Which Church / "Branch" of Christianity?

9 replies

aliasforthis2 · 30/12/2011 00:15

Hi there (-:

Apologies if this sounds strange, but I have recently pulled myself out of some bad times in the past 2 years and I have began to feel definite the presence of "God" around me. I would like to attend a church / place of worship to further this. I was not baptised or brought up religious, but my birth cert says 'Church of Scotland' (although I'm not sure exactly what that is tbh!). I have 2 children who attend a Catholic School and were baptised mainly because my ex and his mother are Catholic and it is their preference.

I have read some short books from their Chapel however and I'm not sure I could reconsile myself with a couple of things in the summary. Being bisexual and having had lesbian relationships in the past I cannot feel that homosexuality is wrong.

I feel if I join a church I would need to believe in everything or I would feel a bit of a fraud to be honest!

Does anyone have any ideas? x

OP posts:

MrsSeanBean · 30/12/2011 00:18

Try Church of England. Usually very welcoming and accepting. Try a larger church in a town though - some smaller congregations in rural areas can be somewhat 'old-fashioned' in outlook.

MrsSeanBean · 30/12/2011 00:19

Sorry, assuming you live in England. If in Scotland, Church of Scotland would be the equivalent I imagine.

JustRedbin · 30/12/2011 00:22

have a look at Buddism, which is more tolerant of the human condition than some christian churches.

PrimaBallerina · 30/12/2011 01:07

Can I suggest that you pray about this and see where it leads you? Your sense of God's presence is real and he'll let you know where he wants you. It's not as mad as it sounds, I think you'll be amazed at how keen he is to speak to you.

joanofarchitrave · 30/12/2011 01:14

Consider visiting a Society of Friends' (Quaker) Meeting House.

AMumInScotland · 30/12/2011 15:27

Some denominations are more one-flavour than others, so I think trying out a few churches is worth it to get a feel of them, then giving one a go for a while to see if their teachings seem to match up to what you believe is right. Church of England is very broad - you can find anything from as high church as the Roman Catholics to very "happy clappy" and everything in between. And a very broad variety of views about things like homosexuality too.

If you're in Scotland, then the Scottish Episcopal church is quite broad and welcoming, but individual churches can be quite small which can either feel cosy or claustrophobic depending how you like it!

Church of Scotland is different from CofE, but is big and quite varied too, and most likely to have a church where you live.

thejaffacakesareonme · 30/12/2011 19:25

I agree with AMIS that it is worth it to try out several churches, even within the same denomination, to get a feel for them. Even within the CofS churches can vary hugely. If you are in Scotland and interested in the CofS you may want to have a look at their website. The consultation paper there on same sex marriage highlights the very great differences that exist between different congregations. Unfortunately though it doesn't tell you which are the more liberal and which are the more hard line and you'll probably only get a feel for this by visiting some.

mariamagdalena · 31/12/2011 01:21

Hi alias, I think Prima's right in saying if you keep praying, God will lead you to where you should be.

If you feel at home somewhere, and you feel He wants you there, don't be put off by anything else. Christ's followers to come to Him, not to a rulebook.

prairiegirl81 · 05/01/2012 22:33

Have you heard of the Unitarians? They have no issues with homosexuality at all. This is not, of course, to say that no individual members have any issues, but as a whole, you would be more than welcome.

www.unitarian.org.uk/index.shtml

Good luck with your search! :)

Flip