Choosing a denomination.

[Saint Polycarp]

A little background info:
I was baptized as a Methodist when I was a baby, and for most of my 'younger' years, I remained that way. I started going to a Catholic school in fifth grade, but I still called myself a Methodist. I would go to mass with my classmates, but I never received the Eucharist. But in eighth grade, I decided that I wanted to become Catholic. I went through a few classes, and then received Communion.

That was about a year ago, and now I realize that I really and truly do not want to be Catholic. I honestly didn't think things through all too well, and it wasn't of much importance to me then. I've never been too interested in the Catholic beliefs, and it's always confused me that so many of the Catholic 'rules' so to speak, aren't spoken of in the bible.

I guess you could call most of my beliefs non denominational. I believe that God is the only being who should have authority over us, and that the Catholic, or any other Church should have any authority over us. But the thing is, over the years I was at Catholic school the Catholic beliefs become ingrained in my mind, so much so that I began to believe them.

I feel more comfortable at Methodist mass than Catholic, but I'm more educated when it comes to Catholicism. I have non denominational beliefs, Catholic beliefs, and Methodist beliefs.

So where do I fit in? I'd like to have a Church to call my own, but I simply don't. When I go to Catholic church I feel like I don't belong there, when I go to Methodist church I feel like a belong a bit more, but at the same time it's not MY church, the Catholic church is now, and I miss the Catholic traditions when not at Catholic mass.

So clearly I'm torn in between. All of this gets me thinking that maybe I'm just not meant to be a Christian, and this thought scares me. So I just want someone's viewpoint on this, it would really be helpful!

I'm Catholic and happy to be one. I think you will find that no one group will be a perfect fit for you. But try Lutheran or Anglicanism as they retained much of their Catholic roots.
Otherwise find out from Catholic sources why those things you feel aren't right are they way they are.

 

[laconicstudent]

I prefer unbiased opinions if I heed any opinions,

You do realize that coming from a time in which there was only a single Christian church, St. Cyprian fits your definition perfectly, right?

and more than that I just prefer what is in scripture rather than someones inappropriate blanket statement meant to pressure people into something that is not needed.

The Apostles and Jesus seemed to think that the Church was needed. They sure about it a lot.

Any no, I do not believe in "the trinity".

You forgot to capitalize Trinity. That certainly is a problematic error.

 

[laconicstudent]

I'm Catholic and happy to be one. I think you will find that no one group will be a perfect fit for you. But try Lutheran or Anglicanism as they retained much of their Catholic roots.
Otherwise find out from Catholic sources why those things you feel aren't right are they way they are.

OP might also consider trying an Orthodox Divine Liturgy, perhaps, also.

 

[heritage36]

You do realize that coming from a time in which there was only a single Christian church, St. Cyprian fits your definition perfectly, right?

Even if there was just one church at this time, St. Cyprian was not divinely inspired, so that means he spoke an opinion there.



The Apostles and Jesus seemed to think that the Church was needed. They sure about it a lot.

As you said, at this time there was only one church. It is much harder to argue that the church is needed now when there is a million different denominations teaching all different things from the same Bible. Clearly many misinterpretations of things have arose, so how would one even know who to follow if he joined a church? Most people just join one that follows what they believe even if they do not know what they believe is aligned with Scripture.



You forgot to capitalize Trinity. That certainly is a problematic error.

Is it capitalized in Scripture?

 

[heritage36]

Sorry some of that got mixed in the quote there, my first two answers are included in it.

 

[laconicstudent]

As you said, at this time there was only one church.

There still is only One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church....

It is much harder to argue that the church is needed now when there is a million different denominations teaching all different things from the same Bible.

That doesn't make any sense. What does the existence of other Christian groups have to do with the necessity and vitality of the Church?

Clearly many misinterpretations of things have arose, so how would one even know who to follow if he joined a church?

That is why we have Holy Tradition.

Most people just join one that follows what they believe even if they do not know what they believe is aligned with Scripture.

