I wasn't raised in any religious tradition (except insofar as you could consider my parents' committed atheism a "religious" position). I don't really believe in god but I don't believe in no-god. it's just never been part of my life. But I am really isolated and missing a sense of community. I also struggle a lot with depression and I've considered "finding religion" but I don't really know where you start with that. forgive me if this is a weird question. just something on my mind right now.
edit: i'm not asking abt any specific religious tradition. I live in a big american city so i'd probably have a variety of options but it seems to me that the most likely places would be churches of any denomination or a mosque.
Short answer no. There have been many times non-Jews have attended synagogues I’ve been at. I would say the proper etiquette would be to inform a congregant, an usher if there is one, of your interest or curiosity, just so you’re included in the appropriate parts, but not offered responsibilities or honors that are reserved for members/adherents of that faith tradition.
I’m speaking in general terms, but typically in Judaism there are some prayers or Torah readings that are reserved for Jewish people, and there is a minimum quorum of 10 Jews (Men in Orthodoxy, adults in the liberal denominations) required for some practices. You would want to let someone know to prevent you being counted as the “10th.”
I know Unitarians would be welcoming of you. I can't really speak about others.
I was about to say this. I'd you're interested in the community aspect of church and want to dip your toes into the discussion / group aspects then hit up a Unitarian group.
It may even give you a good idea on how to start or even be a pathway to other community organisations (local councils, community education, reading groups etc.) as Unitarians are generally massive nerds but pretty active in community.
No, I don't think so. My mom has been considering doing the same thing. Like others have already said making sure you don't accidentally partake in a ritual reserved for the initiated is a good idea. I figure if you adhere to a base level of respect any good house of worship will be happy to have you (good being a very operant word there - if you're part of a historically marginalized group some cursory research of the org in question might be good to avoid bigotry)
in my experience Catholic churches are fine with it, just don't take communion
I imagine most churches would be okay with you simply attending, the only issue I could see in a regular service is some places would not want you taking the eucharist as an unbaptized atheist.
Outside of service I know a decent amount of charities or social functions really just want volunteers from the community regardless of faith or church membership.
some places would not want you taking the eucharist as an unbaptized atheist.
What this means at a Catholic mass is that when everyone lines up to get bread and wine from the priest, you should cross your arms across your chest when you get to the front to receive a blessing from the priest instead of the bread. Nobody will give a damn about this, but if you take communion at mass without being a baptized Catholic they would be annoyed.
You don't have to be a baptized Catholic. The Catholic church considers any baptism performed in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit and involving contact with water as valid. This includes most other Christian denominations, including orthodox Christians, Anglicans, Lutherans and Baptists.
I think most places would be welcoming to someone who is interested in getting to know the religion and finding out if its for them.
Try Eastern Orthodox. They've got awesome music. And beards! Oh my, the beards. And you can venerate an icon!
It is not weird in the slightest, and I think prety much any congregation would be happy to have you there. If you live in a big city you should also be able to find actual events where people who do not follow that religion are specifically invited in order to maintain good relationships and understanding between different faiths. Pretty much any priest/imam/rabbi would be happy to talk to you at any time, so there is no need to stick to those scheduled events, but if you are unconfortable asking for their time you could probably find a scheduled time where you are specifically invited as someone who is not a part of the religion.
I also live in a big city, and while I am comfortable in my atheism I do have a fairly major church close to where I work. I will visit sometimes just to sit on an uncomfortable bench in a large quiet room and marvel at the lack of advertisements. I think it has done wonders for my mental well-being.
