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where is the real church of God?

Distracto

Member
I am having a hard time finding anyone else who has a problem with finding a church. I have been to lots of various kinds during my lifetime. There are so many religions, so many denominations. Is it fair for me to say that some of them have drifted far away from what God wanted them to be? How about most of them have drifted far away? I am allways and forever studying the bible. Ive read the koran, the apocrypha, and I have looked into Jewish ideas. Well there is some truth in all of these! And, full truth in none of them. Somehow i am apparently a freak who is in the occult, so i hear. Anyone care to tell me why it is so strange and jim jonesish for me to know a lot, and have no single preacher? It baffles me to be riddiculed for having my own unrecogized ideas, when there are people in the world from name brand religions......doing truly evil things!!! I know so many people that wont go to church, they dont want the social event and they have never been interested in what was being taught. These people are all around us in this country....our neighbors, family, soldiers, etc! The world gets closer and closer to the end, and the fact that someone really searching for the truth is shunned....seems to make a lot of sense, really. Oh, and is there a person who can tell me where to find a single solitary bit of info in the bible that suggests celebrating Christmas? I seem to have a problem finding it, but i see clearly that Passover should be recognized. I love God very much and im not going to just put my soul in the hands of someone who has no higher connection to God then i do. All you have to do is watch the news and you will see that the holiest guys are sometimes not the slightest bit holy after all. I truly wish you all the best of luck.
 

Unedited

Active Member
Distracto said:
Is it fair for me to say that some of them have drifted far away from what God wanted them to be? How about most of them have drifted far away?
Maybe it's more appropriate to say they aren't want you want them to be. Even if you fully believe that god thinks they should be a certain way and they aren't, there are obviously people who believe they are what they should be. This is just my humble opinion, but I know that saying things like that can get you into to trouble. You have every right to speak your opinion, but sometimes it can take away from the point you are really trying to make.

Distracto said:
I know so many people that wont go to church, they dont want the social event and they have never been interested in what was being taught. These people are all around us in this country....our neighbors, family, soldiers, etc! The world gets closer and closer to the end, and the fact that someone really searching for the truth is shunned....seems to make a lot of sense, really.
I guess I'm not sure what your really saying here. Do you believe it's wrong to stay at home and worship? It's nice to be able to go to a church, but if you can' t find one, I think worshiping at home would be a wonderful idea. You are free to worship in the way that you see fit, not by the rules of others.

Distracto said:
Oh, and is there a person who can tell me where to find a single solitary bit of info in the bible that suggests celebrating Christmas?
I cannot. I can tell you that many believe Christmas came into practice in order to ease those of a Pagan faith into Christianity. Many Christmas traditions (yule logs, trees,...) were Pagan traditions before this. This time was also seen to many Pagans as the time when the sun was reborn, or when it won out over the darkness because after this time the days began to grow lighter. Some believe this is why Christmas is celebrated when it is. Maybe not true, but certainly something to think about.

Mostly, your posts confuse me. You seem like a very nice person with many ideas so I tried my best to give you some sort of feedback. If I was wrong about any of my assumtions as to what you were saying, please feel free to correct me.
 

may

Well-Known Member
Distracto said:
I am having a hard time finding anyone else who has a problem with finding a church. I have been to lots of various kinds during my lifetime. There are so many religions, so many denominations. Is it fair for me to say that some of them have drifted far away from what God wanted them to be? How about most of them have drifted far away? I am allways and forever studying the bible. Ive read the koran, the apocrypha, and I have looked into Jewish ideas. Well there is some truth in all of these! And, full truth in none of them. Somehow i am apparently a freak who is in the occult, so i hear. Anyone care to tell me why it is so strange and jim jonesish for me to know a lot, and have no single preacher? It baffles me to be riddiculed for having my own unrecogized ideas, when there are people in the world from name brand religions......doing truly evil things!!! I know so many people that wont go to church, they dont want the social event and they have never been interested in what was being taught. These people are all around us in this country....our neighbors, family, soldiers, etc! The world gets closer and closer to the end, and the fact that someone really searching for the truth is shunned....seems to make a lot of sense, really. Oh, and is there a person who can tell me where to find a single solitary bit of info in the bible that suggests celebrating Christmas? I seem to have a problem finding it, but i see clearly that Passover should be recognized. I love God very much and im not going to just put my soul in the hands of someone who has no higher connection to God then i do. All you have to do is watch the news and you will see that the holiest guys are sometimes not the slightest bit holy after all. I truly wish you all the best of luck.
You are right ,there is no information in the bible about celebrating christmas
Christmas and Easter: Jesus was not born on December 25. He was born about October 1, a time of year when shepherds kept their flocks out-of-doors at night. (Luke 2:8-12) Jesus never commanded Christians to celebrate his birth. Rather, he told his disciples to memorialize, or remember, his death. (Luke 22:19, 20) Christmas and its customs come from ancient false religions. The same is true of Easter customs, such as the use of eggs and rabbits. The early Christians did not celebrate Christmas or Easter,

