What church can I join?

[RazzleCat]

I am very serious here, I feel a loss of no longer believing in my church. I want to be a member of a religious community again, but one that honestly follows the teaching of Jesus. Not one that seems to just hate. Maybe its the area I live in (St. Louis MO). Maybe its the church I am a member of (Roman Catholic), but I have not been able to attend mass for over 3 years now. When I was going all I saw were people who would kill you for having an abortion, lived in fear of the "godless" homosexuals, and in general had taken on the GW view of god. So tell me / teach me about some of the other faiths out their; ones that are not so full of hate. Understand that the Catholic Church has always been changing, growing up my church had the missionary's who worked in El Salvador, helping the poor, fighting the good fight. We had the nuns working in the inner cities, giving food, shelter, and love to the needy. We also had tons of food kitchens, many drives to assist those facing disaster, and in general were more progressive than what we are now. With the current Pope, to my way of thinking we have gone back-wards, from an institution that was reaching out and helping with love and caring to one that is in near lock step with the neo-cons. So where can I go, or do I wait for the current Pope to die and see what happens, history shows that the Church goes to opposite with each change of Pope?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

1. You could consider Unitarian Universalist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalist if you want to read about it.

[havocmom]

4. Second that suggestion

Not hard to imagine you will find the community at a UU church. Very open, tolerant, loving folks there. Give it a look.

Good luck to you on your journey. Hope you find a place where it is comfortable for you to celebrate your spirituality and fulfill your needs for connection to other caring people.

Peace & Strength,
hm

[NeoGreen]

6. I 2nd it also,

My wife and I have recently joined the UU Church in Buffalo and have been very pleasantly surprised by the open and welcoming character of the church.

My kids love it too. they were the main reason we joined, since they had started to receive Bible Study invitations from kids in the local Baptist church.

Go to their website and look for the "100-questions" pdf file, it explains a lot and I have found it to be "spot-on" as far as the Buffalo congregation (sp?) are concerned.

[Maat]

27. Thanks for that '100 questions' idea.

I downloaded it. I'm with Church of Religious Science, and I'm reading it, and, so far, we virtually identical philosophically. The only differences that I have seen are CRS's unique form of affirmative prayer and the idea of what happens after death. Most CRS-ers believe that each individual's unique energy is somehow preserved, and it moves on. Some (only some) UUers believe in the finality of death. So, that is a potential area of difference - but since both churches are very open and each person develops their own philosophy - that's endlessly debatable.

[RazzleCat]

7. Thanks

This looks good. Their is one in my area http://eliotchapel.org/ thats what I want. A more open looking Church, focused on inclusion and love, not exclusion and hate.

[NeoGreen]

9. Found the link to the PDF

http://www.uunashua.org/100quest.shtml

Enjoy.

[davidinalameda]

24. then you definately want the UU if you want inclusion and love

www.uua.org

[Az]

2. You may not get your fill of Jesus here but

Whenever I hear someone is at a crossroads in their belief I always recommend the Unitarian Universalists. They may not be anywhere near as orthodox as your experiences have exposed you to so far. But perhaps thats a good thing.

UUs allow you to hold onto the beliefs you come with. They encourage discussion amongst their people and open exploration. You will be exposed to many different religious beliefs. And you may not get the focus on Jesus that you are used to or may be seaking. But they are worth a look.

[bullimiami]

3. do a search for liberal churches

there is also a council of liberal churches.

unitarian universalists of course, and the quakers.

im not sure if you will find a church within your denomination that reflects your moral and political beliefs but iof not there is no reason you cant congregate with people who do.

[kaitykaity]

5. Check this out. You might find a home with these folks.

http://wweek.com/story.php?story=5974#

How come? Simple: Miller's a Christian. Half his sales are through religious bookstores. The afternoon photo shoot is for a slick magazine called Relevant, basically a hybrid of Spin and Entertainment Weekly aimed at the youth-ministry set. At Harvard, he'll address the Veritas Forum, a gathering of Christian intellectuals. In Toronto, he's speaking at a Christian college so small even he hasn't heard of it. The stage version of his book will run at "faith-based" venues in Canada's biggest city.

