Any opinions? I define religion as a moral backbone in shaping and laying one's foundation as a human being. It defines one's moral standards and hence characteristics. Having none could mean "exploration of the self and the High above being underway."
What do y'all think??
Please feel free to share your denomination (if any) and a little detail about it.
I myself am a "Pentecostal Protestant Christian". I believe in the Power and Grace of the Lord and God Holy Spirit as we see in the book of Acts specifically and distinctively. Also I believe in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
As the title suggests, I'm not trying to get in an argument here. I'd welcome theological debates, but I'm not aiming for an argument.
So for my background, I was raised in the Lutheran Church (ELCA). Baptized, first communion, and confirmed. My parents separated us from the Lutheran church shortly after my confirmation due to stances liberal social stances the Lutheran church began to take that they didn't agree with. Things like openly promoting gay marriage. Having a LGBTQ flag displayed in the sanctuary. Arguing that fornication wasn't all that bad. I have different political and personal views regarding these topics than I do religiously - I have the belief that we should follow the Bible as it relates to these things, but politically and personally, so long as another person isn't hurting me or pushing something, hey, whatever makes you happy.
I was introduced to catholisism in 2013 during a trip to Italy, which included a trip to the Vatican. I was taken aback by the beauty and grandeur of the cathedrals. I attended an Easter mass and was likewise taken aback by the reverence. I dated a catholic girl in college and we frequently attended mass.
I've not been a member of any church since my parents separated us in the 20-teens, but I've felt myself wanting to grow my faith more than ever in the last several years, and I've felt a particular draw to the catholic church. I live in a large city and I'll say that a lot of the Protestant churches seem to be adapting to the modern world rather than us in modern times adapting our lives to live by the Bible. I drive by many of these churches and see the front steps of the churches painted with pride colors. Some of them fly pride flags, or have "love is love" signs in their yards. I understand cities are typically more liberal, but as i said, it seems these churches are adapting to modern society/politics rather than the other way around, as it should be in my opinion.
I've attended services of several denominations as I've entered adulthood and it seems that all forms of tradition, reverence, or focus on the worship has been lost, at least at the services I've attended. They more so resemble a rock concert than a church service. Several even had little communion packets that you could grab on the way out without even discussing the meaning of the communion during the service.
Fast forward to today, I've initiated the OCIA conversion process three or so months back. Courses don't begin until September, but I've attended mass weekly, and have had sit downs with deacons and other church clergy members. I still am struggling with certain aspects. Historically, I do believe the catholic church was the original church. I do not believe that this means that it's free of error, or that everything the church/popes have said or will say are free of error. Many of the rules the catholic church has implemented were made by man well after the time of Christ, and man can make mistakes unlike Christ. I don't believe that all those Christians outside of the catholic church are wrong in their beliefs and therefore cannot reach salvation. I believe that we all have the same fundamental beliefs and while we do have some differing specific beliefs, almost all Christian denominations are still Christian (LDS, FLDS, Branch Davidians, and a few others are exceptions).
Has anyone else converted from Lutheran/Protestant? I'm wondering what your experiences were for those who have converted, and how you worked through the beliefs of Protestant teachings as you converted. And where your beliefs on Protestantism stands now. Would you ever go back? The catholic church is seeing conversions in droves recently, so I think that speaks to something...
I was raised in a traditional High-Church Anglican family. I have always considered myself Anglican and have been part of the Anglican communion since I was 13. I attend services weekly and my Anglican faith is very important to me.
However, recently I have come to question if I, after going to Catholic school, have crossed the line between High-Church Anglicanism into Roman Catholicism.
I recite the Ava Maria, pray to Mary and other saints for intercession, use the rosary, fast meatless on Fridays, believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and affirm all 7 sacraments.
However, I also do not subscribe to immaculate conception, papal infallibility or papal supremacy, clerical celibacy, and only venerate Anglican saints.
