How do I choose a Church?

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Unfinished said:
Well, I think he is just asking a valid question. Most Protestants I talk with say just to go to a Bible believing church.

But…they ALL claim to be a Bible believing church and they ALL teach different doctrine. Which one is correct?

The answer is usually an answer that doesn’t answer the question.

It normally sounds like “Whichever one follows the Bible!” (Um…what? But which one follows the Bible?)

I have heard a few other answers, but it normally comes down to “Whichever one you feel is following the Bible.” Betty Butterfield said it best “I just want a church that makes me feel good about MYSELF.” (youtube.com/watch?v=IzY4MQW1juM by the way. I find it funny.)
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It’s not about YOU:p It’s about your relationship with Jesus/God. It’s where you hear, feel God. Where you hear Him talking to you and where you feel the Holy Spirit. May be you need to spend time praying and seeking His face. Then you’ll know via the Holy Spirit.

Primrose:D
 
Consider this: 50% to be a Catholic, 50% to be a Protestant. As a protestant, of that 50% divide it again to some 30,000 denominational truths, what do you get? As a Catholic, you have at least 50%, but you have the option to add into it your remaining 50% so you’ll have 100% assurance of truth.

Still simple.😃
 
whatever makes you feel good. whatever makes you feel comfortable. does it matter if they contain the whole truth? nah. you may not know the difference, and it wouldn’t really matter, at least to you. they may not have all the answers, like “is abortion ok? is gay marriage ok? who is right about this scripture verse?” but at least they make you feel like you fit in. if anyone questions you, just say the Holy Spirit leads you, and continue on with your life the way you see fit. if you disagree with anyone there, just drop it or else look for a place where they agree with everything you agree with. the entire Holy Spirit will be where you end up, eventually, i think…

j/k.
 
thirdn6 said:
Consider this: 50% to be a Catholic, 50% to be a Protestant. As a protestant, of that 50% divide it again to some 30,000 denominational truths, what do you get? As a Catholic, you have at least 50%, but you have the option to add into it your remaining 50% so you’ll have 100% assurance of truth.

Still simple.😃
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That’s a bit of a false probability don’t you think?

~Catholic Catechumen
 
Anybody can choose a church he wants. No one on earth would accuse you of something which belongs to you - your Right.

But, just for a guide, not a sort of conditioning one’s mind, select the best which would help you your destiny towards God, your creator.

In Grollier’s Encyclopedia Vol. 5 pp. 106 it states “The Catholic Church is the divine society founded by Jesus Christ, endowed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost. This name denotes the body of the faithful in communion with the Bishop of Rome hence it is often called the Roman Catholic Church.”

If one could be able to find in any standard references that states much greater to the statement written above, then I advise anybody here on this thread to go to that church and stay there till death.
 
johnnydigit said:
whatever makes you feel good. whatever makes you feel comfortable. does it matter if they contain the whole truth? nah. you may not know the difference, and it wouldn’t really matter, at least to you. they may not have all the answers, like “is abortion ok? is gay marriage ok? who is right about this scripture verse?” but at least they make you feel like you fit in. if anyone questions you, just say the Holy Spirit leads you, and continue on with your life the way you see fit. if you disagree with anyone there, just drop it or else look for a place where they agree with everything you agree with. the entire Holy Spirit will be where you end up, eventually, i think…

j/k.
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It’s pretty sad the way some people think. This sounds like my sister. She “feels good” in her church. She says she will never leave “her church” because the people are so nice there. The people there make her “feel good” about herself. They all “praise her” and praise her youngest daughter. When her teenage daughter was a baby they all “praised her” too and said she was so cute. Those people all made her “feel good” and that is what my sister seems to be most concerned with. There is so much more about my sister and why she is not in the Catholic Church anymore. 😦 Please pray for my sister. :crossrc:
 
natsclem said:
NO. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS NOT A BIBLE-BELIEVING CHURCH
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WHAT?! I hope you were just kidding. Or did you mean it in a different way?

The Catholic Church does not teach anything that is contrary to what the bible says, hence the Catholic Church is a “bible-believing” Church. But of course we Catholics know that it just doesn’t start and end with the bible. We have Sacred Tradition behind us along with the Magisterium.

If a person is open to the truth and reads the bible and comes to understand the bible the way it should be understood, they will surely become Catholic. That is what is meant when we say that the Catholic Church is a bible believing Church.
 