The weird thing is, Miller is not just a religious fish out of Portland's hyper-secular water. He's also an oddity among Christian authors. Some Christians don't care for him one bit. "I truly believe that Blue Like Jazz is in large part a heresy masquerading as Christianity," says Vince Bissey, one of Miller's most vociferous online critics.

His fans, however, love him. They've made his writing a hit largely on the strength of word of mouth, blogs and the grapevine that links scattered bands of rebel evangelicals across the country. Indeed, for a Christian writer, Miller's raising a lot of hell.

Christian publishing is, by some estimates, the fastest-growing segment of the book biz. According to the Association of American Publishers, sales of religious titles jumped 37 percent in 2003 and increased again last year. Though the field accounts for just 5 percent of total book sales, it's responsible for the lion's share of overall growth in sales to adults.

[classof56]

10. Hey, thanks for posting this.

Don Miller's new to me. Glad to know about him and I look forward to reading his books. Interesting that he's right here in Oregon and I hadn't heard of him. Love the DU grapevine!

Tired Old Cynic

[kaitykaity]

12. So weird how it happened, too.

I was doing laundry yesterday and needed something to
read, so I picked up WW and scanned this, the main story.

Then today I see this post and thought this person might
find the various ministers and groups they talk about
helpful.

One Google search later...

Cool.

[carpediem]

11. Thanks for posting this

I am going to go buy his books. unfortunately we live in a desert when it comes to true Christianity, we are in the tampa florida area, and surrounded by baptist churches or stealth baptist churches. We are really getting desparate for something real.

[China_cat]

8. You'd feel at home with the Quakers.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. Unity

might be your spiritual home. Unity's headquarters is in MO, and there are Unity churches in a lot of the major cities. Unity is a welcoming place with a focus on the mystical side of Christianity. I've attended Unity services and have also used Unity facilities to present the Dances of Universal Peace, and have never felt any pressure to 'join' them.

You might also wish to check out the Dances of Universal Peace in the St. Louis area.

[kwassa]

14. Different Catholic churches are more liberal or more conservative

Catholicism can be a force for progressive social change, as in the liberation theology of Latin American, or for re-inforcing the status quo and the power structure, also in Latin America and many other places.

[aneerkoinos]

15. Teaching of Jesus

For one the most honestly follows the teaching of Jesus I would recommend this:

http://www.gnosis.org/eghome.htm

[sam sarrha]

16. to follow the teachings of Jesus.. you 'll have to become a Buddhist

the "Christians" don't seem to teach unconditional love, tolerance, compassion and peace much anymore.

actually Palestine lies right on the old Silk Road trade route.. there were Buddhist traveling through there for a centuries before the birth of Christ.

Where else could Jesus have gotten the idea's he taught from a culture that waited for one of their neighbors to transgress gods laws so they could kill them with rocks.?? :shrug:

[aneerkoinos]

18. Yes, sort of

IMO Gnosticism is pretty much Christian Buddhism. It actually seems to predate historical Jesus but does not deny his central role(Christ=Boddhisatva). Buddhist traditions are better preserved and offer highly evolved philosophical approaches for the philosophically minded, Gnosticism on the other hand is culturally closer. If I had to choose I would take Buddhism, but I'm glad to be able to study both...

[Maat]

17. Isn't the Espiscopal Church a good place for the formerly Catholic?

They just promoted Gene Robinson, who is openly gay and in a committed relationship. They seem very warm and inclusive.

Also:

1) Unity,
2) United Church of Christ, and ..
3) Church of Religious Science.


I took that test on beliefnet.com, and came up 100% Unitarian-Universalist in philosophy, but I've found my home in Religious Science.

The link to the test:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

[sam sarrha]

21. a Lama at our Center asked how many had been Christians, then what Church.

of the 40 of us 32 had been Catholics. The Tibetans i have met have all been very curious people. and very sharp intellectually. they are "Really" curious about why an American would become a Buddhist.. that seems to be a big curiosity. we had 3 meetings a week, counting the Saturday meditation.. there were about 40 regulars that made every meeting, we paid for a Monk to come over from Dharmsala, India and we provided him with a place to stay and gave him a stipend to live on. there was a list of volunteers to drive him around.

he spent all his time helping people, he worked at the Hospice, he was invited to church luncheons, retirement homes, and to speak at the university as the resident monk. he actually taught 2 classes in History and culture of Tibet and a special class for the philosophy department.

he was arrested because the INS made a mistake on his visa and he was put in jail in his robes in the "Tank" with a large group of hardened criminals. he was abut 5 feet tall and really thin shaved head.. they asked him where he was from.. he said Tibet, they asked him what he did and he said he taught meditation,.. in ten minutes he had them all sitting in a circle meditating and chanting mantras.

he is now back in India and may never be able to return, the INS said his files were so bad that they had to have been forged by an armature and not the office. the guy that did it was promoted to a high position in Homeland Security.