 

fromthe heart

Well-Known Member
Distracto said:
I am having a hard time finding anyone else who has a problem with finding a church. I have been to lots of various kinds during my lifetime. There are so many religions, so many denominations. Is it fair for me to say that some of them have drifted far away from what God wanted them to be? How about most of them have drifted far away? I am allways and forever studying the bible. Ive read the koran, the apocrypha, and I have looked into Jewish ideas. Well there is some truth in all of these! And, full truth in none of them. Somehow i am apparently a freak who is in the occult, so i hear. Anyone care to tell me why it is so strange and jim jonesish for me to know a lot, and have no single preacher? It baffles me to be riddiculed for having my own unrecogized ideas, when there are people in the world from name brand religions......doing truly evil things!!! I know so many people that wont go to church, they dont want the social event and they have never been interested in what was being taught. These people are all around us in this country....our neighbors, family, soldiers, etc! The world gets closer and closer to the end, and the fact that someone really searching for the truth is shunned....seems to make a lot of sense, really. Oh, and is there a person who can tell me where to find a single solitary bit of info in the bible that suggests celebrating Christmas? I seem to have a problem finding it, but i see clearly that Passover should be recognized. I love God very much and im not going to just put my soul in the hands of someone who has no higher connection to God then i do. All you have to do is watch the news and you will see that the holiest guys are sometimes not the slightest bit holy after all. I truly wish you all the best of luck.
I can't say I have the answers you are looking for but I feel the heart of the real church is inside people. If you are searching for a church to attend I guess you should do one thing. Act as if it were you interviewing someone to be employed for you. Call up the pastors and ministers and question them on what they believe and what they teach. There have been people in EVERY faith who have made their faith look bad...don't judge a faith by a few people. Look to the minister since he would be the one handling how the church is run and in what they beliefs are. You are right that some churches are really far out there...they have done this in the guise of trying to reach the younger set. The church who is standing tall on biblical reasons would be your best bet if you really want to learn about God.
You are right, there is no mention of Christmas in the Bible...it's not biblical at all....but to some the belief in celebrating Christmas is to celebrate the Savoiurs birth. which in it'self isn't wrong it's just not biblically instructed for us to do. I do feel though anytime we celebrate the Lord it's ok no matter what the circumstances...the Bible says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord...not sure what is correct as that joyful noise but I don't think in that it's to be of the world but of the heart. Good luck in your search. God Bless!:)
 

No*s

Captain Obvious
Distracto said:
I am having a hard time finding anyone else who has a problem with finding a church. I have been to lots of various kinds during my lifetime. There are so many religions, so many denominations. Is it fair for me to say that some of them have drifted far away from what God wanted them to be? How about most of them have drifted far away? I am allways and forever studying the bible. Ive read the koran, the apocrypha, and I have looked into Jewish ideas. Well there is some truth in all of these! And, full truth in none of them. Somehow i am apparently a freak who is in the occult, so i hear. Anyone care to tell me why it is so strange and jim jonesish for me to know a lot, and have no single preacher? It baffles me to be riddiculed for having my own unrecogized ideas, when there are people in the world from name brand religions......doing truly evil things!!! I know so many people that wont go to church, they dont want the social event and they have never been interested in what was being taught. These people are all around us in this country....our neighbors, family, soldiers, etc! The world gets closer and closer to the end, and the fact that someone really searching for the truth is shunned....seems to make a lot of sense, really. Oh, and is there a person who can tell me where to find a single solitary bit of info in the bible that suggests celebrating Christmas? I seem to have a problem finding it, but i see clearly that Passover should be recognized. I love God very much and im not going to just put my soul in the hands of someone who has no higher connection to God then i do. All you have to do is watch the news and you will see that the holiest guys are sometimes not the slightest bit holy after all. I truly wish you all the best of luck.

Distracto, I think you have this in the wrong forum :).

For my part, I think I found the Church when I found the Orthodox Church. It made sense to me both doctrinally and from a study of history. It also made sense to me scripturally (that, however, can be a tricky business).
 

robtex

Veteran Member
Distractro great to meet you. I got an idea and I hope it works for you. You went to all these churches and such but I noticed in your post you didn't describe what God is to you. Do that. Write down your current beliefs, your reason for those beliefs and than using the internet find religions that are similar and start there. When I say what is God to you I mean, its nature place, mentality, your belief in afterlife (reincarnation heaven ect), reason on earth ect ect. Make it as non-abstract as possible. Than see what places are similar. Good luck.
 
To Dictracto:

Being new to this forum, I hope you will look into this humble suggestion about finding a church. Read the Book of Acts. There you will find the true church and be able to become what they became, nothing more or nothing less. All these cults, denominations, and other man-made groups do nothing but confuse people. Let the Word of God be you guide, not the "wisdom" of humanity. :)
 

Scuba Pete

Le plongeur avec attitude...
Distracto,

You are indeed an Honest Seeker. Keep looking.

