Advice on Denominations?

[Whiterain]

What about folk like me, who know not where our ancestors came from?

That's a intellectual question and I'm more of a talent in muledom.

There are dna services available that can give you some "sketchy" estimations on your ancestry... It's a bit pricey but you may find out you're political or even divine comedy material.

 

[Callisto]

What about folk like me, who know not where our ancestors came from?

I wouldn't worry about what all your ancestors did. Even if you knew your genealogy, and just in terms of individuals you're directly descended from, you're talking about literally thousands of individuals - and that's not going that far back. Just going back to 1800, the number of grandparents is 64; go back to 1700 and the number jumps to 1024. Each person with their own ideas and life journey. Just like today, not everyone stays in the same religion, sometimes they might have even hid their religion because it differed from the majority.

You're not your ancestors (in this regard). Your spiritual view and choice of practice is yours alone.

 

[RedDragon94]

Alright, so some of you may have seen my past post. Well, over the course of that post to the post, my faith has grown considerably, so that's something. The problem is that I have been searching up on denominations of Christianity, and none that I have found seems to really fit with my beliefs. I am a believer in the mixture of science with religion. I believer in order to understand God's word, we must look at it from a rational perspective. I accept that we cant 100 percent know with truth that God exists, but I believe He does. If anyone has any denomination of Christianity that, even in some way, fits into these categories, I'd be really appreciative.

The United Church of Christ popped into my head when I read this. They are also a mainline/liberal denomination with an interest in social justice.

 

[Treks]

I agree with an earlier poster regarding Catholicism. The only problem there is that they won't budge on birth control.

Anglican/Episcopalian is like Catholic Lite, and some of their churches are very progressive and liberal to the point of having gay an female bishops.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Rival]

I agree with an earlier poster regarding Catholicism. The only problem there is that they won't budge on birth control.

Orthodox allow condoms though

 

[Animore]

The United Church of Christ popped into my head when I read this. They are also a mainline/liberal denomination with an interest in social justice.

Alright, I'll look it up, thanks!

 

[Animore]

I agree with an earlier poster regarding Catholicism. The only problem there is that they won't budge on birth control.

Anglican/Episcopalian is like Catholic Lite, and some of their churches are very progressive and liberal to the point of having gay an female bishops.

Good luck with your search.

Thank you! I've been looking into Anglicanism a bit, and I'm not too sure about it, but I'll definitely look into the latte of the two.

 

[Treks]

@Rival , what does East Orthodox say about evolution?

 

[Rival]

@Rival , what does East Orthodox say about evolution?

Nothing much. It's not an issue like it is in the west and I find most believers have no problem with evolution.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Alright, so some of you may have seen my past post. Well, over the course of that post to the post, my faith has grown considerably, so that's something. The problem is that I have been searching up on denominations of Christianity, and none that I have found seems to really fit with my beliefs. I am a believer in the mixture of science with religion. I believer in order to understand God's word, we must look at it from a rational perspective. I accept that we cant 100 percent know with truth that God exists, but I believe He does. If anyone has any denomination of Christianity that, even in some way, fits into these categories, I'd be really appreciative.

What do you mean by "rational" perspective? Most if not all denominations of Christianity believe that god, bible, jesus, etc are all rational teachings.

I wouldn't suggest Catholic. If rational teachings mean believing things with your five senses, then the sacraments of Christ and the Eucharist may be a bit less rational to you. I'd suggest studying it and more so be involved in Mass (don't go to confession and take the Eucharist) and pray in the Church. Rationality doesn't always have to do with intellect. Belief in god isn't a rational belief but a spiritual one. If you believe in god, why not all the rest?

I don't know any Christian denomination that doesn't believe in science unless you mean that you believe we came from the Big Bang rather than god. If god created the word, evolution is a continuing creative process of that creation. So there isn't any odds in those two. One is a reflection of the other.