[moroni]

19. New Church..

May you find what you are looking for. Pray and pray often.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.


Blessings to you,
moroni

[Dervill Crow]

20. Church

UU or Quaker would be your best bet, I would think. Of course there's a lot of variation between churches of the same denomination, but to find a church whose "official" teachings match your beliefs, it's interesting to do the "beliefomatic" quiz at beliefnet.com.

[Behind the Aegis]

22. a suggestion

I think many of the people above have given some great suggestions! However, have you ever thought about exploring another religion all together? Do you really need a "church?" Perhaps your path is a solitary one (meaning you and your G-d). I know some people are more comfortable with others who fell the same as they do, and nothing is wrong with that at all! However, I have found that I much happier on my own. I find great strength in my own 'patchwork' spirituality.

I wish you the best. As bad as this sounds, shop around! See what fits you. You believe in G-d, let Him (Her) lead you! You will find what you need! :)

[GOPBasher]

23. Episcopalian can work.

It's a lot like Roman Catholic with all of its rituals and the mass procedure. But it's a very liberal church. It may be the best of both worlds for you.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. Call up the offices of your local denominations (including the Catholic

diocese, the Episcopal diocese, and the Lutheran synod) and ask where their most liberal parish is. They will know.

Then try them out.

One will feel right.

Good luck!

[MemphisTiger]

26. Depending on the senior pastor

you could try United Methodist. Some churches are more liberal than others. You could try some of the larger congregations that you could be a number in at first if you like.

[TreasonousBastard]

28. Could be a lot of them...

I see that a lot of people are recommending UU's and Quakers and, being a Quaker myself, I'd tend to agree.

However, it's not me that's looking, it's you. And you have your own belief structure to deal with. Midwestern Evangelical Quakers might fit you just fine, or might not. Some have been aupporting the war, believe it or not. And the loss of the practice of sacraments and other things in the unprogrammed Quaker worship migh be a bit much. As with the UUs, the lack of doctrinal unity and ceremony might leave you less comfortable.

Or might not. You don't know until you giove it a shot.

Closer to home might be non-Southern Baptists, Episcopalians, ELCA Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, United Church of Christ, and perhaps a few others that have the Christian theology closer to what you grew up with, but are less stringent in their social beliefs than your Catholic archdioces seems to be. Mennonites and Church of the Brethren might be a little too uptight about some issues, even though they are Peace Churches.

Being Missouri, it could take a while to find a specific church in another denomination that fits. Regardless of the church's overall doctrines or teachings, each congregation sets its own tone. In some cases, like Presbyterians and Episcopalians, the church is at war with itself over some issues, and you want to find the right parish.

Just to show you all Baptists aren't bad guys:

http://www.bpfna.org/

Unfortunately, they don't show any affiliated parishes in your area, but that doesn't mean there aren't any with simlar views.

Here's a similar, and larger, Presbyterian group that gives you a good idea what many of them are about:

http://www.witherspoonsociety.org/

[James T. Kirk]

29. Try Catholic again!

Your experience with the Catholic Church is surprising to me. I have not encountered anyone in all my time in the Church who would kill anyone else for having abortion and I haven't seen anyone in fear of "godless" homosexuals.

On the contrary, I've seen priests preach that all people need love and respect and that sinners need to be told not to sin. They never call for killing or revenge or anything like that.

Maybe you were just in a bad parish.

Please come back!

O8)O8)O8)O8)O8)O8)

(Find a church: www.masstimes.org )

[One_Life_To_Give]

30. Christians are a very broad grouping

Your comment about one that honestly follows the teaching of Jesus, this depends on what you believe this to be.

Many denominations have websites that talk about their beliefs. I think you need to review these and see which Church(s) align with your own beliefs.