What's Your Denomination....?

[Dead Rain]

Should be self-explanatory. Please do NOT start a flame war.

[B1-66ER]

Non-Denom for me

[Dragon]

Non-Denom here as well.

Our church is a Calvary Chapel affiliated with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa California, but we're still an individual church, stylized by contemporary worship and straight-through-the-Bible verse-by-verse teaching, which is my personal preference. I have nothing against topical sermons; those are great too. Just not my cup o' tea if ya know what I mean.

[B1-66ER]

LOL . I like saying that. Non-Denom

I'm Non-Denom like all day long. With Hon and Shawn, we bob along.


eeerright.. sorry. just had to get that out of my system

[black cloak]

i do not know what denom i am "Gray what denom are i"

[Capstick]

This looks like a good topic (and I'll try NOT to start a flame war; really, honest this time! :D ).

I'm a Reformed Presbyterian. I believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God, yet I also hold to the WCF (Westminster Confession of Faith) as possessing the best understanding of the Bible and its doctrine. I believe in literal, Six-Day Creation, and I'm also a Calvinist.

My church used to be a member of the PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) but we recently pulled out (lLONG story, lets not go there :) ), and so we're now in the RPCUS (Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States). Its a relatively small denomination. (By the way black cloak, that is the same denomination that you are a part of).

[black cloak]

yah the RPCUS :D

[rosymole]

Well, it may not come as much of a surprise that i am not a particularly religious person - open minded yes, but generally a little confused about everything!
As a youngster i got taken to the local Catholic church twice a week by my greatgrandmother, then after she died taken to the local Quaker Meeting House, and then during my teenage years i took myself to the local Church of England, um err Church. Still haven't found my niech (sp?), but if/when i do questions will asked about the way some things are done!

[tgraveline]

hmm, most dont know of us, but we are a pentecostal type if im correct.

the name is foursquare though, we are rather fast growing, for only being less than a hundred years old, we are ranked ninth in size in the world

tg

[Warrior-Poet51088]

I'm a member of a PCA church.

Capstick, what's the difference between the PCA and RPCUS (aside for the obvious--we're all obsessed with making acronyms out of random things. Sorry that's just a joke we talk about at church). Anyhowwwwwwwwww...

[Capstick]

I think that there are a few differences in the Confession and BCO. For example, the RPCUS uses only head of household voting. Other than that, I think they're very similar. Actually, one of the reasons that the RPCUS was formed was because of the problems in the PCA. Now, I don't know much about the church you go to, so this is NOT a slam against every PCA church. I know that there are some very good churches in the PCA, but, as I said, there are also some major problems.

[GrayCloak]

Well, I'm a practicing druid.... :lol:

kidding, kidding!

Reformed Prespyterian, and loyal Calvinist. I beleave like (Capstick) that the Word of God is absalute, and that the Westminister Confession is our greatest understanding of the Law of God. I am a firm six day creationist, and my father is the pastor of an RPCUS church.

And I'll give a brownie to anyone who knows what T.U.L.I.P stands for. (Capstick and Black Cloak don't coun't, extra points is you can explain your answer)

[Between_the_Worlds]

Gee, I don't know what I'd call my denomination. Just a Christian, I guess. My parents are with the Southern Baptist Mission Board, and that makes us Southern Baptists too.

[GrayCloak]

Originally posted by Between_the_Worlds@Oct 5 2004, 11:15 AM
Gee, I don't know what I'd call my denomination. Just a Christian, I guess. My parents are with the Southern Baptist Mission Board, and that makes us Southern Baptists too.
Hey I used to be a Southern Baptist! Then we (my family) became Presbyterian.

[TrueCrusader]

Hey Cool! Im also in the RPCUS Nice to see some more of you out there! I thought I was the oly one. kidding kidding!

[Smog]

Originally posted by TrueCrusader@Oct 5 2004, 12:00 PM
Hey Cool! Im also in the RPCUS Nice to see some more of you out there! I thought I was the oly one. kidding kidding!
Wow! I'm in the RPCUS too! Hey (True Crusader) do you think we could be brothers? ;)

[TrueCrusader]

.... :unsure: I dont think I want to be brothers with you :unsure: .........

[black cloak]

you guys are crazy :wacko: :wacko:

[Smog]

Hey look who's talking :D

[rosymole]

Well, I'm a practicing druid.... should really attrib this to Gray from, oh, a while back...

I do actually know a druid, well he used to be, he's also a Morris dancer - very ancient English tradition- and he is a very odd human being.

[black cloak]

yes i am talking your point is????????

[GrayCloak]

Originally posted by rosymole@Oct 5 2004, 03:38 PM
I do actually know a druid, well he used to be, he's also a Morris dancer - very ancient English tradition- and he is a very odd human being.
It's kind of scary the way people are re-inventing the 'Old Religions'. I mean today druids are concidered nature friendly people in tune with the world around them, but let's go back to the days of the Celts when human sacrifice was routine. I read that the worship of the Greek Gods has been reinstated as well, except they've done away with the sacrificing. *sigh* I just wish people would actually *read* a Greek myth (*cough* Zeus *cough* taking bull form :o ).

Sorry rather a swore point for me. I once knew a 'devote' druid/wicka over the internet. He scared the life out of me as he was being more consitent with his religious beliefs than others.

[Warrior-Poet51088]

Originally posted by GrayCloak@Oct 5 2004, 10:50 AM
And I'll give a brownie to anyone who knows what T.U.L.I.P stands for. (Capstick and Black Cloak don't coun't, extra points is you can explain your answer)
W()()t! Can I reply???

I know T.UL.I.P.

In our church, God's word is absolute; the WCF is used a help to intepret it, and I believe all adult (18+) members are allowed to vote in the Congregational Meetings. Not sure what BOC or what acronym(yay!) you used is.

[GrayCloak]

Originally posted by Aragorn51088+Oct 5 2004, 10:40 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Aragorn51088 @ Oct 5 2004, 10:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-GrayCloak@Oct 5 2004, 10:50 AM
And I'll give a brownie to anyone who knows what T.U.L.I.P stands for. (Capstick and Black Cloak don't coun't, extra points is you can explain your answer)
W()()t! Can I reply???

I know T.UL.I.P.

In our church, God's word is absolute; the WCF is used a help to intepret it, and I believe all adult (18+) members are allowed to vote in the Congregational Meetings. Not sure what BOC or what acronym(yay!) you used is. [/b][/quote]
By all means if you know the answer, and please explain it to the ignorant....(*looks at Black Cloak and shakes head*) :rolleyes:

[black cloak]

i cannot help it if i am smart ;)

[Warrior-Poet51088]

T. otal depravity
U. nconditional election
L. imited atonement
I. rrisistable grace
P. erseverance of the saints.

And that's what TULIP stands for. Any questions?

[rosymole]

I too once met a 'real witch' at a party a few months ago, she was a very nice lady, if not a little strange. When I was at Uni i met some very bizarre people into lots of odd beliefs but I hope it's broadened my mind a little. I also know a recently converted buddhist who converted in prison! I feel it gives me plenty to choose from, or i could just keep my options open!

[lsipher]

I attend a RPCUS church as well. Woohoo, looks as if we're not a minority (for once).


- Lou

[Specter]

I'm Roman Catholic

[B1-66ER]

Who else is RC?

[Dead Rain]

not me. that's for sure.

[GrayCloak]

Originally posted by Dead Rain@Oct 7 2004, 12:52 PM
not me. that's for sure.
By the way what's your denom, Dead Rain? :D

[Dead Rain]

uhhhh... i'm... well i go to an EFC(if you know what that is, that is) so yeah.... whatever denom that is. EF i guess. but that sounds wierd. so... yeah whatever... what would that be anyway?

[Y. Fish]

Roman Catholic as well

[Warrior-Poet51088]

EFC--Evangelical Free Church?

I have a couple of good friends from school who go to that type of church.

[Dead Rain]

aye. true, indeed.

[lirimar_senshi]

G'day! :p

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster :D It's great to see christians (and non-christians) of different backgrouds coming together to discuss and enjoy each others ideas and beliefs.

I'm a salvationist which means I attend the Salvation Army.
We're not big on tradition although we do have some. However our tradions are entirely different to any other denomination.

want to know more?

til then God Bless

[Lunis]

Lol, yes I would like to know more. I was raised Baptist... sort of, as a MK in Brazil, South America. But I really have no denomination now...
(*Luni

[Hope96]

Well, it appears that I may be in the minority here. I've heard a couple of people mention this. But there doesn't seem to be a whole of of Southern Baptists here. But I am Southern Baptist!

Kind of funny actually. I live in East Tennessee, where there's a baptist church around every corner. It's a little strange being the minority denomination! :rolleyes:

I would love to know more about the Salvation Army and what they believe in, etc!! I've always known it was a religious organization, but I've never known what they believe specifically. Please tell more!

[Euphrates]

I was raised in a Baptist church. Went to an Evangelical Free church through part of high school. Now I attend a Southern Baptist church.

