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rmcmullan
Guest
I think they call them synagogues.I’d just stick to the Church which actually wrote the Bible
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Nan_S
Guest
RMcMullan,
This is what I meant on the other thread - I don’t understand how our friendly fellow-poster said he kept running into Protestants who denied they chose their church and pastor based on prayerfully following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
– What I call the “got a warm fuzzie” method –
Either they have gone to the same church since they were toddlers, or they are fudging the truth just to make someone shut up and leave.
Personally, I’d rather follow the church that recorded and carefully preserved the eyewitness testimony of God’s miracles, testimony that was written during the lifetime of hundreds of other witnesses who validated the accounts.
Dozens and dozens of miracles performed to demonstrate conclusively the He is who He says He is; authenticated testimony, multitudes of witnesses, high reliability of sacred writings - this is a church I can believe in. No “warm fuzzies” needed.
Mark 2:9-12 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”-- Jesus said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Nan
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Nan_S
Guest
I’ll do you one worse. Imagine being in the military, getting transferred, joining a church of the same denomination as the one you used to attend, and having to explain to the kids,
“Yes, we are still Baptist, but now that we live in Tennessee we don’t believe that teaching anymore. And when we move to Arizona next spring, we’ll change our beliefs again.”
I know a man who moved to my town who kept his family away from church for 2 years. He was looking for a new church home with two criteria:
- The pastor had to teach the bible the same way it was taught in his previous town.
- The sign on the door had to say “Church of Christ.”
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rmcmullan
Guest
I think this is a pretty big question and there’s no real good answer to it. Many people will follow the tradition of their parents or adopt the church of other close family members. Sometimes they’re influenced by friends. I think not so many people pour over the fine points of doctrine like we do here! So are these bad ways to choose? I sure hope not because they’re probably the most common.
I think it’s a head and heart issue. Your heart leads and your head checks to make sure you’re in the right direction. Some people lean more to the heart than the head, others lean more to the head. So I would say that study and prayer are the most effective ways to make this sort of decision.
Regarding the warm fuzzies: some people are more prone to that (influence) than others. Many people have gotten dramatic spiritual experiences of the Holy Ghost that make them turn their lives around and it helps to keep them anchored. But not everybody feels that, IMHO because not everybody needs that. If you feel what you’re doing is the right thing, you should think it out to verify that feeling. Likewise, if it makes sense to you or a certain church meets all your checklist criteria, you need to be sure that it’s something you want to commit to. Want from the heart. When you pray, the HG can illuminate both heart and mind.
I think it’s a head and heart issue. Your heart leads and your head checks to make sure you’re in the right direction. Some people lean more to the heart than the head, others lean more to the head. So I would say that study and prayer are the most effective ways to make this sort of decision.
Regarding the warm fuzzies: some people are more prone to that (influence) than others. Many people have gotten dramatic spiritual experiences of the Holy Ghost that make them turn their lives around and it helps to keep them anchored. But not everybody feels that, IMHO because not everybody needs that. If you feel what you’re doing is the right thing, you should think it out to verify that feeling. Likewise, if it makes sense to you or a certain church meets all your checklist criteria, you need to be sure that it’s something you want to commit to. Want from the heart. When you pray, the HG can illuminate both heart and mind.
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runandsew
Guest
OK, let’s say I prayerfully read scripture, and determine that scripture nowhere mentions the word “trinity”, and Jesus calls himself the “son” of God the father. I then determine that the teaching of the trinity is wrong. I then look at my list of churches and find the following churches that match my belief:
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
JEHOVAH’S WITNESS KINGDOM HALL
After visiting them I find that I like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since it seems to be very big on family values.
Does it matter if I attend this church?
Are all the churches on my list the same in the eye of God, no matter what doctrine they teach, or do I need to be careful of what doctrine is being taught.
After all I prayerfully read scripture, and came up with this belief, and I found a church that also believes what I now believe.
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
JEHOVAH’S WITNESS KINGDOM HALL
After visiting them I find that I like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since it seems to be very big on family values.
Does it matter if I attend this church?
Are all the churches on my list the same in the eye of God, no matter what doctrine they teach, or do I need to be careful of what doctrine is being taught.
After all I prayerfully read scripture, and came up with this belief, and I found a church that also believes what I now believe.
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mercygate
Guest
Mission statement?
I’m Catholic. Here’s our “mission statement”:Go, and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Mt. 28:19-20)
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SAHM02
Guest
Are different Catholic Churches allowed to have different “mission statements”?Mission statement?
Go, and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Mt. 28:19-20)
One Catholic Church in my area mission statement:
A Community of Believers, drawn together by a common faith in Jesus Christ, Seeks to be a visible Sign of God’s Presence throughout the Community and the World. With the help of the Holy Spirit, We commit ourselves to this task through Worship, Education, Service and Fellowship.
