A/N: I am agnostic. I was raised agnostic. This means that I cannot vouch for the truth in what I write here, because I have experienced only one of the three POV I have used.

As for the POVs themselves:
Plain Text: Someone walking into church for the first time
Italics: A 'backsliding' Christian
Bold: A true believer

And, again, this is my interpretation. This is what I think it must look like from each POV. The only one of the three I can be sure is correct is the one of the person walking into a church for the first time - because that was me some number of months ago. So please do not attack me as if I am either a 'true' Christian or a 'backsliding' Christian. I will not complain (too much) if you attack me for being agnostic.

Congregation

I walk into a church –
First time in my life! –
And I see the smiles that speak –
And I hear the voices that smile –
"Welcome, thank you for coming."

I walk into a church -
Every single week of my life –
And I see the hearts behind the smiles –
I see how they all wish to be elsewhere –
"Welcome, thank you for coming."

I walk into a church –
Every Sunday I can remember –
And I see the smiles of the ushers,
And I hear the joy of the people,
"Welcome, thank you for coming."

– – – – –

I stand amongst the congregation –
First time in my life! –
And I watch them shake each other's hands –
And I blink in surprise when they reach for mine –
"Glad to see you today."

I stand amongst the congregation –
Every single week of my life –
And I feel the apathy in the hands I shake –
And I see the eyes that give lie to the words –
"Glad to see you today."

I stand amongst the congregation –
Every Sunday I can remember –
And I reach for the hands of a lost-looking child,
And I smile from my heart as I say –
"Glad to see you today."

– – – – –

I sit in a pew –
First time in my life! –
And I am startled to see them all stand up
And sing with all their hearts and souls –
"Thou art a King among kings, my Lord!"

I sit in a pew –
Every single week of my life –
And I stand with the other secret sinners –
And I lift my voice to praise an unjust God –
"Thou art a King among kings, my Lord!"

I sit in a pew –
Every Sunday I can remember –
And I stand and dance with spontaneity –
And I lift my voice and heart to sing –
"Thou art a King among kings, my Lord!"

– – – – –

I reach for a bible –
First time in my life! –
And I watch others flip through theirs,
And find the passage in a few moments –
"Second Samuel, chapter six."

I reach for a bible –
Every single week of my life –
And since I know the bible outside in –
I know it all by rote – I find the passage quickly –
"Second Samuel, chapter six."

I reach for a bible –
Every Sunday I can remember –
And since I know the bible inside out –
I know it all for love of it – I find the passage quickly –
"Second Samuel, chapter six."

– – – – –

I'm inside a church –
First time in my life! –
And I gaze with wondering eyes
At the pastor's enthusiastic antics –
At the church-goers' rapture –
At the beautiful hymnbooks –
At the smiling choirboys –
And I see in this
A community of love –
And I think in my heart –
"If this is what it means to be a Christian,
Then let me be a Christian."

I'm inside a church –
Every single week of my life –
And I gaze with jaded eyes
At the pastor's useless antics –
At the church-goers' high-and-mighty righteousness –
At the hymnbook full of empty praise –
At the choirboys who are here because their parents wish it –
And I see in this
A community of obligation and lies –
And I think in my heart –
"If this is what it means to be a Christian,
Then let me be an atheist."

I'm inside a church –
Every Sunday I can remember –
And I gaze with contented eyes
At the pastor's joyful antics –
At the church-goers' absorption –
At the hymnbook of wondrous songs –
At the choirboys who sing with joy –
I see in this
My great and loving Family –
And I think in my heart –
"This is what it means to be a Christian.
This is who I am."

A/N: So ... feedback, please? Did I portray these thoughts correctly? Did I write in a cohesive and understandable manner? Anything that I should add?