, and children are benefitting from you.

it wouldn't bother me, but my answer may seem self-serving. i'm not christian, but i do teach a lot of christian kids in both co-ops and in the homeschool enrichment program at the CC. i don't impose my religious beliefs on my students, but if i'm teaching the Book of Job in my ancient world lit class, it's from a purely literary standpoint. i've had a few kids not come back because the content in a shakespeare class conflicted with their moral code, which i completely understand. but i'm not going to skew the bard, or any piece of literature, on the off-chance that it might offend. in your case, so long as you're not expected to teach a particularly religious view of your subject, it should work out just fine all round.
khairete
S.

When ever doing a good thing religion shouldn't matter.
If members of a church want an exclusive club they are cutting off their collective nose to spite their face.
Remember the Good Samaritan?
They are not Christians.
Samaritanism is an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism based on the religion of the ancient Israelites prior to the Babylonian Exile.
For that matter, who cares if the good thing is done by an atheist or not?
Good is good - leave everything else out of it.

You already said you had a wonderful time and respect everyone else's point of view on religion, isn't the #1 rule "Do unto others as you'd have done onto you"? so you had a wonderful time, the children I am sure LOVED having you there too, you bowed your head at prayer time, you showed great respect.
KEEP volunteering!! sound like you found a great place.

I would not be offended at all and I think you showed awesome respect at the time of prayer.
How nice of you to take time to teach art to children. That is a beautiful gift for you to give these children.
Many many blessings to you

I would urge you to keep doing this. These kids need you; if you leave, the program might have a tough time getting another teacher to replace you, and it's the kids who are left in the lurch.

Many churches host programs that are not necessarily part of the churches themselves and are not run by the church and those programs are full of folks who are not churchgoers or who even are not religious at all. It sounds as if the program you're working with does have some connection with the church itself, if prayers were said, but think about the big picture because you will encounter this again....

Will you not attend ball games where someone says a prayer? (Happens a lot at football games in some parts of the country.) Will you stay away from a social event at a church because at the start or end, someone might say a prayer, even if there is no other religious content? (Our church hosts a community dinner and one prayer is said to bless the food at the opening but otherwise it's not a religious event.) Will you not attend a friend's wedding in a church because it is, well, in a church, and is a religious service? Same goes for funerals, or being invited to a baptism. You can go to these things to share with your friends, your family, your community and in this case of the art class.

You get my point, I'm sure. You can't hide away from every program or event that might possibly contain a prayer. Well, actually you CAN avoid all such events, and there are people who do so out of sincere problems with religion and with being in any environment that includes religious expression by others. But your issue was with a specific denomination, not with the idea of a "supreme being." So unless you are against the idea of others expressing their religion where you might be present to hear it -- why would you deny yourself the chance to help with this program, or theoretically, to support a friend who is getting married in a church, or a family who is burying a loved one, or a kid who is playing ball in a church-sponsored league....

When prayer time comes there is no issue at all if you want to not bow your head! Just be silent (as I would be silent and respectful during prayers at any other faith's events). Nobody's going to call you out on it or ask, "Hey, why don't you bow your head and fold your hands?!" You are not a hypocrite, unless the art class is actively promoting religious values to the students and you can't live with that. Don't let the kids down; keep doing it if you want.

You should talk to the program's director. It doesn't matter how we feel about it. It matters how the church that is hosting the program feels.

J.,
As an artist and a borderline religious person myself, I love it. And as a C-buser, I'd love to know what church!

Clearly if the church offers this program to ALL children, regardless of faith, then it doesn't matter. They sound open and accepting to everyone, which, IMO, is EXACTLY how houses of worship should operate within the community.
There's nothing hypocritical about what you're doing, not at all. If you were claiming to be a Christian so you're child (and you) could participate in a program for Christians that would be a different story.

As a church member, I would be THRILLED if someone would want to teach art to my kids, regardless of their beliefs.

Thank you for volunteering your time to invest in kids.

I am a part time church employee, a church volunteer and church member/attendee. I say keep teaching. It sounds like they are lucky to have you. As long as you are respectful and don't do anything that interferes with their beliefs or teachings I think it is fine. In the church nursery where I work part time we have several staff members who are not members of our church. Some of them have had their kids participate in church activities, but they don't attend church themselves. As long as they are respectful of our beliefs, I don't care. Oh, the full time head of our church preschool isn't even our religion. She is Catholic and we are a Lutheran church! She's a great preschool leader/administrator. And I don't think you are a hypocrite because you are honest about your beliefs. Hypocrites say one thing, but do another, usually without honesty.

I would feel like donating time is giving. Giving to the church, the community, the kids, life in general. How could that be a bad thing.
I know lots of ex-Catholics who feel that the religion is more about law than grace. Not all religions are so focused on law, ritual, etc.
In short--I'd go--with an open mind, and an awareness of respecting the venue I'm attending. It's a CHURCH run art program.

