What Denomination Are You?

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by Bandit

i was going to say Amish, but i think i will join you in the generic section.

Plenty of room over here.

[path_of_one]

I guess generic. I go to an Episcopalian church, primarily because I love the symbolism, art, and the way they do eucharist and all. I appreciate the thoughtfulness involved and the tradition, though I have my own non-Orthodox interpretations of a lot of it.

Mostly, I'm a sort of mystic- that's how I was raised and what fits my personality. But that isn't a denomination, more an ongoing journey or experience.

I don't do well with doctrine and being told what to think about everything- I'm more in the camp of each person studying and praying over the scriptures and cultivating a relationship with God. Yet I do value church and clergy. Just as I teach anthropology in a way that encourages my students to explore data on their own, to make their own theories, to ponder on their own culture and relationship to it, but I'm around to take questions and help out with background information- I value pastors/priests in the same way. I see them as potentially useful experts who have had more time to study the linguistic, cultural, historical, etc. contexts of the scriptures and the history of the church, so I can take this information and use it in my own study and meditations on the Word. So I think they are important, but not in the way many people treat them- as having the "right" answer to scriptural intepretation- hence, the avoidance of doctrine.

I believe God's Word is, like many Jews believe about the Torah, a living document in a sense- that speaks to each of us with various meanings, tailor fit by the Spirit for what we need at this moment in our lives. Thus, I believe it to have multiple intepretations that only seem contradictory. I believe the Bible is infallible, but not in the fundamentalist sense. Instead of believing that the literal interpretation of it (which is never literal, because it is colored by our own cultural and historical and linguistic perspectives) is infallible, I believe that the literal story has deep meanings. Meanings- plural. The Word is infallible in that it is, as lunamoth has said, a "thin place" between God and humanity- it is a point of contact. If we prayerfully and meditatively contemplate the Word, and bring our questions to God, we will be guided toward understanding the Word as it is meant for us. This is why one verse can bring quite different feelings and interpretations at different times in our lives- God guides us to the understanding of the Word that is relevant and necessary for us at that moment. Thus, the Bible is not only our sacred history, and is certainly not a document with a one-size-fits-all simplistic meaning, but is instead the nexus for a conversation between humans and the Divine. It is, in fact, the ongoing attempt of humans to express their relationship with God, and becomes the sacred place in which we can also experience a relationship with God. Not a document, or a book, or even a story... but a conversation, a communion, a relationship. Thus, no one person can say what "it" means. Because "it" is a conversation between each of us and God.

I have yet to find a denomination that is really "me" but Celtic Christianity comes close. I know, it's considered heresy. But who decides who is a heretic? Since there are no Celtic Christian churches I know of, I just go with Episcopalian- I appreciate that there is an openness to personal interpretation. There is a focus on joining together as a community of followers of Christ to fellowship and worship God without the attempt to tell me every last thing I should believe about the Bible and God.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by path_of_one

I guess generic. I go to an Episcopalian church, primarily because I love the symbolism, art, and the way they do eucharist and all. I appreciate the thoughtfulness involved and the tradition, though I have my own non-Orthodox interpretations of a lot of it.

Mostly, I'm a sort of mystic- that's how I was raised and what fits my personality. But that isn't a denomination, more an ongoing journey or experience.

I don't do well with doctrine and being told what to think about everything- I'm more in the camp of each person studying and praying over the scriptures and cultivating a relationship with God. Yet I do value church and clergy. Just as I teach anthropology in a way that encourages my students to explore data on their own, to make their own theories, to ponder on their own culture and relationship to it, but I'm around to take questions and help out with background information- I value pastors/priests in the same way. I see them as potentially useful experts who have had more time to study the linguistic, cultural, historical, etc. contexts of the scriptures and the history of the church, so I can take this information and use it in my own study and meditations on the Word. So I think they are important, but not in the way many people treat them- as having the "right" answer to scriptural intepretation- hence, the avoidance of doctrine.

