Looking for a new Church

Hi. So basically, the brief history behind this is that me and my family went to a Nondenominational Church, doctrinally identical to any Baptist Church, for a very long time. Unfortunately a few years ago, there were some family issues.... And the elders laid the blame entirely on my mother...

If anyone wants to debate the ethics and Scriptural condemnations of divorce, please wait until you've seen one up close. Frankly, there are times when it simply does not work, and things fall apart. A decade ago, I would have self-righteously condemned divorce as a great evil unequivocally, but this experience really opened my eyes to how messy morality can be, and how things are often not at all black-and-white as I'd thought.

Unfortunately, the elders disagreed, cited Ephesians 5:22 at her, ignored the rest of the situation and showed her the door. Since me and the rest of my family refused to stay in a Church where marital fall-apart is the woman's fault by default, we left.

In the mean time, I've also come to realize that there were quite a few other things that were completely wrong with that particular Church (specifically the Junior High Youth Group indoctrination of "Scientists are God-hating atheists") but that's unrelated.

In any event, I've been feeling rather much disillusioned with the whole concept of Protestantism. I've never really liked the contemporary worship, the lack of a liturgy, the almost pathological focus on the aspect of God as the "Judge" to whom we must sacrifice our all. (This is all true, but in 10 years I can count on one hand the number of sermons I'd heard about God's Love. It was very much "Have no life or personal interests, sacrifice your worldly life to God or you have no true faith/will burn in hell")

I also didn't like the nondenominational feeling of a church alone. As a nondenominational Church, there was no greater network. We were IT, aside from the churches our missionaries would plant, but that was something you would only read about in the bulletins. There really was no community larger then the immediate congregation. I hated that.

I also felt uneasy being what was essentially a splinter from something greater. I've always felt very strongly that differing groups of Christians should be able to overcome their differences in opinions and reconcile. I believe the single greatest tragedy in the history of the Church was the Great Schism of 1054, and again in the Reformation. Since the reformation, Protestantism has shattered into microscopic specks to the point of being a quagmire of different denominations.

Yeah.

So recently, I've been feeling an increasing affinity for the older Christian traditions, namely Roman Catholicism and the Orthodox. I enjoy the idea of a "High Church" liturgy, I like the idea of a global church community. The idea of rosary prayer was soothing and sounded so compatible with me that I went ahead and ordered a rosary kit.

So I'm looking to find out more about the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, although I also find the Utrecht intriguing.

My main concerns (and reasons I've never managed to gain any motivation):

1. I feel I am far too liberal. I feel like I'm caught in a catch-22. At the point in which I feel totally incompatible with Protestant Church traditions, and want something more traditional, I feel like I am almost certainly too liberal politically. Frankly, I have this phobia that I will join, and as soon as I discuss politics with someone, the priest will swoop down like some Avenger and kick me out and declare me Apostate/out-of-Communion and refuse me the Eucharist....

2. I feel rather skeptical of the Immaculate Conception and its basis in Scripture..... I can't see the basis for Mary being totally without sin after the birth of Christ, and no real reason to propose that and her perpetual virginity in earthly life as a dogma, by Pope Pius IX..... It just really confuses me.

If Mary had no Original Sin nature, why would she need a Savior? And. Um. What basis is there for supposing she and Joseph never had sex?


3. Purgatory. I honestly have no idea whether or not it has been abandoned or not as a belief, but I've actually NEVER heard the basis for the belief in Purgatory explained.

4. Politicization. I agree with all of the statements on controversial issues made by the Orthodox and Catholic groups, I am made uneasy when I see people proclaiming that it is a sin to vote for someone who supports [insert such and such hot-button issue]. I believe that abortion and such may be wrong, but I feel that it is unethical of me to attempt to legislate my beliefs down the throats of non-Christians. Their sin is not my own. I think that the only way abortion will be stopped is if we can convince them and show the world it is wrong, not lobbying for it to be made illegal.


OK, I'm sorry this has gotten so horribly long, I will try and summarize the main points

1. I don't really know the significant differences between the RCC and Orthodox Churches and therefore which would be more compatible with me.

2. I am afraid (perhaps with no basis) that I wold join, only to get booted out and declared out of communion due to my somewhat more liberal political beliefs. (reading it is really weird. It seems so strange, but its true.)

This has only happened once, and it wasn't even to me directly, but it still left me feeling bitter and cynical and disillusioned (and I still am, somewhat) towards organized Churches for a long time.

Please, I hope you enjoyed reading my insanely long post, and hope I get lots of responses!

I would suggest googling. Look for churches in your area and then start visiting until you find one you like.

