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Author	Topic: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
ObiWan506 Title: JC Head Admin Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 7/18/06 8:53am Subject: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand? - Date Edited: 10/15/07 12:56pm (1 edits total) Edited By: ObiWan506
	What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand? I wanted to create a thread that discusses these points. Discussion being the key word there. I want this to be a friendly thread that doesn't turn into a defending match between users. As you might conclude based on my signature, I'm a believer in a higher power. I always want to reach out to people, but not forcefully. I'm very respectable and I wanted to be very subtle about it because most people get offended if you try to teach them something about your religion. But for those who perhaps don't understand some things about Christianity, or want to learn more, I invite you to come join this discussion. There are other religions out there, but I would hope to keep this thread solely dedicated to Christianity. I find that threads with more specific guidelines tend to prosper better then threads with very general and broad circumstances. So away we go. Any question or points you want to discuss? Anything on your mind? -----signature----- If you have any questions about Christianity and/or Jesus, I'd love to talk to you. Please PM me. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved!" Acts 16:31 ------ Yes, I am a sinner. So are you. We all have a Savior.
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Mcily_Nochi Registered: Sep '01	Date Posted: 7/18/06 8:58am Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	Hey there! I'd be interested in discussing different types of Christianity, specifically the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, which I find many people don't understand. I have a lot of Christian acquaintances who think I'm going to hell because I'm joining the Catholic church, and in many cases their reasons aren't even Catholic beliefs! It amazes me how little the two branches know about each other and what they do and don't share. -----signature----- Back after three years of writer's block!
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Divia Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 7/18/06 9:18am Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	I think in general people know and understand Christianit. What they do not know or orderstand well is the teachings of the Catholic Church and I'd also have to say the Orthadox Church. These tend to be shrouded in mystery for a lot of people and some harbor harsh feelings for the Catholic Church. -----signature----- Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be Evil.
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Smuggler-of-Mos-Espa Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 7/18/06 11:48am Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	I don't think people who criticize Christianity are quite as informed about it as they should be. As an ex-Christian who has been raised going to church, I think I understand it very well. Right before I left, I started questioning it. Then I just came to the conclusion that I couldn't prove that there is a God and that no one else could either except saying 'you've got to have faith'. That was close to six years ago, but I still stick to the same thing. Regardless of what I sometimes say in jest, I don't hate all Christians. The only Christians I hate are the hardcore ones who won't accept anything less than 'God is my true savior', and they criticize things without even being truely informed about them besides 'I heard'. Since I left the church, I've had too many people try to make me sway back to the 'straight and narrow' without even the slightest concern that I might have something to say about that, and I've even been made a 'faith project'. You know, it's great if you're trying to save me from going to Hell, but in the end it's just up to me. If Heaven and Hell exists, I won't stop you from going to Heaven, and I'll go where I deserve to go. I'm really not a hard person to talk to when it comes to religion, I just simply trust science more (and no, I'm not saying that I believe in evolution). Even at that, I wouldn't mind a good discussion about it. Anyway, getting back on subject, I think one of the things that make Christianity so complicated is the fact that there are so many branches of it, each condemning the other. I was raised in the Church of Christ, so I was being told that the Catholics, Baptists, and all the rest weren't Christians. Even so, each church is different. I've visited other churches in my travels that are supposedly 'sound' with what I believed, and their teachings were far different than what I had other heard. At that point, I just said '**** it' to it all. That's the same problem I think a lot of people have with the various churches, no consistency. I wouldn't really expect them to have that, but that's quite confusing for some people. The there are a ton of denominations that claim to be Christians, the Catholics claim to be Christians as well but follow a whole different system than any of the others could come up with, and it never ends. Lost my train of thought. To be continued. -----signature----- Dum Roma deliberat Saguntum perit. http://smuggler-of-mos-espa.deviantart.com/
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Darth-Ghost Registered: Oct '03	Date Posted: 7/18/06 12:13pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand? - Date Edited: 7/18/06 12:33pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Darth-Ghost
	I would explain my own views, but I think the Bible can explain it better. I don't think the Bible is always literal, and there are some things in there that shouldn't be or confuse civil law of the day with religious law, but I believe it is still a valuable source and inspired by God. Here are some quotes: (no particular order, just looking over my Bible) Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 5:3-10 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for the will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:43-44 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:7-12 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 19:16-26 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, 'and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Luke 17:20-23 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 17:20-25 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." 1 Corinthians 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 John 4:7-21 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
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DarthDogbert Registered: Sep '04	Date Posted: 7/18/06 1:09pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	On the topic of salvation by faith alone: Many believe that one can be saved by faith alone. They often turn to such passages as Eph. 2:8-9 and Jn. 3:16 to show that salvation is not conditioned upon any works. However, passages such as James 2:24 and 26 say that faith without works is dead and that salvation is not by faith alone. ("Alone" is the key word since passages that say we are saved by faith do not say by faith alone.) Read Heb. 11 and see how that their faith was acceptable because they did what God said (built an ark, etc). Read Mk. 16:16 and see how that those who "believe and are baptized" will be saved. Read through the book of Acts and note how many times one who had just believed was told they must do something (ie, be baptized). Read through the epistles and see how that we must continue in service to God to be found faithful in the end. I believe that a consistent reading of the Scriptures will show that salvation is based upon faith and works. That is, that one can only be saved if they believe God enough to do what he says, rather than how the demons just believe and tremble. (As for passages like Eph. 2:8-9 that seem to exclude works, note that the works there are ones that man can boast of. I cannot boast if I am simply doing what God told me to do, especially if I am doing it by faith and not by my own sight. So these passages, to be consistent, exclude works of man's wisdom and not works of God's, ie His commandments.) -----signature----- Proud father of twin girls! May the force be with me...
