Well darling. There appears to be a lot of that going around! 
How is your beautiful baby doing?
I’m a quiet Episcopalian. I haven’t really gone to the Great Debates board much cause I’m not a particually great debater/witness. I really need to improve on that. As for the board, I’ve haven’t felt really unconfortable being a Christian.
Just jumping in here to say that I’m an Evangelical Christian (and have been all my life). I’m not perfect in the faith at all, and generally tend to stay out of the GD / Pit threads about Christianity. I’m afraid my views on certain things wouldn’t hold up in a debate, and I’m not the debating type anyway.
Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re perfect… I have MANY shortcomings! But count me in.
F_X
Copper_moon, In my 45 years I have learned that there are really only two types of Christians. Those that recite what they are told to believe but can’t really explain why they believe it, and those that believe what they do and can tell you why. I find that most of the Christians on this board are of the second type.
I don’t post much here, mainly because I feel so intimidated by the great wit and great minds. Even though I am a Mensan, too, and am currently involved in another board in which I am considered the “great wit”! The intelligence on thisboard is amazing.
When I first started posting on this board, I was very conflicted. I believed in God and that Jesus was my savior, but I seemed not to have the relationship I was told I was supposed to have. I could not picture God as being my “father” or that he could possibly love someone like me. I found that I was completely unable to be a “good” Christian per the churches I have belonged to. I also felt extremely guilty because I kept going from church to church to church and found them all to be…boring. How could something as exciting as God and salvation be boring? I remembered when I was saved over 30 years ago, we were told that as baby Christians, we would be fed milk, and that later as we matured we would be fed meat. Well, after 30 years, I felt like I was still only getting milk! I really knew nothing more about God, Jesus, the Bible, faith, doubt, etc. than I did 30 years ago. What was wrong with me? I felt so unworthy to be called a “Christian”.
From this board I found the Pizza Parlor. Frankly, I didn’t stay long because I found it to be poplulated heavily by the first type of Christian I mentioned. I kept wanting to shake my monitor! But I learned so, so much in the few months I was there, and even more here. I found out that there indeed was much more to Christianity than what I was (not) learning at church. To be honest, some of the discussions were completely over my head, but with those discussions and Google on my toolbar I forged ahead. Someone suggested CS Lewis and I bought all his books. I’m sure my Pentecostal grandmother would have a cow but I have finally become comfortable with “my” brand of Christianity.
This board and The Pizza Parlor taught me more in a year than the churches and the Christians in them did in 30 years. I am no longer conflicted.
Oops, I guess I hijacked…the point I was trying to make is that contrary to your first impression, I think this board is a very good place for learning and growing and fellowship, which all Christians need regardless of their particular flavor.
PS…Polycarp, I wish I had one-tenth of your knowledge! God bless you!
PolyCarp I just caught a thread you were involved in which was cited in the Pit. Any chance you could send a bit of that eloquence my way?
I try not to focus on denominational differences…
Regards,
Shodan
“Mere” Christian here, although I belong to the Lutheran church (ELCA).
“Lutherans - three religions with a common pension plan.” - Coldfire
Wow, lorinada, what a mouthful! Or screenful? You’re right about a lot of Christians being surface Christians. I’m glad you found some depth to your beliefs. I can’t help but think that Christianity should be a mind bending experience. Blind faith is a shallow one. The faith should be a journey that is never ending except when God takes it and makes it perfect. To sit on stagnant beliefs and hurl them at others is unacceptable and gives Christianity a bad name.
I’m also happy to meet a fellow Mensan. I am brand new at it. In fact I just qualified and my membership is still being processed so I haven’t been to any meetings or anything. But I’m chomping at the bit to be involved.
Okay, I’m hijacking my own thread. Reading through all the different strains (I hate the word denomination) of Christianity I wonder where all the names come from. I used to be Catholic and don’t even know what that name means. “Lutheran” I assume comes from Martin Luther and the reformation. Anyone want to pipe in and explain how the name of their church identifies them?
Good idea, and it happens I’ve done a series of posts that together try to answer that, focusing on origins of denominations, over on PP. With your permission, and the Mods.’ OK, I’ll start a thread that does that – probably in GD to allow for discussion, though it’s technically a GQ. I’m confident that others will have comments about why their denomination’s name is important to them.