Yes, a poor idea.

 

[heritage36]

I wish you were right, but the reality is there are a million different churches and many are just confusing believers. If there was just one true church in the mold of what the apostles formed after Christ, I would be a part of it myself.

 

[Singermom]

I was raised in the Catholic church, went through the whole rigamorole. A lot of what was in the Catholic church didn't set well with what I knew and read in the Bible (not to mention there were, shall I say, political reasons as well), but as a young adult, I thought my only choices were Catholic, Baptist, or Jewish (I was very sheltered) so I simply left the Catholic church and worshipped on my own.

When I was about 30 a friend invited my husband and me to her church. It was the first time I had ever heard the phrase "nondenominational". I went, and a lot of what they taught DID jibe with what I knew was in the Bible! Although I have since switched churches, I still belong to a Nondemon and would have it no other way, and have belonged to my church for about 10 years.

Note that I do not say "what I liked" or "what I felt". A person who goes to a church to justify their own beliefs is just trying to fool themselves (people who attend a church because, for example, that church accepts worshipping donuts).

My advice is, shop around. Go to different churches in the area. God will tell you when you are "home". That is definitely what happened to us.

 

[laconicstudent]

I wish you were right, but the reality is there are a million different churches and many are just confusing believers. If there was just one true church in the mold of what the apostles formed after Christ, I would be a part of it myself.

hm.

Q. In a world filled with multiple Christianities and religions, some might ask, "How do you know you have the True Church?" What would you say to those individuals?

A. Orthodoxy is the revelation of Jesus Christ taught by His very Apostles as it was preserved in the undivided Christian Church of the first millennium. Our Church has not added to that Faith or diminished it in any way - it remains unchanged. Orthodoxy alone has both Apostolic succession in our Bishops and the Apostolic faith of the early Church.

From an interview with Metropolitan Herman

The Orthodox Church in America

 

[heritage36]

Every church probably would say something along those lines though in all reality. If the church really remained unchanged over all that time, they would still be largely occupied by Jews, and I don't think they would be as much of a business as they are today. Realistically, churches are motivated to make money, it is unfortunate but a reality that I presume was not a reality back in the apostles time.

 

[Chris81]

Every church probably would say something along those lines though in all reality. If the church really remained unchanged over all that time, they would still be largely occupied by Jews, and I don't think they would be as much of a business as they are today. Realistically, churches are motivated to make money, it is unfortunate but a reality that I presume was not a reality back in the apostles time.

Actually many of the Orthodox churches really have maintained the traditions of the early church. The Eastern Orthodox Church broke off from the Catholic Church because of changes in traditions and beliefs that had been established during the Council of Nicaea and dating back even further. For the early church being occupied by mainly Jews, remember that very early on Paul was converting the Gentiles into the faith. Those early Christians were mainly Greek which evidently is where the Eastern Orthodox Church originated from and still exist today.

 

[heritage36]

Didn't Paul not start teaching Gentiles until around the end of Acts?

 

[Chris81]

Didn't Paul not start teaching Gentiles until around the end of Acts?

Wow, how early in the forming of the christian church do you wish to re-create? Before Paul had started his mission to spread the message of Christ to the gentiles, the Epistles had not been writing, neither had John's Revelation, let alone even the gospels. Christianity was very much in its early stages yet fully developed into a Church, it was more of a Jesus movement at that time. Just for historical background, Jesus meet with the Greeks long before Paul. Read John 12:20-26 entitled "Greeks Seek Jesus".

 

[heritage36]

Sorry, that kinda took us off topic, just thought of that because you mentioned it kinda.

 

[ricker]

Every church probably would say something along those lines though in all reality. If the church really remained unchanged over all that time, they would still be largely occupied by Jews, and I don't think they would be as much of a business as they are today. Realistically, churches are motivated to make money, it is unfortunate but a reality that I presume was not a reality back in the apostles time.