This is a mission statement of another Catholic Church in my area:
The Church of ************ seeks to be a family of compassionate people sharing God’s love through worship and sacraments, education, fellowship and service. You are welcome. (I removed the name because I don’t belong to the church and I didn’t want to give hints on where I live)
I have been inside both churches and they both have the picture of the local Catholic Bishop…so they must be “sister” churches right?
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SAHM02
Guest
That’s a good question! I don’t have an answer. However, I am eager to hear (read) what others have to say (write).
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rmcmullan
Guest
I think this is a different question. It’s goes from how do I choose a church to what church is true. Maybe it’s how can I tell if what a church teaches is true. Or what church can save me? Am I on the right track? Maybe this is more of my heresy but I think that when it comes time to judge, there’ll be people of every denomination in heaven. There they will have the pure gospel presented and if any mistakes crept in to the teachings they received on earth, they’ll be corrected.
Oh, and by the way, thanks for picking the Mormons!
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rr1213
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Of course not. The Churches you list are heretical and you know it. In the end, you choose the Church that you are comfortable with. If you are devout, this choice is made according to what you believe to be the Church which teaches the truth. If you are not devout, it is based on factors that should be secondary…such as what time the early service begins or the day care situation. If you are somewhere in the middle, both considerations come into play. In the vast majority of circumstances, although not all circumstances including mine, you go to the Church in which you were raised.
All of this is true whether you are Catholic or Protestant. Ultimately, if you want to convince Protestants to convert to the Catholic faith you must change our minds. We must be convinced that the Catholic faith, not our own, is the one that holds the truth. If we are not convinced, and we are devout, we will not convert. Even more ultimately, any such conversion needs to be the result of the Holy Spirit. And, likewise, the same is true from our perspective as to Catholics converting to non-Catholic Christian faiths.
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mark_a
Guest
I think I see your point and it would be tough, but if I needed to switch, I would start with one of the non-Trinitarian (JW, LDS, Unitarian), and keep working through.
After a few jumps, you could have a standard line about why you are leaving your new friends and what each group considers the “real” church,and try the next on for size.
I would rather join a heretical group than an anti-everything-ism church.
After a few jumps, you could have a standard line about why you are leaving your new friends and what each group considers the “real” church,and try the next on for size.
I would rather join a heretical group than an anti-everything-ism church.
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AdvanceAlways
Guest
well first off, the UUA is not a Church per say. It is not Christian, it is a congregation of people with many different beliefs. It denies the divinity of Jesus, teaches from other faith’s Holy Texts, etc. Many of its members are atheists or agnostics. They are not a Bible Church at all. The only true Bible Church is the One, Holy, and Apostolic Catholic Church.
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Eireann
Guest
True.
Don’t agree with this part, the Holy Spirit would never lead us against His Church.
The Holy Spirit would never cause division, Jesus said a kingdom divided against itself shall fall.
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zerinus
Guest
I don’t know how they choose their church pastor. But let me assure you that I have debated with fundamental Protestants and Evangelicals quite a lot; and I can assure you that there is nothing that they hate more than our insistence that you can pray about the Book of Mormon and get a spiritual testimony that it is true.
How about opting for a religion that is led by revelation, by true prophets and Apostles, as the ancient church used to be? How about opting for a religion that does not say that the canon of scripture is closed, but is able to produce additional revelation and scripture from God for the instruction and enlightenment of mankind, as the true church of God has been able to do throughout the history of the world?
zerinus
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zerinus
Guest
I would choose one that is led by revelation, by true prophets and Apostles, as the ancient church used to be. I would choose one that does not say that the canon of scripture is closed, but is able to produce additional revelation and scripture from God for the instruction and enlightenment of mankind, as the true church of God has always been able to do.
zerinus
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MrS
Guest
Then why are you not Catholic… is it because as a member of LDS, you can always anticipate that teachings will change to adapt to your desires and needs?
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AdvanceAlways
Guest
Jesus said there would be no more prophets, simple as that. Jospeh Smith was a liar, the BoM has no authority, and according Doctrines and Covenants, God would never break his covenant with the LDS. This would seem like there would be no schisms. Explain the FLDs, The Community of Christ, LDSB, LDST, etc
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mikew262
Guest
True, if you are talking Old Testament only.
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AELondon
Guest
This is precisely the problem with protestantism. We can’t rely on our own minds or comfort levels to inerrantly determine truth - especially supernatural truth. Scripture tells us - Rely not on your own understanding. Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us in all truth. Does “all truth” include religious truth? Of course. Our God is a God of order and unity, not a God of chaos and division. The umpteen thousand protestant denominations are a woeful monument to division and schism. This is not the will of the Holy Spirit.
God Bless.
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