How did you feel about attending another church?

by digderidoo 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  digderidoo

  Some good comments here.

  When i talk about attending another church it's not so much the building i am speaking of, but more atending their meetings.

  I have been in many churches, especially older ones just to admire the architecture. Westminster Abbey we a great experience, as well as the small medieval church opposite my old house. I have also been to weddings and funerals. But it's attending a meeting that i feel is crossing the line, that i have thought about doing but a bit apprehensive.

  Paul
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  garybuss

  A huge thing I noticed from attending Christian church services and from attending a church sponsored small group Bible study for a year was: that what the Watch Tower Corporation told us the churches believed are not the beliefs taught by the churches I attended.
  
  The focus of the church was actually on helping each other, not on preaching dogma. Anyone could disagree with any teaching and still be welcome and equal in the group. It was like the beliefs were the common element but they were not a prerequisite. Nothing like the Witness group I was raised in.
  
  
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  thomas15

  I have never been a JW so as others have said take what I say with a grain of salt but I think I have something to add to this discussion.

  About me, I’m what you here would call a “born again”. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in 1977. In 1980 I was baptized Presbyterian. From about 1982 till about 1988, I didn’t attend any church and had limited Bible reading. My wife (who was raised in a Catholic family) oddly enough wanted to start going to church and picked a Lutheran Church. We went there for about 3 years, during that time I did a lot of study on the reformation and Luther the man. After about 2 years I was asked to serve as a trustee which I did. Towards the end of our 3 years, I finally realized that the church was too far removed from the teaching of the Bible and Luther. For reference, this church was an ELCA church. There are Lutheran churches that do hold to the historic teachings of Lutheranism, but not the one we went to. We left and looked around for something more Bible based. After many visits about, we settled on a Baptist church.

  One thing that makes a Baptist church Baptist is that the local church is autonomous. That means that if you use the Southern Baptist for example, church A may be liberal, church B may be fundamental, church C may be Calvinistic, church D may be Free Will and on and on, all Southern Baptist though. Some of these churches may be heavy into Bible; others may be into keeping rules for life (legalistic). The only way to know is to inquire.

  The other thing to know is that there are independent churches that are what is called “Baptistic”. They agree with Baptist doctrine however they do not call themselves Baptist. While I personally consider myself Baptist, I, like a previous poster in this thread (JeffT) attend an Evangelical Free Church. A conservative Baptist would feel very at home in an Evangelical Free Church. Calvary Chapel is also close to this kind of theology but more modern. I do not know much about AOG or the like so I cannot comment.

  Then there are the “Mainline Protestant Churches”. These churches IN GENERAL are not as Bible based and are more liberal. The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) is a good example. American Baptist Churches in the USA is another, but again, some local churches may be more conservative then the majority.

  A point I want to make here is this. Even an experienced Baptist/Evangelical/Conservative/Fundamental church goer like myself gets a little weak in the knees when going to a new church for the first time. I know what to expect and I know what I want in a church but still I get nervous. We moved to PA in 2004 and it took 3 years to find a good church home. The main thing though is this (in my opinion), does the local church teach the Bible as the word of God and is Jesus the center of attention?

  As I have mentioned in previous threads, it should be OK for the individual church goer to disagree with some points of doctrine. Of course there should be more points of agreement than disagreement, but this is where a study of theology comes in handy. I’m surprised but happy to hear that some of you are looking to find a church post-WT. Being a church goer or member should not be a chore, it should be a time of refreshment and instruction in the Bible, worship and fellowship.
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  RubaDub

  I recently thought about joining the Mormon Church.

  But then, after prayerful consideration, I couldn't bring myself to having a guy grope me while wearing a bed sheet.

  Rub a Dub
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  quietlyleaving

  A year ago I worked up the courage to attend a Quaker meeting because I knew everyone just sat silently. We did all sit mostly silently for an hour. Occasionally an individual would stand and say a few sentences then sit down. I haven't been back coz I thought if I go anywhere I may as well go to a meeting at the KH.
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  Piercingtheveil81

  While I was still serving as an MS I attended a Presbyterian Church. I liked it all the way up until they started talking about Jesus as God in the flesh which made me feel very uncomfortable. Because of a lot of consideration about the authenticity of the bible, in particular the new testament, I felt very disillusioned with Christianity in general so I attended a synagogue and later a mosque.

  If fact one friday I attended a sermon and prayer at a local mosque and later that day I went to an elders/MS meeting for the CO's visit. I wanted to laugh on the inside just thinking if only they knew what I was up to earlier that day. hehehehe..

  Piercingtheveil81
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  Meeting Junkie No More

  It was the sudden death of a pet that propelled me into a church, around the corner from my place of employment. I was grieving and felt that I just wanted to sit silently somewhere and thank the Creator for the marvellous gift that our family had enjoyed throughout the years we had her. It crossed my mind that the Kingdom Halls were NEVER OPEN to the public and yet here was this humoungous church, in the middle of the City, open to anyone who wanted to, to just enter and contemplate. I spent my entire lunch hour there, and saw many come and go, very respectfully saying prayers or meditating. And I felt God's presence, even though I had been brainwashed almost my entire life, to believe that this was 'Satan's domain'. Since then, I've visited different churches, and can pretty much echo the sentiments of other posters, people are people! Doesn't really matter the religion, you've got good and bad everywhere! But there is definitely something about the OLD OLD churches that draws me in - the beautiful architecture, the artwork, the pipe-organs, you name it - the Kingdom Hall can't hold a candle to any of them for atmosphere.