Attended church for the first time yesterday!

[AeroEngy]

I thought I would throw out that you might want to check out the Church of Christ. IF you really want to explore and dont want to drop the whole thing (which I recommend). I grew up going there but haven't been in over a decade.

They are "un-denominational" in that they have no headquarters or president. I guess their mission is to just follow the new testament so if it isn't in it they don't do it. No saints, no priests, no fancy robes, no elaborate rituals. Their service is usually very simple ... sing, pray, sermon, communion, sing, pray, leave. Basically just coming together to study, and pray. Typically have small, around a hundred or so, congregations.

I stopped going for several reasons. 1) I don't really believe in any religion. 2) They are a little nutty about only doing what was in the bible. (Ex. No Instrumental music in church because they couldn't find where it was directly mentioned) 3) The longer you are there the more they want you to participate (ex. teaching, leading singing)

Word of warning, since there is no headquarters your mileage may vary due to variations in local churches. Each church may interpret parts of the bible differently and have slightly different beliefs. Also they are not part of "The United Churches of Christ" which sounds similar but has a headquarters and I know nothing about them.

 

[rudder]

The thing that attracts me to catholic church is that they seem to have traditions, rituals, and very ceremonial mass.
What denominations would you recommend? I eventually want to get around to all of them, I'm 19 I have plenty of time!

Try a non-denominational church. The denominational churches generally have some governing body which dictates how they define certain things like homosexuality, alcohol, music, dress code etc etc. The non-denominational churches (other than ones defined as Church of God or similar) tend to not worry about that stuff and will have just a small number of core beliefs... the rest is up to the consumer.

 

[ebaycj]

I'm convinced that churchy people's heroic and undying attempts to justify god and the bible are so strong because, at a fundemental level, each time they defend/advocate god/the bible, they are trying to prove to themselves that they really truly buy that steaming pile of shit, while some tiny part of their being, repressed deep down inside, knows the truth that it's all a lie, and that they don't buy it at all.


OP, I recommend you stop your search, it's a waste of time.

 

[Cogman]

I'm convinced that churchy people's heroic and undying attempts to justify god and the bible are so strong because, at a fundemental level, each time they defend/advocate god/the bible, they are trying to prove to themselves that they really truly buy that steaming pile of shit, while some tiny part of their being, repressed deep down inside, knows the truth that it's all a lie, and that they don't buy it at all.


OP, I recommend you stop your search, it's a waste of time.

I'm convinced that non-churchy people's heroic and undying attempts to disprove god and the bible are so strong because, at a fundemental level, each time they attack/smear god/the bible, they are trying to prove to themselves that they really truly buy that steaming pile of shit, while some tiny part of their being, repressed deep down inside, knows the truth that it's all a lie, and that they don't buy it at all.


OP, I recommend you keep your search, it's not a waste of time.

 

[totalnoob]

It's a huge waste of time.. It's 2010 fellas...time to grow up and stop believing in a cosmic Santa Claus.

 

[darkxshade]

You should also try out the church of Scientology while you're at it, they're all the rage these days.


Also I hear the Westboro Baptist church is quite an interesting experience too. Should def give that a go.

 

[Kirby]

I've been to some churches of the same denomination that are as different as another denomination. It all depends on the specific church.

 

[drum]

I thought I would throw out that you might want to check out the Church of Christ. IF you really want to explore and dont want to drop the whole thing (which I recommend). I grew up going there but haven't been in over a decade.

They are "un-denominational" in that they have no headquarters or president. I guess their mission is to just follow the new testament so if it isn't in it they don't do it. No saints, no priests, no fancy robes, no elaborate rituals. Their service is usually very simple ... sing, pray, sermon, communion, sing, pray, leave. Basically just coming together to study, and pray. Typically have small, around a hundred or so, congregations.

I stopped going for several reasons. 1) I don't really believe in any religion. 2) They are a little nutty about only doing what was in the bible. (Ex. No Instrumental music in church because they couldn't find where it was directly mentioned) 3) The longer you are there the more they want you to participate (ex. teaching, leading singing)

Word of warning, since there is no headquarters your mileage may vary due to variations in local churches. Each church may interpret parts of the bible differently and have slightly different beliefs. Also they are not part of "The United Churches of Christ" which sounds similar but has a headquarters and I know nothing about them.

I grew up in this environment and it is very simple and not intimidating at all. Our average Sunday attendance was around 50

 

[BoomerD]

You should also try out the church of Scientology while you're at it, they're all the rage these days.


Also I hear the Westboro Baptist church is quite an interesting experience too. Should def give that a go.

Considering that the OP is "dot-dot" Indian...I'm sure the Westies would welcome him with open arms...

If you opt to attend a Roman Catholic mass...keep in mind that this is the church that was behind the inquisition...and later, the Spanish Inquisition...perhaps the darkest times in Christian history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition

 

[jemcam]

Go to a black Methodist AME church. Seriously, it's completely different than what you've ever experienced. It helped me greatly to understand the blacks I grew up with. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it really did open my eyes to a different culture.

 

[Kirby]

How about the Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations?

 

[Miramonti]

Its not so much the denomination or church itself as the culture of the community it is in. The church must appeal to the locals. And in some places, the locals are really scary or icky, so too goes the church. You know?

There is a non-denominational church in Michigan I would recommend. Couldn't really recommend anything near you.

