I am judged based on the reputation that others have amassed

As a member of any group I am judged based on the reputation the previous members have gained in the eyes of the outside world. It is no less true of membership in any church. As soon as someone outside that church knows that I am attending it they will cast me in light of what they think about members in general in that church.

Consider, for example, a cult group which is considered not to be Christian, though it originated from a member of a Christian church. Consider the Jehowah's Witnesses. There is a general reputation about their members that they are overly assertive, to the point of being pushy at times. They are thought of as either dangerous or deceptive and at least out of touch with the world around them. This is not my judgment, but only what I have surmised from conversations with people regarding that group.


If I were to become a Jehowah's Witness, as soon as anyone in the outside world found out they would recast their opinion of me based on what they think of Jehowah's Witnesses. This is true likewise of denominations within Christianity. Being Catholic carries with it a reputation, for better and for worse, as does also being Baptist or Orthodox.

Is this a good reason to not choose and attend a church? What is the alternative? If someone were to ask you whether or not you were a Christian and you said you were, then they were to proceed to the next natural question of where you attend church, you would place yourself under the reputations amassed by other Christians before you who did not go to any specific church. You are caught in the same trap!

As you can see, it is inevitable that you will be judged based on the reputations of those who have preceeded you in choosing the same course in life as yours. So this is not an adequate reason for refusing to attend a particular church, is it?