But I, myself, am non-denominational.

Tim, you're foursquare! Have you ever been to the Church on the Way (I'm sure you've heard of it)? I went once.

[Lirimaer_senshi]

Here's some info about the Salvation Army or the 'Salvos'.

We basically have different words to decribe everything. A person with a faith commitment who want to become a member of the church is called an adherant. We do not practise Baptism. If you want to make a deeper commitment and become actively envolved in ministry you go through a series of classes and become a senior soldier (That's going to be me next week!)

We dont practise Communion regularly, only on special occassions (Easter, spiritual retreats etc.)

The primary ministry of the Salvation Army is ministering to the poor and disadvantaged in local ministry and overseas missions. the SA began as the 'Christian Mission' in London and was founded by Methodist minister William Booth. He felt that Methodist church was discriminating against the poor in society. Like with most protestant churches it was not Booth's intention to break from the church but it became enevitable after the members of the 'Christian Mission' started being persecuted by the church. Later the Mission became known as the salvation army and many of our practices took on war-like names. Eg. Our doctrines are called 'Articles of War'. The catch cry of of the Salvos is 'Blood and Fire' ie. the Blood of Jesus and the Fire of the Holy Spirit.

That's all I can muster right now. Here's the official salvo web site for more info. www1.salvationarmy.org

God Bless

[Dernhelm]

I'm one of the "split-peas" I guess. PCA to be more exact :D. BUT we go only to Reformed PCA's!!!

[Lirimaer_senshi]

PCA? (forgive my ignorance)

[waterhogboy]

Whats a Southern Baptist. I'm a Baptist - Is Southern Baptist just an American thing???

[Dernhelm]

PCA? (forgive my ignorance)
Presbyterian Church of America:p We've also looked into the RPC something something - I can't remember the whole thing - but there aren't any nearby:mad:

[Capstick]

We've also looked into the RPC something something - I can't remember the whole thing - but there aren't any nearby:mad:

Would that be the RPCUS (Reformed Presbyterian Church of the United States)? Because that happens to be the denomination I'm in. Its sort of an off-shoot from the PCA...

[Hope96]

Whats a Southern Baptist. I'm a Baptist - Is Southern Baptist just an American thing???

Well, there are different types of baptist. You've got the Freewill Baptist, Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist, Missionary Baptist, etc.

I don't know a lot about all of the different kinds of baptists....but the biggest difference in the Southern and the Independent Baptists are their missions programs. Independent Baptists choose what missionaries they want to support and then they personally send their support to those missionaries. Whereas Southern Baptists send in their missions money to the southern bapstist convention and then they dispurse it to the many missionaries around the world under the convention. They both have pros and cons I think. The Independents control who their money goes to but if something horrible happens and the church splits or goes under then that missionary is sort of just left out because they are no longer recieving the support from that church. Southerns Baptists don't control specifically where the money they give to missions goes, but......if a church goes under, the missionaries are still getting support through the convention.

[waterhogboy]

Ah OK!!! I think we must just be a Baptist in name rather than denomination...

I think we are something to do with the Grace Baptist Mission, but I might be making that up - and no one probably knows what it is so......... I'll stay shtum!

[Ithilien]

I'm Catholic!

[legolas]

I'm Methodist. There is a Baptist church near us and we(my church) have alot of there. There was one time that the Baptist got a new steeple.(or however you spell that ;)) Alittle after they got theres done, our church got our steeple done. So, the joke was, that we were having a "compatision" to have a higher roof.

(This may be one of those things thats only funny when it happens)

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

I can't remember. did I already say I was ARP?

[Herbal Remedy]

I'm Ana-baptist. Mennonite Brethren, to be exact. Ana-baptism means adult baptism, I think, lol. The person chooses when they get baptised *after* becoming a Christian (being a Christian is a must for being baptized) not as a baby by their parents. Officially we believe in free will (armenism) but alot of people in our churches believe in predestination though they wouldn't consider themselves Calvinists as far as I know. I personally believe either extreme doesn't make sense so it's probably a little bit of both though I lean a little closer to predestination.

But basically we fall under the umbrella of evangelical Christian churches. The Holy Trinity, Christ's death and resurection, etc, etc. We do have a "Confession of Faith" (trying to distance ourselves from the term "catechism" :rolleyes: but it's really the same thing) but our emphasis is on the Bible. Every other writing is just from man and only the Bible is the word of God. We only really look at our Confession of Faith during baptism classes. It's not really emphasized at all.

[waterhogboy]

I'm the same as far as the baptism goes, but am a Calvinist rather than Arminian.

I found out more about my own church. We used to be part of the Baptist Union of England, but we left after they started saying it was OK to not believe in the trinity. We then called ourself a Reformed Baptist, and became independant. So now we are Leeds Reformed Baptist Church.

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

All proto here. You'll see on my profile. Oh gosh, I love that! Proto. That's so cool. (It doesn't take much to make me happy eh? :D )

[ironmonk]

1 Corin. 1:10
I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe's people, that there are rivalries among you.
12 I mean that each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Kephas," or "I belong to Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I give thanks (to God) that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.

Divisions are not of Christ. We must seek the first faith as taught by the Apostles if we want the full truth.

I am not in a denomination. I'm in the original faith established by Christ, built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets (Eph. 2:20). The pillar and foundation of Truth (1 Tim 3:15). Guided in all truth for all time (St. John 14, St. Matt. 16:18-19)

I am Catholic.

God Bless,
ironmonk

[Sojourner]

Iron Monk would you explain some things to me about your statements. Such as the Catholic church was the original faith founded by Christ. I am not arguing I just want to know how you justify that now days.

[ironmonk]

Iron Monk would you explain some things to me about your statements. Such as the Catholic church was the original faith founded by Christ. I am not arguing I just want to know how you justify that now days.

Sure...

Roman Catholicism
Encyclopædia Britannica Article
Christian church characterized by its uniform, highly developed doctrinal and organizational structure that traces its history to the Apostles of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9109700&query=Catholicism&ct=eb

The only Church that claimed to be Christian that was around in 33 AD and around today is the Catholic Church. The Great Schism of 1054 AD was the first division, the Greek Orthodox split off, but the only thing that they denied at the time was Authority of the Successor of Peter (aka the Pope). Next of course was Luther in 1517 AD, and then it snowballed and there are more divisions that one can count.

The first 800 years of Christian writings have been kept in dozens of countries since they were written. In the early Church, when a letter was written to another Diocese, copies were sent to all the major Cathedrals. The writings can be purchased at http://www.logos.com/products/details/518 for $250.... or read for free at http://www.NewAdvent.org/Fathers/

The New Testament was not considered Scripture until around 400 AD, when the Bishops of the Catholic Church were guided by the Holy Spirit to Cononize the NT.

The first protestant churches knew that the Catholic Church was first, but they claimed that the Catholic Church lost it's way, but Christ promised that the Church would never be overcome, I believe Christ was God and therefore cannot be wrong and would not lie... Also, the New Testament warns that those who leave the group are wrong to do so (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Peter 3:15-17).

"We are compelled to concede to the Papists that they have the Word of God, that we received it from them, and that without them we should have no knowledge of it at all."
- Martin Luther, Commentary on St. John


Here are a few quotes from the Early Church Fathers, but there are hundreds of them that show it.... please note the dates...

Pope Clement I
"Through countryside and city [the apostles] preached, and they appointed their earliest converts, testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers. Nor was this a novelty, for bishops and deacons had been written about a long time earlier. . . . Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife for the office of bishop. For this reason, therefore, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those who have already been mentioned and afterwards added the further provision that, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry" (Letter to the Corinthians 42:4–5, 44:1–3 [A.D. 80]).



Ignatius of Antioch
"Ignatius . . . to the church also which holds the presidency, in the location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of sanctification, and, because you hold the presidency in love, named after Christ and named after the Father" (Letter to the Romans 1:1 [A.D. 110]).

"You [the church at Rome] have envied no one, but others you have taught. I desire only that what you have enjoined in your instructions may remain in force" (ibid., 3:1).


Hegesippus
"When I had come to Rome, I [visited] Anicetus, whose deacon was Eleutherus. And after Anicetus [died], Soter succeeded, and after him Eleutherus. In each succession and in each city there is a continuance of that which is proclaimed by the law, the prophets, and the Lord" (Memoirs, cited in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 4:22 [A.D. 180]).

Irenaeus
"It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors down to our own times, men who neither knew nor taught anything like what these heretics rave about" (Against Heresies 3:3:1 [A.D. 189]).

"But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul—that church which has the tradition and the faith with which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world. And it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition" (ibid., 3:3:2).


Cyprian of Carthage
"The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever things you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, they shall be loosed also in heaven’ [Matt. 16:18–19]). ... On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were also what Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all [the apostles] are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" (The Unity of the Catholic Church 4; 1st edition [A.D. 251]).