I don't think that most local churches are "motivated to make money" except in the sense that they could perhaps minister to more people and spread God's Word better with more money. I've sat in on too many church council meetings to believe it is greed.

There are, of course, exceptions that make headlines.

 

[Jay217]

If you want the original church I'd point at the only 2 contenders -Catholic - Eastern Orthodox. It also split as above the Byzantine Empire formed the Orthodox church while the rest of Europe formed the Catholic Church. Protestant churches formed over a 1000 years after having the Catholic and Orthodox church was around.

If you want to find a church i'd agree with the above go to either a Anglican or Lutheran Church, they are quite similar as the Catholic church with only few big differences (which for you could be a good thing).

Church Searching is quite remarkable, Me and a few friends have done so for the last few weeks, we found all the churches in our city (we live in the country) We've tried the 2 Catholic Churches (thank god for Saturday masses), a Penecotal, a AOG, a Lutheran, and planning on going to a 2nd Lutheran in the close future.

In our search so far I'm very drawn to my Catholic church still it feels right and i love the power as being in a single group our Mass, one body under God. My friends don't like the tradition and like the more lively worship. For me i like a little but i don't find God in most of these new hymns and i often just sit there talking to God as I'm simply bored of worship after doing it for an hour.

 

[Singermom]

Realistically, churches are motivated to make money, it is unfortunate but a reality that I presume was not a reality back in the apostles time.

Money is FAR from my church's main motivation. It even says in our weekly bulletin to only give if led to; if you can't, don't sweat it, particularly if you are a visitor.

 

[heritage36]

I may have been generalizing about the money stuff, my apologies for that. I don't know about saying the eastern orthodox and catholic churches are the closest to the original church though. I feel like they both have far too many traditions that have no backing in Scripture really. I was raised Catholic too, so I am familiar with the catholic church.

 

[Jay217]

I may have been generalizing about the money stuff, my apologies for that. I don't know about saying the eastern orthodox and catholic churches are the closest to the original church though. I feel like they both have far too many traditions that have no backing in Scripture really. I was raised Catholic too, so I am familiar with the catholic church.

This will be my last post about this issue as I feel that it will hi-jack the thread.

The original Christian Church was founded by Jesus and told Peter/Simon that "upon this rock you shall build the church" After a few hundred years of religious warfare Christianity was the Religion of the Entire Roman Empire. (313 Christianity was tolerated, 391 the Original Christian church became the state religion)

In the 3rd/4th Century AD the Western Roman Empire Fell to Attila the Hun (among many other things)

This is the big Defining Moment. As the Eastern Half of the Roman Empire Becoming known as the Byzantine Empire was saved through its urbanization and stable government. So you have the Western half of the Empire no longer powerful but Still Christian and the Eastern half which is still powerful and Still Christian.

So at this point they are still christian but the division only increases with time.

By the Time 1054 only 2 of the 5 major Central Christian Churches Remained under christian Control. Rome ran by Pope Leo IX and Patriarch of Constantinople Mechael Cerularius. There was major tension and issues between these 2 leaders causing the East-West Schism. So each Leader began their own version of Christianity The Pope in Rome - Catholic, the Patriarch of Constantinople - Eastern Orthodox.

Not only till an additional 500 years did the Protestant Reformation form.

So by the time of 1054 there are 2 churches out of a possible 5 of the contenders of the Original christian church. Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch have all since converted to Islam. So if you want to look for the Original Christian Church you have to look at the 5 major centers of Christianity and unless you want to support Islam then I'd suggest look at the 2 major Christian Sects. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

Or unless you want to say that a Protestant church that never existed for 1500+ years is the closest to the one of the original christian churches... Or simply say that Jesus didn't want Peter to make an actual church but a hypothetical one....

 

[Ryan Collins]

I have been quite intrigued with the Evangelical Friends denomination (Religious Society of Friends) that was birthed by the influence of George Fox. I read their denominational doctrine statement and it was as if they hijacked my brain and wrote my beliefs down.