Need Help Finding The Right Church

[powder21]

Hi. My name is Ryan. I lost faith in God a long time ago. As a teenager, I attended Harvest Church and several Harvest Crusades. This was most certainly not for me. They offered to "save" me without offering any actual knowledge of the religion, and I just didn't like that. I have decided recently that I would like to start going to church again, but I am having great difficulty in finding the right one. I'm not even a hundred percent sure that Christianity is the "right" religion for me. Here is my main problem:

The following two statements seem to be prominent in most Christian denominations...

1. "There is only One True God" or basically: My religion is right and your's is wrong.
I have a big problem with this as, in my heart, I believe that God is a part of all of us and no matter what religion you were raised to believe in (or chose to believe in), if you have faith in God, I think God will have faith in you. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

2. "The Bible is the infallible Word of God." Really? I have a hard time believing anything written by man could be "the infallible Word of God" and is, more or less, inspired by God.

Is there a church out there for me? Or am I pretty much out of luck? Please, please help. Thank You.

 

[ayani]

hey Ryan. first of all, welcome to the forums!

there are a number of Christian denominations who lean more to the left theologically- Quakers come to mind. other religious communities you might want to check out are Unitarian Universalist and the Baha'i Faith. we have a number of UUs, Quakers, and Baha'is and others around here... ask questions, and get to know people.

may God bless you with understanding and peace.

 

[James the Persian]

1. "There is only One True God" or basically: My religion is right and your's is wrong.
I have a big problem with this as, in my heart, I believe that God is a part of all of us and no matter what religion you were raised to believe in (or chose to believe in), if you have faith in God, I think God will have faith in you. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

The first part of this point does not necessarily conflict with the second. What I mean is that we do say that there is only one God. We go further than that and say that there is only one true Church, but we most definitely do not conclude from that that everyone outside the Orthodox Church is damned, do believe that God wills that all be saved and do believe that God will save whomsoever He wills, whether they are Orthodox or not. God pours out His grace on all and all are made in His image. We often say that we know where the Church is but not where it is not and many of us cling to the hope that eventually all will be saved whilst acknowledging that God will violate nobody's free will if they choose to reject Him. Your complaint sounds more like it is based on more sectarian Protestant attitudes (and perhaps a misunderstanding of the sorts of things we and the RCs might on occasion say).

2. "The Bible is the infallible Word of God." Really? I have a hard time believing anything written by man could be "the infallible Word of God" and is, more or less, inspired by God.

And this is definitely a Protestant only issue. Only those who base their faith on 'the Bible alone' have such an unrealistic view of the canon. The canon was written by and collected by the Church. Its authors were human and, whilst they might have been inspired they bring their humanity to the text and that humanity is, of course fallible. Scripture is not the direct Word of God.

Is there a church out there for me? Or am I pretty much out of luck? Please, please help. Thank You.

Sounds to me, judging from only what you've written here, that you have any number of choices just within Christianity - us, the Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholics, the Anglicans spring to mind for a start. Of course, I can't even begin to help you narrow down the field without an awful lot more information as to what you believe.

James

 

[ChristineES]

Although I am follower of Jesus, I sometimes wonder if other religions are also a way to worship God. The reason I wonder this is because of the remarkable similarity between most religions. Jesus' teachings have always appealed to me since I first read the New Testament when I was 17. I had no religion before that (I wasn't exactly an atheist, probably more of an agnostic, as I was much confused) and seldom went to any Church (my stepfather was raised a Buddhist and my mother was an agnostic until she was about 40 years old).
I have gone to a Jewish temple and felt the Holy Spirit so strongly there that after that I believed that the Jews were still God's chosen people. I have studied a bit other religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and many others.
I get discouraged from Christians who don't act the way that Jesus commanded, so I can understand why you are going through so much trouble.
My only advice is to keep gaining information to find out what you want. God has a lot of mercy. Prayer had always been a good tool for me, so maybe you should try that if you want.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

Not all religions as so exclusive as you describe!

For example, this is from the scriptures of the Baha'i Faith:

"There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you."

-- (The Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, page 114)


I won't presume to tell you what path you should follow (indeed, Baha'is are forbidden from doing so), but I do encourage you to investigate ALL the great religions and come to an informed decision; then follow the one you determine is best!

