Am I obligated to attend church with my parents?

[Anonymous]

My parents left my childhood church after my youngest was baptized and now attend another denomination. I no longer live in their area, but I am back frequently and attend services at my old church when I'm there on a Sunday. Same priest is there. I still have friends there.

This year, I will be in town in Easter on a long layover (read: not to see family, though I will make time for them, as I always do). Am I obligated to attend my parents' church because it's Easter, or can I attend my own? I've never attended with them, and while I know they want to show me off to their new friends, I do not find the denomination fulfilling, especially on such a holy day. But...family obligations. Would love some unbiased thoughts.

[Anonymous]

It would be a nice gesture to go with them as a social thing. Would you consider going to mass twice - early in the AM at yours, and then your parents' preferred service and you join them for a meal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be a nice gesture to go with them as a social thing. Would you consider going to mass twice - early in the AM at yours, and then your parents' preferred service and you join them for a meal?

Yes...but I should have said mine only has one serviced and it conflicts with their preferred one. Maybe I can talk them into earlier at theirs, though?

[Anonymous]

No you are not obligated. I wouldn't go to a different denomination for Easter especially.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think I would say you are obligated. How much you want to keep the peace would be how I decide. Are your parents just eager to show off at the new church or are they pressuring you to go as a family?

My husband and I are a different denomination and we visited my family for Easter one year and we went to our choice of church alone no questions asked because my parents didn’t care. (When they came to visit us for Easter last year they didn’t go to our church—and my husband is the pastor. 😂)

[Anonymous]

Obligated? Of course not.

Go to your own church for services.

[Anonymous]

If you are an independent adult, then no, you are not obligated.

I will give you an example.

The last time I attended the church I grew up attending, one of the teens in the parish threatened one of my kids and punched him after the service. They called him a rich kid and demanded money, so I haven’t been back.

The priest also gave me a huge, inappropriate sales pitch and gave a sermon in which she called me out for not donating enough (I put some cash in the offertory).

So I go to other parishes on my own when I attend church with my family.

[Anonymous]

Obligated no. Would it be nice for them if you did yes. Unless the Church openly preached against something I support I would go. ( like an anti lgbt Church for example)
I am Episcopal but if I was seeing family that attended a Methodist Church I would do. I would attend a Catholic Church depending on their stance on lgbt families.

[Anonymous]

I would go with your family. That said, if you are Catholic and the eucharist is important to you, go to a Catholic Church for Easter because it is an important part of that religion. I am a Protestant so I go to my DH's Catholic Church on holidays and simply don't take communion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would go with your family. That said, if you are Catholic and the eucharist is important to you, go to a Catholic Church for Easter because it is an important part of that religion. I am a Protestant so I go to my DH's Catholic Church on holidays and simply don't take communion.

This is exactly my problem. No Eucharist at their church.

[Anonymous]

So go to yours. Why did they leave? Due to the child abuse within the church?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obligated no. Would it be nice for them if you did yes. Unless the Church openly preached against something I support I would go. ( like an anti lgbt Church for example)
I am Episcopal but if I was seeing family that attended a Methodist Church I would do. I would attend a Catholic Church depending on their stance on lgbt families.

How would you know this for a one off attendance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So go to yours. Why did they leave? Due to the child abuse within the church?

What child abuse? They had a falling out with another family that turned ugly and since they'd moved 30 minutes away, they decided to dispense with the drama and find somewhere else to go.