Episcopalian may be alright if you are going into Catholicism. One because it is liberal, two, the Eucharist isn't the literal body and blood of Christ, and there isn't any transubstantiation. I haven't been to an Episcopalian Mass.

More liberal than that but still has Catholic practices is Presbyterian Church. They don't have the Eucharist but they are a bit more personal in their sermons than Roman Catholic.

Unitarian Universalist used to be a part of the Christian Church. They advocate "science" and a mixture of beliefs. The only downfall is that if you're looking for a full Christian community, then the diversity wouldn't be a best bet. Depends how liberal you are.

 

[Animore]

What do you mean by "rational" perspective? Most if not all denominations of Christianity believe that god, bible, jesus, etc are all rational teachings.

I wouldn't suggest Catholic. If rational teachings mean believing things with your five senses, then the sacraments of Christ and the Eucharist may be a bit less rational to you. I'd suggest studying it and more so be involved in Mass (don't go to confession and take the Eucharist) and pray in the Church. Rationality doesn't always have to do with intellect. Belief in god isn't a rational belief but a spiritual one. If you believe in god, why not all the rest?

I don't know any Christian denomination that doesn't believe in science unless you mean that you believe we came from the Big Bang rather than god. If god created the word, evolution is a continuing creative process of that creation. So there isn't any odds in those two. One is a reflection of the other.

Episcopalian may be alright if you are going into Catholicism. One because it is liberal, two, the Eucharist isn't the literal body and blood of Christ, and there isn't any transubstantiation. I haven't been to an Episcopalian Mass.

More liberal than that but still has Catholic practices is Presbyterian Church. They don't have the Eucharist but they are a bit more personal in their sermons than Roman Catholic.

Unitarian Universalist used to be a part of the Christian Church. They advocate "science" and a mixture of beliefs. The only downfall is that if you're looking for a full Christian community, then the diversity wouldn't be a best bet. Depends how liberal you are.

Rational as in, anything but fanaticism, I'd say, as my custom title states. I prefer looking at the Bible and God as a scientific perspective, while obviously keeping the spiritual properties. Nevertheless, thanks a bunch for the info. I think I have made a bit of a decision on my belief set, however, in which I may update in a bit.

 

[Treks]

What do you mean by "rational" perspective? Most if not all denominations of Christianity believe that god, bible, jesus, etc are all rational teachings.

I wouldn't suggest Catholic. If rational teachings mean believing things with your five senses, then the sacraments of Christ and the Eucharist may be a bit less rational to you. I'd suggest studying it and more so be involved in Mass (don't go to confession and take the Eucharist) and pray in the Church. Rationality doesn't always have to do with intellect. Belief in god isn't a rational belief but a spiritual one. If you believe in god, why not all the rest?

I don't know any Christian denomination that doesn't believe in science unless you mean that you believe we came from the Big Bang rather than god. If god created the word, evolution is a continuing creative process of that creation. So there isn't any odds in those two. One is a reflection of the other.

Episcopalian may be alright if you are going into Catholicism. One because it is liberal, two, the Eucharist isn't the literal body and blood of Christ, and there isn't any transubstantiation. I haven't been to an Episcopalian Mass.

More liberal than that but still has Catholic practices is Presbyterian Church. They don't have the Eucharist but they are a bit more personal in their sermons than Roman Catholic.

Unitarian Universalist used to be a part of the Christian Church. They advocate "science" and a mixture of beliefs. The only downfall is that if you're looking for a full Christian community, then the diversity wouldn't be a best bet. Depends how liberal you are.

Episcopalian Mass was pretty much the same as Catholic Mass when I went there, but it was a high-church (Anglo-Catholic tradition) Mass. There is a lot of variety in the Episcopal denomination itself between churches.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Rational as in, anything but fanaticism, I'd say, as my custom title states. I prefer looking at the Bible and God as a scientific perspective, while obviously keeping the spiritual properties. Nevertheless, thanks a bunch for the info. I think I have made a bit of a decision on my belief set, however, in which I may update in a bit.