And I wish you good hunting!

Best,

Bruce

 

[jamaesi]

You might want to stop by a UU Church. If you go to this website you can locate one close to you.

 

[powder21]

You might want to stop by a UU Church.

A lot of people have suggested that to me, and I REALLY like what I've read about it and since there's one nearby, I will be hopefully attending service tomorrow, but most likely it will be next Sunday. Thanks for the suggestion and hopefully this Church will be to my liking.

 

[UnityNow101]

Just continue searching and don't be afraid if it doesn't come to you right away. I am still searching for truth, and at one time was really depressed that I wasn't making HUGE progress in my spirituality. But each time I read or contemplate on different religions, I feel that I am that much closer to the truth. Just remember that God says that if you seek that you SHALL find. That doesn't mean today or even tomorrow, but may be years away. Just know that wherever you may be led, that is is God's Will for you.

 

[michel]

Hi Ryan,

They offered to "save" me without offering any actual knowledge of the religion, and I just didn't like that.

I can understand that..........

The following two statements seem to be prominent in most Christian denominations...

1. "There is only One True God" or basically: My religion is right and your's is wrong.
I have a big problem with this as, in my heart, I believe that God is a part of all of us and no matter what religion you were raised to believe in (or chose to believe in), if you have faith in God, I think God will have faith in you. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

2. "The Bible is the infallible Word of God." Really? I have a hard time believing anything written by man could be "the infallible Word of God" and is, more or less, inspired by God.

Is there a church out there for me? Or am I pretty much out of luck? Please, please help. Thank You.[/quote]


I don't know (if there is a church for you); it sounds to me like you have met some pretty tunnel - visioned Christians out there. As to your second point, well, I tend to agree; the bible though, is a good history lesson, and there are parts of it that are beautiful, and are valid, as food for thought.

 

[jamaesi]

A lot of people have suggested that to me, and I REALLY like what I've read about it and since there's one nearby, I will be hopefully attending service tomorrow, but most likely it will be next Sunday. Thanks for the suggestion and hopefully this Church will be to my liking.

I wish you the best of luck! Make sure to stick around after the service and rub elbows while enjoying some coffee. There might even be a "New to UU" sort of meeting after the service where you can talk and have questions answered.

A good thing to remember is all UU congregations are different and you might have to look into all the ones around you to see if there's one you best feel at home at.

If you have ANY questions at all feel free to pop in the UU DIR and post away there, we'll be happy to answer any and all questions and concerns there. You can feel free to PM me if there's anything, too!

 

[Runt]

Hey there Ryan.

Try taking the Belief O Matic quiz. Despite its somewhat-ridiculous name, it asks many very pertinent theological and ethical questions and manages to fairly accurately match your responses to various world religions.

 

[powder21]

I wish you the best of luck! Make sure to stick around after the service and rub elbows while enjoying some coffee. There might even be a "New to UU" sort of meeting after the service where you can talk and have questions answered.

A good thing to remember is all UU congregations are different and you might have to look into all the ones around you to see if there's one you best feel at home at.

If you have ANY questions at all feel free to pop in the UU DIR and post away there, we'll be happy to answer any and all questions and concerns there. You can feel free to PM me if there's anything, too!

Thanx so much. You can definitely be expecting some questions, but the first thing I would like to do is attend a service and since there is another congregation near me (although much further away) I will try to attend service there as well. It is not just what those of the congregation believe, but also whether or not I feel "at home" at the service and with the people there.

 

[powder21]

Hey there Ryan.

Despite its somewhat-ridiculous name, it asks many very pertinent theological and ethical questions and manages to fairly accurately match your responses to various world religions.

Thanx, I'm going to check that out right now in fact.

 

[FFH]

Hi. My name is Ryan. I lost faith in God a long time ago. As a teenager, I attended Harvest Church and several Harvest Crusades.

The Harvest Crusades are designed to minister to people in general... I've watched the Harvest Crusades on www.TBN.com just about every year and it's the highlight of my year. They usually have great Christian entertainers. Crystal Lewis is one that comes to mind. She has ministered to me with her music.

The Harvest Crusades are more about strengthening one's faith in Christ, more than joining any particular religion. ..

I distinctly heard Christ say to me "walk with me" one day....

He want's us to not just "follow" him, but to walk "with" him or beside him...