AlegreFe said:
It’s pretty sad the way some people think. This sounds like my sister. She “feels good” in her church. She says she will never leave “her church” because the people are so nice there. The people there make her “feel good” about herself. They all “praise her” and praise her youngest daughter. When her teenage daughter was a baby they all “praised her” too and said she was so cute. Those people all made her “feel good” and that is what my sister seems to be most concerned with. There is so much more about my sister and why she is not in the Catholic Church anymore. 😦 Please pray for my sister. :crossrc:
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definitely :crossrc:.

it’s terrible. some protestant churches set their focus on their reception of guests, of course as well as keeping them interested in the music and the number of altar calls per sermon.

unfortunately, it’s almost as if Catholics are so cold, they do the opposite, “mkay people. let’s see how many people we can turn off, turn away, or just creep out all together!”

j/k. there are plenty of great parishioners, but they’re few and far, far between…
 
AlegreFe said:
It’s pretty sad the way some people think. This sounds like my sister. She “feels good” in her church. She says she will never leave “her church” because the people are so nice there. The people there make her “feel good” about herself. They all “praise her” and praise her youngest daughter. When her teenage daughter was a baby they all “praised her” too and said she was so cute. Those people all made her “feel good” and that is what my sister seems to be most concerned with. There is so much more about my sister and why she is not in the Catholic Church anymore. 😦 Please pray for my sister. :crossrc:
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Just a quick comment. If a person isn’t comfortable or doesn’t feel good in a certain church, why would they stay? As you say, there must be more to your sister’s story here, but most people will not stay someplace they are not comfortable. If she has found a church where does feel comfortable, be it not Catholic, feel good about that. She could’ve decided to dump her faith altogether.
 
Well, I can tell you that the Episcopal Church in our area hosts lovely Wine and Cheese Welcomes each year to welcome new members…😉

The Episcopal Church is the church for you if you were one of the kids in Sunday School that got in trouble for asking too many questions…👍

God Bless!
 
mikew262 said:
Just a quick comment. If a person isn’t comfortable or doesn’t feel good in a certain church, why would they stay? As you say, there must be more to your sister’s story here, but most people will not stay someplace they are not comfortable. If she has found a church where does feel comfortable, be it not Catholic, feel good about that. She could’ve decided to dump her faith altogether.
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so a fragmented, partial truth is better than none at all…
 
emeraldcoast said:
Well, I can tell you that the Episcopal Church in our area hosts lovely Wine and Cheese Welcomes each year to welcome new members…😉

The Episcopal Church is the church for you if you were one of the kids in Sunday School that got in trouble for asking too many questions…👍

God Bless!
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Catholics and the Apostles use fish nets, Protestants use fish baits!:eek:
 
rr1213 said:
Ok. I fail to see what’s arrogant about belonging to a Church that you believe to teach correct doctrine.
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Because it’s not about what I believe; it’s about what God believes. It raises my blood pressure when someone says, “I can’t believe in a God who …” does something that God does. I am always tempted to say, “Too bad - He’s the only one we’ve got!” 😃

Can’t believe in a God who would require you to confess your sins to a priest? Too bad - He’s the only one we’ve got.

Can’t believe in a God who won’t let women become priests? Too bad - He’s the only one we’ve got.

Can’t believe in a God who considers it a sin to miss Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, if you are in good health, have no emergencies or sick people that are your responsibility to take care of, and are reasonably close to a Catholic Church? Too bad - you know the drill by now. 😃
 
jmcrae said:
Because it’s not about what I believe; it’s about what God believes. It raises my blood pressure when someone says, “I can’t believe in a God who …” does something that God does. I am always tempted to say, “Too bad - He’s the only one we’ve got!” 😃

Can’t believe in a God who would require you to confess your sins to a priest? Too bad - He’s the only one we’ve got.

Can’t believe in a God who won’t let women become priests? Too bad - He’s the only one we’ve got.

Can’t believe in a God who considers it a sin to miss Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, if you are in good health, have no emergencies or sick people that are your responsibility to take care of, and are reasonably close to a Catholic Church? Too bad - you know the drill by now. 😃
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God does require us to confess our sins, but He doesn’t REQUIRE us to confess them to a priest.
 
jmcrae said:
Yes He does; it’s in the Bible. Matthew 18:18, John 20:19-23, James 5:16. 😃
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Matthew and John shows that you can. It doesn’t show that you have to.
James says, “Confess your sins one to another.” That would be anybody. It doesn’t mean it has to be a priest. Otherwise, it would mean that the priest also has to confess his sins to us atleast once a year.
Anyway I don’t see how anyone could get their sins from the whole year in on one visit to confession.
 
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