The Project

So here's the deal.

My friend Danika and I are undertaking a (rather large) summer project. I suppose the full title would be An Investigation Into the Fundamental Similarities and Differences in the Various Christian Denominations and (If We Have Time), the Three Major Western Religions. However, that's a ridiculously long title, so let's just call it The Project.

This all came about when we were discussing the differences in our churches. Danika is a devout Catholic, while I was raised in the Assemblies of God, but personally lean more towards a Calvinistic viewpoint. In the course of discussion, we realized that neither one of us knows much about what distinguishes the different views of our churches, other than jokes that are told about the other by members of our own. After thinking about this a little more, I realized that this holds true for most people within Christendom. Each is fully convinced of the "rightness" of his own church with regards to things like baptism, communion, worship, etc., and is equally convinced of the "wrongness" of everyone else. The problem is, though, that no one really knows what the positions of the other churches are, just that they must be wrong.

That's where The Project comes in.

We decided that, between now and the time we leave for school in the fall, we will research the doctrines of, and then attend, a church of a different denomination every week and (hopefully) get an interview with the priest/pastor/minister of that church after the service. We will then each post a blog detailing our experiences, with the goal of discovering what it is that makes us different, and what it is that brings us together.

Now, I can think of several objections that can be raised to this undertaking, so I will take a moment to tell you what we ARE and ARE NOT doing.

We are NOT:

• Seeking to find the "right" religion. We are both fully grounded in our own faiths, and are only seeking to understand other viewpoints, not adopt them
• Trying to prove or disprove any one point of view.
• Trying to gain converts to our own viewpoint.
• Doing a school project. We came up with this all on our own, and really have no motivation other than our own curiosity.

We ARE:

• Seeking understanding and appreciation.
• Trying to inform other people and dispell prejudices.

Our plan is to begin with the more traditional denominations (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Episcopalian, etc.), then move on to the more "American" denominations (Baptist, Southern Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Assemblies of God, etc.) and then, at the end, attend some of the more sectarian places (Jehovah's Witnesses, LDS, Unitarians, etc.). At the end of the summer, if we have time, we'll try to visit a synagogue and a mosque.

With all that being said, we will begin The Project this Sunday at Holy Family Catholic Church. Wish us luck.