Jerome
"I follow no leader but Christ and join in communion with none but your blessedness [Pope Damasus I], that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that this is the rock on which the Church has been built. Whoever eats the Lamb outside this house is profane. Anyone who is not in the ark of Noah will perish when the flood prevails" (Letters 15:2 [A.D. 396]).

"The church here is split into three parts, each eager to seize me for its own. . . . Meanwhile I keep crying, ‘He that is joined to the chair of Peter is accepted by me!’ . . . Therefore, I implore your blessedness [Pope Damasus I] . . . tell me by letter with whom it is that I should communicate in Syria" (ibid., 16:2).

Augustine
"There are many other things which rightly keep me in the bosom of the Catholic Church. The consent of the people and nations keeps me, her authority keeps me, inaugurated by miracles, nourished in hope, enlarged by love, and established by age. The succession of priests keep me, from the very seat of the apostle Peter (to whom the Lord after his resurrection gave charge to feed his sheep) down to the present episcopate [of Pope Siricius]" (Against the Letter of Mani Called "The Foundation" 5 [A.D. 397]).


Here are a few resources:
http://www.Catholic.com
http://www.ScriptureCatholic.com
http://www.Catholic-Convert.com
http://www.Catholic-Pages.com
http://www.CatholicLinks.com

God Bless,
ironmonk

[ironmonk]

One more note...

All Churches that use the New Testament are offshoots of the Catholic Church. The protestant churches got their name because they protested the Catholic Church. Luther, Calvin, Knox - who where all once Catholic started churches based on their private interpretation. Many other protestant churches started from one of the original protestant churches. The non-denom churches started coming about in the late 60's or early 70's, they were offshots of the "Church of Christ". Then, in the last 25 or so years people just started picking up a bible and starting their own churches....

Here is a quote from an old Apologetics sheet....

How Old Is Your Church?

If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.

If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534, because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.

If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1605.

If you are of the Dutch Reformed church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as founder, because he originated your religion in New York in 1628.

If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.

If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1774.

If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1829.

If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.

If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.

If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as "Church of the Nazarene," "Pentecostal Gospel," "Holiness Church," "Pilgrim Holiness Church," "Jehovah's Witnesses," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past one hundred years.

If you are Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and it is still the same Church.

"O God,
I humbly beseech thee to teach me thy true religion,
that leads to everlasting happiness,
through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord. Amen."




I love Christ, and if I am wrong, then if someone could show me with Early Church Father's writings and from historical facts that the Catholis Church is not the Church established by Christ, I would be happy to change for Christ... I am Catholic because it was founded by Christ and not by man.

I've been reading the Scriptures for the last 28 years (since I was six) of my life... I've been studying Christian history, and the Early Church Fathers writings in depth for the last 5 years.

If someone wants to debate this I also post on http://www.BaptistBoard.net

I know that this is not the place to debate this topic.... but this is why I believe what I believe because I have found it to be true.

God Bless,
ironmonk

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

If you want more, go to scripture and stuff over in that post. :D

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

Sorry, didn't specify did I? Hehe.

[Sojourner]

You could Call my church non-denominational.

[Herbal Remedy]

I thought this thread was designed to share what denomination you were, not to argue the merits of each. :s

[Thessalonian]

CATHOLIC!

Go SAINTS! :D

[holyboy]

CATHOLIC!

Go SAINTS! :D

W()()T W()()T CATHOLICS RULE!

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

SURE they do. I think not. It's not a matter of ruling, it's just going to worship God (and in your case, Mary). Sorry but I think worshiping and praying to Mary is ridiculus. (No offense) Protos and Non-Denoms are good.

[waterhogboy]

Well guys - do you know what!?? My denomnination is called Christianity!! :D What about yours??

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

Thank you WHB. That probobly set everyone straight

[lsipher]

I'm a....gun toting, SUV driving, sports loving, homeshooling, bible thumping, hockey playing, dog owning, country living, generational thinking, pro-patriarchial family, redneck, conservative, patriotic....Christian.


Or...I guess it be shorter just to say I belong to the RPCUS (Reformed Presbyterian Church of the United States).

- Lu

[Thessalonian]

SURE they do. I think not. It's not a matter of ruling, it's just going to worship God (and in your case, Mary). Sorry but I think worshiping and praying to Mary is ridiculus. (No offense) Protos and Non-Denoms are good.

I agree with you. Worshipping Mary is ridiculous. We don't. I note you say and praying so even you acknowledge that prayer isn't neccessarily worship. We honor Mary. We recognize her dignity as the mother of the Savior but she is not a God. I know of no Catholic who believes that. She has no power accept by the grace of her son, Jesus. Yet she can interceed for us because she is still a member of the body of Christ. For "nothing can separate us from the love of God" Rom 8:28. and intercession is a good thing, see 1 tim 2:1-4.

Peace out.

[Sojourner]

Not to offend but there are whole churches in central america that do worship her and it condoned by their bishops. At least in Nicaragua and Mexico, I lived in Mexico and I live in Nicaragua. There is more emphasis on Mary here than on Jesus. There is one church down here that took the Jesus statues out and now only have the Divino Nino or Divine Child, which is Jesus as a baby with Mary holding him. Is there a reason for the Thess?

[Thessalonian]

How do they worship her Sojourner. Worship is a matter of the heart. We honor her. We ask that she interceed for us just as you ask others to interceed for you I suspect. Just what did you see that was worship? How is it you are able to peer in to those hearts and know they worship her? How do you know the emphasis is on Mary. Did attend Mass down there? Do you see what goes on in there daily lives? You don't even know what the rosary is. It is about Jesus life, death, and resurrection. You judge from the outside and form oppionions based on bias.

I know of one woman named Kim Franklin who went down to Brazil, where many of these accusations like yours are supposedly based. She was going down there as a missionary to convert "pagan Catholics" She noticed all the division among Protestantism. With three Pentecostal Churches on one block.
Yet she also noticed the faith of the People was very simple. She found out that, even though they honored Mary they were Christ centered. That the mother pointed to her son. She ended up converting because she found that what she had believed about Catholicism was distorted and that the divisions in Protestantism were not biblical.

Blessings

[Maximos]

I am a member of the Holy Orthodox Church of the East. I am an Antiochian Orthodox Christian...and as it looks, the first and only one :p

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Ah, but a good one, I'm sure! I'm Roman Catholic myself, but my pilgrimage has taken me all over, so I have great sympathy and love for all my bretheren in all traditions.

[Gibby]

Maximos, welcome to the site. I have not seen this thread before. Since you resurrected it, I suppose I will give an answer as well. We attend an Assemblies of God church, so I guess I would be given the sticker, "Pentecostal" or "charismatic". The truth is, I just love Jesus; that's my label!

[Smog]

lol, you hit me like a charismatic, Gibby (I can honestly say, I've never met a charismatic I didn't like :)).

I happen to be Reformed; meaning I'll find some way to offend everyone here ;) jk

[Maximos]

Thanks Prince & Gibby. Gibby, I was brought up in the AofG and The Foursquare churches and went to a Charismatic University to study New Testament.

[Gibby]

lol, you hit me like a charismatic, Gibby (I can honestly say, I've never met a charismatic I didn't like :)).

I happen to be Reformed; meaning I'll find some way to offend everyone here ;) jk

I didn't mean to hit you smog! http://www.narniafans.com/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif Maybe I will tone it down a notch...yeah right!!

[Maximos]

Were you brought up AofG Gibby?

[Gibby]

Were you brought up AofG Gibby?

I have only been a believer for about 5 years. I was christened as a Lutheran (sp?) and only attended church on a few occasions. I went to a Presbyterian church with my grandparents from time to time and went to a Catholic church with my mother occasionally (she's Catholic). After I became a believer after being "born again" my wife and I landed in a Presbyterian church. This particular church was like the church at Sardis (rev. 3:1-6) to us. I never once heard a sermon on being born again or being baptized as a believer. We left that congregation and landed at our now church ( here's the link (http://www.makinghimvisible.org/)) because I had heard how well it was doing within our community ( all the non-believers were saying that it was where all the freaks and losers were going, so I figured, "there's a church that's alive!"). I was actually baptized as a new believer, finally, after being a believer for 3 years! This is a congregation that is not confined by the 4 walls of the building, that's for sure!

[Maximos]

I grew up at an Assembly of God church back home and then we started attending a "spirit filled" foursquare church when I started high school. I went there throughout my high school years and when it came time to go to college, I opted for the charismatic mecca, Oral Roberts University. While there studying New Testament and Church History I came into contact with the Holy Orthodox Church and after extensive study and prayer I became Orthodox :)

[Gibby]

Tell me a little about the Orthodox church. I am not too familiar with it. I visited the website for the church, and I concluded that it is a conservative-type organization that holds on to church traditions but does not elevate tradition to the level of the bible. It also looks to embrace pure living and a seperation from worldly things. Have you ever heard it compared to Catholocism? I truly don't have time to wade through the whole site, so do you have a "nutshell" summary?

