what church can i go to?

[marianna]

i already posted a few times about this but i am getting worn out from deciding which church to belong to. i went to some but i didn't like what some of them were doing.
i wanted a more traditional church and i was talking to a catholic i know, and i like the catholics i know. but i saw some posts that said the Catholic faith is hearesy, which sounds bad. i heard about things in that church like praying to saints and thinsg and i don't believe in that, but don't they believe Jesus died for our sins like other churches?

i need to decide what church to go to because i feel alone and i really needa place to go to worship the Lord and be with other believers also.

can anyone give advice on this matter? which church do the people at this forum belong to?
thank you. sorry i posted already about it. on sundays i feel bad because i want to be in church but the last time i tried a church it was scary and i didnt liek what they said or what they were doing but maybe i didn't undersdtand.

its very confusing because all the churchs say something different.
marianna.

 

[dscherck]

i already posted a few times about this but i am getting worn out from deciding which church to belong to. i went to some but i didn't like what some of them were doing.
i wanted a more traditional church and i was talking to a catholic i know, and i like the catholics i know. but i saw some posts that said the Catholic faith is hearesy, which sounds bad. i heard about things in that church like praying to saints and thinsg and i don't believe in that, but don't they believe Jesus died for our sins like other churches?

i need to decide what church to go to because i feel alone and i really needa place to go to worship the Lord and be with other believers also.

can anyone give advice on this matter? which church do the people at this forum belong to?
thank you. sorry i posted already about it. on sundays i feel bad because i want to be in church but the last time i tried a church it was scary and i didnt liek what they said or what they were doing but maybe i didn't undersdtand.

its very confusing because all the churchs say something different.
marianna.

If you are interested in the Catholic Church, the best thing to do would be go to your local Catholic parish, and ask the priest about RCIA class. It's a class specifically for people who are interested in the Catholic Church but still have questions about it. You can ask all sorts of questions, and get the answers you want.
There's a lot of misinformation out there, the best thing to do is just get the info straight from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Oh yeah, and pray about of course. Prayer is ALWAYS a good thing.

 

[jimmydiggs]

If you are interested in the Catholic Church, the best thing to do would be go to your local Catholic parish, and ask the priest about RCIA class. It's a class specifically for people who are interested in the Catholic Church but still have questions about it. You can ask all sorts of questions, and get the answers you want.
There's a lot of misinformation out there, the best thing to do is just get the info straight from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Oh yeah, and pray about of course. Prayer is ALWAYS a good thing.

It would be best, to stop encouraging the spread of Catholic religion. Catholicism is not Christian.

 

[marianna]

Thank you for posting that. maybe thats what i'll do because i like all the Catholics i know, they just seem to be much kinder than some of the fundamentalist christians i know, but theyre all nice people. i just always find when i meet another Christian if they're very kind and mostly even quiet about their beliefsuntil we talk its usually they are Catholic, whereas some of the other people i talk to as soon as i say i'm a christian but i dont go to church they talk to me like i'm not a christian or they're just not very kind is usually what happens.

yes i'll go to te Catholic church nearby and ask some questions. thats the best thing to do. i sure do love the cathedrals and the traditonal part of the Catholic church.

do o mind if i ask some questions from you?

for instance,do you just believe that Jesus is the Lord and he died for our sins and on the 3 day he was raised up from the grave? because that and that Jesus came to earth born as a man to Mary but he is the son of God as well is what i know the Christian faith is about. is it okay to be a Catholic and to not say Mary is something "LIKE" God, as some have told me the Catholics say? because i don't believe in that, or that i would have a gardian angel or that kind of thing - could one still go to the catholic church and not believe those things?

thanks for you answering my post. i don't know why, maybe Anglican and Roamn Catholic are similar?
marianna.

 

[wwjd_kilden]

Ask the leaders of the churches what they stand for, and check it against information on the internet.

I personally believe that as long as a church teaches this it should be good enough:

- all have sinned
- sin separates us from God
- we are saved by faith in JESUS alone
- deeds and willingness to obey God should be a natural result of faith

people will disagree on stuff, that's human. Remember to ask God too not just us (for all you know we might be crazy )

 

[marianna]

Catholic faith is not Christian?
Oh its really mixed up.
What church do you go to\?

would you mind explaining what parts of the Catholic religion aren't Christian because i am a christian and i dont want to be part of a church that isn't. its just relay hard to tell without some help there are so many different churches that all say different things and i see that on the fprums i singed up to also.