As long as you teach art, not religion, I'm fine. I actually am more than fine. I am hopeful.

The power of The Holy Spirit is there. That's why you feel convicted. One day you will see Christ in His Beauty, as you shape and paint and glue and mold. Everything we do as artist just mimics the Creater as He was the first creator of beauty. As a Christian and Sunday School teacher and Artist, I don't see you blocking truth out. He's not convicting you, to reject you. He is drawing you closer. He says, they that come unto me, I will in no wise cast them out. Open your Heart.

You're doing some serious thinking here, and, if it were me, I would talk with the people who run the program.

I could care less. You are donating your time and talent.
It's a program they offer.
You feel guilt for no reason.

I would not feel offended. I am not clear about the lady who does the nursery in our church, but frankly I don't care. We have hired her to tend our little ones so we can attend the service and it is a job she is happy to have. She is great and that's all I care about, really. We also do ESL classes and I have no idea if some of the extra teachers are church goers or not. Does it matter? As long as they can be respectful during prayers and represent the church well while the are teaching, then they are welcome. I think I attended VBS as a child in almost all the local denominations, including Mennonite. Nobody threw me out and I got a lot out of it.

I kind of see it as similar to my child attending events (or me attending events) that are not offered by my church or by a church. Should she not attend a program at her friend's Jewish preschool if she is invited/it's open to the public? Should I not have gone to the Mennonite VBS even though I was never going to convert? It was not a problem. If they are open to the public, then you are public. You may find that you enjoy this program at this church, a service at another, a special event somewhere else. Faith isn't limited to a building.

If you are concerned, you can privately speak to whoever is running the program but I bet it's not a big deal to them at all. You said anyone can participate...and that means you, too.

I don't see why it would be a problem. You were being respectful. If you were teaching a bible class, that could be a problem. If you were using the art class as an excuse to tell youngsters their religion was wrong, that would be a problem. But you are genuinely wanting to give of your time and talent to help children with art, and I can't imagine anyone has a problem with that.

Also, have you tried a non-denominational church? One of my cousins grew up Jewish and her mom converted to Catholicism when before she married my uncle and she likes a non-denominational church near her.

If the members of that chuch have a problem with it, then they are the hypocrites. Christians should welcome everyone....not only those who believe.

I would not be offended at all. It's not like you are an atheist or something counter to christianity and trying to teach those beliefts to the children attending the class. You are teaching art to children, and you are respectful of the religious aspects of the church and it's members. You are helping the church and the children, as well as getting personal enjoyment out of it.

Please continue!

I wouldn't care. It's not Religious Art or Art of Religion. It's Art.

If they are true christians, they shouldn't judge you or be offended because you don't regularly attend church. God loves everyone, not just those that conform to a specified religion or form of worship.

You should be most welcomed at that church. The church is there for the unchurched as well. Where would churches be if they only accepted believers with a certain level of believe? How would they grow? As long as you are respectful, bow or don't bow your head during their prayer. You are not a hypocrite. Believers might say you were called to that church to do what you are doing or you are a seeker. You clearly have a gift to share and you like being there. The right church should have a community that you feel welcomed in and enjoy being with.Thank you for volunteering!

I think that it is great that you want to do this. I know lots of people who have changed their minds about organized religion, once they grew up. And I also understand craving the community of church, or any organization for that matter. I would not be against you at all coming to my church to volunteer. Churches love anyone who comes through the door. Well, most churches!! And besides, I didn't always know or recognize lots of the folks who helped out at our church anyway, when my boys were little. So unless it is a very small church, probably lots of people wouldn't even know you weren't a member.

It would not bother me at all!

I think it is wonderful. You provide a service for the children who attend the program. You get a feeling of satisfaction from deep within. No one is pounding or demanding that you join or do things the way of the church so continue on.

I have attended churches that I was not a member and enjoyed the friendship of the members and participated in some of their programs. There was on particular program I wanted to be in but as I went into it further, I would have had to become a member of the church and their beliefs to continue. I still continue to think of the church as my home even if I don't go as often as I did. Hubby has feelings for possibly going back to a Catholic setting again after we visited with friends and attended Mass in Dallas a few years back. So we are up in the air about religion and church. One day we will get it straight.

As I said enjoy what you are doing with the art class and enjoy life as you are.

the other S.

PS I help out a person who has a shop with her sewing classes once a month just because I love to sew. One day, we may have to come up with a plan for me for funds or something but right now I don't think much about it. We are trying to get the word out that we will help you and help you learn how to sew and do it correctly.

I would feel fine as long as you were not undermining the leadership and your sole role was to teach art not religion. Our children have many teacher in their lives, both of faith and not of faith. If the leadership knows where you stand and they are ok with it then it is not against their statement of faith to have you there. Share your gifts.

As an active member of a church, I would love it. So would God :) Go for it!