If so many Christians don't believe in "religion" what church do you go to?

Question

Aren't most churches centered around a denomination of some kind? Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, LDS, 7th day Adventist, Church of the Nazarene, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian or Episcopal. I think I covered them all lol.

Answer 1

Many people choose not to go to church. They worship in their own way at home. If I were religious, that's exactly what I'd do. I don't believe in handing over my hard earned money so the pastor/priest/man in a dress, can go out and buy a new car, home, yacht........

Nor am I interested in having a pot luck with 156 old ladies with blue hair.

Answer 2

I personally go to a Nazarene church, but it's because of how I feel when I'm there, how I am received by others, what I get out of the sermon, and I believe in what that particular denomination believes in: the power of prayer and intercession.
It's not that Christians don't believe in religion, but it's that they don't believe in all the denominations the evangelical church has broken into. If you love God and follow after Him, good. That's what a church should be centered around. It all breaks down into different categories (sadly):
Catholic and Evangelical. (The Mormons are off in another category by themselves.) The Catholics are related to the Episcopal and Lutheran churches (who are into the more ritual side) and the Evangelicals (the Adventist, Friends, Nazarene, Methodist, Weslyan churches and others are under this category). It all just depends on what an induvidual needs spiritually. Don't get confused by all this (if you can). I hope this answered your question, if not more than that! :)

Answer 3

The reason for these other churches is that the Catholic church believed that the only way to be saved was through a priest. They believe that the church is the only way to find God. An arguement between religious scholars arose, contending that a layperson didn't need a priest in order to be forgiven. The church split, and now we have many different 'Prodestant' religions. However, based on this theory, a person only needs a Bible and the ability to pray in order to be religious.

By the way, there are over 38,000 denominations in the Christian church. You didn't even scratch the surface.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations

Answer 4

No, several things to keep in mind. First LDS is not a "Christian" group. They do not believe in the same Jesus "Christian" groups do. (Before you LDS members freek, I am not insulting you. Merely stating that what you are is not what Christians are. Not stating right or wrong at all.)

Next even groups such as "Baptists" are not really a denomination if one looks into the history. More of a nick-name given to a system of worship by those who were opposed to it.

A denominational Christian group is very centralized in their structure with a ruling body or individual who sets policy and official teachings for the rest of their group. Such groups have been on a slow but steady decline since around the 1st World War.

Many Christians myself included attend what is known as a "non-denominational" Christian church. We try to keep ruling bodies to a minimum and allow scripture to be the "main" authority. Not a perfect system but good.

When Christians say they are not religious, as I do, they mean that they don't follow the phony traditions and man-made rules that many groups cling to. We allow the scriptures to guide us. We believe that religion is man invented.

What we try to do is accept the relationship that God initiates with us.

Very basic answer, hope it helps.

Answer 5

I am part of a church that is both "Church of the Nazarene" and "Baptist" its a mixture. We call our selfs "the Church of the Brothern" ...I know it sounds like a cult but I swear we aren't lol just has a weird name =P we spilt off from the Duncards/Amish

Edit: and Prophet bbqdog you forgot to say "be babtised when they are old enough to make the discesion there selfs...so they do it for the right reasons...

Answer 6

Actually, my mother has attended many Protestant churches in the past, but found her niche in a non-denominational church. It's one of those New Life ministries. It's centered around Jesus Christ and the Bible instead of religion.

Answer 7

The human body is the only true church where the life of God dwells and this is the highest reality that we all can now realize for ourselves. One day the image of a church will be a symbol of mans primitive approach to deity as more of the sons of God become more enlightened as to the nature of deity and come to the realization that the kingdom of God dwells within ourselves and not out there in some ridicules idea of heaven.

Answer 8

After years of exploring other religions, I do not belong,or go to any organized religion. I startted questioning when I was a young girl realizing that I did not need a building or a group to be near God. I started reading books about every religion there is, and found that all of them have the same basic instructions (I am not meaning fundamentalists). i.e. Love thy neighbour, compassion, forgiveness, no judgement, peace,
etc. etc. This meant, to me that many great prophets were trying to give the world a message, but "people" started to form congregations and started to change the meaning of some of the messages. Do you think that God would send somebody to teach earth by controlling them, telling them what to think, what not to do, waht to do and when . It is like politics. Nearly every person who first goes into politics have good intentions, but when they get elected they start to change thing around little by little, in the wrong direction.
Every religion believe they are the only right one. All religions have they hypocrates and good peopl, All religions huild either huge temples or churches. Jesus, Budha. Mohammed, taught in the open under the sky. Those that came after them organized groups and started to make rules to control their congregation, with fear. If you don't do this you will go to hell, if you do that you will go to the depths of !!!!! All of them say, don't judge, yet turn around and state tht gays are immoral, That women should not decide what to do with their own bodies/ You MUST do this or you MUST do that and if you don't do what we say then we don't want anything to do with you. I read Wayne Dwyer, Deepak Chopra, Mother Theresa, Shakespeare, Jesus and other great prophets. I take from all of them the beliefs that make me a better person, a kinder person, a nonjudgemental person a peaceful, content, a compassionate person - all these things that these great Prophets told us we should do
If you really study what Jesus told us, he was showing a way of life and examples of what we could do if we followed his example. If we live like that, pray to "God", or whoever we want to call our creator we cannot go wrong. The world now needs non judgmental people, kind people, compassionate people, don't you think. I never denounce another religion because everyone should be able to live as they want to. I want to live in a space where I feel the love and compassion and see people helping one another, without control. It is my belief that I don't need a religion for my life to be fulfilled and joyful because I know God is always with me and around me and I can choose to be a good person, not just a good person in a religion that have rules and regulations to suit their purpose. To each his own, and mine isn't organized religion. If only each organized religion would not pull other religions apart and say "We are the only true church", if they accepted each other and didn't condemn each other, this world would be a much better place.

Answer 9

There called "four-square" churches, which includes 4 different types of christian religions.

Unitarians are another church that really has several denominations, but they also usually believe in only One God. Its' more of a bible study, than a religion.

Answer 10

You neglected to mention Methodist.

To answer your question, a lot of christian's actually follow the examples and philosophy set forth by Jesus in the New Testament, which is actually very good stuff (even when viewed objectively from another religious point of view), but do not follow the doctorines and other stories from other sources in the bible.