Non-Denomination Churches

I planned to go to church this morning. I woke up at 7, got dressed in my "Sunday best" and walked out the door. I was going to try out this non-denominational church that is located literally next door to my townhouse called: One God Ministry. Their website said mass was from 8-8:45, but when I walked up to the doors, I noticed nobody was walking in and it seemed very dark inside. After I found out the doors were locked I read the sign that said mass was from 11-12:30! Ugh! I was so bummed because not only did I genuinely want to experience this church, but I was all dressed up! If it were for all the finals I have to study for today and this week, I would have waited around and gone to mass at 11, but I planned on studying by 9:45. However, this little miscommunication has not deterred me from trying this church again next week. It appeals to me for many reasons.

This non-denominational church believes in responding to God's call to unite all people, all churches and all communities together to proclaim the word of the Lord. They believe in spiritual enrichment for all people. They believe in one Lord, one Bible, one Faith and one baptism for all people. Followers of this religion will be saved by the Lord if they believe in him. You must believe in the Ten Commandments and what the Bible says to receive salvation.

Their church leaders, priests, or any form of hierarchy are anointed to preach the Gospel. This church believes in marriage between men and women. They believe man was created by God. You are welcomed to this church regardless of your nationality, gender, age, color, language, and other forms of diversity. They believe they are one human race created to serve one God.

It's somewhat crazy that in only one week, after a lot of research on other religions, I think I may have found one (a non-denominational church) that actually really appeals to what I am looking for: a solid, true belief in God and Jesus Christ as a higher power, but a church that is also based around be excepting and loving of all individuals regardless of where you come from.

Baptist

I thought I'd pay tribute to my freshman Religion 101 professor for inspiring me to explore religion in the first place. He is a Baptist, in fact he was a Baptist minister as well.

First and foremost, Baptist is a Christian denomination, which does not believe in infant baptism. Rather, they believe in believer's baptism because a baby cannot hear and understand the word of the gospel. A parent cannot pass down immersion of a religion to their child, but instead every individual must find salvation through practicing the faith.

Baptist churches specifically fall under Protestantism, but some individuals further identify with evangelicalism. Unlike Protestants, Baptists believe in two human hierarchy: pastors and deacons, but they do not believe in bishops.

Their origin traces back to English Separatists who left the Church of England during the Reformation. They play a major role in promoting religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Being that Baptist is a Christian denomination they believe in one God, the virgin birth, miracles performed by Jesus Christ, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the Trinity, the need for salvation, and the Kingdom of God. Baptists also firmly believe that the second coming of Christ will be the end of the world.

Baptists believe in 4 Freedoms:

1.) Soul Freedom: the soul is competent before God, meaning humans can make decisions without coercion by any larger religious body.

2.) Church Freedom: the local church is free from governmental or civilian interference.

3.) Bible Freedom: the individual can interpret the Bible for himself/herself.

4.) Religious Freedom: the individual can choose whether they want to leave their religion and practice another since they have not yet been Baptized.

So is Baptist a religion that I could follow? Perhaps? I do like that there really is no pressure to bind yourself to this religion. In fact the religion is vastly based on decided for yourself once you have experienced what it has to offer. They believe in the freedom of religion and the freedom of the soul and I like that. I'm still very open-minded and subconsciously narrowing down what I think is for me, but until then I will continue this journey to finding my religion.