Have you been to any church ?

Dear Thunder, Peace be upon YouLast Easter, my colleague invited me to His church. They had this celebration; children performed on the stage and later we had dinner. I didn’t get to ask any questions or learn something since the occasion was totally different i-e celebration. When I walk down the road to buy grocery, there are two churches that come on my way. One church has a big sign which says, “Christ is coming to reign on Earth”. Whenever I read that sign, I pray that it happens during my life. (Muslims also believe that Christ will come at the end of time). The other church has a poster which they keep on updating with various verses on a fortnightly basis; currently it has the verse that if we believe in Lord as our savior, He will forgive our sins (I cannot recall the exact verse but this is what I remember from that message). Anyhow, I’ve never got the opportunity to go inside since generally they are close; I guess there are special timings (perhaps on Sunday) when they are open. Other than that, I had two Christian friends visit my house. We had a good time together. They explained their belief to me. And I expressed my views. In the end, I asked them that I had a couple of questions which I would like to be answered. I wrote my questions on a piece of paper. They said that they will visit me shortly. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to meet again. I think they keep on rotating around the country so they must have left or something. They left a book titled “The Book of Mormon” which I have added to my personal collection of Religious Books. Be blessed.

Peace be Upon YouOut of curiosity, may I ask, what sect of Christianity do you and the majority of members in this forum follow? And what are the major differences between chatholic, Mormons and your school of thought ? Be blessed

(Simple;32637)
Peace be Upon YouOut of curiosity, may I ask, what sect of Christianity do you and the majority of members in this forum follow? And what are the major differences between chatholic, Mormons and your school of thought ? Be blessed
The staff, I, and some members do not follow a sect of Christianity. We follow the Word. Not a denominations as they are made by man. Religion is man-made. The Truth is by God. Religion is by man.JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua, Lord and Saviour of the world whom can save you.

Christians are folks who believe they were lost, dead in their trespasses against God's law and their sins who realized that they needed a saviour. This saviour Jesus Christ promised eternal salvation and complete forgiveness of sins and also would justify the sinner before God through his own righteousness and not any righteousness or lack thereof from the sinner. This is accomplished through a born again experience when a person embraces the promise of God that Jesus Christ paid their debt of sin in his crucifixion and on the third day rose from the dead. Mormons are a cult and do not embrace these things. Matter of fact, Mormonism is a lot like Islam in it's roots as Joseph Smith the founder got the book of Mormon from a spirit that claimed he was an angel sent from God much like Muhammad's claim that he got his revelation for the Quran and Hadiths from Gabriel.Free eBook "AntiChrist Islam's Awaited Messiah"http://ToddSumrall.com

(thesuperjag;32640)
The staff, I, and some members do not follow a sect of Christianity. We follow the Word. Not a denominations as they are made by man. Religion is man-made. The Truth is by God. Religion is by man.Jag
Peace be Upon YouThank you for your reply. Can I request that you shed more light on your point of view? For example when you say that you do not follow any particular school of thought of Christianity, I assume that you have a different set of beliefs/practices, from rest of the Christians following a certain school of thought within Christianity such as the Catholics, the orthodox, the Mormons etc. Have I understood correct? If so, what would be the major difference between you and them from ideological or practical point of view? Also, when you say that you “follow the word”, what do you mean by that? What is “the word”? Do you mean that you only rely on the teachings of Jesus as per the primary sources of Christianity such as old and new testaments? Do the other schools of thought in Christianity not “follow the word”?Be blessed

(Simple;32659)
(thesuperjag;32640)
The staff, I, and some members do not follow a sect of Christianity. We follow the Word. Not a denominations as they are made by man. Religion is man-made. The Truth is by God. Religion is by man.Jag
Peace be Upon YouThank you for your reply.Can I request that you shed more light on your point of view? For example when you say that you do not follow any particular school of thought of Christianity, I assume that you have a different set of beliefs/practices, from rest of the Christians following a certain school of thought within Christianity such as the Catholics, the orthodox, the Mormons etc. Have I understood correct? If so, what would be the major difference between you and them from ideological or practical point of view? Also, when you say that you “follow the word”, what do you mean by that? What is “the word”? Do you mean that you only rely on the teachings of Jesus as per the primary sources of Christianity such as old and new testaments? Do the other schools of thought in Christianity not “follow the word”?Be blessedDear Simple, What is the Word?John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 5:7 - For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.Lord Jesus Christ is the Word. That Word is God. I follow Christ, for He is the only Way to Heaven.John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.God is not Catholic, God is not Mormon, God is not Baptist, God is not Pentecostal. God is not a religion.God is the Word.Are these denominations I listed teaching the Word of God? Nope, they will cause confusions as they know not what they are saying, because God has not given them wisdom, as wisdom cometh from God.God is no author of confusions. (I Corinthians 14:33)JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua, Lord and Saviour of the world, who only can save you.

Many differences in thought and practices between various denominations stem from the fact that the New Testament is not based on a set of explicit rules specifying how things must be done. For example, there is no rule concerning the correct age for baptism, therefore some denominations baptise infants soon after birth, whereas others claim baptism should only take place once a person is old enough to decide for themselves. ´Another area of disagreement is over what happens in Holy Communion: does the bread and wine really change to Christ's flesh and blood, or is it a symbolical representation.Another example is the Sabbath: should Christians observe the OT Sabbath or a "Christ arisen" day. Is it optional or compulsory.Christianity is based on love and that love is directed towards God, one another and the Creation itself. By loving in this way, one cannot help but fulfil the law and therefore a rule book is unnecessary and would only serve to hinder action based on love. Failure is a failure in loving rather than a breach of legislation.This leaves room for peripheral argument between denominations, but these arguments are rather more concerning things the bible does NOT say rather than what it DOES say. There should be no dispute in the core beliefs of the Christian faith, which are rather much condensed into the various versions of the Creed.