I believe God's Word is, like many Jews believe about the Torah, a living document in a sense- that speaks to each of us with various meanings, tailor fit by the Spirit for what we need at this moment in our lives. Thus, I believe it to have multiple intepretations that only seem contradictory. I believe the Bible is infallible, but not in the fundamentalist sense. Instead of believing that the literal interpretation of it (which is never literal, because it is colored by our own cultural and historical and linguistic perspectives) is infallible, I believe that the literal story has deep meanings. Meanings- plural. The Word is infallible in that it is, as lunamoth has said, a "thin place" between God and humanity- it is a point of contact. If we prayerfully and meditatively contemplate the Word, and bring our questions to God, we will be guided toward understanding the Word as it is meant for us. This is why one verse can bring quite different feelings and interpretations at different times in our lives- God guides us to the understanding of the Word that is relevant and necessary for us at that moment. Thus, the Bible is not only our sacred history, and is certainly not a document with a one-size-fits-all simplistic meaning, but is instead the nexus for a conversation between humans and the Divine. It is, in fact, the ongoing attempt of humans to express their relationship with God, and becomes the sacred place in which we can also experience a relationship with God. Not a document, or a book, or even a story... but a conversation, a communion, a relationship. Thus, no one person can say what "it" means. Because "it" is a conversation between each of us and God.

I have yet to find a denomination that is really "me" but Celtic Christianity comes close. I know, it's considered heresy. But who decides who is a heretic? Since there are no Celtic Christian churches I know of, I just go with Episcopalian- I appreciate that there is an openness to personal interpretation. There is a focus on joining together as a community of followers of Christ to fellowship and worship God without the attempt to tell me every last thing I should believe about the Bible and God.

Ah, but there are Celtic Christian Churches. In fact there are Cathedrals.

You happen to walk through one most every day...



v/r

Q

where ever two or more are gathered in His name, there is the church...

[path_of_one]

Q. I certainly feel like my wild forest grove is a cathedral... I often go there alone but I never feel alone- somehow the trees and animals seem to be congregation.

And of course, yes, we are a church here as well... One I am quite fond of...

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by seattlegal

Plenty of room over here.

Cool & it is WONDERFUL

Originally Posted by path_of_one

I have yet to find a denomination that is really "me" but Celtic Christianity comes close. I know, it's considered heresy. But who decides who is a heretic? Since there are no Celtic Christian churches I know of, I just go with...

you know the word heretic/heresy is not even in my vocabulary. my church & i have been called that name more times than i can remember by local institutions. but what they dont know is we have a huge fellowship with bible believers around the world & missions in many countries.
i will remain a generic & independant bible believer.
there is a big celtic church just a few blocks away from me that i have been wanting to visit. it even looks kind of gothic.

[wil]

The current tally as I understand it...

I know we've got some Catholics, and Jehova's Witnesses...but unless they speak up I can't include them...

3 - Generic
-AME
- Anabaptist
-Anglican
-Apostolic
-Baptist
-Catholic
-Charismatic
-Christian Science
-Christian Science
-Eastern Orthodox
2 - Episcopal
-Evangelical
-Gnostic
-Jehovah’s Witness
-Lutheran
-Messianic Judaism
-Methodist
-Mormon
1 - Non-Denominational
-Pentacostal
-Presbytarian
-Quaker
-Religious Science
-Rosicrucian
-Seventh Day Adventist
-Unitarian Universalist
1 -Unity
-Other

[Dor]

add another non-denominational...all I want is the bible, Jesus, Trinity and dont take stuff away or add their on stuff I am fine.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Dor

add another non-denominational...all I want is the bible, Jesus, Trinity and dont take stuff away or add their on stuff I am fine.

Add who's stuff?

[Dor]

any church, any person adding their stuff to the bible is a big no go for me.

and I know that is not a shock to you.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Dor

any church, any person adding their stuff to the bible is a big no go for me.

and I know that is not a shock to you.

and I know you don't hold my denomiation against me...

[China Cat Sunflower]

I am a Chris-tian! No wait, I'm a Movementarian! Seriously, I have no denominational affiliation. I was raised SDA, but I am not an SDA.

Chris

[Dor]

Well I have also been labeled as a Bible Thumper by a few on these boards

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by Dor

Well I have also been labeled as a Bible Thumper by a few on these boards

Hey, bible thumpers are good. They serve as guard rails to keep us from going over the edge!

[wil]

Originally Posted by seattlegal

Hey, bible thumpers are good. They serve as guard rails to keep us from going over the edge!

And are valuable resources to find chapter and verse prior to search engines like ocean and biblegateway.com!

hmm suddenly made is sound like technology made them les valuable...not the case...just don't need to pester them so much...

[flowperson]

Liberal UCC until I was sort of cast out of two congregations because of what I believed and had the stupidity to write about. I don't belong to any these days and don't attend services, but I am definitely a believer, if not a group participator.

flow....