[unleavened]

I've been around to several denominations, and my beliefs don't really fit into a spacific denomination. I guess Baptist is pretty close, but there's some major differnces there too. I've managed to get away w/ not offending too many of them. ;)

[Maximos]

Good question, and I would highly advise taking time to search through information about the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware is a great place to start as is The Orthodox Way by Bishop Kallistos Ware (the same person). It is interesting to note that Ware was a student and friend of CS Lewis and Lewis helped Ware on his road to Orthodoxy.

The Orthodox Church is the contiunation of the Church established by Christ and preserved by the Holy Spirit. The Apostles left successors as they died who ministered, wrote, chose successors, and in turn died and so on. The office of Apostle exists today in the form of Bishops. They preserved the faith in light of torture, famine, and death with strength from Christ Jesus.

In the early church, before the New Testament canon, 5 bishops were chosen and given the title Patriarch. The Patriarchal cities were Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, and Constantinople. The five PAtriarchs co-existed until 1054 when the Patriarch or Pope of Rome split from the other 4 claiming he had authority over the Church. The other 4 patriarchs said no to this since Christ Himself is the only head of the Church. These patriarchs exist to this day.

Our beliefs are summed up primarily in the Nicean Creed
I believe in One God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and of Earth and all things invisible and visible.
And in One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God Begotten before all worlds, light of light very God fo Very God begotten and not made of one essence with teh Father, by Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was mad man.
And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate and suffered and was buried.
And on the third day He rose again with glory to judge the quick and the dead, whose Kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life who proceeds from the Father. Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified.
I believe in one holy catholic (universal) apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come, Amen.

The Orthodox Church holds fast to the traditions that were delivered both by word of mouth and written epistle. The Church is liturgical as the early church was (the earliest liturgies or masses were written and used before the vast majority of the New Testament).

That's a quick overview as it is hard to "just tell" someone what your church is on an online message board. I will be more than happy to answer questions or clarify as I can, though I am not the voice of the Church.

Max

[Parthian King]

Max--Let me just say I consider it seriously cool to have you, an Orthodox (captial "o") on board. Thanks for your significant contributions...

[Maximos]

I'm at work and don't have a lot gonig on, so this is fun :)

[PrinceOfTheWest]

If I may add, the tragic division between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox branches of Christianity is healing, particularly due to the efforts of the late John Paul the Great and several of the Eastern Patriarchs. Though 1000+ years of bad blood is hard to put behind us, by the work of the Holy Spirit it is happening. Our tradition has a distinctive phrase for the Orthodox: the "other lung" of the Church. They are the only tradition we can legitimately intercommunicate (take Holy Communion alongside), under certain conditions. God bless you, Maximos, and welcome!

(What is Greek for "peace be with you", anyway?)

[holyboy]

Byzentine (sp.) Catholic. We believe the exact same things as the Roman Catholics, but follow a more traditional approch to religion

[Parthian King]

Maximos, how did you manage to fit in some Mormon seminary time (I refer to your comments made in another thread) in the midst of all that other stuff? Just curious...

[Dernhelm]

I'll just say...Reformed. We've gone from a particularly good ARP to an OPC, to another ARP that wasn't as good as we thought, and we're now, hopefuly soon, to join a PCA. Unfortunately, there are a few things in the Westminister Confession that we don't agree with...and we don't like the "Puriten" style of preaching; Daddy would like a church that exagetes the Scriptures, book by book, in context. We don't like (or go to) Sunday School, (a rather modern addition to the Church), or youth groups...etc.

So we don't really fit in well with many people.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Byzentine (sp.) Catholic. We believe the exact same things as the Roman Catholics, but follow a more traditional approch to religion
Really! Byzantine Rite! This is too cool!

[Basilides]

Nondenominational. The Church I'm a member of would be considered "Pentecostal". Basilides' Church (www.countrysidechristiancenter.org)

I basically just consider myself a "Christian", with great respect for the various denominations, including the Eastern Orthodox, RC, Methodist, Reformed, and so on. I think of us many believers in these various denominations as "the Church", knit together in a way that Satan deplores. I suppose our differences will be ironed out (one way or another) before we are presented as the bride of Christ, without wrinkle. :)

[Saruman]

I too am non-denominational. The church (http://www.calvarychapel.com/costamesa/) that I attend focuses strictly on the teachings of God and of His Christ in and through His Word.

[Gibby]

I too am non-denominational. The church (http://www.calvarychapel.com/costamesa/) that I attend focuses strictly on the teachings of God and of His Christ in and through His Word.

I love Calvary Chapel! If there was one around here, I would attend. I listen to Calvary Chapel on the radio all the time. Chuck Smith is awesome!

[Saruman]

The Lord has used Pastor Chuck in so many marvelous ways, and His teachings through him have blessed me for many years. I'm not saying, of course, CC is the place as far as all things spiritual are concerned, but it certainly keeps you honed in on the Word of God. :)

[Eleanor Pevensie]

I'm Southern Baptist.

[Girlie]

Well I'm an Anglican. And i'm new and don't exactly know what I'm doing on this site. Why do you want to know? It's different.
God bless,
From Girlie

[Gibby]

Well I'm an Anglican. And i'm new and don't exactly know what I'm doing on this site. Why do you want to know? It's different.
God bless,
From Girlie

I love Hillsong Australia. You ever attend that church or go to one of their concerts? I have quite a bit of their music.

[Girlie]

No I don't go to Hillsong but I'd love too. :D Hillsong is in Sydney. I love their music!! I wish I could go.

[Gibby]

No I don't go to Hillsong but I'd love too. :D Hillsong is in Sydney. I love their music!! I wish I could go.

You have a far better chance of getting there than I do. It would be a tad expensive for me to hop on an airplane to get over to Sydney!http://www.narniafans.com/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Girlie]

You have a far better chance of getting there than I do. It would be a tad expensive for me to hop on an airplane to get over to Sydney!http://www.narniafans.com/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif
Yes, well I suppose so. But I enjoy my Church and so I'm happy with that and their music. We play a lot of the Hillsong music at Church anyway. Especially "Shout to the Lord."

[melbren]

I am non-denom now, but grew up A/G (Assembly of God).

[TimmyofOz]

I love Calvary Chapel! If there was one around here, I would attend. I listen to Calvary Chapel on the radio all the time. Chuck Smith is awesome!
I go to a Calvery Chapel in Las Vegas. The preaching there is the best I heard in my 25 years as a Christian. I'm upset that there is no Calvery Chapel in Logan, UT, where I am moving. :(

[Maximos]

I went to Mormon seminary some and I studied it while I was in high school :)

[waterhogboy]

Well me and Johan are Reformed Baptists... but not in the sense you guys probably think. The old pastor of our church recently went to visit some Reformed Baptist churches in America, and I got the impression that American Reformed Baptists are quite angry. I can assure you that that's not what me and Johan are like. Is it Johan?? :)

[Smog]

Um, yeah, Reformed Baptists can be a little angry, but it depends on the individual church.

I go to a Calvery Chapel in Las Vegas. The preaching there is the best I heard in my 25 years as a Christian. I'm upset that there is no Calvery Chapel in Logan, UT, where I am moving.

Hey, my church used to meet next to a Calvary Chapel, they seem like really nice folks (plus, they had a startbucks in their church, although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing? ;))

[Gibby]

Hey, my church used to meet next to a Calvary Chapel, they seem like really nice folks (plus, they had a startbucks in their church, although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing? ;))

Only if they don't give you more than a single shot! I have a friend who is a pastor of a small church. His church is actually based out of a coffee shop he just opened up next to all the town's bars. It is quite nice. His ministry is mainly for those who are trying to be free of substance abuse, particularly methamphetamine. Perhaps the coffee will serve as a type of "methadone" for recovering amphetamine addicts. jk!http://www.narniafans.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Smog]

Great, so instead of them being addicted to chemicals that cause them to be jittery, paranoid, and gives them insomnia, they'll be addicted to coffee!

[chr1zis]

southern baptist

[Vanceone]

As is most likely abundantly clear from another thread, I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly called "LDS" or "Mormon".

[Aslan's Son]

I'm a Southern Baptist, though I'm not the strongest Christian out there. But I'm proud of my denomination and wouldn't change it for the world. ^_^

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Cool! My brother got his Master's and Doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their president, Albert Mohler, is one of the most incisive evangelical thinkers in America. He keeps a weblog at http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/default.archive.html, which I keep up on.

I forgot to mention - I love your screen name. I presume you're an Earthsea fan as well?

[Aslan's Son]

Yep! I've read only one of the Earthsea books-"A Wizard of Earthsea" in third grade, and saw Sci Fi Channel's movie version. It was really cool. :)

[PrinceOfTheWest]

The whole set is good, though the Tombs of Atuan takes a while to get going. You'd enjoy them all.

