Poll: What's your faith?

KatW · #**101** 06/02/12, 01:33 PM

I didn't click on the poll but I am and atheistic Unitarian Universalist who hasn't attended church since I was a teenager but still consider myself a UU.

ErinP · #**102** 06/02/12, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by am1too

I think one would think the non religious are way more attracted to sites like this. Mostly the religious have little time for reality. They are way to busy with vanity for the most part.

Interesting assessment...

However, if you've been watching the poll results, it turns out I'm correct. This site leans heavily Protestant Christian.
(Though we need to count about half of the "Other" since reading the replies it turns out they're mostly Protestant Christians, too)

momofseven · #**103** 06/02/12, 02:18 PM

I checked "other," because I belong to the body of Christ. I have ended a 30+ year connection with the Seventh Day Adventist church and will NEVER again follow a denomination.

SilverFlame819 · #**104** 06/02/12, 02:34 PM

Atheist and Agnostic are listed together? :S

mary,tx · #**105** 06/02/12, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicki in NW OH

Don't forget the Orthodox folks.

I don't know who they are.

Wouldn't that be Jewish? (not Christian?)

SilverFlame819 · #**106** 06/02/12, 02:58 PM

I usually just tell people I'm an Agnostic Pagan if they ask... It's easier than getting detailed about what I actually believe, since I don't like discussing religion.

mountainlaurel · #**107** 06/02/12, 03:52 PM

WAhhh!! Doesn't anybody remember us Anabaptists? We're neither Catholic nor Protestant since we were persecuted by both.

I belong to a Mennonite church but hope you can tell I'm a follower of Christ by how I act and not what I wear.

Belfrybat · #**108** 06/02/12, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melissa

I always thought a Protestant is anyone who is not a Catholic Christian. So if you are Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, etc... you are Protestant. I attend a Christian Church, so I am Protestant. Looks like many of the others are actually Protestant Christians???

Protestantism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not exactly. Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican are the main Christian Communions. Most folks see Catholic and think "Roman", but there are other Catholic churches. Anglican is sort of a bridge communion that came out of England in the 15th century, but is vastly different than the Protestant churches that cropped up on the Continent shortly after that time. Orthodox are catholic, but as I said earlier, most folks think "Roman", so usually you see Orthodox as written separately.

You are right that the churches you listed are Protestant, as are many many others.

Dusky Beauty · #**109** 06/02/12, 05:12 PM

Sorry I couldn't get more technical and nitpicky to accommodate absolutely everyone's belief systems, but I had to go broad!! there are only 10 options available in poll making! In hindsight, I guess one of the mis-named catholic headings should have bee Christian/Other, and the JW spot (that I was really surprised to see is empty) should have been dedicated to eastern religions.

Sorry to those who are offended that the only choices are "believe in X Defenition of God", "Believe in Y Definition of God", "Believe in Z definition of God" and "Believe in no standing definition of God" but I guess that's what the post function is for? LOL

Pearl B · #**110** 06/02/12, 05:20 PM

Basically I believe there is a God. I can embrace the catholics just as easy as I can the pagans. I actually like both.

Right now I attend a Baptist church. Im in a very small area and the choices in socialization are the bar or the church. Nothing wrong with the bar, for me, for now, Im choosing the church.

A lady I like and admire invited me to attend, and I took her up on the offer. That was a little more than a year ago. I now cant imagine my life without the church - the people and socialization and the bible.
I have made some incredible friendships at that church.

I cant say Ive been converted, or now accept Christ. I always have accepted him as my savior. I like to word it as the Spirit.

Thats part of why I can accept different denominations. I believe it is people saying/doing the same thing; just the language they use varies a bit.

I like the pastor and his sermons. More so than I have ever liked any other.
Ive never liked a pastor/minister the way I like this guy. I find the way he presents the message to be the best Ive ever heard.

Ive never thought as deeply as I have after his sermons. He has brought me back to reading the bible more as well.
He challenges us as well. He admonishes to live it. I have and am making changes as a result of it. Ive quit smoking for a week now. Its stuff like that, he says if your not living healthy, well stop it.

( I met a really nice couple and we are pretty good friends now. We dont always attend the same service. Sometimes I go early morning and they go in the afternoon for example.

We both smoke cigarettes. One week he came out with a sermon about the body being the temple of God, and that you really shouldnt pollute it with poisons. It was a really good & well thought out sermon. I felt so bad about smoking after that, even though he didnt directly mention tobacco or cigarettes. Anyways, I talked my friend, and they had attended at a different time, and she said the same thing. Both her and her husband felt really bad about the smoking as well. They had basically the same reaction as me.

