I was making a grocery list today. My local grocery store carries lobster mac and cheese from the deli. Why should I become an Adventist and have to give up such a luxury? No, can't do it.

There's one more place to try (again) before I quit looking. The Episcopalians. The church near my house is high church, the denomination invented the KJV, they like gay people, it's a mile away, they're friendly, and they serve decaf coffee at coffee hour. (Regular coffee makes my stomach churn.) And it's Catholic without being Catholic.

Why don't I consider them again? Yes, of course. And they don't need to know about my Morg background since I was baptized prior to that.

I appreciate all of your thoughts on my previous post. I read them all carefully.

I have a friend who is an avid vegan, and used to constantly push me to adopt her ascetic eating ways -- usually pushing the "but you'll live longer!" angle.

One day I finally said, "It may be true that I'll live longer (though I'm skeptical). But even if it is, it'll be more years without a great burger, steak, or lobster. So I'll pass."

She stopped bugging me about it :)

I hope you find something that fits you and where you fit.

ificouldhietokolob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a friend who is an avid vegan, and used to
> constantly push me to adopt her ascetic eating
> ways -- usually pushing the "but you'll live
> longer!" angle.
>
> One day I finally said, "It may be true that I'll
> live longer (though I'm skeptical). But even if
> it is, it'll be more years without a great burger,
> steak, or lobster. So I'll pass."

What do you think of factory farming, Brother Kolob? What do you think of the Dalai Lama's teaching of compassion for all sentient beings?

I recently joined a church called; The Church of the Short Stick. It's a very small congregation that meets on most Sundays and serves a full on meal. You can wear whatever you want, nobody judges nobody, and there is much loud laughter. There are no sermons, no preaching of any kind, and anyone is allowed to say whatever is on their minds.

There is a sacramental service associated with Sunday meetings where Jello shots are served in abundance. Coffee is also available. They pass around an actual brass collection plate and if you have some pocket change, it goes into the collection. Once we get enough cash, it will be lunch at the local Pub, then the Sunday service will be held amid toasts of all kinds of beers.

This church is also looking for a used goat, though I'm not quite sure why, but eh, who cares, we have fun and of course, we are attending church. I actually look forward to Sunday now and attending church is always a hoot.

"This church is also looking for a used goat, though I'm not quite sure why, but eh, who cares, we have fun and of course, we are attending church. I actually look forward to Sunday now and attending church is always a hoot."

To mow the grass?

sbg Wrote:
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> To mow the grass?

Of course. 'Cause a new goat can't do that, only a used one!

:)

How funny.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2018 10:05PM by Amyjo.

Just go to a community Christian Church. They're sprouting up everywhere.

The one I go to (when I get my ass out of bed) has a great band and they play for the first 20ish minutes, then the kids leave, to SS, and the pastor is a great speaker and knows his stuff.

They have free coffee and it is come as you are. In the summer I wear sandles and shorts. Go if you like, pay if you like, I didn't join, I just go and then leave.

The pastor is so interesting, I hear ever word he says. I've tried to make my mind wander, but can't. His sermon gets stuck in my head.

Besides, the band is great.

was to treat church shopping as you would house shopping. Can you afford it? Do you have time to maintain it? Do you like the neighbors? Take the religious element out of it first and see if it is somewhere you want to hang in the first place. And look at as many houses as possible :)

BTW Ford Escape, we just had to replace ours. Ours got totaled by a 16-year-old. Sigh. At least her parents had good insurance. Best of all no one was hurt. We liked ours so much we got another. Took me a while but I was able to find a good deal on another used one.

Susan, I'm glad no one was hurt. I love my Escape, best thing on earth!

fordescape Wrote:
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> Susan, I'm glad no one was hurt.

^^^Ditto this^^^^

I went church shopping like Susan I/S describes in her post, following my leaving TSCC.

And I took it that seriously because it was that important to me to find a fit for my children and myself.

For the past six years I've been attending a Jewish synagogue where I live, but am particular about which type because of the "fit" factor.

The dietary kosher laws where I attend are observed by some, but not all.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2018 10:07PM by Amyjo.

I thought about checking out another church but i think its best i just stay away from it all.

more on finding a crutch

I'm a big fan of The Episcopal Church.

I watch Charles Stanley on tv from home sometimes on the weekend.