[TimmyofOz]

Hey, my church used to meet next to a Calvary Chapel, they seem like really nice folks (plus, they had a startbucks in their church, although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing? ;))
They are not "Starbucks", but they are coffee shops. ;) I only drink tea and lattes

[Saruman]

I'm a Southern Baptist, though I'm not the strongest Christian out there. But I'm proud of my denomination and wouldn't change it for the world. ^_^

I think many of us fall into this category, my friend. :) Indeed may it be the desire of all of us to draw nearer to our Lord and Savior, and to fulfill further the very reason for our being: to have a sweet relationship with Him.

Blessings.

[inkspot]

Well I'm an Anglican. Why do you want to know?

LOL, you don't have to tell if you don't want to! It's just a fun thread to see everyone's different backgrounds and how we all agree on what a cool author CS Lewis was an how he touched all of us, from the screaming charismaniacs to the Byzantine Catholics.

(No offense to any denomination, I love all my brothers and sisters in Christ!)

[PrinceOfTheWest]

And then there are those who are screaming charismatics and Byzantine Catholics...:D

[Gibby]

And then there are those who are screaming charismatics and Byzantine Catholics...:D

Yes PoW!


Matthew 10:27

27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. http://www.narniafans.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[@tlantis]

I am a member of the protestant church of the Netherlands (cooperation between the dutch reformed church, lutherans and Reformational church). It's a extremly plural church ranging from very liberal gnostics to strict calvinists. I'm with the "reformed association", a conservative denomination within our church. Our statements of faith are the "dutch convession", "the heidelberger catechismus" and the "techings of dort" wich are comparible to the wesminster cathechismus (teachings).

The churches in the Netherlands are extremely devided and we have numerous amounts of churches and groups within churches here. And this is especially sad beacause only 10% of the people in the Netherlands attend a church. It's a real sad situation :(

[Saruman]

I am so desperate to see a great awakening in Europe, especially there in the Netherlands. Rest assured that there are people who are praying for you and for the Netherlands (myself included). My heart also goes out to Belgium - I have always had a particular love for this country. God bless you, my friend.

[Machiathemarshwiggle]

I'm a United Methodist. In fact my dad is a pastor.

[Aslan the Wise one]

I go to a big AG chruch but i'm also opien to many other kinds of chruchs and faiths.

[Gibby]

I go to a big AG chruch but i'm also opien to many other kinds of chruchs and faiths.

Me too, AtWO

[unleavened]

Yeah, I guess I'm non-denom. I'm pretty conservative, but just for myself. I don't think I'm legalistic. I try to focus on the real issues.

[Ms. Tumnus]

I attend a PCA denomination. I grew up in the RCUS or the Reformed Church in the United States. The RCUS grew out of the German/Dutch reformed denominations. Very similar to the "Reformed Association" in the Netherlands.
I have attended the RCUS, RPCUS, OPC(Orthodox Presbyterian), and PCA.
I consider myself a Christian and part of the universal church of Jesus Christ.

[thacia of nar]

I belong to a non-denom,independant,conservative,Calvinist,(and slightly evangelical) small church.(that was a mouthful :D )

[jbc003]

I've been lurking around for a long time but I figured it was time to jump in. Nice to talk with you all.

I'm a Catholic.

- JBC

[DropkickJake]

Well, I was pleasently surrprised to find another Anglican here. I technicly belong to the Episcopal Church, but there is alot of trouble in the Church here, and I'm not sure how long my parish will stay in the Episcopal Church.

Has anyone here caught wind of the troubles in the Episcopal Church?

[Namaste]

I'm a member of Unity Church of Christianity, but consider myself to be a student of New Thought Spirituality. That is, although I have certain beliefs about Jesus, I don't consider myself to be a Christian in a more traditional stance, but rather believe that depending on people's definitions would say if I am or if I am not. It's rather hard to explain, I know, but that's the shortened version of it.

I do have a fascination with the Benedictine Monasteries of the Catholic Church, and have spent a great deal of time researching them for a novel I'm writing.

[Flamazon]

I'm a liberal Catholic ;) Seriously thought about becoming a nun and still have my moments but 1. I'd probably end up arguing with everybody 2. I'd probably get excommunicated as a result 3. I'm kind of stubborn and hot tempered and 4. I'd like to have children someday. Oh well...

[PrinceOfTheWest]

I do have a fascination with the Benedictine Monasteries of the Catholic Church, and have spent a great deal of time researching them for a novel I'm writing.
Ah, those time-honored guardians of western civilization! Are you, perchance, a fan of Ellis Peter's Brother Caedfel series? Welcome to all! I am just a member like yourselves, with no formal office, but I think I speak for all when I say that we welcome everyone with respect and appreciation. Being a Lewis forum, there are a preponderance of Christians, but all are welcome. The tolerant spirit that prevails here is not because we deem all truths "equal" (indeed, we take our truths very seriously here!), but because we understand that the way to truth and understanding lies along charity and mutual respect. If you find yourself engaged in one of our more serious discussions, do not take a disagreement to mean that person disrespects you! jbc003, I am an RC like yourself. And DropKickJake, being American, I am keenly aware of the struggles of the Episcopal Church, and keep you in my prayers. God bless you all!

[Namaste]

Ah, those time-honored guardians of western civilization! Are you, perchance, a fan of Ellis Peter's Brother Caedfel series?

No I'm not familiar with that series, but will probably find some time over the holidays to look up information about them. Thanks for the tip, I am always game for good literature.

[Flamazon]

What is the series about exactly? After exams, I'll finally be able to catch up on my reading again! :)

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Mysteries. Brother Caedfel (sp?) is a monk in the Middle Ages who investigates various dire doings. I'm not sure if he belongs to the Benedictine Order (it may be a fictional order in a fictional country) but it's modeled after them.

[onlymystory]

non-affiliated baptist. basically we follow the baptist beliefs but aren't officially affiliated with american or southern baptists because of some of their rules.

[Narborg]

Im an Anglican.

[Flamazon]

What exactly do Anglicans believe? I'm not at all familiar with the Protestant denominations...?

[Alexandra Pevensie]

i'm southern baptist, baby!

[PrinceOfTheWest]

What exactly do Anglicans believe? I'm not at all familiar with the Protestant denominations...?That's a question even Anglicans find hard to answer these days! If you're Catholic, you would find their service familiar. As a denomination, they officially embrace orthodox Christianity, though many (including many Anglicans) consider recent stands and statements to be too worldly. The American Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican communion, has precipitated a crisis in Anglicanism by ordaining a publicly practicing homosexual as a bishop. This is threatening to literally split the Episcopal Church in America. For all that, I know many sound, moral, orthodox Anglicans and Episcopals. C.S. Lewis was an Anglican.

[Flamazon]

Well this suddenly rings a bell! I'm Catholic and I remember that when I was younger my parents went to the nearest church which was Episcopalian. When I grew up a little more, I asked them why we went there (I thought they were Protestants) and they said that the service was the same. :confused: I had even talked them into leaving that church to go to a Catholic one because I was so convinced that they were anti-Catholic. How I got this...I'm not sure, I was about 11 years old at the time.

[WillsGirl]

I go to a Bible church. I gues technically it's almost non denom but we firmly believe EVERYTHING in the Bible and that it is without error.
We believe in the trinity and that Jesis was born of the virgin Mary, Died on the cross, rose again, and will come back.
Some of the more complicated questions or beliefs differ from each church goer, such as infant baptism and predestination. That's sort of... "To each his own." so to speak.

[purplemonkeyhunter]

I go to a pentecostal church

[TexanRose]

I am also pentacostal

[purplemonkeyhunter]

I am also pentacostal
Very cool, :) .

[AtomicPreacher]

My family and I are Apostolic (also known as Oneness Pentecostals). :)

[aslansgirl92]

I am a southern baptist (which are baptists in southern united states) and I am PROUD of it! We believe that Jesus was born in a barn, died on the cross for OUR sins!!!! and then rose again and is now with God by His throne. I go to church every sunday, go to youth group and i do a daily devotional. All of you who are not christians, you should try it....it gives you this amazing feeling that you are loved and no matter WHAT happens, God loves you and he will never leave you.

[Arei]

I'm a christian and a member of the church of Christ

.... *flees before she starts a flame war*

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Is that as in generic, "Christ's Church", or an actual denomination such as United Church of Christ?

[Arei]

NOT the United church of Christ... Gah I hate how they use that name. People will get that confused with the regular church of Christ now... The United church of Christ is an "accept all, love all" church... basicaly it supports all lifestyles, including homosexuality.

I go to an accual church which is called the church of Christ. Its not a denomination. What I didn't want to say earlier that might cause some flames are that the denominations aren't right. One definition of "Denomination" is ' One of a series of kinds' basicaly a divison, which (dangnabbit Arei! I forgot the scripture X_X) it says in the bible that there should be no divisions (ill have to find the scripture again X_X).