He wants us to be equal with him in every way...

This was most certainly not for me.

It's not designed to be an end all religion, just a source of encouragement and help in the right direction.

They offered to "save" me without offering any actual knowledge of the religion,

That's because it's up to you to decide which religion you want to be a part of...

Everyone is at a certain level of Christianity and there are different Christian religions to accomodate that.. Christ want's to meet us half way or a quarter of the way or all the way, as with the LDS religion...

That may sound like a bold statement, but soon you will realize why I've stated this...

and I just didn't like that.

Just relax and don't get so uptight about it...

I have decided recently that I would like to start going to church again, but I am having great difficulty in finding the right one.

Not surprised

I'm not even a hundred percent sure that Christianity is the "right" religion for me.

Not surprised again

Here is my main problem:

The following two statements seem to be prominent in most Christian denominations...

1. "There is only One True God"

True

or basically: My religion is right and your's is wrong.

There are two basic churches 1) Church of the devil and 2) Church of the Lamb of God. All other churches can be divided amongst these two churches, but there is a definite dividing line at some point. Either you are on the Lord's side or you are not. THere is no grey area or fence sitting... Either you believe in Christ and follow his prinicples or you do not...

All of us are guilty of standing on one side of the fence or the other, the key is which side do you spend most of your time on...

Christ loves us and has died for us so we can leave our old sins behind and live with him eternally...

I have a big problem with this as, in my heart, I believe that God is a part of all of us and no matter what religion you were raised to believe in (or chose to believe in), if you have faith in God, I think God will have faith in you. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Fair enough statement...

God is God though and will continue to be God no matter what we choose...

His happiness does not depend on our choices. He's already experiencing all the blessings of heaven and he only wants us to share in that...

2. "The Bible is the infallible Word of God." Really? I have a hard time believing anything written by man could be "the infallible Word of God" and is, more or less, inspired by God.

Is there a church out there for me? Or am I pretty much out of luck? Please, please help. Thank You.[/quote] There is only [/quote]The King James has many many many errors, but is the most accurate English translation we have of the original text..

For a complete restored text of the Old and New Testament, I refer to the Joseph Smith restored version of the Old and New Testament.

Joseph Smith spent I think around 10 years of his life restoring the Old and New Testament by pure inspiration from Christ, who is the author of the Old and New Testament as well as the God of the Old and New Testament..

Christ is God the Son and he is working under the direction of God the Father..

See www.Mormon.org www.LDS.org and www.LDS.org/scriptures

We have the fullness of Christ's restored gospel on the earth once again...

Of this I know for a surety, no doubnt whatsoever in my mind, for what it's worth to you...

God bless..

FFH (Michael)

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

From your posts you seem to like the suck it and see approach to a Church.

The Anglican/Episcopal churches are very much worship based, they are certainly not Bible alone churches, nor are they likely to ask if you are "Saved".
You are "saved" in every reasonable sense when you are christened. It is not something you decide; it is a gift freely given by God.

when settling on a Church Don't suppose every congregation of that church is identical.
Congregations are just people..some are more friendly , more accepting, more out going or more spiritual than others.
Things to consider...
Does it suit me
Am I comfortable.
Do I believe what they believe.
Is it OK for me to not believe every thing they teach.
Is this where I want to be.

 

[powder21]

Joseph Smith spent I think around 10 years of his life restoring the Old and New Testament by pure inspiration from Christ, who is the author of the Old and New Testament as well as the God of the Old and New Testament..

I am interested in this Joseph Smith restored version. Is that in modern English or in "old" English like the King James version? I have been looking for a bible in "modern day" English, but there are so many out there, I'm not sure which to get. If you could help in that area, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Katzpur]

I am interested in this Joseph Smith restored version. Is that in modern English or in "old" English like the King James version?

It's in King James English.

I have been looking for a bible in "modern day" English, but there are so many out there, I'm not sure which to get. If you could help in that area, I'd appreciate it.

There are actually quite a few modern English versions of the Bible out there. You might want to look into getting both a KJV and a modern-English version. The modern-English versions are definitely easier to understand, but are not always as close in meaning to the original manuscripts as the KJV. As with all other aspects of religion, though, you can expect to hear a lot of differences of opinion as to which version of the Bible is the most accurate.