I have never been to a church ceremony of my own undertaking, in my own free time. However, I went to catholic school for 12 years, and so was present in many masses and other services during school hours.

I know that when I got older, around 18 or 19, I had a yearning to know why there were so many denominations and why my church seemed so complacent about the Lord. It greatly disturbed me that people didn't seem to have a passion for Christ. I was raised Southern Baptist. I began visiting Charasmatic churches and Pentecostal churches. What bothered me about some of those churches is it seemed to be a performance by some. I think some of them went to church to get on an emotional high and say, "Look at me!" It seemed to be a place of confusion during worship with all of the tongue-speaking out loud and no interpretations to it all. Then, some of these same people didn't walk the walk after church was over. Some tried to,but were so condemning to others. One guy that I had gone to school with for years and who had been known as a partier had gotten saved and it was radical. He started talking to me about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and telling me I wasn't saved if I didn't speak in tongues. I came against him because he greatly angered me. I know there are good and bad things in all religions. My suggestion to anyone looking is, find a place that is as close to teaching the Bible as you can find. You MUST study your Bible so you won't be drawn in to a deceiving place. That's what is so scary. I don't take what a pastor/teacher says and just believe it. I read it and interpret it myself by asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate His Word. I also have come to realize that even though some people are reserved, that doesn't mean they don't love the Lord deeply. You really don't know a person until you sit down and talk with them and observe their walk with the Lord. Here's how I can usually tell if a person is genuine. Do they act the same no matter where they are, or do they change according to circumstances/places? Would that person yell and scream at a ball game, but sit still in church and look bored to death? That kind of tells me something's wrong. If they are a shy, reserved person, they are most likely going to be that way in church too. If a person is very outgoing and expressive, then they will be like that in church too. I don't think I could go to a church that restricts you from raising your hands, clapping, praising verbally, and just doesn't "feel" like a warm place. If the Holy Spirit is in you, you should know when you walk in a place if He's in that church too. I do think we should attend a church because Jesus was always faithful to attend church (see Luke 4:16). We are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). And we are told that bad company corrupts good morals, so we need to fellowship with believers to stay strong (1 Corinthian 15:33, Ephesians 5). I know this is long, but it is so important. Thanks, Thunder1 for bringing it up. The Body of Christ really does need each other. That's why we are each called "parts" of the body and not one of us is the exclusive body of ChristP.S. Check out the doctrine of the church by reading its Bylaws and Constitution. Many churches have these (and are supposed to because they draft these and turn them in to an attorney to be registered as a non-profit organization). It may surprise you what is actually written in them. We just went through ours and they were updated. It had things in it like no gum-chewing on the premises and the like). Your church should provide a copy of these so you can read them. They may even be posted online if the church you're interested in has a web site.

All Atheists should visit a Church, Mosque or a Synagogue otherwise you are doing the same thing as the religious people. Blind faith.

(Thunder1;32580)
For non-believers: "Have you been to any church just to check it out ? "I challenge you to do that. It's easy to talk on internet. I would say be open minded. In a church you are able to ask your questions face to face and you'll see what is really happening there. Just go, sit and listen and afterwards ask your questions. Go to pastor or ask somebody's help there, tell them that you've got some questions and you would like to have some answers. If you can't do that, actually go and meet those Christian people face to face instead of only talking through internet - I think you are not really interested in Christianity at all. You say that you want more knowledge to understand Christianity and you believe in something else and don't want to change. That knowledge is then useless. There is so much more to Christianity.God Bless !Thunder1
I've been to many different churches, although not all I'm sure of their demonation as some were when I was too young to understand all that. Went to the youth group as well.Last time I went to church was probably just over a year ago.I do agree that it's something people should go and experience, even if they do come out thinking the same in the end.The internet have conversations I find though sometimes, as you can read back things.

Oh man, go to a Pentecostal church. Make sure you go with a friend who's a Pentecostal. That place gets moved by the Holy Spirit.I went to a conference where people were drunk in the Holy Spirit, received gifts. Two people who had demons inside of them fell on the ground, shook, and yelled, "I'm on fire!" That's the Holy Ghost performing an exorcism.It's as real as night and day. It's a shame that most people either regard it as fake, fanaticism, or scary (so scary as to where they do not want to be a part of it). Let me tell you something. The Holy Ghost can not hurt you if you accept Him. The Holy Ghost WILL improve your life, and you walk with God.The problem with Pentecostal churches is that they don't have the best of preachers. Baptist preachers are very, very good .

I have been to many churches, many different times on different occasions or if someone has asked me to join them. I find going to church very interesting, although I am not even a Christian myself. In fact, religion in general is very interesting to me, and I would like to attend other religious services too (that is, non-Christian) but I haven't had a chance yet; as Northern and Western European churches are mostly Protestant, I have only been to Lutheran, Anglican and one Pentecostal service. In fact, perhaps the next time I visit the US, I should visit a church, something very different from European service, perhaps a "megachurch" (since ours are all old, little churches of course) or something. That should definately be interesting and different. Any recommendations?