By: SuzyQ -- pray4revival

SuzyQ -- pray4revival — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

If you want to know anything about Christianity, the first thing to do is realize that you are a sinner and ask the Lord to save your soul. That is what is Christianity.
This is not what some of the church says you can or can not do.
As a Christian, we follow the Bible, the Holy Word of God - and really does not depend on any single church.
For my own personal affiliation of the church, I am a Baptist - this is because this is the closest to what the Bible says we must be as followers of Christ.

By: bonzo the tap dancing chimp

bonzo the tap dancing chimp — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

you should be asking about any religion

By: crimmson

crimmson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

Both have differet forms of worship, but they both worship the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

By: padiwan2

padiwan2 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

You need to join the church that makes you feel happy and loved. God is everywhere and everything, but you need a place where you can leave the rain and fellow Catholics / Protestants.
God is not in a church, just made sure that the churches were built so that all children of God, together with the love and companionship.
All that should matter to you is to enjoy where they are on Sat / Sun AM-PM.

By: Colanth

Colanth — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

Read the Bible (one). So if you understand what you read, do not ask anything else - is appalled.

By: no fixed address

no fixed address — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

You Can not Go Home Again is the title of a novel, once famous by Thomas Wolfe. There is deep longing in his novel. I thought I was home again is bound to be a big disappointment.
Not so with the Catholic Church. No matter how long you've been out, you can always go home. You can start coming to church (Find a church) you can be part of a parish community. You can enter the faith, much more deeply than when you left.
Chances are, already feeling a strange inner pull. No matter what anyone else says, the spiritual longing you feel is God trying to get back to himself. But God never forces. God only asks. Whether or not you return to the Catholic Church is a decision that only you can do.
There are many reasons to return to the Church as there are people left. While God is at the heart of each person's decision to return, the circumstances are varied. Here are ten reasons that influenced the decision of many of us to return to the practice of the Catholic faith:
Number 10: Because we want meaning in life.
In the busy pace of modern life, many of us suddenly realize that our lives have lost all sense of meaning or purpose. Begin to ask: "What is my life? Why do I do? "There is widespread confusion in our culture with regard to morality and truth. The Catholic Church offers a beacon of light that gives meaning to our existence and leads to eternal life if we persevere.
Number 9: Because childhood memories surface.
Some people say childhood memories of feeling connected to God surface in later life. Begin to ask: "Can I get back that simplicity of faith? Can I ever really believe God is looking out for me? "The secularization of our society leads people to the spiritual side of themselves. The Catholic Church offers religious and mystical experiences that feed the heart, mind, body and soul, and a series of active lay ministries that interface and interact with the secular world in order to make the world more sacred live.
Number 8: Because we made mistakes.
Some of us carries the weight of accumulated sin. We want to get rid of the guilt of others wounded. We began to ask, "God forgive me? Is there a way to start fresh with a clean slate? "You can always tell God I'm sorry, but through the sacrament of reconciliation is complete assurance of God's forgiveness. Moreover, they are reconciled not only with God but with all members of the Church, the Body of Christ (CCC 1440) and given the grace to begin again with the new list. My favorite aspect of this sacrament is that for all the sins we confess that God (the priest who represents the Lord) has given me extra grateful not to commit those sins in particular confirm it. You can still fight, but the Lord is there to help me continually.
Number 7: Because we must forgive others.
Sometimes we cling to anger and resentment towards people who have hurt us deeply. Maybe it was a family member or friend. Maybe it was someone, (a sister or a priest), or something in the church.
"Will God forgive me?"
Our modern culture condones and encourages anger and revenge. But hatred and bitterness are spiritual cancers that eat at the heart of a person. The Catholic Church offers the opportunity to seek God's help in forgiving others, even when the other person does not ask forgiveness or not deserving. The ability to forgive is a gift that opens the heart of a person full of God's love and peace.
Number 6: Because we want to be healed.
Some of us carry deep spiritual wounds. We struggle with God's wrath on the bad things that happen - a terminal illness, a debilitating injury, a broken relationship, mental or emotional problems, an act of violence against an innocent person, an inexplicable accident, some natural disasters, death of a loved one or another major disappointment. The Catholic Church can not change these situations or explain why it happened. But there are people in the church that can help in spiritual healing and help you continue on with your life.
Number 5: Because the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and grace.