I have found like minded people at the West Orange church of Christ, here in Orlando Fla. Non-denominational and being guided merely by the scriptures that we find in the Bible.
 

desi

Member
The church of God is composed of his followers in the kingdom of God which is everywhere. You are in the church of God now, it isn't a building.
 

Joannicius

Active Member
The Church is built on the cornerstone Christ and I along with No*s found the Eastern Orthodox to be the most viable after studying various religions in many places and over a time span of 30 plus years.:banghead3
I was raised in a Christian home but that didn't prevent me from leaving home at 18 and searching the many religions of the world, just to always come back to the testimony of Christ, the prophesies, the Apostles and eventually the church my family knew nothing of - - the
One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church
as is the complete title of ALL Eastern Orthodox Churches who are in communion with each other and include around 225 plus million. And we understand the Roman Catholic to be part of this union but out of communion with us as the result of the Pope of Rome separating his see from the other four sees at the time of the mutual excommunication. (side note: this is why we see NO Ecumenical council since that time because Ecumenical by definition means the whole church)

The Church was concilary at the time of the bull in 1054 and the unified portion of the Church has been concilary every since. But there have been so many additions and changes in dogma by the Roman See I doubt we will see the true union re-established in our lifetime.
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
(From the heart) Quote :-[I can't say I have the answers you are looking for but I feel the heart of the real church is inside people]

Distracto,
I would go further than 'FromtheHeart' - I would say 'Inside you'.
The more people you ask for advice, the more confused you will become (At least that is what I have found); unless you have been brought up in a particular faith, and are happy with that faith, look deep inside yourself for the answer, and at others around you who you feel 'happy with'.
By all means, read all that you can about every faith; you might surprise yourself by coming to the conclusion that they all accept the same basic principles.
Enjoy your quest!:)
 

Andra130

Member
Distracto-
I can completely empathize with your predicament having been searching for God and or religion for the last 9 years or so. I myself have taken the position of Agnosticism because it just seemed impossible that any one individual "church" could have all the answers. I was raised Mormon and so this has been a particularly difficult thing for me to do. Mormons adamantly believe that their church is the true church and to turn from it is to turn from God. Although my search has not yet ended I can only suggest that you broaden your horizons even further. I myself have looked a little more closely into Eastern religions and ways of life than into Islam etc and I find many dictums of knowledge and insight that I could have found no where else. I guess what I am trying to say that perhaps it is not the culmination of knowledge that we need but the journey to it. Why else would such a fabulous web-site such as this exist except to assist us in that journey?
 

Basil

New Member
I was attending a charismatic university when I began a similar search. After taking a course in church history I immediately saw a discrepancy between early church worship and belief and what I had seen in the protestant churches I had attended (Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and pentecostal/charismatic). I figured that if anyone had departed from the church as it was established by Christ (the way He intended it to be) it was our modern denominations. I explored the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, which were closer to what I had experienced, but later discovered Orthodoxy, by God's grace, and after another year was received into the Church Holy Saturday 1994.

I truly believe that the Orthodox Church has uniquely preserved the apostolic teachings handed down from Christ. It's doctrines have never changed, or succombed to heresy, innovation, or modernization. This is important, because we don't want to serve God on our terms, but to come to Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth. To find a denomination which tells us what we are comfortable with is nothing more than creating a god (or view of God) which satisfies us, rather than discovering who He truly is. Who is satisfied with that?

The Orthodox Church is structured much differently that what we see in the west, which can make it seem disorganized and chaotic, but I have seen that what unites all the different national Orthodox branches is the desire to preserve the apostolic teachings. We are united in belief and worship. This is much better than looking to some hierarchical structure for unity.

Basil
 

Halcyon

Lord of the Badgers
I also spent several years searching for a religion that suited me, in the end i had amassed a fair bit of knowledge about many faiths, but they all seemed wrong to me.
Why? I figured out eventually that you cannot be told what to believe or what God really is and that is what many religions try and do. You have to find you're own path, look inside yourself for God, you will not satisfactorily find it anywhere else.
Seems to me that you don't realise that you are in fact on the right path, ignore other peoples opinions of you, only accept what you know to be true in your heart.
 

Happy

New Member
Try doing what i do take all the ideas from them that u believe and toss them into 1 big pile of ideas and keep no religion jsut a bunch of ideas. keep building on it and u may find something u like?
 

Dr. Khan

Member
Distracto said:
Thank you all for your replies. I feel sad to say that i have ruled out the Orthodox churches early on.

Good for you...ha ha... welcome. Ephesians 4:11 -16, as to what to look for.
:woohoo: :D
 

profet

New Member
>>I am having a hard time finding anyone else who has a problem with finding a church. <<

Sounds very familiar. Both my wife (heavy Budhhist training) and I (atheist for years) had to search high and low for a Christian church that saw other religions as equally valid divine revelations to differant people rather than as competition to be scorned. We also wanted to find a church that saw itself as the beginning, rather than the end, of our spiritual journeys. We found our church suprisingly nearby in a local congregation of a very small but international church literally rightaround the corner from us at:

http://swedenborg.org/
 
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