Have you changed denominations?

Kaynil

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Something I would have ever known hadn't I been told was that my grandmother used to be a fervent Catholic, but life experiences at some point made her turn into a different denomination. I don't remember for sure, but I think she became Pentecostal.

As I've said before I grew with the influences of different religions but I didn't feel like I've been swinging between them. I simply incorporated different bits from different people before I understood the idea of different denominations.

Anyway, do you guys have gone through changing denominations in your lives? You don't have to share all the details or the past denominations if you don't want. :)
 

Tigger

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I was raised in a nominally Catholic household but at 30 yo I personally started searching out Christ and His Church. I’ve been all over the map of denominations and feel most convinced of the authenticity of the Lutheran & Anglican traditions.
 

MennoSota

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I don't attend church based upon denomination. I attend based upon theology and how that particular church lives out their theology.
I might start my search by evaluating the churches doctrinal statement. I might ask for a meeting with the pastor or staff to guage their commitment to scripture as primary over tradition as well as scripture defining doctrine not doctrine prooftexting scripture. For example, not all Presbyterian churches are alike...even within a denomination. One may be extremely liberal and deny the deity of Christ while another may hold to the deity of Christ and his full sovereignty over all creation. I can say this about Lutheran churches and Roman Catholic churches as well. One priest understands grace differently from the next based upon whether the priest views scripture over catechism or catechism over scripture.
Wisely evaluating and measuring a church is important to me. A denomination is entirely secondary.
 

Josiah

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I was raised in a nominally Catholic household but at 30 yo I personally started searching out Christ and His Church. I’ve been all over the map of denominations and feel most convinced of the authenticity of the Lutheran & Anglican traditions.


I also moved from Catholic to Lutheran...




WHY?



Leaving....

I must begin by saying this was by far the hardest thing I've ever done....

I have Catholic roots going back CENTURIES.... my family is largely Catholic (not all active, however)... I LOVED my parish and felt deep roots there... and I was LOVED by my church. I did (and still do) LOVE the liturgy, the sense of history and community, the spiritualism of Catholicism, the practical aspect given to faith..... I LOVED the very pro-life, pro-family emphasis..... I admired the boldness of the RCC in standing up for morality.... I still have a profound respect for that denomination, and when I am away for the weekend, I usually seek a Catholic parish for Sunday worship (LCMS churches aren't plentiful or always convenient). I instantly feel good and with brothers and sisters in Christ.

It must be noted too that I still agree with probably 95% of Catholicism. There are a FEW things I'm not totally on board with - but they weren't "deal breakers" (the Marian dogmas, for example) and less than a handful that I clearly rejected: The Dogma of the Church, the Docilic Submission of members, the Infallibility of the Roman Pontiff.... less so, Purgatory (I'm okay with the idea, just all the dogma around it) and Transubstantiation (a classic case of saying WAY too much actually endangering the truth).


But it was a move I felt was mandated.... by integrity and honesty. It was a case of LEAVING since I had no idea where I'd go, and it was EXCLUSIVELY for theological/doctrinal reasons.


1. The Dogma of the Church.

While the RCC retains a faint sense of the Church of Christ - the one, holy, catholic community of all believers - in truth, this is ENTIRELY buried by the dogmatic insistence of it itself that it itself IS the Church (at least in fullness). There is an OBSESSION with it itself by it itself - as a geopolitical, economic, earthly, institutional/denominational entity with the HQ in Rome. This whole dogma gets very radical. The RCC even speaks of itself as JESUS on earth. When IT speaks, Jesus Himself is speaking. I found this really very, very extreme focus on self and the claims of self for self to be quite unbiblical, unhistorical and frankly troubling... but all of Catholicism hinges on this: in a real sense, Catholicism stands or falls on this series of claims of it itself for it itself - and it is often central to its message. At times, I felt as if the RCC talked about itself more than God ("Catholic" this, "Catholic" that) and promoted itself more than Christ. While I have nothing against denominations per se... and regard the RCC as one of the best denominations.... I found its claims not only unacceptable but divisive, unbiblical and troubling. With SO much good in Catholicism, it seemed at times to get lost in the obsession with itself, the denomination.


