Communities of Faith

Here are links to various religious denominations and sites which examine the distinctive practices in light of scripture. Let me know what you find helpful and what we need to know!

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Two Monastery brothers opened a fish and chips stand. One day a friend came up and asked one if he was the fish fryer. He said: “No, I'm the chip monk.” More on Monks

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Church Buildings

I would like to add a disclaimer here that my interpretation of the Bible is that the "church" is not about buildings, but exists in the souls of believers.

In fact, throughout history, trying to equate "church" with buildings has resulted in various "earthly" heresies. St. Peter's Bascillica at the Vatican in Rome, as magnificant as it is, was built around the time when the Catholic church sold "indulgencies" which sparked Martin Luther's reformation movement.

You can get beautiful photos of church buildings for your desktop by downloading WebShots. You then select and download compressed .wbp (webshots graphics) image files from their website, But beware that this action also installs the Gator and OfferCompanion spyware programs which logs your passwords and then sends what sites you visit to its server so that it can automatically replace any pop-up ad with its own ads. So make sure to uninstall those additional programs. Many have found this so unethical that some companies have banned it from their servers. Be a Junkbuster.

Unity

“In the essentials, unity. In the nonessentials, freedom. In all things, love.” — Charles Wesley, 18th century founder of the Methodist Church.

According to Hartford Institute for Religion Research, the largest individual megachurches in America are:

1. Joel Osteen at 30,000 Lakewood Church in Houston, TX
2. Rick Warren at 22,000 Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, (Southern) CA
3. Bill Hybels at 20,000 Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington, IL
4. Ed Young Jr. at 19,500 Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX
5. Dave Stone at 18,700 Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY
6. T.D. Jakes at 18,500 The Potter’s House in Dallas, TX
7. Bob Coy 18,000 Calvary Chapel in Ft. Lauderdale

The Communities/Denominations

Find a church

• List of Denominations
• Billy Graham On Finding The Right Church

• The Cathedral of St. John the Devine in New York City is one of the largest "New Age" Churches in America.

• U.S. President Abraham Lincoln read and loved the Bible but would never formally associate with any organized church.

• 7th Day Adventists
offers Answers to Bible questions and their Amazing Facts Bible Study on-line.
• African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church founded by Richard Allen in 1786. Quinn Chapel
• Assemblies of God (Pentecostal)
• Atheists: Cygnus, the Secular Web
• Baha'i
• Banana Club.
• Baptists:
  • American Baptist, with publishing arm Judson Press
  • Southern Baptist
  • AnaBaptists
  • Conservative Baptist

  From the The Presby Philes Humour Pages

  I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off.

  I immediately ran over and said
  "Stop! Don't do it!"
  "Why shouldn't I?" he said.

  I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!"
  "Like what?"

  "Well ... are you religious or atheist?"
  "Religious."

  "Me too! Are you Christian or Jewish?"
  "Christian."

  "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"
  "Protestant."

  "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"
  "Baptist."

  "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"
  "Baptist Church of God."

  "Me too! Are you Original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"
  "Reformed Baptist Church of God."

  "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?"
  "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!"

  To which I said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off.

  
  

"This is as bad as it can get,
but don't bet on it."

Question: How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer. Change?

Question: How many Southern Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: One Hundred and Nine — 7 on the Light Bulb Task Force Sub-committee, who report to the 12 on the Light Bulb Task Force, appointed by the 15 on the Trustee Board. Their recommendation is reviewed by the Finance Executive Committee of 5, who place it on the agenda of the 18 member Finance Committee. If they approve, they bring a motion to the 27 member church Board, who appoint another 12 member review committee. If they recommend that the Church Board proceed, a resolution is brought to the Congregational Business Meeting. They appoint another 8 member review committee. If their report to the next Congregational Business Meeting supports the changing of a light bulb, and the Congregation votes in favor, the responsibility to carry out the light bulb change is passed on to the Trustee Board, who in turn appoint a 7 member committee to find the best price in new light bulbs. Their recommendation of which hardware has the best buy must then be reviewed by the 23 member Ethics Committee to make certain that this hardware store has no connection to Disneyland. They report back to the Trustee Board who, then commissions the Trustee in charge of the Janitor to ask him to make the change. By then the janitor discovers that one more light bulb has burned out.

• Boston Church of Christ, United Pentecostal Church

• Interview with exit counselor Rick Ross

• Buddhists on buddanet.net

The Budha's main enlightenment is that desire is the root of all suffering, and thus desire must be crushed (this state s known as nirvana). Budhism also holds basically that all of physical reality is maya (illusion) that must be transcended.

• Church on the Way Van Nuys, CA (Jack Hayford), a Foursquare Church founded by Aimee Semple McPherson
• Grace Brethren Church of Simi Valley

Fundamentalist" denominations include Assemblies of God, Calvary and Four Square.

