Did you know that 50 percent of Americans do not go to church? Time and time again I have been asked "Do you go to church?" and when I say "No" they assume that I am not very religious. Little do they know that my whole life I have grown up with a strong belief in God and what he stands for. There is a stereotype stating that those who do not go to church are not religious. That is not true at all and here is why...

1. YOU are the church. When you wake up on Sunday, wherever you are with God is where your church is.

No matter if you are watching television on your couch on Sunday morning drinking a cup of coffee and counting your blessings, you are at your church because God is there with you.

2. God can be spoken to all of the time whether you are a church goer or not.

No matter where you are, if you try to speak to God, he will speak back in mysterious ways.

3. We blossom our faith through God, family, and our community. Some folks find their community in church. Some find it other ways.

If you consider your faithful community your church, then that is great. If you consider your friends and your family your community, there is no problem with that at all.

4. Experiences that occur through our life strengthen our faith.

That car accident that should have been fatal makes you have more faith than you were before. The cancer that your family member had and beat makes you more faithful than you were before.

5. There is nowhere in scripture where Jesus commands us to go to church to be religious.

In scripture, God states that he wants his people to gather in their place of sanctuary. Whether that is home or church, your sanctuaries are equal.

6. There are alternative ways to practice faith: prayer, meditation, saying grace, etc.

People like to practice faith in many different ways. That is what makes religion so unique because it is what you make of it.

7. Not going to church will not send you to hell or make God love you any less.

God loves everyone through everything, Unless you are breaking the ten commandments, then you are doing no wrong in God's eyes.

8. Alone time with God with no church makes you realize the questions, observations, expressions and conversations you have for him.

Some people only talk to God through church. Those who do not and just focus on him in their alone time can have just as good of a personal relationship with him as church goers.

9. Faith is a personal thing so you can have a personal outside relationship with God with no judgment.

No one should be able to judge someone on whether they go to church or not. Although, I do realize it is some human nature to observe others in many ways, your relationship with God should not be something that is observed heavily.

10. I should be able to believe how God looks in my eyes, not how my church wants me to see him.

Church tends to teach you specific ways to look at God. I want to be able to look at him the way I want to.

11. There is not a "right way" with faith, it is only "your way".

At church, I always feel like there is a right way of looking at scripture and God. I do not feel as if there is a right way, there is only your way!

12. I have experienced God's love in more ways outside of church than in church.

In many ways, I have experienced life changing events that have caused me to ponder that God made this happen for a reason; because he loves me.

I am not saying that is a bad thing to go to church. I am saying that it is not a bad thing to NOT go to church! For those who are like me and do not go to church every Sunday but are in fact religious, do not feel bad!