Also another thing is its just Christ's "church", not Christ's "churches". Its singular, meaning christ only has ONE church, not 1000 or how many sort of churchs there are. Also there are so many churches because alot of them DIVIDED from the main church because of different beleifs. I hate not speaking out when someone says "its ok to interpret the bible differently" because its not. There is only one way and thats the right way, to take what it says and add nothing or take anything away from it. I don't know WHY this isn't stressed enough, the church of Christ mainly emphasises and stresses the nessicity of baptism and to disprove the "once saved, always saved" and "all you have to do is ask jesus into your heart and you are saved forever" theories that the big name denominations spew out to the masses. I don't think half of them have ever read the bible start to finish.

That and I just read a baptist fact website that totally contradicted itself it was funny, they do the very things they say are wrong to do! I don't doubt there are people in the denominational word who know the true word of God... they just think they can do what they want to do and worship how they want to worship. As Revelation 22:18-19 clearly states you cannot add or take things out of the bible, INCLUDING the SPECIFIC details that are stated you MUST do in worship, and you must not do the things it says not to do. Also you can do anything that isn't authorized (like instrumental music) If you add something else, you're adding to the word of God... which will screw over your chances of eternal life. The baptism/steps to salvation are manly what the church I belong to emphasises, because thats why the baptist and catholic churchs (to name the big ones) are so popular, because of their "its so easy to be saved and once you're saved you're always saved" and in the baptist world, they think the only thing you gotta do is ask! I can honestly say I know what I'm talking about when it comes to the baptists. I have been a member of the chruch of Christ my entire life, but I also have family, friends, and grew up in a community where the baptist church influences all, and i've had the opprotunity to study with them and even have some debates on beliefs... Which they varied greatly xD I'm NOT saying baptists are bad people, they most certainly aren't... They just have some beleifs and practices not found in the bible, therefore its unauthorized... Don't kill me ok? I'm just stating the facts.

Its hard to state stuff like this without people thinking "Oh so you think your church is the right church and the rest are crap." ..... Well EVERYONE thinks that about their certain church/denomination. Me personally I dont see it like that, I just beleive that the bible should be followed as is without any question and shouldn't be changed in any way to suit the needs of the people... Makes me sick hearing all the "The church needs to be changed to suit the people" crap... Thats just WRONG! If the bible says no its no, if it says yes it yes, and if it doesnt say yes or no, it shouldn't be just assumed yes... but cant it not be automaticly assumed no? I think so... We may not like it, but if its not authorized it isnt.


Sorry about my rambling, please don't attack me X_X

[Jed of Spare Oom]

I'm also Pentacostal!!

[Aradia]

I am something between atheist and pagan. :)

[kirke]

i am a baptist.

[Aravis Kenobi]

Southern Baptist. My dad's a Southern Baptist preacher. :)

[purplemonkeyhunter]

I am something between atheist and pagan. :)
I have a question, what exactly are pagan beliefs? I'm just curious is all.

[EveningStar]

I'm United Methodist. There, I said it. :D

[Gryphon]

congrates badger, i'm non denom OH YEAH! cant put a label on me nu uh... except for perhaps crazy

[Between_the_Worlds]

Southern Baptist. My dad's a Southern Baptist preacher. :)

Although I've already listed what I am on the 2nd or 3rd page of this discussion, I'll say it again for all you people here. ;) I'm also Southern Baptist. My parents are Southern Baptist missionaries. So I'm a missionary kid and a pastors kid.

[narniarox]

i am a united methodist preacher's daughter in the north carolina conference!!!
Pilgrimage Rocks!!!

[Gibby]

I'm United Methodist. There, I said it. :D

We knew you could do it; don't you feel better now?

[underthefryingpan]

i saw a bumpersticker once that said "generic christian"
made me want to puke.
christ only founded one church and promised never to leave it.
" on this rock i will build my church (not churchees) and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (forget the verse #)

"i will be with you till the end of the world" -math26
i believe this is the catholic church, that's why i'm a catholic. i really don't think i could "talk" you all into it because these things ususally go alot deeper than logic. but at least stand up for your faith and don't say "oh as long as you're a generic christian you're good to go!

ok, not that any of you have said this, but i know many ppl follow that train of thought.

[kirke]

the catholic church didnt start until years after jesus' assention. Until the catholics "broke off" (not quite) from the rest of the church there was no denomination

[Aslan's Son]

I have a question, what exactly are pagan beliefs? I'm just curious is all.

Techincally put, any religion other than Christianity (no offense to anyone intended)-but it usually refers to wicca, A. K. A. witchcraft.

Anyway, I'm a Southern Baptist. :D

[Aeradaan]

Independent Fundamental Baptist. ;)

[the Large Voice]

I'm an Assemblies of God.

[EveningStar]

Narniarox said:

i am a united methodist preacher's daughter in the north carolina conference!!!

I forgot that being a pastor's child was its own denomination. Which explains a lot. ;)

I was tempted to say I was an Eastern Baptist, just to see what sorts of looks I got... :D

[Mar]

haha okay im a little confused but it seems to me that everyone is stateing there religion? lol i dont know..but i am catholic :)

[CSLewisFan]

I am not the only Christian, but I am a Christian only. :)

I think that denominations divide the church in way God never intended.

-Austin

[~Grateful * Surrender~]

I Could not Agree more. I am a non-denominational Christian.

[Mar]

okay, i am really confused now!

[Nosferatu]

I am a full fledged reformed calvanist! hahah bet there arn't any of these on the forums :)!!!

[Nosferatu]

the catholic church didnt start until years after jesus' assention. Until the catholics "broke off" (not quite) from the rest of the church there was no denomination

Wait, wait I thought the catholic church started after the Emperor Constantine Declared rome a christian nation. So technicaly there was a denomination, even though it was just one. BTW the catholics didn't break off from the church it was the eastern church (I think it was formerly known as the eastern orthodox church.)

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm almost positive that I read these facts off some christian history website!

[Mar]

I am a full fledged reformed calvanist! hahah bet there arn't any of these on the forums :)!!!
is that some form of a christan? lol

[Mar]

Wait, wait I thought the catholic church started after the Emperor Constantine Declared rome a christian nation. So technicaly there was a denomination, even though it was just one. BTW the catholics didn't break off from the church it was the eastern church (I think it was formerly known as the eastern orthodox church.)

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm almost positive that I read these facts off some christian history website!
well what was the church they broke off from?

[He-ather]

Southern Baptist.

[jonathanruiz209]

Pentecostal

[Gryphon]

I am a full fledged reformed calvanist! hahah bet there arn't any of these on the forums :)!!!
what about Smog and GC?

[Gryphon]

is that some form of a christan? lol
hes just using a very fancy way of saying "I believe in Calvinistic teaching and that of the reformation." as i have studied both i refuse to debate Calvin...

[Nosferatu]

well what was the church they broke off from?


The eastern Orthodox church broke off from the Roman Catholic church, for a verious number of reasons. But the europian world england, France, Germany, and Spain remained catholic.

[CentaurMan]

Im a Southern Baptist

[Lucy the Marshwiggle]

I am not the only Christian, but I am a Christian only. :)

I think that denominations divide the church in way God never intended.

-Austin

I couldn't agree more on that. I'm also part of a non-denominational church. :)

[marleybug]

I'm go to a Evangelical church.

[~Lava~]

I am Catholic

[Charn_Tim]

I am absolutely nothing; right now I go to a Presbyterian church, but I dont consider myself Protestant, Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox. I was raised by reformed, charismatic, evangelical, protestant, calvinistic parents (well, at least my father was) but I'm pretty sure I'm not a reformed evangelical, and I'm not even sure if I'm Protestant. (That is, I'm not sure it's the correct and truest expression of the gospel). I've been in the process of researching Church history and various traditions and understanding how in the heck the church got to be the way it is today and try to determine where I should be.

[Copperfox]

The reason the church got to be the way it is, is:

1) Some people differed honestly.

2) Some people dissented from truth out of DIShonest motives.

3) In some cases, one group of people had the SAME salvation beliefs as another, but parted ways peacefully from the other group because they had a specialized calling that the other group didn't have.

4) Some people justifiably broke free from corrupted authority.

5) And there are so many languages spoken on Earth!

It is not necessarily bad for a plurality of churches to exist. When Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, the reason why they were able to destroy SO many of our parked airplanes and anchored battleships was because the planes and ships were bunched so closely together! Forces dispersed in multiple locations are harder to wipe out.

[Charn_Tim]

Amazing, so all my the problems are solved then! :p Okay, that was me being a wise guy, but seriously there's many issues as I see it; do we have a bunch of different denominations and branches of Christianity because no one can agree what's right and wrong or because we have different tastes and preferences? It seems like we should be able to roughly agree with one another if we worship the same God and share the same historical tradition and believe the same holy book (and actually, the fact that we can't even agree on the same Holy Spirit inspired scriptures worries me a lot). What did Jesus mean when He talked about establishing His church? Furthermore, how does this make us look to unbelievers?

I feel like I need a good explanation for at least most of these questions and right now I dont have one. The answer that has usually been given to me in evangelical churches I've attended seems to be "we're right and everyone else is wrong." But this surely can't be right.

