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Hi, folks. I apologize for my delay in getting back to you.
I really appreciate all those who have responded to my post. It's very interesting to hear from you all. I will look over again what you've shared with me, and do some more pondering. Someone recently said to me that spirituality is a personal journey--we all have our own path to walk, and we set out to discover the truth in our own way. This is what I am doing-- whether or not I am or will be a member of a church.
Thanks, again.
Peace to you.
bbear468
PS-- Katzpur, I would love to hear from a Mormon, from any and all! (Thank you.)
The best churches do not teach a "watered down, politically correct" version of the Bible. Nor do they focus on "fire and brimstone. They teach about Gods love thru Christ and developing a personal and growing relationship with Him. Denominations don't matter, as long as what they teach lines up with Gods Word.
I will look over again what you've shared with me, and do some more pondering.
As you ponder, you might be inspired by the Story of Siddhārtha Gautama.
As I understand it, he was a well-to-do young man living in India about 525 BC, the same time Cyrus the Great of Persia was freeing the Jews from captivity in Babylon and allowing them to return to Israel.
Anyway, Siddhartha did not find his Hindu teachings satisfying, so he decided to sit under a tree and think about the meaning of life until he found an answer. He sat there for about forty days and got nowhere until - BAM - the answer came to him.
With his new understanding about the meaning of life, he began to talk with others. They were so impressed that they began calling him Buddah, meaning the enlightened one.
What answers did he find? I don't know and I don't care. Like you, I have enough confidence in my intellect to find my own answers. When the right answer comes to you, you will know it.
In the meantime, maybe this beautiful song will help:
Concentrate on the source of truth to learn which worship is approved by God.
"...Jesus' teachings are invaluable...."
That is so true! And, one of the very important things he said is:
“The hour is coming, and now is, when the *true* worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him *must* worship in spirit and *truth*.” (John 4:23, 24, RS)
He exposed the Jewish religious leaders who would later have him killed:
“You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said: ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’” (Matthew 15:7-9, NWT)
He also --in advance-- exposed the fact that there would be false Christians to be wary of, now:
"On that day *many* will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?' And then {I will say to them plainly}, 'I *never* knew you. *Depart* from me, you who *practice lawlessness*!'" (Matthew 7:22-23, LEB)
"There will appear *false Messiahs and false prophets* performing *signs and wonders* for the purpose . . . of *misleading* the chosen. But you, WATCH OUT! I have told you everything in advance!" (Mark 13:22-23, CJB)
The early, true followers of Christ didn't just listen to what he or his apostles said . . . they actually *proved* to themselves that what they were being taught was *in fact* based in the Scriptures---Notice:
"And the people of Berea . . . they listened eagerly to Paul's message.
They *searched* the Scriptures day after day to *check up* on Paul and Silas,
to see if they were *really* teaching the truth." (Acts 17:11, NLT)
"Dear friends, *don't* believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, *test* them.
See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world." (1 John 4:1, GW)
I personally grew up attending a church which gave me my own copy of the Bible as soon as I started reading, encouraging me to memorize a new Bible verse every week, which I did. As the years passed, though, I noticed that some of what they taught me was in direct opposition to verses they had encouraged me to learn. When they stopped referencing the Bible altogether, I walked out to never return, and my parents followed.
A few years later I began searching for a way to learn everything the Bible really teaches, when an acquaintance began 'preaching fire & brimstone' at school. My church had never said much about what happens to incorrigibly wicked ones at death, & I could not accept that our loving Creator would keep anyone alive to torture them forever! When I learned that such ones do NOT get a resurrection at all, I was very relieved . . .
"The *future* of the wicked shall be *cut off*." (Psalms 37:38b, ESV)
"They will suffer the punishment of *eternal* destruction." (2 Thessalonians 1:9b, GNT)
"They have *no* future." (Psalm 37:38b NLT)
Another thing --which most people know-- is the fact that Catholic priests are called 'Father' by all.
Did Christ have anything to say about that practice? Yes. He said:
"But be not you called Rabbi. For one is your master: and all you are brethren. And call *none* your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, Christ." (Matthew 23:8-10, RHE)
So, the point is that --if we want to please our Creator-- we *must* make sure that our worship is *pleasing* to him! And, the only way we can be absolutely sure of that, is the same way early Christians proved to themselves what God's Word truly teaches . . . Bear in mind Paul’s words:
“I entreat you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies a sacrifice living,
holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service *with your power of reason.* And *quit* being fashioned after this system of things, but *be transformed* by *making your mind over,* that you may *prove to yourselves* the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1, 2, NWT)
"But *examine everything carefully*; hold *fast* to that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21, NAS)
When I undertook such an examination of God's Word for myself, I learned in a short amount of time many of its teachings that I had never heard in 8 years of regular Church & Sunday school attendance!
