Looking for a faith...

[Anonymous]

Lapsed Jew here who went to Episcopal schools growing up. OP, sounds like you'd enjoy an Episcoal church. It has the "high mass" quality of Catholic, the structured doctrine, but socially progressive and not all hell-fire based. Priests can be men or women (and straight, or gay).

There is a beautiful Episcopal church on my street that exemplifies the welcoming, beautiful quality of this denomination. I have stopped by a few times just to take in the atmosphere even thuogh I'm not a believer (and we had our dog blessed on St. Francis Day, which was a hoot).

[Anonymous]

Just to pile on, Episcopalian is the closest option you have to Catholic, but with plenty of social progressives thrown in. In an Episcopal church, you'll find the weekly Eucharist, the structure, the beautiful traditional music, etc. "Higher" churches do the "smells and bells", or incense and chimes, which adds to the atmosphere.

I hope not to offend anyone here, but I have found one difference between Episcopal and other protestant churches to be the erudition. Lutheran and Presbyterian sermons I've heard have been more about feelings and faith and the application of scripture to your daily life. Episcopal priests, in my experience, tend more to the historical and philosophical interpretations of the gospel for their sermons.

Finally, this might be the norm in other denominations too, and it might not matter in the least: Many Episcopal priests are converts. They were raised in a different tradition, and often had other professions before going to seminary. This means to me that they chose the Episcopal church, and that they inform their stewardship with experiences that allow them to better understand their parishoners' lives.

Wow, reading over that I sound like... well, something I'm not. I will probably attend no more than five church services in the rest of my life. It's just not for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try this:

http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx

I found it sort of enlightening.

What a great quiz! Thank you for posting htat.

[Anonymous]

New poster here who just wanted to add that this has been a helpful thread for me too. I had a very nonreligious upbringing and was never baptized. Once DH and I got married, this became a bit of an issue with my in-laws who are very religious and talked to me a couple of times about being baptized as an adult. And then our son came along and oh boy, it really bothers him that we haven't had him baptized yet. We thought about it a lot but ultimately decided that we'd be doing it for them and not for him or us - and that wasn't the right reason. Same with my decision not to do it at this point.

But as a PP eluded to, we live in a new city now and are looking for ways to make friends and become more involved in our community. I took the quiz and Unitarian also came out high for me. After some quick poking around and reading this thread - I honestly had no idea there was even a religion out there that was as close of a match to my beliefs as Unitarian seems to be (though I'm getting a kick out of some of the jokes about it being a sort-of religion). DH also came out very high on Unitarian and we are considering checking out a service in our town now. Of course, I still need to get over the mental hump of actually attending some sort of religious service of my own free will as that just seems foreign to me but who knows. So thanks! Also, while my in-laws claim that they aren't necessarily advocating for their religion - that they'd just like to us become part of something (and be baptized, of course) - I have a feeling that Unitarian isn't quite what they are thinking. (Do UUs even do baptisms?) Would be interesting to see, though.

[Anonymous]

Re: do UUs do baptism? The short answer is No. The longer answer is we do do a ceremony for the little ones where the family stands up in front of the congregation and the family promises to raise the child to be a good person and the congregation promises to support the family in raising the child to be a good person (basically - I am paraphrasing a little.) The other BIG thing that UUs do for kids is a coming-of-age year long program in 8th grade called "Our Whole Lives" or OWL for short - it does discuss sex ed frankly, openly, honestly and appropriately for that age group. Of course, you don't have to have your kid participate in that, but most kids do. Also, in 10-11th grade there are generally fellowship programs as well - at River Road many of the kids go up to Boston for a big UU gathering for a spell one year, and down to Latin America to help in the communities down there for three weeks in the year following. From what I've seen from the kids the Latin America experience especially is quite an eye-opening and wonderful experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: do UUs do baptism? The short answer is No. The longer answer is we do do a ceremony for the little ones where the family stands up in front of the congregation and the family promises to raise the child to be a good person and the congregation promises to support the family in raising the child to be a good person (basically - I am paraphrasing a little.) The other BIG thing that UUs do for kids is a coming-of-age year long program in 8th grade called "Our Whole Lives" or OWL for short - it does discuss sex ed frankly, openly, honestly and appropriately for that age group. Of course, you don't have to have your kid participate in that, but most kids do. Also, in 10-11th grade there are generally fellowship programs as well - at River Road many of the kids go up to Boston for a big UU gathering for a spell one year, and down to Latin America to help in the communities down there for three weeks in the year following. From what I've seen from the kids the Latin America experience especially is quite an eye-opening and wonderful experience.