2. Epistemology.

The Catholic Catechism #87 says this, "Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles, 'He who hears you hears me," the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their [Catholic] pastors give them in different forms." Understand, this is the cornerstone of Catholicism. This is the reason for the Doctrine of the Church that it has... the reason for all the claims that when IT (alone) speaks ergo Jesus is, the reason for the INFALLIBILITY of their Pope, and the reason for their enormous repudiation of Sola Scriptura. There is a radical rejection of accountability of itself and a bold demand that all just swallow whatever is said, "with docility." This is DRILLED into Catholics from birth. See CCC 85, 95... this is the cornerstone of the denomination. In part, I think this is simply a mindset of the middle ages but it is SO stressed. Yes, one my ask QUESTIONS but not hold the RCC accountable. And the issue is never "because it;s TRUE but because the RCC teachings it." I found this troubling.... especially after I spent some time studying the cults. And I found this obsession with power and submission odd. The RCC is clearly correct about SO much.... and all it's teachings are VERY well thought out (even where I disagree), I have a LOT of respect for Catholic scholarship. So WHY this extreme need to evade all accountability? I KNOW why the cults need it, but why the RCC? BTW, many think Luther was excommunicated NOT because he said Jesus is the Savior (as the RCC claimed) but because he said the individual RC Denomination could err, thus undermining this point. I had to ask myself: Do I just swallow whole - with docility - WHATEVER the RCC says BECAUSE it says it? No, I don't. Thus, I'm not Catholic (my Deacon shouted) - or at least not faithful (as CCC 87, etc., etc., etc., etc. says). I share this from the "Handbook of the Catholic Church" page 137, "When someone asks where the Catholic finds the substance of his belief, the answer is this: From the living teaching Authority. This Authority consists of the Pope and the bishops under him at the time." Nothing about Jesus or God or Scripture or even Tradition.... and lest one confuse this with the Church, nope - this is a denomination. I had trouble with that. And I had to ask, am I therefore a Catholic? The answer seemed clear... and I needed to have the honesty, the integrity, the character to not lie just because I loved my parish and my family.


Finding a New Home...



Finding a new church wasn't easy..... I had no desire to "reinvent the wheel" and I was NOT a revolutionary, I had no desire to "throw the baby out with the bathwater, there was MUCH (very much) I passionately believed and loved and would not abandoned. Truth - it was scary; I wasn't at all sure I'd find a church and that troubled me a LOT. I looked for a place where there was a deep sense of community, humility, accountability..... a church that was CHRIST centered rather than DENOMINATION centered... with the Cross is lifted high instead of the denomination... but also that was liturgical, sacramental, pro-life/pro-family, embracing of tradition and the whole people of God.... Some place where I would not have to LIE about docilicly swallowing a bunch of stuff that I actually didn't; were I could be honest. I found all that and more in Lutheranism.

My entrance there was originally because I saw it as a more original and simple form of Catholicism (LOTS of ex-Catholics are attracted to Lutheranism for the same reason, I would learn). BUT I soon learned the beautiful Gospel of Christ as Savior, the Theology of the Cross, the Law/Gospel distinction, and became clearly Lutheran. I have ex-Catholic friends who headed East to the Orthodox Church and those who headed to England to the Anglican Church - and those are fine faith communities, too. But I'm glad God lead me to Lutheranism....

In many ways, it's clear to see there's still some Catholic in me..... my spirituality is a blend of Catholicism (for example, Mary is precious to me, and I do the Sign of the Cross a lot, lol) BUT I've gained so much Lutheran spirituality - with it's rich, deep sense of humility and ministry.


MY journey..... Ain't saying it should be anyone else's. Yes, I'm aware that there are Protestants who join the RCC, too.



.
 
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Lamb

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I have always been a Lutheran. I went looking at other denominations decades ago but each time I found fault with their beliefs and remained Lutheran.
 

psalms 91

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I belong to two different ones for different reasons. One is a small Pentecostal WOF church and the other is a Methodist
 

Albion

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Acccoring to the Clinton News Network:

"More than four in 10 American adults are no longer members of the religion they were brought up in, while about one in 10 changed religion, then went back to the one they left, the study found. Just under five in 10 -- 47 percent -- have never changed faith."
 

NewCreation435

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I grew up Methodist, switched to Baptist at 18 and now go to a Wesleyan church.
 

Romanos

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I belong to two different ones for different reasons. One is a small Pentecostal WOF church and the other is a Methodist

What is the reasoning for that?
 

psalms 91

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What is the reasoning for that?
I love the teaching at the Penteciostal church but it is very small, maybe 8 to 10 people so it is self contained and not much chance for doing things that help people so i go to the methodist church which I grew up in and volunteer and help out where I can. It is important to me to help people.
 

RichWh1

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I was raised Roman Catholic and for 27 years adhered to that denomination. When I became a born again Christian I did change denominations.