Copper_moon , “catholic” is a word with several, meanings, “broad ranging”, “universal”, or “whole” are some of them. So the term “Catholic Church” comes from a time when it was indeed the only “denomination” as such. I’m an Episcopalian, in the creeds we say we believe in “the one holy, catholic and apostolic church”. Here “catholic” is used to mean the universal church, or the church as one body of believers, whatever the flavor. But the term can be used in a secular sense. I have seen it like this “he had a catholic tastes in literature and learning”, meaning the person in question had a broad range of interests.
And Lutheran does come from the name of Martin Luther, initially used to distinguish them from those still sticking with Rome. In the movie *A Man For All Seasons * Thomas More, in speaking to his future son-in-law, refers to him as “a passionate Lutherer”
“Anglican”- church of English people. We never have any fun, and we’re very polite. 
“Mennonite”- sect of the Anabaptists, named after a man named Menno… somethng. Don’t remember. They’re against infant baptism and they’re also pacifists.
There’s a Grant African Methodist Episcopalian church up my street. I’d go, but the length of the name kind of scares me. Also a St. Francis National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith Archdiocese of Toronto.
I think I’ll save the other explanations for Polycarp’s thread.
I keep waiting for this thread to turn into an Emo Phillips routine, but so far I’ve been disapointed. 
Wierddave, others have said this before, but you just made me snort coke all over my keyboard!
That’s Coke of course, not what I actually wrote.
Baptist Union of Western Canada here. I even assist in Kidzone. In fact, I just got home from helping to supervise all the grade Five to Sevens in a sleepover at the church. (Yes, exhausted, thanks !
It’s a very open church. We don’t have anything like a dress code, (they’ll pry my black leather jacket off my cold, dead…no, wait! Their gonna bury me in it!), and the music is more rock than holy roller!
We do a lot on community stuff, especially for the more troubled people in our area. We host food bank, AA, Me and Mom’s and hold community dinners as well as support the local Crisis Pregnancy Centre. Literaly anyone can walk into one of our services and grab a free coffee, sit down and join in. I love it!
As for my own faith, it isn’t something I was raised with. I didn’t become a Christian until my mid-thirties, so I knew what I was doing. I don’t “witness” much, and you’ll seldom find me in a debate, but my faith is very important to me.
Any other non-SB Baptists around? I think we’re kind of a minority up here.
Scotticher, I wanted to address your post in this thread. I hope this is not wholly inappropriate, especially as not being a Christian (and not being eligible for Mensa 
) I fear that I’m interloping in this thread.
Speaking personally, I try not to mention anyone by name in a thread unless they have posted already in that thread. I have failed at this, to be certain, but I do have my reasons for wishing to adhere to this.
I hope this is not skirting my own lines, but there are many Christians on this board, both those who have posted here and those who have not, that I think of solidly in the category of “Christian” by their words and their conduct.
lorinada, I also came from a point of believing also in God and Jesus as savior on an intellectual level, but didn’t feel God’s love at any level. It seems like I knew more of Christianity when I was saved (as a child, even) than I ever did in the following years, but I’m trying to re-learn things. However, because I am not yet to a point where I can accept the major tenets of Christianity (or at least those I consider to be necessary for Christianity), I feel it is more honest to label myself as a non-Christian.
Copper_moon and Polycarp, I love the idea of denominational origins. I sure hope some of our non-denominational friends will also chime in!
New thread started as promised, over in GD. (Thanks, Coldie, for the prompt response!)
I thought surely you must have been mentioned - it must be a case of overlooking the obvious
if you don’t know already, you’re one of my examples of living my faith and showing the love of Christ.
Ditto, Scotti.
Happy
My thanks to the two of you.
This is something I struggle with, as it happens. I am not an “in your face” kind of Christian. I have always believed that living my faith was the best kind of “witnessing.” But now and then I struggle with whether or not I should be more vocal. And sometimes I say something, and it often comes out wrong. So then I go back to trying to just live it. And then a thread like this comes up, and I get to second-guessing myself again. I expect this isn’t the last time this will happen, but I am humbled that you feel the way you do. It means that I am not doing EVERYTHING wrong…and that you see beyond my sometimes cranky posts here and know my heart. I appreciate that, VERY much.
And once again, my thanks.
Scotti, you do it right! Please see the “Say Something Nice” thread for my comments on you, and accept my shamefaced apologies for not mentioning you here – I have an unparalleled capacity for not seeing what’s directly in front of my face; ask Barb! :o