Because faith is so important to me, I’ve started fearing if I’ve moved too far away from Anglicanism. Do you think I need to rework my faith to align more with Anglicanism? Some people have told me to convert to Roman Catholicism, but I simply disagree too much with it to do so. Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Even this cry rose from the cross. The Holy Bible
Beloved soul, you look upon the earth and see wounds everywhere: nations sharpening swords, the poor forgotten, hearts becoming cold, forests burned, seas poisoned, brother against brother. And you ask the ancient question that many prophets asked before you: “Lord, where are You?”
Listen carefully.
When God created the world, He looked upon it and said, “It is very good.” The rivers, the trees, the beasts of the field, and humanity itself were born from love, not from violence. But love without freedom is not love at all. So mankind was given freedom: the freedom to bless… and the freedom to wound.
A father may plant a vineyard with care, but if the workers become greedy, shall the father destroy the vineyard at once? No. He sends messengers. He calls them back. He waits. He warns. He weeps.
So too does God.
You ask why He allows evil. Yet every war begins first in a human heart. Every corruption begins when silver is loved more than truth. Every act of racism begins when a person forgets that the stranger also bears the image of God.
The poison spreading through the world is not proof that God is absent. It is proof that humanity keeps trying to live without Him.
But do not think Heaven is indifferent.
Christ entered this suffering world not as a distant king wrapped in comfort, but as a poor man, betrayed, mocked, tortured, and killed by political power, religious hypocrisy, and a violent crowd. He stood inside the very darkness you describe. And from the cross He said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
This is the mystery: God does not answer evil merely with force. He answers it first with mercy, truth, and a call to repentance.
Yet judgment also exists. The Gospel says that whatever is hidden will one day be revealed. The mighty who crush others and believe themselves untouchable are like houses built upon sand. Storms come. Kingdoms fall. Empires become dust.
And still, amidst the darkness, light shines.
For every corrupt ruler, there is a hidden saint feeding the hungry.
For every voice preaching hatred, there is someone risking their life to protect another.
For every forest destroyed, there is a hand planting seeds whose shade it may never enjoy.
Do not let the noise of evil convince you that goodness is weak. A single candle can be seen from far away in the night.
You ask God why He allows this suffering. But perhaps Heaven also asks humanity:
“Why do you wound what I entrusted to you? Why do you hate your brother? Why do you destroy the garden I placed in your care?”
The answer to the world’s darkness is not despair. Despair is another chain. The answer is to become light.
As it is written: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
So feed the hungry. Defend the weak. Speak truth without hatred. Care for the earth as a sacred gift. Refuse the temptation to become cynical. Even in a wounded world, love remains a rebellion against darkness.
And remember this: the resurrection came after the crucifixion.
I'm a Protestant and I wanna pray to Mary. How bad would it be?
Edit: yall this wasn't supposed to be a war between Protestants and Catholics.
Edit 2: To the ones saying yes. Would I lose salvation if I did it?
I know that these Christian denominations emerged before the Protestant Reformation, but if we are going to study their theology and practices, these are very similar to major Protestant denominations, especially with their rejection of the Papal Authority and theological innovations that are not found in the Early Church. Aside from the Hussites and Waldensians, were there other Christian denominations that have similar theological structures as these two? I will really appreciate all of your responses. ❤️
What do you advise me to tell my parents—that I want to become Lutheran? I’ve already tried talking to them and showing them a video about the history of the Reformation, but they don’t listen to me. They think I’m converting to Catholicism and want me to talk to the pastor to “clarify my confusion,” even though I’ve also spoken with the pastor about my inclination toward Lutheranism because of its history and theology.
In the Lord's prayer we pray "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And we know that Jesus' will is that we be one, as He and the Father are one (John 17). So from this we can know that protestantism, along with all Christian denominations and institutions necessarily will eventually fall into one -- potentially also on this earth...?
Okay, so my actual purpose in asserting this is in wonder, how is this included in Protestant ecclesiology? And secondly, is it included enough in ecclesiology and eschatology, to govern our lives? And finally, how would you picture this unification of Churches happening on Earth?
I would like to know the difference in different denominations. I want to keep it civil and not start arguments about which are right versus wrong. I just want to know what each denomination believes in so I can pick which one I would like to be. I would like to add I’m non denominational right now.
