A bit overwhelmed and confused with all the different Christian denominations. I know it’s about following Christ at the end of the day but I don’t know which church to turn to for guidance and community. Tips please.

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YouTube is a good resource to find videos on this.

Normally they differ on key topics like baptism, spiritual gifts, verse interpretations, the ability to lose salvation, etc.

Some go more extreme like approving of gay marriage etc. Those are more fringe.

A good thing to do before visiting a church is to visit their website, if they have one, and review their belief system. Nearly every church will have a article of incorporation, vision statement, or document along those lines. This document explicitly states what they believe from the Bible. I would deep dive on what you believe theologically, and see which areas are inflexible to you. Then, pick a church based on that. Obviously, this also requires some introspection so you’re not just picking what you like vs what is theologically correct. “Let God be truth and everyone else a liar” and all.

Hope it helps

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What is your background? Have you received any instruction in Christian teachings (through school, family, etc.)?

If you have some background in basic Christian teachings, I would suggest reading and exploring (essentially doing your research).

For reading, there’s many theological books geared towards ordinary folks. For an intro into the Catholic viewpoints for example, GK Chesterton’s writings (The Thing: Why I am a Catholic, Orthodoxy) are a good starting point which will give you an overview of Christian thinking and how Catholics view the world/religion, etc. You can Google suggestions for other Christian denominations you’re interested in.

For exploring, go attend Sunday services at denominations you’re interested in. Maybe find someone you know/are acquainted with who’s a member of the congregation who can be a bit of a guide. Talk to the priest/minister about your questions.

Through all this exploration, pray and reflect on what feels TRUE to you. God is within you already. Let that presence be your guide. Where do you feel God’s presence resonate?

If you’re brand new to Christianity, I suggest doing something more structured. Like many churches have a process for new members. They’re going to be very different depending on the church. For example, the Catholic Church has an RCIA process for new members. Some parishes will have a pre-RCIA program that’s meant to be an exploratory intro (no commitment necessary). So you just have to look around for more structured programs like this to learn more about each denomination.

Give yourself time if you need it. Many people spend up to several years (if not longer) searching for what feels TRUE to them.

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Honestly, what you should do is just visit different churches that speak to you on a fundamental level.

That’s what I did over two years of finding my way into the faith as an adult. The Spirit will immediately reveal that some are not the right community for you, while others will show themselves to be worth further investigation. And, if you are fortunate, you may even be guided to one that is a perfect fit.

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To add to the great comments already: I've personally seen God use circumstances in my life to lead me. I also believe that as you "Delight yourself in the Lord", he places desires in your heart that are from Him. So if you are reading his word, he will place good desires in your heart to help direct you.

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Hi OP! My short answer is please please look into the Catholic Church. For the long answers, I'd recommend checking out the podcasts called Counsel of Trent and Pints with Aquinas.

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You’re right there’s like thousands of Christian denominations. I would start with reading the word as your standard. I would stray away from reading any extra books outside of the Bible as they are merely another persons opinion. Everything we need should be found in Gods word, which is our standard. In any relationship a person wants to be understood, so why not God? Psalms 14:2- The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Just like we have standards for how we want to be sought after in a relationship, God has standards as well. We have to make sure we know what God is looking for in his believers.

I’m down to meet to go over the Bible with you sometime, I’m sure it will make your church hunt much easier and you will know exactly what you are looking for in a church.

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I think we need to be careful here.

Yes, agree with you that the Bible is the standard. “Let God be truth and every man a liar” - Romans 3:4, but that includes you and me.

Other books, like Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis, give great commentary that help us understand biblical teaching and logic.

There is a reason why we’re called to be part of a church body where we are called to “Let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” - Colossians 3:16

In such a way, Christian writing can help teach and give us wisdom in understanding God’s word. It can be God’s way of admonishing us.

We as humans can very easily misinterpret scripture by taking it out of context, biblical or historical, or simply by the fact that we don’t understand the full nuance of the original Greek/Hebrew. So, reading the work of experts and commentators can help provide that context.

I agree that everything should be taken with a grain of salt, and we need to use critical thinking to ensure that what we read and hear has the appropriate biblical support, rather than just accept it at face value. This is how we avoid creating a different gospel, by adhering strictly to the teachings of the Bible - Galatians 1.

We still need help and guidance, though, lest our own intelligence become an idol.

So, to OPs question: I think you need to research and read other works to help you understand the Bible. Yet you always need come back to verify their instruction. As you uncover the truth, you will find the churches that truly teach the gospel, versus those who don’t.

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The Church of Scotland is the one true church (Kirk, as it is known here) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I would say to call one church versus another as the “one true church” is anti biblical. Even if you adhere 100% correctly to the Bible, likelihood that other churches will hold the same theology.

It’s about your personal and corporate journey to becoming like Christ, not moral superiority.

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Will up and say it: it’s interesting to read the different advice from different denominations in this bowl. This is one question where Catholic and non-Catholic denominations in particular are going to have different answers. Catholics will likely look at other denominations as the direct cause of this issue. On the other hand, non-Catholic denominations originally branched away from Catholicism because they believed and still believe the teachings strayed from the Scriptures and the early church.

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