How do you look at the Bible from a scientific perspective?

How do you define god from a scientific perspective?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Episcopalian Mass was pretty much the same as Catholic Mass when I went there, but it was a high-church (Anglo-Catholic tradition) Mass. There is a lot of variety in the Episcopal denomination itself between churches.

Aah. Yeah. I live in Church city where there is a church on every block from UU, Catholic, Baptist, and Epis. to name few. I was invited to go to an Epis. Mass but transportation prevented me as well as Roman Catholic "rules" against attending other sermons if my motive is to take their communion. I was a very strong Catholic then. I wish I had that in how I practice now but in this case it's more personal rather than an "uplifted feeling".

 

[Animore]

How do you look at the Bible from a scientific perspective?

How do you define god from a scientific perspective?

1. Well, as for an example, Genesis. Instead of just accepting it as spiritual truth, I try to look at it from a perspective of, "Is this possible? If it is, then how?"

2. In a short answer, that He is out of the boundaries of space, matter, and time.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

1. Well, as for an example, Genesis. Instead of just accepting it as spiritual truth, I try to look at it from a perspective of, "Is this possible? If it is, then how?"

2. In a short answer, that He is out of the boundaries of space, matter, and time.

1. I guess a rational perceptive would be, an example, saying Genesis is how people then describe the earth's creation either as stories since they didn't know or facts because they didn't know anything we know today. Seeing it spiritually just means seeing the message of Genesis and how god's message of creation and him creating relates to your well-being. If not from a spiritual perspective, I don't understand your belief and relationship with god...that's just my observation.

2. That's spiritual as well. Rational I guess (in my opinion) would mean how would you define god without defining him as "beyond, a mystery, faith, spirit, higher power, deity." Something concrete. Science has concrete definitions.

 

[Animore]

1. I guess a rational perceptive would be, an example, saying Genesis is how people then describe the earth's creation either as stories since they didn't know or facts because they didn't know anything we know today. Seeing it spiritually just means seeing the message of Genesis and how god's message of creation and him creating relates to your well-being. If not from a spiritual perspective, I don't understand your belief and relationship with god...that's just my observation.

2. That's spiritual as well. Rational I guess (in my opinion) would mean how would you define god without defining him as "beyond, a mystery, faith, spirit, higher power, deity." Something concrete. Science has concrete definitions.

1. The whole point is that my relationship with Him is both spiritually and scientifically based. I want both pictures, not one biased picture.

2. How is that spiritual? It is concrete. In the eyes of man, science and religion doesn't always mix well, but when you have a God who is outside the boundaries of space, time, and matter, the combination f science and religion is quite possible, thus making evolution and other allegedly "contradictory-to-the-Bible" theories justifiably concrete.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

This is just my opinion when I practiced.

The whole point is that my relationship with Him is both spiritually and scientifically based. I want both pictures, not one biased picture.

I don't see the two as separate. I believe ancestral spirits exist (spiritual). I also believe that nothing pops from thin air and nothing disappears. It's a continuous cycle of life. We can observe that in the seasons, our lives, and nature (rational). However, they both are part of the same world. I am no different in being "real" than a spirit of my kin or history. The spiritual/rational world disappears and it just becomes life. When I find that balance and live it, that's how I define god. If I used that term.

How is that spiritual? It is concrete. In the eyes of man, science and religion doesn't always mix well, but when you have a God who is outside the boundaries of space, time, and matter, the combination f science and religion is quite possible, thus making evolution and other allegedly "contradictory-to-the-Bible" theories justifiably concrete.

Science, from what I understand, is the study of the evolution (change and process) of creation. Everything runs in a cycle or everything is in evolution. That's concrete. If you believe god created the world, then from that creation started an evolution and the cycle still continues. So it's both spiritual and rational.