Thank YOu
marianna

 

[marianna]

sorry, that post was to ask JimmyDiggs why Catholics arent Christians.

 

[marianna]

Ask the leaders of the churches what they stand for, and check it against information on the internet.

I personally believe that as long as a church teaches this it should be good enough:

- all have sinned
- sin separates us from God
- we are saved by faith in JESUS alone
- deeds and willingness to obey God should be a natural result of faith

people will disagree on stuff, that's human. Remember to ask God too not just us (for all you know we might be crazy )

thank you V this answer because it has a simple list i can use.
and thats what i believe also.
do you know why the Catholic church isn't a Christian church then? because when i ask Catholics they say the same thing as you posted. it doesnt even have to be a catholic church i just wanted a really respectufl traditional church. maybe i should just try the Anglican Church anyway.

thanks again for answering my question. It almost ready to stop looking but maybe it can be an okay experience to just ask (truthfuly i do worry sometimes i might be getting cursed in some of the ones i went to, with some things i saw). but thats not true i just mean it just FELT that way. wrong, is what i mean to say. l

 

[BigFriendlyApologist]

It would be best, to stop encouraging the spread of Catholic religion. Catholicism is not Christian.

I am not Catholic, but this statement is just false.

Catholics believe that Christ came to save them from the power of sin, death and the devil and have decided to follow the teachings expressed by our Lord. The fact that they revere saints to a varying degree, have additional Scripture, etc. is based on their interpretation of scriptural. It is something to be debated to be sure, but none of these issues make or break them as Christians.

 

[dscherck]

for instance,do you just believe that Jesus is the Lord and he died for our sins and on the 3 day he was raised up from the grave? because that and that Jesus came to earth born as a man to Mary but he is the son of God as well is what i know the Christian faith is about. is it okay to be a Catholic and to not say Mary is something "LIKE" God, as some have told me the Catholics say? because i don't believe in that, or that i would have a gardian angel or that kind of thing - could one still go to the catholic church and not believe those things?

thanks for you answering my post. i don't know why, maybe Anglican and Roamn Catholic are similar?
marianna.

At every Catholic liturgy we recite our statement of belief. This is the core of what Catholics believe and teach.

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

We honour Mary, but she isn't like God. She's not a deity, but she is someone who should be looked to as an example of humble obedience to God. Not only that, she's the mother of Jesus! And since we love Jesus so much, we want to get to know everything we can about Him. And naturally we would want to get to know His family. Just like I know my best friend's parents and love them dearly, so to do we get to know Mary and love her dearly because her Son is Our Lord God and Saviour.

 

[BigFriendlyApologist]

thanks for you answering my post. i don't know why, maybe Anglican and Roamn Catholic are similar?

Hey marianna! Just saw this and wanted to throw my thoughts in here as well. Anglicanism is close to Catholicism in a sense. Anglicans broke off from the Catholic Church for political reasons during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. They have separated form the Catholic church slightly in regards to theology but the worship style and organization of the church is somewhat similar.

 

[dscherck]

Catholic faith is not Christian?
Oh its really mixed up.
What church do you go to\?

would you mind explaining what parts of the Catholic religion aren't Christian because i am a christian and i dont want to be part of a church that isn't. its just relay hard to tell without some help there are so many different churches that all say different things and i see that on the fprums i singed up to also.

Thank YOu
marianna

As I mentioned, there's a lot of misinformation out there regarding what we Catholics believe. Go to your local Catholic parish and ask the priest there, or inquire about RCIA. You can ask all the hard questions you want. They encourage it! We want people to really know about the Church before they join.

 

[Tombo]

Here is but one link to some of the many heresies of the catholic church:The Roman Catholic "Church" is Not Christian

Just look up "why the catholic church is not Christian" and you will find many sites explaining how unchristian they really are. I would stay as far away from a cathoilc church as I could, there is no slavation or truth to be found there.
God bless.

Tom

 

[dscherck]

thank you V this answer because it has a simple list i can use.
and thats what i believe also.
do you know why the Catholic church isn't a Christian church then? because when i ask Catholics they say the same thing as you posted. it doesnt even have to be a catholic church i just wanted a really respectufl traditional church. maybe i should just try the Anglican Church anyway.

thanks again for answering my question. It almost ready to stop looking but maybe it can be an okay experience to just ask (truthfuly i do worry sometimes i might be getting cursed in some of the ones i went to, with some things i saw). but thats not true i just mean it just FELT that way. wrong, is what i mean to say. l

Anglicans are pretty similar to Catholics. I joke with one of my Anglican friends that they're "diet Catholic"
They use a similar liturgy and have really close views regarding the Eucharist.