Your analogy with Pearl Harbor is helpful I think, but again, I'm just not sure if it's the right way to think about it.

[~Lava~]

I am going to try to answer this from a historical stand point and leave my Catholicism out of the topic, I wil not promise that it will stay completely out but I will try to give as unbiased an explanation as I can.

Martin Luther was a man who modern people would have called insecure during his childhood. He at one point in time was at home from school and a great thunderstorm hit. He was rather scared and told God that if He got Martin through the storm that Martin would dedicate his life to service of God. In the midst of his priesthood in the Catholic Church he noted some very wrong things going on (things that ought not have really have not happened since in the Catholic Church) concerning the Church's teaching on indulgences. To the discredit of the pope at that time, when the abuses were brought to his attention, the pope who was partially benefitting from the indulgence peddling attacked Martin Luther rather than dealing with the problem. That sparked the first Protestant split.

With the Orthodox Church, it was just a disagreement with where the pope should be situated that caused that schism. Frankly, Orthodox people may get special dispensations from both churches that allow them to attend the Catholic Church and recieve the Eucharist there.

After Luther split off from the Catholic Church, the levies broke loose, and Christ's Church on earth slowly became the 30,000 or so Churches that ascribe to the Christian Traditions.

[Ephinie]

Lava, I think you did an awfully good job explaining that in a nutshell.

I think the only thing to add would be that in the case of the church in the west and the church in the east, back when the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic officially had their falling out... Well, personally I think the motives were more political than religious. Even now, a lot of the beliefs are still very similar.

[Copperfox]

Martin Luther, however, was not a unique, isolated case.

In what was later Czechoslovakia, Yan Hus also pursued an understanding of grace that did not have to be filtered through one and only one earthly hierarchy. For his efforts, he was murdered by the Catholic Church--one of the crimes which Pope John Paul II was big enough to confess on his church's behalf as having been entirely wrong and inexcusable.

It is fair to note in this connection that, when a large hierarchical church conferred on itself the right to silence dissent by means of torture, imprisonment and murder, this usually was happening not because the church wanted to rule the political scene, but because the political element infiltrated the church and used it. Russia's Orthodox Church, for example, became far more tyrannical precisely when it became less independent from the secular authority--namely, when Tsar Peter the Great put the Orthodox clergy under his own authority because he could.

As for how it looks to unbelievers for multiple denominations to exist, I assure Charn Tim that it would look rather worse to today's world at large to see one centralized church claiming the right to shut down any alternate church by brute force.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

As an Augustinian monk, Luther was heavily influenced by Nominalism, which was very vogue at the time, particularly in that order. As such, he viewed God as an arbitrary and heavy-handed authoritarian. This view filters through in his understanding of grace, which is expressed in primarily legal term and concepts, as if God were a harsh judge looking for an opportunity to convict us.

Nominalism was the brainchild of William of Occam, whose teachings were ultimately condemned as heretical and was expelled from the Church for not recanting them. The crux of the idea was that God, being all-powerful, made His rulings arbitrarily. This ultimately led to a view of God that was distant and fearful, which explains Luther's dread of punishment.

The Church's teaching is that God is a loving Father, who is neither arbitrary nor capricious. His laws are written for our good, and His actions are intended to restore the family bond that was ruptured by sin and restore us to the place He intends us to have.

[Copperfox]

Family bond? That sounds good, and I know that you mean it in only the best way. But I still have to be wary of being "invited to unity" with any group, when that group still has many members whose idea of unity with me would be that they call all the shots and I shut up and obey.

I've said before that I often fellowship with Catholics, and I do. (And I think you know that I agree with you on the subject of Nominalism.) But the fellowship is made MORE comfortable, not less, by the knowledge that there is SOMEWHERE else I could go--that they could not get away with telling me "It's us or nothing!"

[inkspot]

I would love to be able to receive the sacraments in a Catholic church. I think that unity would be good and positive. In fact, I like the Episcopal church very much because they welcome any baptized believer to the communion table, although they are much more Catholic than the rest of us Proddy dogs.

[Copperfox]

I'll see that, Inky, and raise you one. In other words, I would like to see Catholics come to take the communion at an EVANGELICAL church, and NOT turn up their noses at it because it wasn't administered by their priest.

[inkspot]

But why? For them, it would be slumming, or play-acting. It would be better if they would offer their sanctified communion table to us all. :(

[Copperfox]

I'll tell you exactly why. I don't care to be told that the environment in which I found a real relationship with Jesus is a slum. (This is a perfect illustration of the problem that I call "one-way oneness.")

My deceased first wife, Mary, was raised Catholic; but at the time I became involved with her, she had come to realize something which Popes themselves have acknowledged at least to some extent: that the Body of Christ does not end at the boundaries of the Vatican. She married me at a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in 1979. It was only when, years later, she was beholding more and more ethical failures among evangelicals, that she felt in conscience that she should re-activate her Catholic membership. This required her to be RE-married to me in a CATHOLIC ceremony, in order for her to be allowed to receive their Eucharist. I went along with this for her sake--and even went along thereafter with having to go ONLY to Mass with her if I was going to be at ANY church service together with her. But I was NOT happy about being effectively told that I had been living in fornication with Mary until a priest "sanitized" us.

[Lila]

I'm Methodist. But I really don't pay attention to denominations... frankly, they confuse and annoy me.

[inkspot]

LOL! Methodists, or denominations in general?

Oh, CF, I did not actually mean "slumming." Poor choice of words. And I am not even Catholic. What I meant was, from a Catholic viewpoint, the sacrament we receive in Protestant Communion lacks the full power of Christ's body and blood because it hasn't been blessed by a priest ...

When we Protestants say that the bread and wine are a "symbol" of Christ's body and blood only, Catholics agree: in a Protestant communion, what we receive is a symbol.

But to the Catholic mind, what he receives at the Catholic communion table is the body and blood of Jesus.

Offered the choice, of course you would choose the real thing rather than the symbol. I suppose the same logic would be applied in other matters, such as the marriage ceremony you mention. From their viewpoint, it is the "real thing," or they wouldn't insist on it.

What I wish is that everyone would be eligible to receive the real thing from the Catholic church ...

[~Sunnyromance~]

Denominationals confuse me! I´m a Lutheran but the church here is Lutheran-Evangelical but I have no idea what Evangelicals believe in.
I also find myself agreeing with certain views within Catholism and disagreeing with other and agreeing with certain views within Lutheranism and disagreeing with oher.
So to me attending a non-demoninational church is best. There are also so many denominations out there that confuses me a good deal. I mean how many ways are there we can interprate God´s power in?
Ecispecally when the important thing is that we´re all his children despite our views :)

[*IOWW the Iasc*]

I'm Roman Catholic, though I've not yet had my confirmation.

[Copperfox]

Well, IOWW, it's fine with me to recognize you as a fellow Christian. Only, I expect as much from you in return.

[~Lava~]

I'm Roman Catholic, though I've not yet had my confirmation.

It will come eventually, I was litterally forced to wait two years for mine. I was ready to be Confirmed at the end of Seventh grade (Seton Home school prepares you for it then). I wanted to be confirmed in the eighth grade but the RE instuctors prefer to have highschoolers in the class, and, after that, our bishop got sent elsewhere so I had to wait for the new bishop to take his place.

I am now an RE teacher myself.

[Solya]

What I wish is that everyone would be eligible to receive the real thing from the Catholic church ...

I wish this too, very much so. :) I always found it quite odd that there's such a difference between denominations concerning this -- among other things, of course -- and I feel like we're all serving God so there's no reason for "special treatment" in any case.

To be honest, I am not quite sure what denomination I fall under right now. I still love the Catholic one a lot, but am not totally certain on if it is the right one. :) I trust that this will become clearer to me as time progresses, for of course I am still very young and need to deepen my relationship with God first before I can or want to choose.

[~Lava~]

About the issue with Catholics not letting non-Catholics take the Eucharist with us, my priest has explained it this way:

When the Eucharist is being given to the person who recieves it, the priest or Extrordinary Minister says: "This is the Body of Christ/ This is the Blood of Christ." After this, the Recipient is supposed to say "Amen" which litterally means "Yes, I believe," if a person goes up without fully understanding that fiat and says it, basically, though they do not realize it, they are lying.

As a person, I do not understand why Christ choose to be physically present in the Eucharist, nor do I understand why He lets us consume Him under the appearances of Bread and Wine, but I do believe that the Eucharist is Christ's Body and Blood, and that an ordained Priest (one that has recieved the "laying-on of Hands" by someone who is part of the unbroken chain stemming down from the Apostles) is the only one with the authority to make it so. I profess this in my fiat when I recieve the Eucharist. That is what it means to say Amen when recieving Communion. Even I would be recieving the Eucharist unworthily if I did not believe that, despite being a Cradle Catholic. Catholicism is not a club that one belongs to, it is a profession of Faith.