Question: How many fundamentalists does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: Only one, because any more might result in too much cooperation.

• (Roman) Catholic.net and Catholic.org:
  • Catholic.org, which are accountable to the The Holy See at the Vatican
  • Papal Encylicals and Other Papal Documents
  • Roman Archdioses of Albany, New York
  • Catholic Press offers extensive links to other Catholic newspapers, magazines and newsletters. Also, features a detailed directory of all member publications.
  • Ancient Order of Hiberians
  • Christus Rex (Christ the King in Latin)
  • Check out the 4:30 am “rise and shine” Schedule at the Christ in the Desert Monastery (sellers of vegetarian cookbooks).
  • Ignatius Books explains Catholic doctrine.

• The teaching of the Vatican disagrees with the “once and for all time” sacrifice (especially in relation to the Mass), the “supreme authority” of the Bible, Christ's role as the “only mediator” (which contradicts the role of priests and the virgin Mary in the Catholic church).

  Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. —1 Timothy 4:1-3 (New Living Translation)

  But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. —Matthew 23:8-9 (New Living Translation)

• Calvary Chapel's Chuck Smith
• Charismatics
• Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science) Publishers of the Christian Science Monitor online.
• The Churches of Christ
• Churchs of Christ
• Church of God
• Congregational
• Covenent Church — at Rolling Hills
• Disciples of Christ
• The Episcopal Cburch in the USA Episcopalian/Anglican
• Evangelical (Free)
• Friends Church
• Full Gospel

Question: How many Calvinists does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: None. God has predestined when the light will be on. Besides, Calvinists don't change light bulbs. They simply read the instructions and pray the light bulb will be one that has been chosen to be changed.

Question: How many Charismatics does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: One to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

• IslamCity.org
• Islam101.com quotes The Holy Quran:
  "Do not let your hatred of a people incite you to aggression." (5:2). "And do not let ill-will towards any folk incite you so that you swerve from dealing justly. Be just; that is nearest to heedfulness" (5:8).
• CAIR asks Muslims around the world to sign their "Not in the Name of Islam" petition to correct misperceptions of Islam and the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
• Rutgers University's Islamic Studies website

• The Message Of The Prophets: A study of Islam
• The Arabic name for "Jesus the Messiah" is Isa al Masih
• Three sections of the Bible are cited by the Koran as being Divinely revealed: the Pentateuch, or Books of Moses (Tawrat); the Psalms of David (Zabur); and the Gospels (Evangel) of Jesus (Injil) - the New Testament [Glasse, The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, pg. 72.]
• Answering-Islam.com for Christian-Muslim dialog
• Muslim-Christian Debate.org.uk

• Jehovah's Witnesses

• Book Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz
• Seven Ways Jehovah's Witnesses Distort True Christianity
• Answers to Jehovah's Witnesses

• Judiaism and torah.net

• Messianic Jews believe that the Messiah of Isreal is the Jesus Christ described in the New Testament. Their Messianic congregations support outreach organizations such as Jews for Jesus and Chosen People Ministries.

• Jews For Judaism, "the foremost international counter-missionary organization."

• Lutherans:
  • The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
  the (Mormons) About.com guide
  Testimonies

• The Etymology of the Word Mormon
• Answering Mormonism
• "Six Reasons Why Mormonism Can't Be True Christianity"
• Book: Behind the Mask of Mormonism by John Ankerberg and John Weldon
• Paperback: Questions to Ask Your Mormon Friend : Effective Ways to Challenge a Mormon's Arguments Without Being Offensive

• Church of Scientology attracts people with personality tests. It has celebrity members Tom Cruise (but not Nicole Kidman any more).

• Xenu.net was temporarily removed by Google in response to a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) suit by the church.

• United Methodists provide Disciple Resources and the United Methodist Reporter

Get this print framed for your wall!
• More church pictures from freefoto.com

Question: How many United Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: This statement was issued:
“We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that a light bulb works for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb (or light source, or non- dark resource), and present it next month at our annual light bulb Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life, and tinted--all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.”

• Mennonite
• Nazarene
• Eastern Orthodox:
  • Orthodox Church in America
  • Russian Orthodox
  • Greek Orthodox
• Pentecostal
• Prebyterian:
  • Presbyterian Church USA
  • Presbyterian Church in America

• Quakers (Friends)

• Science of Mind (non Christian)

• Scientology

• FACTNet

• Sikhs.org

• Neil Fullagar

• Teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church

• “Moonies”

• United Church of Christ has publishing arm Pilgrim Press

• Unitarian/Universalist

• Wesleyan
• World Wide Church of God (Armstrongnism)