This is why I encourage other interested ones to try that method . . . in order to 'make the *truth* your own'. (Proverbs 3:1, 2)
Comparing church teachings is often just a comparison of man-made traditions . . .traditions despised by God! It leads to nowhere fast. . . .
Whereas, examining God's Word, along with the desire to learn its truths, will reveal them to both our hearts *and* minds.
There really is *no* greater feeling than to learn Good's true purposes, and, how he intends to bring them about! It brought me relief beyond compare!
To that end, a book that compares all the main scriptures regarding any given main scriptural teaching --subject by subject--- is:
"What Does the Bible *Really* Teach?"
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/
The Bible references double as link to the verses, for easy comparing of them with the text. (:
Well, good for you! Not too many people on this forum ask Katzpur to share things about her faith. Most are itching to tell her to go away. You'll learn a lot from her. I certainly have.
I am considering the idea of looking into other Christian denominations. I would love to hear from you folks about your church, the religion you practice or practiced. What do you love about it? What don't you like? Anything else you'd want to share about your faith- positive or negative.
Hi, bear. Sorry to be so long in getting back to you. I'd like to tell you what I like about Mormonism (and what I don't like ). Just to get us started, let me explain the reason for the existence of Mormonism. We believe that during His ministry, Jesus Christ established His Church. We believe that after His death and the deaths of His Apostles, men introduced changes into that Church, ultimately making it something different from the Church He had founded. We believe that He has re-established that Church in this day and age as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I like that Mormonism is able to answer almost all of my questions about God's Plan of Salvation. There are very few times when the answer is, "We don't know," or "It's a mystery. We're not supposed to be able to understand that." All of the pieces of the puzzle fit so beautifully together and the result is something that makes a whole lot of sense to me.
I like knowing that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who knows me personally and loves me more deeply than I can even begin to comprehend. Mormon children are not taught that they come into this world as depraved sinners and that God has punished all of mankind because of the transgression of one man thousands of years ago. We believe that we are accountable for our own sins and that forgiveness is freely granted to those who accept Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice and sincerely repent of their sins. There is almost no talk in Mormonism about anyone being destined for an eternity in Hell.
I like the understanding my religion provides of my relationship to God, my Father in Heaven, and to His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ and of their relationship to one another. I love how it's so simple and so straightforward, and not at all difficult to understand. I love how the teachings of Mormonism lift rather than lower mankind and how we are taught that we should strive to become more like our Heavenly Father and His Son. I'd say Mormonism is very much about self-improvement.
I love how my religion is not a Sundays only kind of thing. It literally defines who I am and how I interact with everyone I meet. My Church provides a myriad of opportunities to serve others, and I've got tremendous satisfaction out of service. I would say that, for the most part, we believe in practicing what we preach, and we believe that faith in Jesus Christ goes hand in hand with faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
I think that, most of all, I love how the teachings of Mormonism are essentially universalist in nature. This is not to say that we believe "anything goes." What it means is that death does not the falling of the final curtain, but that those who did not have the opportunity to receive Christ's gospel during this life will have that chance before they stand before God to be judged. I am looking forward to a literal resurrection of my perfected and immortal physical body with my eternal spirit, and to spending eternity in the presence of my loved ones. To me, believing Mormonism is to know that in the end, everything is going to be fair, and there are going to be many wonderful surprises.
I'm very happy as a Mormon. I really don't have any issues at all with Mormon doctrines. What I do have a problem with is that when Mormons constitute a majority of the population (as is the case in Utah, where I live), we can be pretty uncompromising about getting our way on things. As a staunch believer in the separation of church and state, I am very uncomfortable about the way so many in my religion would like to impose their beliefs on the minority. (I'm speaking of social issues, by the way.) Mormons, especially in large numbers, are often inclined to be even harder on their fellow-church members than on outsiders, and there is often a lot of pressure to conform to "the Mormon mold." I've never been much of a conformist. Aside from these things, I would have to say that I sincerely believe that I am happy as a member of my church and, more importantly, that being a Mormon has made me a better person than I would be otherwise.
You mean by allowing married priests who have converted from other faiths? I have heard it is very hard to be a priest's wife so I know I would not want to marry a priest. It's hard enough to be a minister's wife but a priest takes a vow of poverty.
