im looking for a faith that considers its main aims to help the poor, starving and homeless promotes peace and respect and good willand is actively anti war and persecution. I dont want one that waists its time on trivial things like insulting other religions or campaigning against gay marraige while people starve.
2007-03-18 13:13:01 · 14 answers · asked by hadit l 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am Roman Catholic. Father Roy Bourgeois leads protests against the School of the Americas. John Paul II openly condemned Bush's invasion of Iraq. Dorothy Day started the Catholic Worker Movement. Many priests I know openly support organized labor. I was homeless for over 3 years. The Church never turned me away or left me hungry or out in the cold and frequently gave me things i never even asked for. I hope this helps you. Peace be with you.
2007-03-18 13:45:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A good church is one that is concerned with the spiritual growth of its congregation. It is a place where the Gospel is preached, where sin is condemned, where worship is from the heart, where the teaching is biblical, and where opportunities for ministry (to minister to others as well as to be ministered to) exist. Consider the model of the early church found in Acts 2:42-47 (NIV), "They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity--all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved."
Finding such a church that balances these things well isn't easy, as many, if not most, churches lean more towards one activity than others: some place more importance on the worship part of a service, some focus more on evangelism, some are just places of fellowship. Before you even step foot inside of a church, you should do some homework. Get out the phone book and look at the churches in your area. Find the denominations represented and take a look at the denominational web site. Read their doctrinal statement, their purpose statement, their mission statement, or anything that will give insight as to what they believe as a denomination. If the church itself is listed as having a web site, browse those sites as well, with the goal of getting a feel for what they believe regarding the Bible, God, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, sin, salvation, and man. You are looking for a church that shares your own beliefs and convictions; "discard" the ones that don't.
Next, pick out a few churches that you'd like to visit. Attend service at least twice at each church. Pick up any literature they have for visitors, and pay close attention to their belief statements. Evaluate the church based on the principles we see in the above Acts passage. How was the fellowship? Does the church focus on discipleship? Were you led to worship God? What type of ministries does the church involve itself in? Was the message biblical and evangelical? You also need to feel comfortable; were you made to feel welcome? Is the congregation comprised of people you can identify with?
2007-03-18 23:25:16 · answer #2 · answered by Freedom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It Seems like you are stating a contradiction, you want a denomination of Christianity which doesn't act Christian. Most Christian groups in my experience promote hatred of non-christians and support war and violence. Unitarians fufill all your conditions including promoting peace and helping the poor but I wouldn't call them Christian by any means. Quakers might be the closest group which could still be called Christian and yet not promoting war and violence.
2007-03-18 20:26:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think you can resolve that down to a denomination.
My personal observation is, that many denominations start out in the spirit, and end up in the flesh, because after they are around for a while, their primary objective tends to degrade into preserving themselves rather that doing the will of God.
2007-03-18 20:18:44 · answer #4 · answered by wefmeister 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You won't like it. the bible says," you will be hated for my name sake." His fathers name. The only religion that I have found that follows day to day living by the bible, will go to jail before war, will not lie, and will not break the law is one you won't like. Based on his fathers name. They can answer this plus any other of you questions.
What have you got to loose?
Just talk to them. They are Jehovah's' people. They can be trusted. The only ones I know!
2007-03-18 22:10:31 · answer #5 · answered by blackice 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unitarian Universalist
www.uua.org
2007-03-18 20:22:41 · answer #6 · answered by Julie M 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sounds like Unitarian Universalism. :)
2007-03-18 20:16:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The next time someone knock the door hear them.
2007-03-18 20:17:13 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i feel the same way. the church i go to is exactly like that (helps the poor.....doesn't insult others). i'm presbyterian, however i have heard that many presbyterian churches aren't like that.
2007-03-18 20:17:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do not think you are going to find one
2007-03-18 20:23:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