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darthOB1 Registered: Mar '00	Date Posted: 7/18/06 1:10pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	I think more importantly we need to ask the question what is a Christian? That which determines a Christian is not adherence to the popularly accepted beliefs of orthodox religious organizations and their doctrine. Nor is it participation in popular religious practices and religious holidays. Conforming to the popular concept of a Christian does not make a person a Christian. What does is the meeting of Scriptural qualifications. The apostle Peter said: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely.” (1 Pet. 2:21) One must follow the example Christ set for us to follow. -----signature----- “This most beautiful system [The Universe] could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Isaac Newton
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dizfactor Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 7/18/06 1:45pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	darthOB1 posted: I think more importantly we need to ask the question what is a Christian? That which determines a Christian is not adherence to the popularly accepted beliefs of orthodox religious organizations and their doctrine. Nor is it participation in popular religious practices and religious holidays. Conforming to the popular concept of a Christian does not make a person a Christian. What does is the meeting of Scriptural qualifications. According to you, anyway. Other Christians might feel differently. This, honestly, is one of the things that irritates me the most about contemporary American Biblically-literalist evangelical Protestants: that they feel fit to decide who gets to be a Christian and who doesn't. Contrary to the belief of some people, you don't have to believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and completely literal Word of God to be a Christian. You don't have to believe that man is saved by faith alone. Catholics are Christians. Mormons are Christians. Episcopal liberals, like the members of those churches who bless same-sex unions and appointed a gay bishop, are Christians. Many Unitarians are Christians. The religion is bigger and older than a narrow sect of predominantly American literalists, and they don't get to claim the whole thing for their own. -----signature----- "Play is going to be for the 21st century what steam was to the 19th century." Julian Dibbell "You gotta love an elite killing force that you can fool by putting on a hat." Gryph
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Smuggler-of-Mos-Espa Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 7/18/06 1:55pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	darthOB1 posted: I think more importantly we need to ask the question what is a Christian? That which determines a Christian is not adherence to the popularly accepted beliefs of orthodox religious organizations and their doctrine. Nor is it participation in popular religious practices and religious holidays. Conforming to the popular concept of a Christian does not make a person a Christian. What does is the meeting of Scriptural qualifications. The apostle Peter said: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely.” (1 Pet. 2:21) One must follow the example Christ set for us to follow. True. I was always taught that 'Christian' meant Christ-like. -----signature----- Dum Roma deliberat Saguntum perit. http://smuggler-of-mos-espa.deviantart.com/
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Jabbadabbado Title: Senate Floor Moderator Registered: Mar '99	Date Posted: 7/18/06 2:09pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	Mark tells us very plainly how to understand Christianity better: pick up a snake. A poisonous snake. If the snake doesn't bite you, then clearly you are on the right path. If the snake does bite you and you get sick and/or die, then you must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. You may not be able to tell the good Christian doctrine from the bad, but the snake can. -----signature----- Malthusian Doomsday Quack
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Lord_Vivec Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 7/18/06 2:43pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	On the topic of salvation by faith alone, I don't believe in that. You have to show your faith by doing good works. Besides, a mass murderer is not going to achieve salvation just by being christian. -----signature----- EUS Vice Chancellor Do you enjoy pajamas? Obama/Biden '08
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ScaPaCamem Registered: Jul '03	Date Posted: 7/18/06 5:03pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	I am a Catholic so I am going to talk about what we as Catholic's believe. -Someone said all Christian Chruches condemn each other. That is not true. Catholics believe that being a good person can achieve eternal life. Many Protestants believe that if you are not what they are you are going to hell. Which IMO is completely ridicolous. posted: The there are a ton of denominations that claim to be Christians, the Catholics claim to be Christians as well but follow a whole different system than any of the others could come up with, and it never ends. -I am sorry man, but you must know very little about the history of the Church. There was only one sect at first. That was Catholicism. Then the Protestant Refromation came along and the rifts in the church began to form. Catholicism holds the original teachings of the Church and they stick to the original teachings. -Many believe that we worship Mary. This comes from a typical Human Standard of not wanting to step outside your "normal everday life". We as Catholics pray to Mary as though she is a connection to Jesus. We ask her to pray for us. We do not pray to her in the same way we do Jesus and God. More to come. I just don't feel like typing right now. -----signature----- Brazilian Pride! World Cup 2006! Ordem E Progresso! The English may have invented the game, but the Brazilians perfected it!