Many who leave the Catholic Church are blessed by the experience of worship for a while in various Christian denominations. However, some people become when they realize that Catholicism has the fullness of truth and grace. The Catholic Church was founded by a reformer or historical movement. It is not fragmented by individual interpretations of Scripture. There are thousands of Christian denominations, but only one Catholic Church. This Church has been guided by the Holy Spirit and protected from teaching error in matters of faith and morals from generation to generation for nearly two thousand years, as Our Lord Jesus promised: (foretold Isaiah 22:15-25) Matthew 16: 13 to 20, Matthew 18:15-18 (in this verse, the word is church, not community); 1 Timothy 3:15.
Number 4: Because we want our children to have a faith foundation.
Some of us return to the Catholic Church because they recognize that raising children in a culture that promotes "doing the same" can lead to disaster. Children need to experience the spiritual dimensions of life. They need a structured system of beliefs and a strong moral foundation that goes beyond human logic and reasoning. We return because we want a solid foundation on which our children can build their lives.
Number 3: Because we want to be part of a community of faith.
Many of us seek a sense of belonging. But the community is more than just friendly people, good sermons, and interesting activities. A Catholic Christian community is a group of people gathering around the person of Jesus Christ to worship God and live in the light of the Holy Spirit. Catholics come together at Mass, the Sacraments, and parish activities to pray, to celebrate the joys, to mourn losses, to serve others, to support, and to receive strength for daily living. A Catholic parish offers all this - and more - to people who recognize the importance of walking with others toward union with God.
Number 2: Because we want to help other people.
There are many opportunities in the secular world to volunteer. What is missing is the spiritual dimension to the service of the Catholic Church offers. It is more than just a "feel good" activity. It is part of the order of "big" (Mark 12:28) to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. To reach others, Catholic volunteers become instruments of God's love. The Catholic Church offers opportunities to touch the lives of people at home or around the world.
Number 1: Because we are hungry for the Eucharist.
[The Eucharist is the number 1 reason people return to the Church.]
Many people come back to the Catholic Church because they feel an intense desire for the Eucharist. Sometimes it happens at a wedding, a funeral, a baptism, a First Communion, or confirmation. It sometimes happens when people are alone or have difficulties in life. They describe it as a deep longing for spiritual nourishment that comes when we receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This hunger for the Eucharist triggers a recognition of Christ's presence in other sacraments, which attracts even more deeply into the practice of their faith. It is, without exception, the number 1 reason people return to the Catholic Church.
Most people find that returning to the Church is not a fact just as it is a process that involves a little pain, a little laughter, some thought, prayer, discernment and a lot of letting go. "My actual return to full participation in the parish took about three years after I had the desire first," a person admitted.
And what they get in return? The Catholic Church offers union with Jesus Christ:
in Scripture
in prayer
in the community of others
in the Eucharist
and the other sacraments.
It offers spiritual support in good times and bad. It offers divine wisdom, which has thousands of years of people like you who lived in the centuries of Christian history: 33AD, 100AD, 800AD, 1000AD, 1300AD, 1964AD and 2005AD. It offers meaning and purpose in this life and the promise of eternal life with Him after death for those who persevere to the end.
You know you are home when you begin to feel a deep sense of peace.
My personal side note: For those (families, husbands, wives, etc) that have left the Church or non-Catholic Christians who have ruled the conversion to Catholicism, because of recent problems in our church, I share the following.
We have problems, but taking advantage of the crisis in the Church as an excuse for not being a practicing Catholic or, for non-Catholic Christians, not becoming a Catholic, is no excuse. We are and always will be a Church of saints and sinners. Through the Eucharist, which actually participate in the divine nature, our Lord shapes us in maturity and, if necessary, pulls the grudges have taken place in our hearts for years from our soul. We have to work with him in prayer, though not, to flee. http://www.catholicscomehome.org/index.p …

By: Mim

Mim — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

read the Bible and seek the truth. of his knowledge about Jesus does not worship a building.

By: joe b

joe b — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

Try to be a Lutheran. You are ahead because they have left these old churches as an alternative.

By: Catholic in the South

Catholic in the South — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

Why not go to your local Catholic parish and is part of the RCIA program. It will teach you what you need to know about the Catholic Church, and much of the discussion.
If you join RICA you do not have to confirm, can only attend to learning. Once you have completed classes to use information to make an educated decision.
Just a thought.
Edition: Peter C - insightful response. I left the church for more than 10 years, I'm back now for 15 and I am grateful to Jesus brings me back to church.

By: Patrick H

Patrick H — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

Sounds like you're on the horns of a sport Delima. Good luck.

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