Could I fit into a Christian community despite not sharing all standard beliefs?

[butterfly171]

Hello,

I was wondering if perhaps some of you could help me figure something out about church. I consider myself to be Christian (not sure that other Christians would agree with me) and have been to many, many churches throughout the years. I would really like to be part of a Christian community but so far I have not had much luck. I think the problem lies with me not having many of the beliefs that other Christians have. For example, though I respect the Bible and feel there is much to be learned from it, I don't believe it to be the word of God. I respect that most other Christians would disagree with my belief and would not dream of trying to bring anyone around to my point of view, people are entitled to their own beliefs and that is great. But I feel like my differences in belief might make it too hard to accept me into any Christian church.

I have tried just hiding my differences but that has not worked well because it feels dishonest. I am also very liberal and vegan which seems to sometimes put up some barriers for me at church. I can get along great with non-liberal, non-vegan people in secular situations. I don't know why adding church to the equation makes it so much harder. There must be some variation in beliefs even within a congregation.

I think I am going to try a new church in the next month or so. Basically what I am asking is, what can I do to fit in better given that my fundamental beliefs are a bit different? Is it possible to be part of the Christian community without having the major beliefs in common? Perhaps I need to focus on the similarities rather than the differences?

Any tips or guidance would be so appreciated,
Have a beautiful day

 

[barryrob]

Hello,

I was wondering if perhaps some of you could help me figure something out about church. I consider myself to be Christian (not sure that other Christians would agree with me) and have been to many, many churches throughout the years. I would really like to be part of a Christian community but so far I have not had much luck. I think the problem lies with me not having many of the beliefs that other Christians have. For example, though I respect the Bible and feel there is much to be learned from it, I don't believe it to be the word of God. I respect that most other Christians would disagree with my belief and would not dream of trying to bring anyone around to my point of view, people are entitled to their own beliefs and that is great. But I feel like my differences in belief might make it too hard to accept me into any Christian church.

I have tried just hiding my differences but that has not worked well because it feels dishonest. I am also very liberal and vegan which seems to sometimes put up some barriers for me at church. I can get along great with non-liberal, non-vegan people in secular situations. I don't know why adding church to the equation makes it so much harder. There must be some variation in beliefs even within a congregation.

I think I am going to try a new church in the next month or so. Basically what I am asking is, what can I do to fit in better given that my fundamental beliefs are a bit different? Is it possible to be part of the Christian community without having the major beliefs in common? Perhaps I need to focus on the similarities rather than the differences?

Any tips or guidance would be so appreciated,
Have a beautiful day

Ask Jehovah's Christian Witnesses (JWs) to show you what the Bible say on what you shoud do!


rob

 

[hedrick]

It's hard to tell from what you say. When you deny that the Bible is God's word, you could mean a bunch of different things. Are you just denying inerrancy, saying that humans recorded their experiences with God, and so it has human imperfection, or are you saying it's no different from any other religious book? How close do you come to a traditional confession of faith such as the Apostles or Nicene Creed? If you are basically Christian, and think that Jesus is Lord, but have concerns about the literal accuracy or traditional interpretations of the Bible, then you might fit in with many of the mainline churches. If you don't think the Bible is that different from other religious books, you probably also think that Jesus is just one of several inspired religious leaders. In that case take a look at the Unitarian Universalist church or maybe the Friends (at least the traditional Friends, not the evangelical ones).

 

[Bear.Fr00t]

It depends on what parts of Christianity you disagree with. If you reject the fundamentals, you will have a hard time finding a church. If you dispute disputable things, then you might find one that works for you.

If a church believes the Bible is the word of God, and you don't, well theres a huge stumbling block from the outset. Try to find a church that believes the way you do

 

[Quaero]

Although what you choose to eat and your political views should make no difference regarding your faith, as others have said: the extent to which you disagree with the idea of the Bible as a work inspired by God, and your willingness to actively support your faith will define the types of churches where you would feel at home.

As Hedrick said, given what you have told us about yourself you may well want to consider looking into Unitarianism.

 

[GenetoJean]

I think you can find a Christian denomination to fit into. I know a Methodist church in my area that feels that the Bible was inspired by God but written by men. It has errors and other things that men put in it that wasnt God inspired.

 

[Radagast]

I consider myself to be Christian (not sure that other Christians would agree with me) and have been to many, many churches throughout the years. I would really like to be part of a Christian community but so far I have not had much luck. I think the problem lies with me not having many of the beliefs that other Christians have.

To be a Christian is to share a certain set of beliefs. Here on CF the Nicene Creed is what we take to define "Christian."

I certainly hope that you will join us one day!

 

[Sketcher]

There's a number of conservative Christians who would get along with you on a personal level. I like to think that I am one of those people. We would not consider you to be Christian or correct, but that doesn't mean we would use that as an excuse to forget the Golden Rule.

 

[barryrob]

Hello,

I was wondering if perhaps some of you could help me figure something out about church. I consider myself to be Christian (not sure that other Christians would agree with me) and have been to many, many churches throughout the years. I would really like to be part of a Christian community but so far I have not had much luck. I think the problem lies with me not having many of the beliefs that other Christians have. For example, though I respect the Bible and feel there is much to be learned from it, I don't believe it to be the word of God. I respect that most other Christians would disagree with my belief and would not dream of trying to bring anyone around to my point of view, people are entitled to their own beliefs and that is great. But I feel like my differences in belief might make it too hard to accept me into any Christian church.

I have tried just hiding my differences but that has not worked well because it feels dishonest. I am also very liberal and vegan which seems to sometimes put up some barriers for me at church. I can get along great with non-liberal, non-vegan people in secular situations. I don't know why adding church to the equation makes it so much harder. There must be some variation in beliefs even within a congregation.

I think I am going to try a new church in the next month or so. Basically what I am asking is, what can I do to fit in better given that my fundamental beliefs are a bit different? Is it possible to be part of the Christian community without having the major beliefs in common? Perhaps I need to focus on the similarities rather than the differences?

Any tips or guidance would be so appreciated,
Have a beautiful day

In a word or two, if you do not except The Bible as God's Word, then you are not and never will be a Christian!

rob

 

[Tigger45]

I think the problem here is why or what about the bible makes you think it is not the Word of God. That's was my aproach to Christianity before I believed. What I have found out is God is not afraid of questions infact He enjoys drawing you to Him.

 

[brightlights]

I was wondering if perhaps some of you could help me figure something out about church.

I think if you find a healthy church you should be able to fit in fine with them. Any healthy Christian community should be able to welcome and love others even if they don't agree with them. If I have any suggestion it might be this:

Don't expect them to affirm your faith. They probably won't. Accept that there's a good chance they will not recognize you as a Christian, but there's no reason why you can't be a part of their community because of this.

A question: why are you interested in being part of a church that believes the Bible?