His sermons are online at Intouch dot org.

He is someone I can relate to without stepping foot inside a church. I imagine he serves millions of shut-ins from his televised recordings.

He is getting up in years. He's like a Billy Graham as in one-of-a-kind. I don't believe he has a replacement including his son who has filled in for him once or twice.

My last rabbi is like Charles Stanley. I love them both for their wisdom and their deep compassion for others. My rabbi has retired, and there is no one to replace him either.

:(

Charles Stanley is a gentle soul. I can handle him more than I can many other preachers.

Speaking of preachers (and priests), the Episcopalian minister is super nice. The Catholic priest is okay. I can work with him but it might take awhile for me to get used to him. I have a therapist but if I need a minister to talk with, especially about my mother, the Episcopalian priest might be the person to go to. Just a thought.

My therapist, who is Catholic (I don't believe he's very devout if at all,) recommends Episcopalian to me knowing my background in Mormonism. With my multi-religious heritage he also recommends Unitarian Universalist.

I tried going there with my children when we left Mormonism during the early 90's. We went for a few months. My problem with the UU was that they don't adhere to any one philosophy or religious creed but teach from them all. Add to that a lifeless, dead spirit at the congregation we attended, like there was no spiritual life to be found.

That was when I realized that though I'd left Mormonism I hadn't ditched being a Christian. So with that newfound insight I was able to forge ahead and went "church shopping," elsewhere.

:-)

I used to watch Benny Hinn. Those faith healings were so spiritual, with people fainting all over the place. I always wondered why our prophet didn’t hold those kinds of services.

I noticed the sub line can be read “Moron finding a church”.

Good one ! *LOL*

Hi fordescape,

I left Jehovah's Witnesses in 2007 after a life time of involvement. After a few years I realized that I'm kinda of a faith-fellowship guy, even though I am also an atheist. Beyond JWs I also made some good friends who are gay. Thus a church that was friendly to LGBTQ concerns was on my list.

Living in Chandler, AZ, I attended a couple services at St. Mathew's Episcopal church. I even brought my wife with me once. After discussing it, we realized my lack of belief in God would eventually be a problem.

So, we went to Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The UUs are guided by 7 principals and 6 sources. Many in the congregation are agnostic and/or atheists. They are very welcoming to the LGBTQ community and even march in the Gay Pride parade.

Compared to the Kingdom Hall the services are shorter and more filled with music. Social justice is a focus for many UUs. This has taken some time to get use to. JWs are politically neutral. I think someone with strong right-leaning political views might find UU congregation life more difficult that those in the middle or left.

We have coffee after the service including decaf :). One other member is an Ex-JW, but several members are Ex-LDS. This likely simply reflects Chandler demographics that include a lot of Mormons. Their inter-faith homeless program (IHELP) actually works with a local LDS church. VUU provides the space and Mormon missionaries bring the food. Several other faith groups within IHELP ensure those in the program have food and lodging each night of the week until they can get on their feet.

Cheers,
-Randy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2018 02:08PM by randygalbraith.

Hi Randy,

The UUs are too far away from me. I visited them once and found them very nice.

The local Episcopalian church is on a road that gets plowed right away. (Something to consider in MI.)

Thanks!

So I went to the Episcopal church for the first time in a year and everyone remembered me. That alone will keep me going back. I will worry about the finer points of theology when the pain over the loss of my mother eases.

Look inside to figure out why you need to find a church. If there had not been a loss, would you be looking? If you are doing it because you need answers or a defined way to live your life, at least pick one that admits it is cherry-picking and not fact based.

If you are looking for a church that is for support and community to satisfy that feeling we have of belonging or identity, at least pick one that is not coupling community with dogma.

If you are looking for something to do, volunteer.

If you are looking for spiritual experiences, try nature and hobbies, animals, or learning.

My guess is that you will be the poster child at your Episcopal church that enforces their views about Mormons being wrong and them being right. See how fordescape came back to the truth- how wonderful and all. If you are going back just because they know you, that tells me you are looking for social report and will overlook anything else. This is understandable with the loss of your mother.

I hope you find whatever it is you need with as little BS linked to it as possible.

So you want your church to be a social club.

Churches today seem to be either social clubs or heavy duty cultish stuff Not too much middle left