I'm a Protestant, but these arguments against Sola Scriptura are swaying me.
The argument "but the Catholic Church is corrupt, so it can't be infallible" doesn't work because Matthew 23:1-3 and John 11:49-51 show that (EDIT: people guilty of lots of wrongdoing, or even people who from their human point of view are making a fallacious and evil argument in the moment,) can be divinely inspired.
What do you all think? Thank you for reading this.
Many people assume righteousness before God is achieved by keeping a long list of rules, but Scripture teaches something very different. Jesus summarizes God’s commands as loving God fully and loving others (Matthew 22:37–40), yet no one has kept even these perfectly (Romans 3:10, 23). Because of this, righteousness cannot come from human effort or moral performance. Instead, the Bible presents righteousness as something we desperately need but cannot produce on our own.
The New Testament explains that righteousness is received through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is not mere belief in God’s existence, but trusting in Christ and His finished work for salvation (Romans 3:22, Romans 10:17). Scripture says that all have sinned and are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23–24). This means believers are declared righteous not because of their works, but because of Christ’s sacrifice, received as a gift through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9).
This gift is grounded in God’s justice and mercy working together. God does not ignore sin, but deals with it fully at the cross, where Jesus becomes the propitiation for sin and bears its judgment (Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2). The righteousness given to believers is not something they produce or earn, but the righteousness of Christ credited to those who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21). What God requires, He Himself provides in His Son.
Hi! I don’t know if these type of posts are allowed in this community. But I’m looking for prayer and advice from my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. My apologies for such a long post!
3 months ago my fiancé (he is 23 yrs old and I am 24) and partner of 4 years broke off our engagement to pursue Roman Catholicism the day before Valentine’ Day. He did so unexpectedly after lying multiple times about his addiction with porn and whenever I found out he’d lied multiple times & asked if we could postpone the wedding to rebuild trust. I always tried my best to be supportive and forgiving with the Lord’s love and grace. I even told him that the dishonesty bothered me more than the porn (though that was hurtful too). Our wedding was planned for this June. The week of the breakup, more and more lies kept surfacing and it scared me that he had lied for so long and even told me that week that he’d made things right with God and had been sending me scripture and then a few days later I found out he’d lied again. He said he didn’t want to wait to get married. He said we weren’t postponing. He told me I never acted like i wanted to be with him regardless of denomination, like I didn’t love him unconditionally and had given him stipulations. We have been conservative protestants our whole lives. He had been in college when I’d met him and studied theology during all that time and went back and forth between Catholics, Reformed Baptist, Orthodox, Anglican, Presbyterian…it always bothered me and I asked him to please settle his beliefs before we were married because I wanted us to be spiritually aligned in our beliefs and didn’t want to start out in marriage or raising a family with any type of division. I wasn’t totally against switching denominations, but wanted to be in agreement and make sure it was God guiding us into whatever we did. I prayed about it for years. He even admitted he knew he had been unstable and apologized multiple times. I struggle with OCD/scrupulosity. All this theology tension made my fears worse and caused me to have doubts about our relationship. Now I’m afraid maybe it is one of the factors of why he left. But he told me that my OCD never bothered him and to call him anytime and that I could always talk to him. Eventually, he told me he had resolved his beliefs and felt uneasy about Catholicism and the Orthodox Church and believe the papacy to be a circular argument (he was always arguing from a logical perspective). There are many beautiful things I love about both of their traditions. But I cannot reconcile a lot of their dogmas and beliefs, especially about Marian dogmas and the papacy (among other things).