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Darth-Ghost Registered: Oct '03	Date Posted: 7/18/06 6:17pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand? - Date Edited: 7/18/06 6:18pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Darth-Ghost
	And not all Protestants believe other religions and sects go to hell. Protestant just means you're a Christian, but you're not Catholic or Orthodox. There are hundreds of different Protestant groups, and they can all be very different. Catholocism was first, though it wasn't always called that. There were a lot of different movements in the beginning, like the Gnostics, but they all fell back to one way after Empero Constantine made it the official Roman religion. When the Roman Empire split, the Church did too into Catholic and Orthodox for the east and west empires, a political reason. Martin Luther went against the Catholic Church for religious reasons, and after him and his sucess came the hundreds of different Protestant groups, all pretty different. And Henry VIII separted to form the Church of England so he could divorce his SPanish wife, whose brother, the king of Spain, was currently holding that Pope as hostage.
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Jediflyer Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 7/18/06 6:45pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand? - Date Edited: 7/18/06 6:48pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Jediflyer
	I'm an atheist, but as a Catholic for the first 17 odd years of my life, with 10 years of Catholic schooling under my belt, I understand the topic well enough. Catholics believe that being a good person can achieve eternal life. No they don't. They believe that if you hear the truth and reject it you will go to hell. As far as people that do not know of God, they say that it is in God's hands. For example, me, as an atheist, will go to hell even if I live a "good" life. On the other hand, the fate of say, a member of an isolated native American tribe in South America, will be decided by God. You may not be able to tell the good Christian doctrine from the bad, but the snake can. [Smirk] Seriously though, that reminds me of that one X-Files episode that scared the crap out of me when I was about 14 years old. Darth-Ghost, that was a nice consise history of Christian Church history. -----signature----- Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it - Mark Twain There are no dialogues, only intersecting monologues -Mark Twain
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Dusty Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 7/18/06 7:05pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand?
	I think the most unfortunate thing about Christianity is the fact that too many people focus on our differences and on judging others. The different sects, while no longer killing each other, remain seperate over small differences. Many Christians, believing that non believers are going to Hell, will tell people that, pushing them away. I can't claim to know the fate of anyone after death. Only God knows that. Christianity is such an upbeat faith that is based on the simple fact that God loves you. I think we need more emphasis on that.
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Darth_Guy Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 7/18/06 7:08pm Subject: RE: What is Christianity? How can we understand it better? What don't we understand? - Date Edited: 7/18/06 7:09pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Darth_Guy
	Smuggler-of-Mos-Espa posted: darthOB1 posted: I think more importantly we need to ask the question what is a Christian? That which determines a Christian is not adherence to the popularly accepted beliefs of orthodox religious organizations and their doctrine. Nor is it participation in popular religious practices and religious holidays. Conforming to the popular concept of a Christian does not make a person a Christian. What does is the meeting of Scriptural qualifications. The apostle Peter said: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely.” (1 Pet. 2:21) One must follow the example Christ set for us to follow. True. I was always taught that 'Christian' meant Christ-like. That's ridiculous; if that were true no one would be a Christian. A Christian is a follower of one of the various Christian denominations. That's it. -----signature----- I don't want to fade away.
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