Now we all know there are different church groups that are as far from the East is from the West as to what they teach as doctrine. Yes, you guessed it, she ended up in that far off camp and I was, of course, very interested to hear how that happened.

When opportunity came, I asked to hear her story. She said she start dating this person that attended this other camp (denomination) and he'd asked her if she wanted to go to church with him, and she agreed. She said she found the church people and it's pastor to be very warm and friendly, they all made her feel very much at home. She also said the pastor had very inspirational sermons and all the different things she had heard all her life about this other camp didn't come up, it became insignificant to her.

Now I must ask, for people in general, is that really enough? Well, for obvious reasons, it seems to be. For a person like me that puts most of my energy towards points of doctrine to make sure this whole thing is making sense, this has been a big pill for me to swallow. But I have to admit, people in general, seem to be satisfied with the "feel good" approach to making the all important decision as to what they chose to believe.

As I look back, I also have to admit, if I was attending a church that had poor music and a boring pastor and the people didn't seem to care if I was there or not, I no doubt would be looking for something different. With that in mind, it's obvious we can't say it's not important to feel good about where we attend. This is a normal human trait, if I were attending the local bar each week, the same rules would surely apply. People in general need to feel welcome and feel they have gained something for being there.

This whole thing makes me think of how a "Boy / Girl" connection usually begins. Most of us can hear it now; "He or she is so cute!" And life long decisions, many times, are made with no more information than that.

Are you beginning to understand my concerns? If you are looking for fellowship, if you feel a need for a spiritual base in your life, this is normal. All of us have the same need to really feel fulfilled, but we need to have more information than; he or she is cute or the people sure make me feel at home.

So how can we pull the two together? I mean a sound doctrinal base along with the things that make everyone feel up-lifted and at home, where the whole scene is a satisfying experience. I can only suggest, but I believe we owe it to ourselves to at least investigate the issues within the different belief systems.

Often I hear the comment, "I don't care about all that stuff, I just want to feel up-lifted and fed so I can handle the week ahead." Again, I can only suggest, but I must point out that "all that stuff" is the foundation from where you can be fed and up-lifted, giving you the spiritual strength to carry the load life deal us.

One of my favorite Bible text is Prov. 9:10; (The Living Bible) "For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding."

What we need to understand is doctrine (all that stuff) is teaching about God. I don't know about you, but I want to know what I'm believing in and where I'm going. If I were walking up to the counter to buy a ticket from a travel agent, the first question from them would be; "where do you want to go? Isn't there just a little sound of common sense in that? Why would anyone want to climb aboard - (things of life, choosing a mate - choosing a church) without first accumulating sufficient evidence upon which an intelligent decision could be made?

So how about it? Lets do some investigating - I mean, of the evidence about the teachings about God - all that stuff, called doctrine.

I rest my case.