We were engaged Thanksgiving, 2025. He and I had been inseparable since we had met years ago and were absolute best friends. We had a house his father had built for us, I just bought a wedding dress a week before he ended things and he even asked to put me on his phone plan…we had a whole future we had dreamed of and planned for years. Dreams of being married and having a home and family together. We both wanted a traditional marriage and life and had so many similar goals, desires and beliefs. So the day of the breakup, out of nowhere (whenever I was asking him to be honest about anything once I found out he was lying) he said he still couldn’t stop thinking about the Catholics. I was shocked and told him he knew how I felt about them, but that he was free to do whatever he wanted, and I didn’t want him to think I was trying to hold him back, but that I was confused because he had told me recently he had decided against it. So then he spoke up and said if I couldn’t go down that road with him, we couldn’t be together. He acted so strangely and cold the whole time while I was upset and kept telling me to calm down. I’ve found out now he has had a falling out with his father over the Catholic beliefs, too. I’m so concerned for him. I just don’t understand—if he says he is following his conscience and God in this, then how can he have lied to me and broken all his promises and commitments so coldly and made such a big decision in an instant? I don’t understand. I believe I’m where God wants me to be and I trust Him with all my heart. But I have been struggling and questioning whether I did the right thing or not. I still miss him so much and love him. But in the end, he treated me terrible. He even told me later on that I had showed a lack of commitment when I had asked to postpone and that it freaked him out. I was just trying to be wise and didn’t want to start out our marriage that way. He said he is looking for a different approach to marriage and whenever I asked what type of approach, he said ”I guess just more commitment“. I am not perfect and I fail every day. But I have stood by him for 4 yrs while he was in college, through every test, through looking for a job and all his studies. He had asked me to wait for him and promised to marry him and led me to believe he would. He said he couldn’t imagine life without me, that I was the love of his life, etc.
He has now told me to move on and that the future is bright for me. I even found out he is also convinced a couple of his cousins to start attending church with him. Neither of the cousins have been faithful to church attendance for years. I just don’t understand how someone can change on a dime like this and abandon someone so coldly. He has treated me like an absolute stranger since it happened. We’re now in no contact and haven’t talked for a month now, since that’s what he said he wants. He told me he was sorry “if” he hurt me or my family and that was never his intention that he has to “follow the path he has to follow”. When I told him of course I forgive him and was also so sorry for anything I had done, he said “thank you for forgiveness“ and that he forgave me too….but he‘s not even acting like the man I knew for so long. 😞❤️ again, I’m sorry for the long post.
Any advice and encouragent would be much appreciated.
Okay idk if this is even worth a full post, but it’s been stuck in my head for a few weeks and I wanted to hear how other Protestants think about it.
I’m Protestant and I wear Christian inspired stuff sometimes. Not the huge church camp shirt type thing, more like regular clothes where a verse, a cross, or some biblical image is worked into the graphic. Most of the time I don’t think that hard about it. I just like the shirt and put it on.
A few weeks ago I wore a GuidingCross tee to church. It had a verse in the graphic, and I thought it was pretty subtle, or at least I hoped it was. After church one person said they liked it and thought it was a good way to bring faith into normal life. Then someone else said kind of the opposite, that putting Scripture on casual clothes can make it feel more like decoration than something serious.
That second comment stuck with me more than I expected. Not because I think wearing a verse tee is automatically wrong, but because I also don’t fully trust the whole “my intentions are good so it’s fine” thing. I feel like that can excuse a lot if you let it.
Then I started asking myself the more awkward question. If someone actually asked me about the verse on the shirt, would I want to talk about it, or would I feel weird because honestly I mostly bought it because I liked how it looked? I don’t really have a clean answer to that rn, which is probably why I’m still thinking about it.
So yeah, I’m not looking for a final answer or anything. I’m just curious where other Protestants draw the line. What makes Christian clothing feel reverent to you, and what makes it feel cheap or unserious? Is it the design, the intent, whether you’d actually talk about it if someone asked, or something else?
I've wrestled with ministry for many years now. I have a full time job in the private sector but I still want to be a pastor. My heart has always longed to be a pastor. My thinking is that every Christian thinks about being a pastor and even longs for it, but just doesn't pursue it for various reasons and sticks in a career they don't like. Is that assumption true for you or is that feeling I have for ministry part of the call?
So all of these pastors including Perry Stone were warning people that the government was going to release information that could cause Christians to question their faith and all that happened was that they released declassified reports including clearly, poorly edited photoshop images and another one that says that they found an alien and it was literally a catgirl? That's hilarious.