I'm not sure which branch of the Baptist church you are attending, but the basic tenants of all Baptist churches are:
- 1) Jesus Christ is the human incarnation of God;
- 2) He was crucified and died for the forgiveness of the sins of all humankind;
- 3) He was resurrected on the third day after His death;
- 4) He ascended to heaven where he sits with God;
- 5) His gift to us when he departed was leaving us with the Holy Spirit;
- 6) Christ will come again at the end of the world;
- 7) God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three-in-one - the Trinity.
- 8) Baptism is a voluntary external demonstration of an internal acceptance of Christ as your personal savior.
After those basic facts, churches can vary widely on their interpretation of Biblical events and on their doctrinal beliefs. The book of Revelations provides great material for debates in the Baptist church. Baptist churches are also largely evangelical - they believe in sharing the word of God with others and inviting outside people to visit the church and worship with them. The Baptist church is not generally a place where you will hear a pastor say "our denomination is the only one that has it right."
Baptists generally believe that all denominations of Christianity are worshiping the same God and the same Christ, but that there are ceremonial and some doctrinal differences in the way the worship services are conducted. I hope this information helps! Please let me know if you would like to discuss the topic further.
By the way, one of the previous respondents mentioned that women were treated as second-class citizens. I have to say that I wonder what Baptist church this person has visited. I taught Sunday School at my church from a very young age and was a very respected person (regardless of gender) there. Women and men held equal positions in the church council, and were given equal voice.
While I'm sure that there are unfortunate areas of the United States where gender discrimination occurs in and out of church, I am proud to say I have not encountered it. Also, I am Mexican-American. I never encountered racism in my church. I did encounter racism in my public high school, and even in the work force, but the church was always a haven where everyone was welcome and treated with respect. I hope and pray that you find a church home that follows the most basic teaching of Christ:
"Love one another".