It seems you have some really specific questions about the RC and Orthodox churches. I think you may get better responses if you ask your questions in those forums.

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You also might try looking into Episcopalian churches.

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I know I am blunt. I apologize.

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1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.

1. If a church leader swoops down on you, that is probably a hint it is not a healthy church for you. You have to allow for recuperation from the last church event, and looking for somewhere more tolerant right now will help in healing.

It is one thing to cling to scriptures for life guidance, and another to be governed by others, in their interpretation of scriptures. In the end, you have to face God yourself.

2. Jesus had brothers. There's a clue.

3. I might be wrong, but Jesus' story about Lazarus under the earth might be related. You could find this easily on an RC website.

4. There really are churches that allow freedom of political thought. You just have to find them. It probably will not depend on the denomination, but on the pastor's desire to convey his/her opinions.

According to not-for-profit standards, they are not supposed to sway people toward one candidate or party. They can preach related doctrines.

If a church has too much of an agenda, it becomes more like a lobbying organization or business. It can turn into an exchange of favors, where eventually the church is put in a position of agreeing to something they never intended to.

And it goes against the premise of the law of our land, that a citizen has the responsibility and right to cast an individual vote for the candidate they deem most capable and fitting.
Ironically, I was going to suggest a Lutheran church.
(-;

I'm a bit busy right now so I will post later but I have nearly all of the same views as you do when it comes to churches! I too, am disillusioned with Protestantism however I was raised Catholic and had some very negative problems there as well so that is not really a place I can return as well. I will return to give my input. God bless you!

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Lutheran churches accept divorcees and have politics on both sides so there is no lock step in regards to that. Everyone is going to fit in and be accepted. We understand the two kingdom approach of the left and right hand.

No Pope. No sinless doctrine of Mary.

Peace,

Cos

I know people that represent the political spectrum within my own parish. They won't kick you out or refuse you communion simply for not being a Republican.

The Orthodox don't believe in the Immaculate Conception. Regarding the whole sex issue, I'll refer you to TAW or the Mariology board. That particular issue is hashed and rehashed and some folks have some very good arguments for why not.


This also isn't an Orthodox belief.

In Orthodoxy, I believe you will find this is not so much of a problem as you think.

Please feel free to go to TAW and ask away. Suffice to say, there are differences and they can be deal breakers.

I think this is an unfounded fear.

I encourage you to attend both Catholic and Orthodox churches. Read, pray, talk to the priests, and don't feel shy about attending classes to learn about the faith and ask questions (attending catechumen classes doesn't mean one has to become a catechumen and convert- that's what my husband and I told ourselves- even though we both eventually converted). Feel free to click on my blog entry regarding how I became Orthodox. My husband and I had both given up on Christianity when we discovered the Orthodox Church.



Find an Orthodox Church in your area:
Orthodoxy in America

Some things to read:
Finding the True Church

Excerpts from the Orthodox Church by Bishop Kallistos Ware

Excerpts from the Orthodox Church by Bishop Kallistos Ware

P r a y e r

Let us

Abbreviated Prayerbook

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Troparion - Tone 4
Commanders of the heavenly hosts, we who are unworthy beseech you, by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory, and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you: “Deliver us from all harm, for you are the commanders of the powers on high!”

Holy Archangel Michael, pray to God for me.


"It's later than you think. Hasten therefore, to do the work of God." ~ Fr. Seraphim Rose

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I encourage you to include both Lutheran and Episcopalian or Anglican to your list.

It will probably become more a matter of what each local congregation and pastor are like than what lable the church has.

Ok I am finally returning to this post!

Anyways, I was raised Catholic but quickly grew sick of every sermon being about politics and hearing about whining of secularism and liberalism. I also don't accept a lot of their doctrine. Then I was a gung-ho protestant for awhile and attended a Church of God--Anderson, IN church for about 3 years but I eventually grew disillusioned with them as well because a lot of personal drama I had in the church. I also grew tired of contemporary services as I am someone is much more interested in a contemplative service as opposed to an emotional one.

I highly recommend you look at Anglicans/Episcopalians as I have had the best experiences there. Liturgical yet not nearly dogmatic like the Catholics, in the case of Episcopal you can find a large variety of political views. I went to a conservative Anglican church and while I still tend to agree with the theology, it had a bit of a neo-con bent to it politically and made me really uncomfortable. Lutherans are fun too but I recommend you try both ELCA and LCMS although LCMS is considerably more conservative politically and theologically. A lot of ELCA congregations are still conservative but there is a growing number of liberal ones. I recommend you experiment.

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