i am jewish but, i don't believe that you have to go to a church or temple to prove your faith. it's from within. if you feel strongly about your beliefs...i don't feel praying is going to make or break how you feel. that's just one chicks opinion and i live with it! very good question, by the way!
My Faith has grown more since I left a formal church/religion. To me, living within the bounds of a "religion" was like being trapped in a small windowless cabin, and leaving it felt like I was seeing the wide open sky for the first time. My experience of God is so much bigger now that it's unconstrained by someone else telling me what I have to believe to belong to their church/religion.
i'll ditto BODs feelings quite strongly. once i left any kind of church, i've come up with a much clearer and more personal and more meaningful relationship with my concept of deity.
i mean, isn't the point of **faith** that you don't need proof, and isn't going to church just a group mass-convincing that we're all there for the same reasons? going to church for the fellowship & social aspects are one thing, but if you need the building and the congregation to solidify something, you're just being convinced anew every time you step foot inside.
I'm Catholic but I rarely go to church for the Sunday masses. Although as a Catholic we are supposed to be doing that every week, I believe that it's not the only way for my faith to grow. There are more than enough ways to strengthen our own faith like living the examples of Jesus in your words and deeds AT ALL TIMES. In the end, I still believe that one's sincerity to our faith and beliefs will more than just going to church every week.
I think faith can grow in as many ways as there are people, and so church is not the only way for that to happen. But I feel strongly that a good church is one where the fellowship--sharing struggle, search, and joy--will help your faith to grow.