God, in the Christian view, created the concrete and the rational. That's how everything exist is through, in, and within god. There really isn't such thing as science when one believes in god because everything that you say "man" call science a believer believes the same thing but its through god not theories, interpretations, and studies of "man."

I honestly don't understand how science is an issue unless a person is saying that we didn't come from god, then that's a contradiction. If it's just evolution, then it is spiritual (it is from god) that evolution and science exist. Without the spirit-ual, nothing can exist in the Christian view. Everything comes from god.

Every Christian has their point of view and way of believing. When I practiced, I believed and still do believe god is life. He isn't above, mystery, beyond, or anything like that. He isn't a he. We are living within god as we speak. How we appreciate that is to appreciate creation because we and nature are a reflection of god.

How do you see science and spirituality separate?
How do you define spirituality?

(I define religion as a practice of one's faith. So if you believe in god but you aren't doing anything for him, that's not religion. If you practice and do things for god, that's religion).

How do you define religion?

I ask this because some denominations are more geared towards one way of thinking while others another. It would help kind of narrow down denominations when you kind of get into the specifics. That's how I understood my belief and relations to Christianity. How about yourself?

 

[Animore]

This is just my opinion when I practiced.


I don't see the two as separate. I believe ancestral spirits exist (spiritual). I also believe that nothing pops from thin air and nothing disappears. It's a continuous cycle of life. We can observe that in the seasons, our lives, and nature (rational). However, they both are part of the same world. I am no different in being "real" than a spirit of my kin or history. The spiritual/rational world disappears and it just becomes life. When I find that balance and live it, that's how I define god. If I used that term.



Science, from what I understand, is the study of the evolution (change and process) of creation. Everything runs in a cycle or everything is in evolution. That's concrete. If you believe god created the world, then from that creation started an evolution and the cycle still continues. So it's both spiritual and rational.

God, in the Christian view, created the concrete and the rational. That's how everything exist is through, in, and within god. There really isn't such thing as science when one believes in god because everything that you say "man" call science a believer believes the same thing but its through god not theories, interpretations, and studies of "man."

I honestly don't understand how science is an issue unless a person is saying that we didn't come from god, then that's a contradiction. If it's just evolution, then it is spiritual (it is from god) that evolution and science exist. Without the spirit-ual, nothing can exist in the Christian view. Everything comes from god.

Every Christian has their point of view and way of believing. When I practiced, I believed and still do believe god is life. He isn't above, mystery, beyond, or anything like that. He isn't a he. We are living within god as we speak. How we appreciate that is to appreciate creation because we and nature are a reflection of god.

How do you see science and spirituality separate?
How do you define spirituality?

(I define religion as a practice of one's faith. So if you believe in god but you aren't doing anything for him, that's not religion. If you practice and do things for god, that's religion).

How do you define religion?

I ask this because some denominations are more geared towards one way of thinking while others another. It would help kind of narrow down denominations when you kind of get into the specifics. That's how I understood my belief and relations to Christianity. How about yourself?

As you've obviously got a lot to say about the topic, I advise that you make a post about this in another section, as this is a Seker's Circle, and I will happily give you my thoughts on the matter.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

As you've obviously got a lot to say about the topic, I advise that you make a post about this in another section, as this is a Seker's Circle, and I will happily give you my thoughts on the matter.

If you ask anyone on RF, I am very expressive and write long posts. If you'd like to talk about different denominations and how they relate to your view of spirituality, we can do that. However, I think you'd benefit more of finding advice in the seeker's forum. A lot of us just want to know more about what you believe to help you out a bit. In Religious Debates, you will be challanged your faith and I don't think that's your purpose.

Anyway, that's how I help others. As a teacher, I really don't give advice but help others by asking about themselves and letting them find out the answer. It's easier on that student when he or she knows the student is making decisions for himself.

However, it's not a small discussion. We work together in a long period of time. So, I take from my experiences in faith, work, and just life in general and hope others take some knowledge if they read my whole posts.