Hes crafty that way. He's got a way of making you think about what you are doing, without directly saying so. I imagine every one thought about whatever habit they have/are doing that they know they should stop.)

I have fun attending, and look forward to church now. Sometimes I go to the bible study on Sunday morning. It really is just a nice group of ladies and we just sit around and talk about the bible, and how to apply it in our own lives, just lots of different stuff.

I enjoy it, it works for me. As long as I live here I cant imagine myself not going to this church.

NamasteMama · #**111** 06/02/12, 05:21 PM

I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday saints, or you may call me a Mormon.

chamoisee · #**112** 06/02/12, 05:24 PM

In order to answer accurately I would have to check more than one box.

julieq · #**113** 06/02/12, 07:01 PM

No religion but I guess you could classify us as nondenominational followers of Jesus. For us, it's about relationship, not religion.

jwal10 · #**114** 06/02/12, 08:07 PM

I live by faith that if I follow Jesus close enough I may get into heaven. I was born and raised in the Church of Christ as were my Parents and Grandparents. When my Grandpa died I was told daily "I" was going to hell, daily. I was and still am confused about "religion". I need a quiet place to worship. When Sweetie and I got married she was attending a small Mennonite Brethren church. I could worship there. It was too old fashioned for the young crowd and dying so they went modern Brethren, no Mennonite. Too loud and too much motion (up and down). I have an inner ear problem and can't take loud instruments. Never found another place that I felt I fit in. The family built a little chapel, family and friends can come and go. We (or I alone) can pray, sing hymns and read New Testament scripture. I believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God....James

motdaugrnds · #**115** 06/02/12, 08:42 PM

I, too, was raised in the "Church of Christ" and was constantly wondering about the "Law of God" that hung on the church wall. When I grew up and started studying the Scriptures for myself, I discovered the reason. Such discovery has lead me to where I am today!

Melissa · #**116** 06/02/12, 09:29 PM

I never thought of religion as a bad thing. I am religious, I have faith, I am spiritual,I am a Christian, I attend church services,I have a relationship with God, I belong to the body of Christ. In my eyes these are all good things!

catknit · #**117** 06/02/12, 09:32 PM

I'm an other - my practices fall in the Abrahamist side however my own thoughts on God range from an agnostic bent to a full-fledged practitioner any given day.

For me, being an Abrahamist means following all three faiths fathered by Abraham - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It's hard to juggle - a lot like having 3 feuding siblings - but I don't feel that blindly ignoring any of the 3 is justified. I can't figure a way to believe in just one and not the other two also. [And to clarify, I lean liberal/non-conservative in all 3 faiths, Reformed Judaism, Mainline Protestant, and Sufi following Sunni/probably Hanafi in Islam - I haven't really chosen a fiqh]. Obviously, having a set house of worship is not really an option, but I do have a relationship with both a church and a mosque. I "attend" chabbat shalom services via live streaming as I'd need to travel 60+ miles to go to temple. I don't do all three on any given week as I usually don't have the time, but I do try to keep up with liturgy/holy days/etc.

Also, I have great reverence for eastern thought and religions as I've spent a lot of time in India. I'm squarely on the fence as to whether or not Hinduism/Buddhism influenced Jesus [which to most Christians and Muslims sounds looney-tunes, I know].

I think the mention of the Orthodox side of the church in a couple of posts probably speaks of the Great Schism [the first big division of the church into Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy - Coptics, Assyrians, Byzantines, etc]...

hmsteader71 · #**118** 06/03/12, 10:57 AM

I was born and raised Protestant, Congregational Christian. I am still considered Protestant but we are working on converting to Catholicism so I consider myself to be Roman Catholic.

Dusky Beauty · #**119** 06/03/12, 01:54 PM

You know, whatever someone may say about the choices or lack of choices on the poll itself, the thread has been very eye opening and I'm glad I made it.

I didn't realize there were so many Christ followers out there who bucked the label of "Christian" just to avoid being lumped in with an insincere group.

I know there are always people who believe lots of different things and why, but it's really neat to hear everyone's stories about the paths they chose. Human nature is *always* a fascinating subject.

chamoisee · #**120** 06/03/12, 02:44 PM

It isn't your fault that allowing more than one box to be checked isn't an option.

I am a Non-theist Quaker. Non-theism isn't exactly the same as atheism or even agnosticism. Some Quakers are Christians, but there are many Quakers who do not consider themselves to be Christians; I am one of them.