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Finding the Right Church

Church is a complicated subject for a lot of people. Depending on how dogmatic you are, you may find yourself coming into conflict with certain teachings at some churches. As well, you may also find that some other churches practice methods you find abhorrent. Regardless of the specifics, you need to carefully vet out the church you're considering going to before you commit yourself to them. There are churches that are good for you or bad for you, and you need to know the differences.

Tithing

Some churches treat tithing as what it should ideally be - you have more than you need and you want to give a portion of it to those who are less fortunate than you are. However, some churches treat tithing as if it were a tax they're imposing on you, and this is wrong. Of course, it does encourage people who are either cheap or not especially generous, and it does help forgetful people to remember to give something back to the community. But we all pay taxes for already, and sometimes you are the person who most needs your money.

Community Functions

What sorts of community functions does the church you're considering conduct? Many of the functions most churches hold serve secular purposes, so it often comes down to the sort of place you want to go and socialize while you help those less fortunate and build some community bonds. If a lot of parishioners seem like they just want to sell you Amway, this might not be your kind of place. If half the parish is generally on all the corners of the earth doing missionary work, you need to consider whether this is your thing. As a full member of a church, you'll be expected to help out, so this is partly about choosing your future responsibilities.

Rules

What kinds of rules does this group ascribe to? If they have the basics such as not murdering people and not stealing but not a huge number of others, it's a pretty loose place. If they tell you what you can wear, how you can speak and other such things, you need to decide how much freedom you want versus how much of a hardliner you are.

Ideology

If the preacher at the church says something you seriously detest, you should probably stop going there. Naturally, there are always going to be differences of opinion, both between parishioners and the preacher. Small differences aren't really a big deal, but major ones can become serious points of protest. There's no sense leaving church every time in a state of bubbling rage.




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