 

[BigFriendlyApologist]

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Just to let you know marianna, this is the Nicene Creed and is regarded as a benchmark for the Christian faith. Protestants, such as myself also confess this creed to be true although there may be minor translation differences between sources.

 

[dscherck]

Here is but one link to some of the many heresies of the catholic church:The Roman Catholic "Church" is Not Christian

Just look up "why the catholic church is not Christian" and you will find many sites explaining how unchristian they really are. I would stay as far away from a cathoilc church as I could, there is no slavation or truth to be found there.
God bless.

Tom

That link's actually a great example of one of the many sources of misinformation about the Catholic faith.

If you want, here's some rebuttals to two of the links from that site.
The first one is about calling priests "Father", naturally the site Tombo posted opposes that view and claims it's contrary to Scripture. But there's plenty of examples of our spiritual leaders referring to themselves as fathers.
Here's one link: Scripture Catholic - THE PRIESTHOOD - FATHERS, CELIBACY & WOMEN'S ORDINATION
And here's another: Call No Man "Father"? | Catholic Answers

Their second objection is to celibacy and the priesthood. The very first link I posted actually has a small section regarding that, but here's another good link as well discussing the practice:Celibacy and the Priesthood | Catholic Answers

I could continue on, but I'm sure you can browse the sites I linked as well. Or, just talk to your local Catholic parish's priest.

 

[BigFriendlyApologist]

Here is but one link to some of the many heresies of the catholic church:The Roman Catholic "Church" is Not Christian

Just look up "why the catholic church is not Christian" and you will find many sites explaining how unchristian they really are. I would stay as far away from a cathoilc church as I could, there is no slavation or truth to be found there.
God bless.

Tom

Most of the things on this site do not regard what actually makes someone a Christian but rather regard how Catholics worship God. As to a few of the fallacies in this article, veneration does not mean worship, calling something holy or righteous is not equating them to God, faith without works is dead (so in fact, works in some way, are needed for a vibrant faith), asking others to pray for us is nothing new (Catholics just tend to ask saints, etc more often than protestants such as myself or you).

Some of the issues of the Catholic Church I disagree with but none would lead me to call them non-Christians.

 

[marianna]

At every Catholic liturgy we recite our statement of belief. This is the core of what Catholics believe and teach.



We honour Mary, but she isn't like God. She's not a deity, but she is someone who should be looked to as an example of humble obedience to God. Not only that, she's the mother of Jesus! And since we love Jesus so much, we want to get to know everything we can about Him. And naturally we would want to get to know His family. Just like I know my best friend's parents and love them dearly, so to do we get to know Mary and love her dearly because her Son is Our Lord God and Saviour.

Well that's exactly what the catholics i talk to say and i dont know whats wrong with that.
the only part is im not sure about is that what do you mean get to know Mary because i already know about Mary from the Bible. is there more to know than that?

the statement of belief is right and good i know.
Thank you.

 

[dscherck]

Well that's exactly what the catholics i talk to say and i dont know whats wrong with that.
the only part is im not sure about is that what do you mean get to know Mary because i already know about Mary from the Bible. is there more to know than that?

the statement of belief is right and good i know.
Thank you.

Well, one of the best ways to learn about Mary is of course through Scripture. Here's a great video talking about Mary in Scripture.

The Truth About Mary and Scripture: MUST SEE! - YouTube

You might be surprised at just how much there is to learn about her. And, while it's not on par with Scripture obviously, you can also look up some of the writings from the early Christians talking about Mary and indeed, some of the other Apostles. For example, did you know that St. Thomas ended up heading to India to spread the gospel there? He was eventually martyred there.

 

[marianna]

Hey marianna! Just saw this and wanted to throw my thoughts in here as well. Anglicanism is close to Catholicism in a sense. Anglicans broke off from the Catholic Church for political reasons during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. They have separated form the Catholic church slightly in regards to theology but the worship style and organization of the church is somewhat similar.

Oh! Well thats sounds about right for then. would you say that Anglican faith is what other Christians accept as Christian church because i don't want to go to a church that isnt accepted as Christian. I just wanted to have a traditional proper church without anything strange or hearesy.
Maybe my Mother was wrong after all, would you say?
thank you very much for writing this because its making it easier. was the reason they broke off from the Catholic church something that makes them acceptabel to the rest of Christianity?