[Charn_Tim]

Lava (or anyone else) I have a question: if someone believes that the bread and wine is the body and blood of Christ according to the Catholic belief, but is not an official member of the Catholic Church (like me) and they receive the Eucharist, is that considered illegitimate or wrong in some way?

[~Lava~]

I don't know, I would have to ask my priest on that one.

[Copperfox]

I expect that your priest will say that it isn't enough even for the person to agree that the bread and wine turn into the actual genetic material of Jesus; you also have to agree that ONLY the Roman Catholic clergy are authorized to oversee the process of transubstantiation. Rightly or wrongly, this gives priests the ability to threaten to withhold the Eucharist from someone who is disobedient.

[inkspot]

Lava (or anyone else) I have a question: if someone believes that the bread and wine is the body and blood of Christ according to the Catholic belief, but is not an official member of the Catholic Church (like me) and they receive the Eucharist, is that considered illegitimate or wrong in some way?
Yes, as I understand it, you cannot take communion in Catholic church unless you are a confirmed Catholic.

I do unerstand why they prohibit this, Lava, but in my own way, I think they are straining at a gnat. If I believe that the elements are what Jesus says they are, which ought to be true for every believer, then I would not be lying if I said "Amen" or "Hail True Body" or whatever to the priest's offering of the eucharist.

What I believe the communion table is doesn't change what it is, and as long as I believe it is what Jesus said it is, I do not see why, being a baptized believer, I should be unwelcome. This is what makes me sad about Catholicism.

[~Lava~]

It is not limited to people who are confirmed, most catholics recieve First Holy Communion at around 8 y/o, and most Catholics are not Confirmed until mid-Highschool.

[inkspot]

Oh, really? So what is the rule? Is any 8-year-old considered a Catholic, or...? I did not realize anyone but confirmed Catholics could receive communion. If a non-confirmed child can, why not an adult I wonder?

[CyberCat]

My denomination is actually NON-denominational :D

I am a follower of Jesus, simply said. I am learning to love him more, and I grow excited for each new day that brings me closer to him...

[Charn_Tim]

Hmmm, cool, thanks Lava - I'd love to know. Maybe I'll look that up sometime as well. I have actually received the Eucharist twice in a Catholic mass before and I don't remember them saying anything like "only those who are confirmed Catholics come up and partake..." but maybe they are expecting you just to know that. Or maybe they are happy to give it to anyone who professes and tries to follow Christ...

[inkspot]

Hmmm ... I did not know that a non-Catholic could receive communion. I guess I should go and do so.
:)

[~Lava~]

I believe the rule is that one must be Baptized in the Catholic Church. For adults who join the Catholic Church, all of it generally happens in the same night. I know that Non-Catholics are not supposed to recieve Communion during a Catholic Mass and it is not encouraged for them to do so, what I am unsure about is whether it is wrong for a Non-Catholic who truly believes that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ to recieve. I know for a fact that at least some Non-Catholics can get special permission to recieve Communion at Mass, a man who raised his son in my Church but was Greek Orthodox himself got permision to do so.

[Charn_Tim]

Thanks for the explanation, Lava. A couple weeks ago, I went to an early morning mass-at 6:30 am(!)-pretty much for the sole reason of receiving the Eucharist, since I hadn't done communion at my own church in many weeks (partially due to the fact that it's once a month where I go and that I hadn't been able to attend the main church service as often as I would like. I had been especially desiring the Eucharist since reading Letter 19 of Lewis's Letters to Malcolm which is absolutely brilliant. But then I realised it might not be okay for me to do this.

Maybe I shouldn't do that again? or go somewhere else...

[Copperfox]

ORRRR..... You could realize, as I do, that if your faith is in Jesus, He is ALREADY inside you, whether the Eucharist is His muscle tissue and hemoglobin or not.

[Charn_Tim]

ORRRR..... You could realize, as I do, that if your faith is in Jesus, He is ALREADY inside you, whether the Eucharist is His muscle tissue and hemoglobin or not.

CF, no one said anything about that. Did Jesus say "take and eat and do this in rememberance of me" or didn't he? I hadn't done that in a while and I felt convicted to obey Him. Read that letter of Lewis's I mentioned and maybe you'll understand better what I mean. I just hope I wasn't offending anyone in the Church when I went to receive it.

[Copperfox]

Oh, I do take weekly what in conscience I consider to be a right and adequate communion at my church. I don't have to accept everything men have done with the Lord's Supper to know that there IS such a thing as the Lord's Supper. I have tried NOT to make it my point to argue against the Roman view of what the Eucharist is; and even from my own evangelical viewpoint I can understand God using the Catholic Eucharist to uphold a Catholic person's faith. But the REALLY real presence of Jesus IN ME has one distinct advantage. In the, um, hypothetical event of a clerical establishment deciding to use refusal of sacraments NOT to discipline obstinate wrongdoers, but to bully and intimidate all the laity into blind and passive obedience, I would know that He Who is in me, and Who is greater than he who is in the world, could never be taken away from me by a corrupted and self-serving authority.

[~Lava~]

We may need to take this discussion into another thread, we are kind of clogging up the works in the What's Your Denomination......? thread.

[inkspot]

Thanks, Lava. Appreciate that.

[Copperfox]

Then, to restore the denominational topic here:

Sometimes a new denomination is a phoenix-like renewal, when an older group has lost its godly fervor. The Christian And Missionary Alliance, which I have mentioned previously, originated in the 19th century as a missionary society WITHIN the Presbyterian Church. But when Presbyterians of the time proved sluggish and apathetic about reaching lost souls with the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus, the missionaries decided, "Okay...it's time we stopped letting this apathetic majority slow us down. We'll operate without them!"

[NarnianofGryffindor]

Independent Fundamental Baptist.

[Copperfox]

Independent Fundamental Baptist, eh? I certainly hope you don't receive your preaching from a minister like the Independent Baptist revivalist I once encountered. In about 1972, as a young believer, I went to the church that was hosting this character; and he could scarcely find anything more interesting to do than growl at me that I was disobeying God because my hair wasn't in a crewcut. In fact, he told me that JUST because I had hair, he wouldn't be surprised if I were abusing drugs. (Pssst: I wasn't, and never did.) To "prove" his point, he quoted a passage from a later chapter of Ezekiel, one which described a future generation of priests that would serve the Temple in Jerusalem; the passage said they would trim the hair on their necks closely. It's too bad that at the time I didn't know enough to reply with something a little farther along in THE SAME CHAPTER--that the same priests were also supposed to wear TURBANS. Then I could have answered him on his own imbecilic level, saying: "Where's YOUR turban? You are disobeying the WURRRRRRRRRRRRRD of God!"

[EveningStar]

Church of Narnia, Reformed.

The Church of Narnia believes "Every Seventh Day is the Sabbath and upon it you shall do no work."

We have the true scriptures. "Every Seven Days is the Sabbath and upon them you shall do no work."

Which reminds me...it's nap time. :D

Oh, and when I'm being perfectly serious, I'm United Methodist. If you ask me before my first cup of tea, I'm an "Untied" Methodist, which is strangely appropriate because I feel untied.

[NarnianofGryffindor]

Independent Fundamentl Baptist, eh? I certainly hope you don't receive your preaching from a minister like the Independent Baptist revivalist I once encountered. In about 1972, as a young believer, I went to the church that was hosting this character; and he could scarcely find anything more interesting to do than growl at me that I was disobeying God because my hair wasn't in a crewcut. In fact, he told me that JUST because I had hair, he wouldn't be surprised if I were abusing drugs. (Pssst: I wasn't, and never did.) To "prove" his point, he quoted a passage from a later chapter of Ezekiel, one which described a future generation of priests that would serve the Temple in Jerusalem; the passage said they would trim the hair on their necks closely. It's too bad that at the time I didn't know enough to reply with something a little farther along in THE SAME CHAPTER--that the same priests were also supposed to wear TURBANS. Then I could have answered him on his own imbecilic level, saying: "Where's YOUR turban? You are disobeying the WURRRRRRRRRRRRRD of God!"
LOL I'm not THAT strict. :p Neither is my dad, although we've been to plenty of churchs like that. I spike my hair, use gel, wear a Thai necklace and bracelet, listen to rock, and a bunch of other stuff really fundamental preachers would find shocking. I think I'm more fundamental in what I believe. I get a lot of this from my dad. I don't really care how you do your hair, or what you wear. Of course, I still believe in modesty, after all what we wear reflects who we are, but I don't go over the edge. I'm NOT King James only. It's my preference, but I have no problem with other versions. I also believe hymns should be sung during church and not CCM music.
A lot of fundamentals do get carried away, and some get sooooo extreme. So extreme that they worry more about appearances and what version of the Bible you're using, then what's important: Growing spiritually.
Every Sunday, my dad preaches not about how to wear your hair and whatnot, but he preaches out of the Word of God. He does a chapter by chapter study of the Bible. Right now, in church we are in Matthew, studying the Beatitudes. :D
Soooo, in a way I'm an ultra fundy, and in another way I'm not. If that makes any sense.