Choosing a Religion

I thought my "World Religions" class at a local community college was one of the best classes I ever took. You might start with that.

Otherwise, I would just pick a different church each week, attend, and see if you like it. If you do, go exclusively for a while to get a better feel for it. If, after a few services, you decide it's not for you, try a new place. Eventually, you should find one that suits your needs.

You could also ask your practicing friends and join them.

My best friend did this and found a wonderful new church. But, don't be surprised if you look everything over and go back to what you grew up with. There's a certain amount of comfort in sharing with your kids what you learned as a kid. I do know that many of the Catholic churches in my area offer a daily, early morning mass or a Saturday evening mass.

Good luck!

I suppose you need to think about why you are wanting to do this? Are you wanting to belong to something? Fellowship? Find your purpose in life? Is it more for your children than you? Feeling guilty about not going somewhere?
I'm a Christian (I understand that that can be a dirty word sometimes :) but I'm not a church attender. I would love to find a nice church family for us but I realize that church is just a portion of what being a Christian is about. My desire is to know God personally. To worship him, talk to him and read about him and my life with him in the bible. Unfortunately alot of times we can get so caught up in the "church life" that we simply forget God by "doing" so much for him. You do have to be careful wherever you go since some can prey upon you during your search. I would start right where you are and ask God the question that you are asking on here. Find a quiet place and time (could be tricky with kids :) and just talk to God yourself in your own words. Ask for his guidance and share your thoughts with him.
I think that if you are sincere he will be the one to help you in your search.
Best Regards,
C.

Why don't you start with a straight up Christian church? Isn't that the basis of most denominations anyway? I'm sure one in your area should have a Wednesday night service.

Are you looking for religion, or faith?
Ask yourself what you are searching for . . .
Hopefully you realize that it is a relationship with God, who created you, that will bring your purpose and joy in your daily life. So get to know Him...
Visit a few churches - look for the people who LIVE their faith, and you will likely have found your match. Many churches have weekday services or Bible studies. Once you've found one you're drawn to - get involved.

Best wishes,
K.

I don't know of any religions that are similar that offer weekday services.

However, I would like to suggest that you check out the Unitarian Universalist church.

I was also raised Catholic, and married in the church. My DH is agnostic. After doing a lot of reading and exploring, I started attending the UU congregation near me. I am so glad that I did. It is a congregation that is focus on affirming life and making a difference, not about dogma. These are the basis of the UU faith (there is no creed, and all religions are welcome):

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

I wish you grace in your search for a good fit for you and your family.

Evaluate your faith beliefs, then go from there. Beliefnet used to have a "what religion are you most like" type quiz on it. It might be a starting point.
I was Catholic, but never really "bought into" a lot that I was taught. I'm now an Evangelical Christian and have never felt closer to God.
It's a very personal decision, but my suggestion is to go at it from a belief standpoint, not a label standpoint.

I have been through 3 periods of visiting churches in my life. When my parents' church was moving we went to different ones. As a young child, I hated visiting churches where I didn't know anyone, and I always cried when my mom left. In college the music group I was in visited a different church each week, which was a wonderful experience. Now with a husband who is a non-practicing catholic and a child on the autism spectrum, visiting churches is again a bad experience. The best solution I have found is to either attend a bible study at someone's home, or have a friend come over to bring me the weekly study guide from their church.
My advice is to focus on finding a church that is the best fit for your kids, so they will not grow up hating church or missing out on the learning. You could also look for ones that have vacation bible school or mother's day out.
The denominations that seemed to me the most similar to catholic(which I'm not) are episcopal and lutheran.

Personally, I would look for a nearby church that seems to have a vital, energetic congregation with a presence in the community. Start asking your happiest friends where they attend services! You'll probably enjoy amenities like children's church, child care, maybe a mid-week evening bible study for you, activities for the children, VBS week in the summer.
Not sure if you'll likely find that at a RC church. (Not to be critical--just saying...)
O. Methodist church in our area offers all of the above and more---and they have a casual Sat evening service as well.
Look around...don't feel weird "visiting" churches, but I agree with the PP that suggested that YOU do the looking then take your kids when you pick O.. Happy searching!

So, are you looking for something other than the Catholic church? I know that there has been a big movement of Catholics to the UCC church (www.UCC.org), so many in fact, that they wrote a book just for those converting Catholicism. Anyhow...here's info on the UCC church:
http://www.ucc.org/about-us/what-is-the-united-church-of....

I don't know what you'll find near you as far as weekday services, but Columbus is big, there's probably a few of those mega-churches that have more services, but I don't really know. UCC churches tend to be smaller and more intimate so I don't know if you'll find anything other than sunday services.

I would just start by visiting different churches and seeing what ones you like. SInce you were Catholic you can try that or Lutheran or Methodist those are the most similar. But just keep an open mind and dont force your husband to go. Once you find one you want to keep going back to you can invite him. Some churches have Sat night services but not sure about weekday

Start attending different churches every weekend. The best way to decide is to see what each one offers for you & your children. Lots of churches have websites with what they offer. Ask friends, neighbors or coworkers here they go. Find one with a good children's program so that your children will enjoy going. Church has changed so much in past years & there are so many to choose from to find a fit for your family.

God Bless!

Well I think the best thing would be to get online and look up churches in your area. You can find phone numbers and different religions. You can call to see when their worship times are also lots of religions have missionaries they can send to your home so you can find out more about those religions from someone who truly knows the facts and can answer questions you may have. Good luck there are a lot to pick from out there.

I am Roman Catholic and I feel this religion offers me the freedom of choosing how I want to "live" this religion in my day to day life. Since any religion, if taken to the extreme, involves the risk of being swallowed into cult-like rituals and credos that often have nothing to do with the religion itself, I say make sure you don't get involved with anybody who thinks they are right and others are wrong. That's the first sign of something different than religion, something that dares to call itself religion but in facts it's plain brainwashing you and your faamily should avoid. So sad you don't know Catholicism enough to want to stick to it (I know there are too many false statements out there about our religion), i wish you to find your path soon, a path that leads you to peace and, especially, freedom of heart. Remember that each one of us has the right to interpreting and criticizing what we are told. Religion should be freedom, not chains. Good luck!

http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMat...

Also, check out a local UU congregation.

Your soul is important and your destiny after you leave this earth. Seek a church that encourages you in that vital part of your life and your children.