Which Christian denominations have we got here?

I was an Atheist until around 1972 or 1973 when I began to listen to Evangelist Garner Ted Armstrong......

By 1991 I could no longer get along with the Worldwide Church of God began by his dad, Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong..... so I suggested to Pastor Gary Moore that he should disfellowship me..... and he did..... I told him that I could not simply stay quiet regarding my conviction that we were incorrect in our belief of a Soul Sleep......


Within about a month in 1991 I got myself kicked out / disfellowshipped from the Worldwide Church of God and an offshoot The Philadelphia Church of God......

Now I am seriously considering visiting a synagogue or two or three once we move to near Toronto.....
I am a huge fan of near death experiencer Rabbi Alon Anava.....

I also attend any Pentecostal or Charismatic Catholic Church that my wife wants to go to......
they are really nice to Jewish Wannabe's like me.....


I personally take phenomena such as seen in the following video very, very seriously......




I also really like visiting Latter day Saints wards when I have the free time..... I am amazed by how the young Elders and Sisters pray and ask for continual guidance as they do their missionary work outreach.........

 

Have you ever been to the Vatican? It is impressive.

 

Imagine the conflict that will arise between the early Mormons and the later day Mormons about which version of their religion is the correct one. Will Joseph Smith denounce the later day Mormons as heretics for deviating from his fairy tale?

 

I don't know if I'm correct in my assumption but for some reason I got the idea that you are from or live in Germany. I'm sorry if my assumption was incorrect.

If it is I'm curious how common Catholicism (Roman) is in Germany.

I was under the impression Germany was rather Lutheran.

 

I picked a member of other Christian denominations but that isn't completely accurate. I do value the practice of going to church but I'm not that picky on them sometimes it's Catholic, sometimes it's Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Anglican or presbyterian I am not a member of any as I don't play well with organized religion in Christian in that I believe Jesus is the son of God and my salvation. But I don't belong to any particular group. When I talk about God and Jesus is often with Christians of various denominations.

 

I have to be honest, did not know there were two flavors of Mormon

 

I did the same thing, but extended it to a number of different faiths. Never once received a visit from the Gods. Not a whisper or vague hint that a supernatural being was watching over us. If anything it confirmed the opposite, despite my hope that it would confirm God.

Having said that, transcendental moments have happened in respectively a Theravadan service presided over by Thai monks in an ornate temple, the call to prayer in a beautiful old Masjid (mosque), an old school Amish/Mennonite service, and a full Catholic mass in an ancient cathedral. Clearly I'm ritual driven. I don't care for the 'sermon' because it's just dry words. Add a majestic building or a place of natural beauty, music, dance, trance, smells, texture, light, etc .. and it's palpable. Maybe that's where the Gods speak to us - were the Gods to exist. In the part of us not distracted and clouded by words frequently designed to self-congratulate. I mean, check this out for transcendent human rituals:



and this:



and this:



and this:

 

For every day wear, though ... I'm partial to Catholicism.

 

That's not a surprise they do 'ritual' very well, indeed.

 

Indeed they do!

And I feel more comfortable in even the most formal Catholic mass, than I do in a 'talky' protestant service in a warehouse. The latter scare the hell out of me. At the few services of that nature I've attended, I felt I was being sized-up like a clueless kid in a Used Car yard.

 

I was thinking about their earlier prohibition on accepting Black members, as an example. So, if that was true in 1850 why isn't it still true? In essence, the modern folks are calling Joseph Smith a liar and he started the whole thing.

Google "Black people and Mormon priesthood."

 

I will never join a denomination. Doesn't mean there are not good people there. I do belong to a Body of Believers in Christ, so I have accountability but denominations speak of division. The Body of Christ is not divided.

 

Why would you go to a church where the preacher doesn't even know what the real Ten Commandments are?

 

I could go with a very longwinded post about how my Christianity seems pretty different from all the denomination (afaik), but I just clicked 'other denomination.' I don't think there's a denomination for me.

 

I was raised as a Quaker.....you might as well stick with the Universalist or Moose Lodge or Elks. I had some young Christians advise me to read the Gospel of John slowly and introspectively a couple of times before ever going to Church, then see if that motivates you to want to be a member of "the body of Christ". Then trust other believers to guide you in your choice. That might lead to the proper motivation of even going to Church. That advice has served me with no regrets for 45 years.

 

And Jesus also said "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father".

 

Correct but almost all denominations have become that way.

 

Do you have a church family? Or do you go to a nondenominational church? I'm just curious.

 

I went to a funeral held at a Catholic church once and was entirely confused and out of my element.

 

Do you know such a preacher?

 

Catholics are quite normal people like you and me.
I wonder what there is to be "confused" about.
Catholics are not Aliens from outer space.

 

Once there was a time when Germany was about 50 per cent Catholic and 50 per cent Protestant, roughly speaking.
My German home state of Baden-Württemberg even has a slight Catholic majority.

 

Nowadays ....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Germany

 

You are right there.
I live in Germany.
I was born and bred in beautiful Baden-Baden.



Baden-Baden

 

I agree.
And yes, I have been there.

Btw: When I booked my train to Rome, the name of the present pope then was John Paul the First.
When my train arrived in Rome, the present pope was John Paul the Second.

John Paul the First had died soon after he had been elected.