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Jason76

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Iv'e changed several times. However, I'm now pretty much settled with Christian Univeralism.
 

MennoSota

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Iv'e changed several times. However, I'm now pretty much settled with Christian Univeralism.
Which means you and the world can sin to your heart's content and still imagine God will welcome you with arms open wide in full fellowship.
Say hi to Hitler for me.
 

Albion

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Iv'e changed several times. However, I'm now pretty much settled with Christian Univeralism.

The Unitarian Universalist Assn., in other words?
 

Lamb

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Which means you and the world can sin to your heart's content and still imagine God will welcome you with arms open wide in full fellowship.
Say hi to Hitler for me.

He didn't say anything about being as sinful as he wants.
 

Albion

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...and that technique of putting words into some other member's mouth in order to have something to rebut is dishonorable IMHO. It is also a waste of everyone's time.
 

MennoSota

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He didn't say anything about being as sinful as he wants.
What does it matter when all humans will be welcomed in despite their rejection of Jesus atoning sacrifice, their blasphemy, their following of the devil their whole lives? All humans go to heaven. They can be their own god all their lives and spit on Christ Jesus and they are still going to heaven. Justice is worthless and revolting in a universalist world.
 

Josiah

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Which means you and the world can sin to your heart's content and still imagine God will welcome you with arms open wide in full fellowship.


Actually, that's a Calvinist view, the spin on the "P" often called ONCE saved, ALWAYS saved. Remember: Universalism is an outgrowth of Calvinism. Universalists simply found that radical Calvinists were obviously wrong about limited atonement (as nearly all Calvinists realize) but they kept the ideas of irresistable grace and ONCE saved, ALWAYS saved; they kept the exclusion of faith in justification. They logically concluded in very Calvinist ways: Since Jesus died for all, all are saved. Irresistable grace. If Jesus died for all (as the Bible says, nearly all Calvinists must admit) ERGO all are saved. Remember too, OSAS means that one is saved even if they don't have faith (but once did), even if they publicly repudiate Christ.

Remember too, the historic fact, that Calvinism gave birth to Universalism. My wife (who comes from a long line of Calvinists going back some 400 years) noted all this. And she noted that if you visit all the old Universalist churches, they ALL were once Calvinists - including the most famous Calvinist church in the USA, the one in Plymouth founded by the Pilgrims. It's turn Universalist and is the oldest Universalist church in the USA. Universalists are simply Calvinists who - like nearly all Calvinists - realized that LIMITED atonement is obviously unbiblical - and thus used all the "logic" and dogmas of TULIP to become Universalists. And yes, that means salvation even if one repudiates Christ (a teaching of OSAS anyway).



Back to the topic....




.
 

Lamb

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What does it matter when all humans will be welcomed in despite their rejection of Jesus atoning sacrifice, their blasphemy, their following of the devil their whole lives? All humans go to heaven. They can be their own god all their lives and spit on Christ Jesus and they are still going to heaven. Justice is worthless and revolting in a universalist world.

Maybe you should ask him what he believes instead of trying to tell us what he believes?
 

MennoSota

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Actually, that's a Calvinist view, the spin on the "P" often called ONCE saved, ALWAYS saved. Remember: Universalism is an outgrowth of Calvinism. Universalists simply found that radical Calvinists were obviously wrong about limited atonement (as nearly all Calvinists realize) but they kept the ideas of irresistable grace and ONCE saved, ALWAYS saved; they kept the exclusion of faith in justification. They logically concluded in very Calvinist ways: Since Jesus died for all, all are saved. Irresistable grace. If Jesus died for all (as the Bible says, nearly all Calvinists must admit) ERGO all are saved. Remember too, OSAS means that one is saved even if they don't have faith (but once did), even if they publicly repudiate Christ.

Remember too, the historic fact, that Calvinism gave birth to Universalism. My wife (who comes from a long line of Calvinists going back some 400 years) noted all this. And she noted that if you visit all the old Universalist churches, they ALL were once Calvinists - including the most famous Calvinist church in the USA, the one in Plymouth founded by the Pilgrims. It's turn Universalist and is the oldest Universalist church in the USA. Universalists are simply Calvinists who - like nearly all Calvinists - realized that LIMITED atonement is obviously unbiblical - and thus used all the "logic" and dogmas of TULIP to become Universalists. And yes, that means salvation even if one repudiates Christ (a teaching of OSAS anyway).



Back to the topic....




.
Nah, it's a Missouri Synod Lutheran teaching by Josiah.
Now back to the topic...
 
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