"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.""

I have, as I said above, always treated my faith as something private between me and God.

I have no trouble believing that both are true. I think that follow Jesus' example and teachings is a perfectly legitimate path and indeed the right one for me.

On the other hand.

On Palm Sunday My wife, and I went to a service of the Salvation Army Church with my father and his second wife, who grew up in that faith. The service had no trace of militarism or threat of "fire and brimstone" it stressed, service, faith, love and good deeds. It was very close in my mind to the teachings of Jesus. The service had a heavy family element and was quite intimate as there were only about 40 attendees and about 15 of those were related to the Majors (the pastor and his wife) including their infant grandson who in a small moving ceremony was dedicated to the Church. I gathered that was an analog to the baptism which was performed on me at that age.

I am not saying that I have, because I have not. But I have no doubt that if you were to seek it out, there is enough variety in Christian worship, that you could find a group that suits your beliefs and preferences to a tee. Then again since people would be involved and even with the spirit of Jesus as a presence in that group. (see first quote on this post.) People would soon disagree and drift off.