Can You "Upgrade" Your Christianity Type?

The only true upgrade to your Christianity "type" is from "carnal" to "spiritual". Or from "babe" to "mature".

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Denominations are just man made divisions based upon traditions and theologic differences. True Christians can be found in most any denomination as well as people who have a false assurance of salvation because they have only given an intellectual consent to the gospel and have never been born again by the Holy Spirit living in them.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Yes, absolutely. The Roman Catholic Church requires that you take classes because they want you to be sure that you are making an informed decision. Some Anglican churches offer catechism classes, some have no real stipulations at all. The Orthodox churches have a lot of information available on the internet, so you can feel more comfortable and informed about their practises and beliefs.

There are many people today seeking a more profound religious experience, and you will find that in most cases the older traditions recognise this and are quite welcoming. Don't be put off by human judgment--there are always those who will tell you that a particular denomination is not the "real" church. Truth is, you can find the "real" church in every denomination.

You are much wiser than you think. Catholic Christianity is the original Christianity. In fact for the first 1500 years of the Church all Christians were Catholic. It is the Church founded by Jesus and the apostles and is the original Church spoke of in the New Testament Scriptures. The Bible is of the Church, the Church is not of the Bible. It is the only Church with a legitimate claim to be a Bible Church.

In the 16th century there were men that thought they could found a Church that had more veracity than what Christ had founded. They came to believe that heir doctrines of men was more truthful than what Jesus taught to the founders of the original Church, the Catholic Church. Much of this was based on the philosophies coming out of Scholasticism and they adopted a syncretic blend of Christianity and secular humanism. They built a philosophy that God should serve man instead of the Christian teaching that man is created to serve God. Obviously this created ecclesiastical groups that departed greatly from the teaching of Jesus. Heresies and all kinds of false teaching evolved from this erroneous philosophical premise. However, they retained some truth in their teaching and worship.

Catholic Christianity is the only place one can find the fullness of truth and practice as taught by Jesus and the apostles and in that sense it definitely is and "upgrade" in ones walk of faith. Jesus prayed hours before His crucifixion that we all be one in His Church. He often spoke of unity in His body, which is the Church. Come home to His Church. You will be welcomed.

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

I love your choice of words!!! Yes, you may join the Catholic Church. Contact the priest at a local Catholic church and ask about their R.C.I.A. Program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). I am an R.C.I.A. instructor. You will study the Catholic Church and her teachings. You will not need to be rebaptized. As I recall, Methodism has infant baptism as do we Catholics, Orthodox, Episcopalians, Lutherans, etc. You do not need to ask for faith -- you have it. And so you are not converting! You will, rather, ask for the fullness of faith. You will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, make your Confirmation when you are ready to and receive the True Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Confirmation and First Eucharist usually take place at the Easter Vigil. For us, it is not merely symbolic but Jesus' Real Presence...he said so when he declared "This IS my Body...this IS my Blood".

I find it interesting that in a recent article I read, the Methodist church is looking for "more" of an experience of the Eucharist. They are not satisfied with symbolism.

You will find some familiarity in Catholicism: infant baptism, Confirmation (but it is not considered to be a Sacrament in your church), a formal, structured worship service, altar servers, the Apostles' Creed, etc. In fact, the Methodist church has written the most beautiful treatise on infant baptism that I have ever read! http://www.gbod.org/homepage/new_home/baptism/page...

Start reading/studying the Early Christian Fathers and see how their beliefs are the same as what we Catholics live and believe today. No, you won't be quizzed on them but you will have deeper understanding of why we Catholics believe as we do.

God bless you as you undertake this wonderful journey to the Church of Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

One reason there are so many different churches and denominations in our nation is because we live in a country that practices religious freedom.

This wasn't true several hundred years ago in many countries; then only one church was tolerated in most nations. But when people immigrated here from other countries they were free to bring their own religious practices with them, and they did. Many of our major denominations trace their beginnings back to their European roots—Lutherans from Scandinavia, for example, or Presbyterians from Scotland.

Other churches came into existence because of some minor disagreement over doctrine, or to meet the needs of a particular group of people. Sadly, occasionally churches have been started for less noble reasons—a conflict between members, for example. When that happens, Satan must rejoice; one of the things the Bible says God hates is "a man who stirs up dissension among brothers" (Proverbs 6:19).

In spite of this, all Christian churches agree on the central truths of the Gospel: We are sinners in need of God's forgiveness; Jesus Christ came down from Heaven to save us from our sins by His death on the cross; by His resurrection we can have eternal life. He alone is our hope, and He alone is the foundation of His people. Have you committed your life to Him?

Hey - I like the thought of "upgrading!"

It happens all the time - Methodists become Catholics, Catholics become Baptists, Baptists become Pentecostals, Pentecostals become Greek Orthodox, Greek Orthodox become Methodists....

The main thing is to pray, ask God for wisdom & direction, read the bible, study the life of Jesus, be willing to change your mind about doctrines, pray some more, ask questions of church leaders, trust God, pray some more, and then pray some more. And then act.

Thank God that in this country - the U.S. - we have the freedom to change religions or churches without fear of punishment.

god bless

It's called conversion. Yes you can...Don't know if I'd call that an upgrade. Catholicism and Methodists are very different.

It's just a matter of joining a new church. And even then, each church within that denomination is going to be a little different. Like a pair of pants you intend to stick with for a long time, you're going to want to try them on for fit.

It sounds to me, just on the basis of your asking the question at all, that you're not entirely satisfied with the denomination you're in. Good news: Jesus wasn't any denomination either. Try a non- or inter-denomination church, or barring that, Unitarian.

I had mine changed by the U.S. Navy. I filled in the religious preference line as "atheist", but when I got my dog tags, imagine my surprise, they made me a "methodist". I remained a methodist during my entire service.

well.. "upgrading" to catholicism would be better for you. there are more rules.. and even believing in god is torturous enough - so if you're going to subject yourself to such a life/lie you might as well be all in.