I think a married man would need to put his family first, as God instructs, so I don't know how a Catholic priest can do that. Of course, the church doesn't expect these men to divorce so they allow them to be married. There is talk about letting priests marry in the future though. I think it would be very hard on the family.
Having lived in a Catholic family for twenty-three years, I've heard this notion bandied about a lot. But, in truth, the opposite is the case.
The celibacy requirement (Which, by the way, wasn't a requirement for priesthood until two lateran councils in the twelfth century settled the matter) means there are a lot fewer candidates for priesthood. The shortage is chronic and, giving the rapidly aging priesthood of Catholicism, is going to get worse.
A friend of mine, who was a Catholic priest turned Episcopal priest, told me that the ratio of parishioners to priests had gotten so completely out of whack that there is no longer time for counseling or any other kind of one-on-one interaction or teaching. All there is time to do is conduct mass, burials, and marriages. That's it. So the result is that a married priest might do ten things well while a Catholic priest might do thirty things poorly. Which one advances Christ's mission in the world more?
As one case in point, my wife's grandmother was a founding member of her Catholic parish. She attended so faithfully that the parking space closest to the front door actually had a sign that read, "Reserved for Marie." Yet in her last month of life in the hospital, the parish priest could not make the time to visit her. Not a phone call. Not extreme unction or last rites. Not anything. Not because he didn't care, but because he was stretched so thinly between all his duties that he just couldn't make it. My wife's grandmother died wondering when the priest would show up.
So what you're really seeing is the effectiveness of the priesthood being diminished by celibacy, not enhanced. Meanwhile, at my church, my priests are involved in teaching, they know all the names of their flock, and are readily available if the needs required. They do not live in poverty, but they are not paid lavish salaries, either. As a counterpart to my wife's grandmother's experience, my daughter went into the hospital for emergency surgery on Christmas Day a few years ago, the priest on call at my church was there to provide counseling and support, leaving his family on Christmas Day to do so. That's the difference that comes from having enough clergy on hand to support the congregation.
What's more, in the few encounters I've had with Catholic priests, I've come away with the realization that their knowledge of the lives of their parishioners is purely theoretical in nature. A married priest knows first hand the challenges of earning a living, sustaining a happy marriage, and raising children. So the advice he provides is scriptural, but grounded in experience as well.
We began searching with just wanting to know more about God so that we in turn could provide a better answer for our young but ever inquisitive children. We wanted them to develop a love for God and develop a firm foundation to choose between right and wrong based on that love rather than based on some threat or punishment.
Truth
Love
Fruitage
The above are hallmarks of a Christian faith as these qualities closely align with:
The way Christ lived
What he believed
And, what he taught.
Jesus showed how Christians would be identified:
By the love they show for one another (John 13:34,35)
And, the love for all including their enemies (Matthew 5:44)
Such Christians would also base their belief on God's word:
God's word is truth... Psalm 119:60, John 17:17, John 4:23.
And the teachings of a Christian faith would likewise be in accordance with God's word (Galatians 1:8,9 and 2 Timothy 3:16)
The result would be worshippers united by love of God, each other, and their fellowman across the globe. As such there would be no room for divisions based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, politics and all those issues that separate mankind in general and cause so much pain and suffering. Additionally, Christians would not kill fellow Christians and would not engage in carnal warfare so that truly the words spoken of in Isaiah 2:4 would be a "fruitage" that would become evident.
Re: 'Spirituality is a personal journey'...'we all have our own path to walk'
There you go. I see you've got the introspection. You're on the road. Hopefully some enlightenment will come to you like all those who have gone on the journey as well.
As a non-practicing Catholic, you might find it interesting to hear about the traditions, Gospel, and practices of the Catholic faith. The Catholic Church is centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the Gospel. Traditions include the sacraments, such as Baptism and Eucharist, and celebrations like Christmas and Easter. The Church emphasizes community, moral guidance, and acts of charity. Services, known as Mass, involve prayers, readings from the Bible, a homily, and the Eucharist, where believers receive Communion. The Catholic faith values both Scripture and Tradition, seeking to provide a path for spiritual growth and connection with God. "eClergys"
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Concentrate on the source of truth to learn which worship is approved by God.
Not too many people on this forum ask Katzpur to share things about her faith. Most are itching to tell her to go away. You'll learn a lot from her. I certainly have.
). Just to get us started, let me explain the reason for the existence of Mormonism. We believe that during His ministry, Jesus Christ established His Church. We believe that after His death and the deaths of His Apostles, men introduced changes into that Church, ultimately making it something different from the Church He had founded. We believe that He has re-established that Church in this day and age as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.