PP here. Thanks for that answer. And BTW, I just noticed that I meant "alluded to" in the previous post - not "eluded." Back to proofreading class for me...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But as a PP eluded to, we live in a new city now and are looking for ways to make friends and become more involved in our community. I took the quiz and Unitarian also came out high for me. After some quick poking around and reading this thread - I honestly had no idea there was even a religion out there that was as close of a match to my beliefs as Unitarian seems to be (though I'm getting a kick out of some of the jokes about it being a sort-of religion). DH also came out very high on Unitarian and we are considering checking out a service in our town now. Of course, I still need to get over the mental hump of actually attending some sort of religious service of my own free will as that just seems foreign to me but who knows. So thanks! Also, while my in-laws claim that they aren't necessarily advocating for their religion - that they'd just like to us become part of something (and be baptized, of course) - I have a feeling that Unitarian isn't quite what they are thinking. (Do UUs even do baptisms?) Would be interesting to see, though.

Lapsed Unitarian again. Yes, this is what kept us from going to the UU Fellowship for a long time even though people said it was where the liberals gathered in our conservative town. I just couldn't get over the idea of going to a church even though people kept insisting it wasn't really a church. We finally took the plunge and found it to be a warm, wonderful community. The reason I'm lapsed is that now I live in DC I don't feel the desperate need to find a liberal community and it's a hassle to get across town to All Souls. But I know exactly where you're coming from about the church stuff!

[Anonymous]

I actually attended some UU services, and a few social gatherings. I liked most of it, but there was something that caused me to hesitate. A few of the social events reminded me of going to a bar, with men trying to pick me up. A few others seemed a bit too liberal for me. For reasons like that I would have trouble sending my kids off to their Sunday school. But I could see how it would be appealing.
We are still looking. I think it will be Episcopal.

[Anonymous]

Uh, I think your mileage may vary according to the congregation. RRUUC would not be like that - too family-oriented - I doubt we could get enough singles together to have a bar scene like what you describe...

[Anonymous]

For reasons like what? that it was "too liberal" - in what sense do you mean? I am trying to not get offended, but linking the "bar scene" experience you might have had to sending kids off to "their Sunday School" makes me think that you think UUs are somehow corrupting poor young minds. Nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps you spoke/wrote too quickly. Perhaps you don't want to betray a politically incorrect stance on a public message board, so be it, but please don't make veiled references to how UUs raise/teach their children. That's just not polite.

[Anonymous]

I was raised Episcopalian but am now attending a Presbyterian church. Some days I prefer the predictable Episcopal liturgy, and other days I feel frustrated with it. What may tip me to going back to an Episcopal church could just be the open acceptance of gays, not that it's a personal issue but I think they deserve a lot of credit for this.

[Anonymous]

Raised Catholic, now Presbyterian, but 100% Neo-Pagan back again. Thanks to the poster who talked about the UU's programs for children. That is very, very important to me and it really touched a chord. Sounds like we should check out both River Road and All Souls. The more I read about this, the more I wish I had looked into this long ago. DH has agreed to come, too - and this from a person whose extended family includes Baptist leaders and people who jokingly gave us an "exemption" to be Presbyterian instead of Baptist! Yet another way I will scandalize them, so at least I know my role.

[Anonymous]

Apologies, OP, I don't have time to read the whole thread. I wanted to suggest Episcopal Church of Our Savior in Hillandale MD (corner of New Hampshire and Powder Mill). It offers the pomp and circumstance you are seeking and is very inclusive in terms of doctrine and lifestyle. The church offers the traditional mass. But there is a gospel quality about the music in the service that is nothing short of amazing, especially during the school year when the choir is singing. An added bonus is that the congregation of the church is made up of people from more countries than I can remember, accompanied by the different languages, which provides a truly diverse worshiping experince.

Best to you in your journey.

[Anonymous]

How about a religion that fits with what the Bible teaches? Instead of people trying to find a religion that fits with their thinking, what about trying to find one that fits with Gods thinking? Now thats a thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about a religion that fits with what the Bible teaches? Instead of people trying to find a religion that [b]fits with their thinking, what about trying to find one that fits with Gods thinking? Now thats a thought.[/quote]

Interesting. So your "thought" is that people shouldn't think for themselves?

Enlightened, pensive, thoughtful people usually experience great things in their faith communities. I worry about the rest, who simply follow the word and don't consider what their hearts and minds tell them.

I was a Catholic. Now a UU.

And I don't mean to be abrasive or mean in my comments. This post just struck a chord with me.