As many non-denominational groups have grown and spread their core beliefs, approach, and culture, along with a hierarchy of authority thru new churches/church plants, they actually have become denominations imo, whether they like to market it that way or not.

 

[DougK62]

Sheesh, it certainly doesn't take long for the Protestants to come and start bashing on the Catholics. Very Christ-like...

 

[mugs]

 

[FelixDeCat]

No to attending church. I'd rather watch you eat a pile of dog shit than become a Christian.

You are what you eat.

 

[Jeff7]

You are what you eat.

Ergo if I go to Communion, I am Jesus.
Awesome.

The second coming is nigh.

 

[AreaCode707]

It looks to me like you're visiting other religious services out of interest, not out of faith-seeking, so my post is written in that mien.

If your goal is to experience some diverse worship styles, you should attempt to try:

- an evangelical modern-style service (basically what you already tried at the Baptist church) These usually include "modern" music (1970s to now), how-to style sermons, communion every couple of weeks, and many elements that are meant to be seeker-friendly.

- a liturgical traditional-style service (some Catholic churches will offer this, others will have a liturgical service that is more modern in style; do a little online research beforehand. Traditional services are often offered earlier in the day and are mostly attended by older people.) These are usually more structured, with printed historic prayers, more ritual like candles, robes, hymns and an organ, organized scripture reading, communion every week and shorter sermons. An Episcopal church would offer a similar experience.

- an orthodox-style service (Eastern/Russian/Greek etc service.) I don't have as much experience with this style but it's a bit different; the Greek Orthodox church I visited had people standing and people shifted around (and came and went0, there was a lot of chanted scripture, lots of images of saints, and the experience was more centered around worship than than teaching, especially in contrast to the evangelical style of service where it's very much about teaching.

Lots of churches these days are borrowing a page from the evangelical model because of the evangelical growth that occurred over the last 50 years, not realizing that the generation that model appealed most to is pretty much past. If don't want to walk into a Catholic service that feels much like the Baptist service, definitely look for a service advertised as traditional and be willing to go earlier in the morning.

I've attended lots of different churches and found something of value, and things to dislike, in all of them. I'm currently attending a liturgical church that incorporates more traditional than modern elements (and when they try to do modern stuff they do it so badly I cringe...)

 

[bobdole369]

Find a Roman Catholic Church and attend. Very structured. What I think is the most pure of the Christian religions.

Try Eastern Orthodox for some REALLY old school structure.

Or one of the Latin Catholic churches that doesn't believe in the vatican or vatican 2 "revisions" to Catholicism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council

I highly recommend a jewish church for some rip-stomping fun. I love those folks, such tradition!

One Protestant denomination you must not miss is the Pentacostal! They speak in tongues from time to time. Great people!

Oh and GA there you might even run into the rattlesnake handling churches.

Dunno if you can find a LDS (latter day saints) church down there, but I also like the totally different stories they've made up.

 

[BoomerD]

Try Eastern Orthodox for some REALLY old school structure.

Or one of the Latin Catholic churches that doesn't believe in the vatican or vatican 2 "revisions" to Catholicism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council

I highly recommend a jewish church for some rip-stomping fun. I love those folks, such tradition!

One Protestant denomination you must not miss is the Pentacostal! They speak in tongues from time to time. Great people!

Oh and GA there you might even run into the rattlesnake handling churches.

Dunno if you can find a LDS (latter day saints) church down there, but I also like the totally different stories they've made up.

CAREFUL...you can get flamed here for speaking poorly about the Church of LSD...:biggrin:

However, I'm with you...the whole Mormon "story" is funny as hell to me. I'm constantly amazed at how many people buy into it.

 

[AreaCode707]

The thing that attracts me to catholic church is that they seem to have traditions, rituals, and very ceremonial mass.
What denominations would you recommend? I eventually want to get around to all of them, I'm 19 I have plenty of time!

In decreasing order of use of ritual:

Any type of Orthodox
Roman Catholic
Episcopal
Lutheran
Methodist

I have to say I admire your interest and curiosity in wanting to see firsthand what the religious experiences of others are. I did a lot of study on various religions as a teenager but lived in a small town where I didn't have much opportunity to experience non-Christian services. Now that I'm in Seattle I really should take the time to visit some synagogues, mosques and temples. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[BoomerD]

When I was younger, I enjoyed the Southern Baptist churches that were predominately African American...especially those with a Black preacher.

"Can I get an AMEN?"

Those folks just ENJOY their churching...even if most of them don't actually live what their religion preaches. (much as with any church)

 

[AreaCode707]

No to attending church. I'd rather watch you eat a pile of dog shit than become a Christian.

After going back and reading the responses in this thread, I don't get why people are so worked up about the OP attending a religious service. He's clearly not seeking a new faith and isn't out there because he's considering becoming a Christian, he's just trying to expand his horizons and know firsthand how other people live and what they experience. What's the big effing deal? Are you guys that freaked out about religion that anyone whose butt touches a pew for any reason is instantly an idiot? At the very worst the OP knows something about the life of others that he didn't know before, and the only cost was an hour or two of his time, a price he seems fine with even if it's not something any of you would ever want to do.

 

[WelshBloke]

What about those fruit loop churches?

The ones that handle snakes or speak in tongues.
I bet that would be fairly entertaining.

 

[meltdown75]

the only thing worse than people who won't shut up about their beliefs?

people than actually CARE what others believe in.

 

[polarmystery]

Religions exist because people fear what they doubt