Post 14 - Denominations

I was brought up in a Christian/roman catholic environment but my parents were not particularly concerned with imparting religious belief in me. My grandmother is an observant Catholic and I have attended church with her many times in my life, as well as many other types of churches.  All the lessons about Christianity and its assorted denominations has been very interesting to learn textually but my personal experiences add an extra dimension to the understanding of the Christian church. For example, the Lutheran Church has many different branches. I attended the WELS branch of Lutheranism with a good friend of mine; the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church originated in Wisconsin and is actually expanding to many other states. This particular branch trains their ministers, and sends them to other states to start their own churches. I’ve also attended a Baptist church, Catholic Church,  Presbyterian church (The United Church of Christ), a Methodist church and a number of Protestant churches.  My husband was raised in the Mormon Church and we were actually married by a bishop of that faith. Mormonism is perhaps the religion that I am most knowledgeable in thanks to my extended family, but due to the relative newness of this particular religion I am sure it would be considered a cult, or new religion. During the 1800’s Mormonism was founded by a man named Joseph Smith who basically found, or created, a history of Jesus on the American continent. I have heard from some people that Mormons are not Christians because of their belief in the additional testament of Jesus Christ and I have heard from others it is a Christian church because of their belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God. It is a religion focused on the eternal afterlife with an emphasis on family and living morally.

Despite my extensive history with Christianity, I am not a Christian.  I do not believe in a personal God and I do not know if Jesus Christ was a deity or just a spiritual teacher. I am an agnostic because how can one truly know what is out there? All we have is subjective experiences with conflicting evidence. I also have trouble identifying with Christianity because of the numerous social and political issues in regards to sexuality, women’s rights, inclusiveness and often the belief that there is only one way to salvation. I have difficulty believing in such a large world that a great deity would only have a plan for a specific group of people. The Church I found most inclusive and in line with my personal beliefs was the United Church of Christ. This particular church of the Presbyterian denomination has advocated for the LBGT community and for women’s reproductive choice. They believe that God loves everyone, regardless of their sexuality. The UCC also supports reproductive choice and safe access to birth control and abortion. These are two issues that are very important to me, and the UCC’s advocacy is certainly an attractive point for me.  From the reading, I was also interested in the Society of Religious Friends for their interesting worship services of simply waiting for the holy ghost to move them and for their aversion to violence.

Learning about the history and development of Christianity has certainly been very interesting.  Christianity started out as a religion of social change and inclusion and each time it has strayed from that ideal, there have been new movements in an attempt to reach back to what its adherents consider the true teachings. I also understand the draw of Christianity to people throughout the ages. It has offered guidelines for living, comfort and hope to its followers in trying times. The Christian Church has also become a powerful entity in many peoples lives, becoming more than a religion but a way a life.