stevenaa Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 In reading some of the current religion threads, it seems like a lot of people have some misconceptions on Christianity. So, here are some of the things that I and the Christians I have known believe. 1) There is one God. The God of the bible 2) Belief in Jesus is the only way to heaven 3) I have no responsibility to convert anyone to Christianity. Only God can do that. My only responsibility is to give the info. 4) We have free will. We can choose to believe or not to believe. This choice has consequences and we will be held accountable. 5) If you are not a Christian, we can still be friends and I don't have to beat you down with dogma. My actions should speak louder than any words I could speak. Christianity is not about a religion such as Catholicism. Not all Catholics are Christians. (no intention to single out Catholics. Just an example) The term to me gets wore out. Followers of Christ is probably better terminology. I posted this just as a point of reference. No intentions to start any debate or even elicit a response. I was raised with no religion in the household. My father always refused to discuss religion, wanting us to make up our own mind. However, I've always known he was an athiest. I guess I was agnostic untill about 23, when I became a believer. No big trauma occurred. I started going to church, examined the evidence and made my decision. Funny thing is, my two brothers and my sister became believers through their own paths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 That sums up my beliefs pretty well....The point about converting others I feel is where many people get upset.IMO we are to be a light in the darkness,living a life that others see somthing worthwhile.Only God should be doing the convicting not man trying to force his beliefs on others.....Of course that doesn't mean we should not vote or proclaim our beliefs.:2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by stevenaa 2) Belief in Jesus is the only way to heaven Belief in Jesus' teachings or that he was the literal son of God? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor 36 Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by codeorama Belief in Jesus' teachings or that he was the literal son of God? Belief in Jesus, the son of God, and following his teachings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by codeorama Belief in Jesus' teachings or that he was the literal son of God? Not to argue but he taught he was the son of god,so it has to be both.:2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardi gras skin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I believe that the Nicene Creed is central to the Christian faith. As far as I know, there is no branch of Christianity that disagrees with anything it says. It is the unifying statement of the Universal Church: The Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor 36 Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Also, Christians should not be acting or proclaiming themselves as holy-than-thous. That is very un-Christian like behavior. There is nothing wrong with anyone of any faith or denomination stating their beliefs and feelings to others, but those people, regardless of their religion or lack there of, should never try to say that others are wrong or make anyone who disagrees or believes differently than they do feel inferior or incorrect. Doing so is not in anyway a true Christian or Jewish way of behaving. Coming from a family that is split down the line of both Christians and Jews, and being someone who has been exposed to the teachings and beliefs of several different denominations my entire life, I can tell you that this is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by twa Not to argue but he taught he was the son of god,so it has to be both.:2cents: This will be my last post in this because I don't want to go over all that again, but just something to think about, when he taught that he was the Son of God, did he mean that he was the son of God in a way that's different than any of us are sons of God? It was known that Jesus did study Kabbala, I suggest anyone interested check it out, It's interesting. And with that I will gracefully bow out. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor 36 Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by twa Not to argue but he taught he was the son of god,so it has to be both.:2cents: He taught soooo much more than that. He taught about how to treat others and yourself. He taught about love and understanding. There are literally thousands lesson that Christ himself passed on to his Apostles and followers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Happy Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 The big three religious questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenaa Posted August 27, 2004 Author Share Posted August 27, 2004 Hi Code Belief in Jesus' teachings or that he was the literal son of God? Both. He is the literal Son of God, but it would be hard to equate that to what we think of as a son. He also was/is God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by stevenaa Christianity is not about a religion such as Catholicism. Not all Catholics are Christians. Being the "original" christians so to speak, I am not sure what you mean with the first statement. The term Catholic means universal to include both Jew and Gentile. I will add, that not all "Christians" are Christians. I've seen some "saved" people do the darndest things. I'll go instead with the Nicene Creed to describe Christianity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blondie Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I am a Christian. I am proud of being a Christian. My beliefs get me through each day. I believe Jesus is the son of God. This is who I am, who I want to be, and who I will always be. Blondie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardi gras skin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by Stu Being the "original" christians so to speak... I've got a Greek Orthodox friend who would take issue with that statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor 36 Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by Stu Being the "original" christians so to speak, I am not sure what you mean with the first statement. The term Catholic means universal to include both Jew and Gentile. I will add, that not all "Christians" are Christians. I've seen some "saved" people do the darndest things. I'll go instead with the Nicene Creed to describe Christianity. I think what stevenaa was trying to say, and I agree with him, is that just calling yourself a Christian, or being a member of Christian church or religious group does not automatically make you a Christian. Your point about 'not all "Christians" are Christians' is the exact point he was trying to make. Anyone can say that they are anything they want. That doesn't make them that, their actual actions do. By the way, Catholics weren't the original Christians. The Catholic Church was the first organized Christian Church, but they weren't the first or the original Christians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by mardi gras skin I've got a Greek Orthodox friend who would take issue with that statement. I wouldn't disagree with him. Both churches were one at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by mardi gras skin I've got a Greek Orthodox friend who would take issue with that statement. I am also sure the Baptists and some others would too:rolleyes: This line of debate could go south in a hurry.:2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardi gras skin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I don't think it will twa. How about this one, Stu. As a protestant, I am also an "original" Christian. You guys excommunicated each other, then we got excommunicated. Protestants spew some stupid stuff towards Catholics in our ****ized attempts at excommunication. So good. We've all excommunicated each other. The Church got its collective hissy fits out of the way. But all of us claim the Nicene Creed as our heritage. The foundational statement of faith for all Christians still holds. After so much venom, who would have thought that we would all still agree on the fundamentals of our faith? That's amazing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by twa I am also sure the Baptists and some others would too:rolleyes: This line of debate could go south in a hurry.:2cents: I am happy to entertain all thoughts. A little civil discourse, even on contentious topics, is good for all concerned. It only serves to sharpen our thoughts. Even a few laughs, sometimes are our own expense is also good. So it won't go south on my account. In that spirit, I posted the following joke the other day and thought I would get some feedback. So I will try again since it is one of my favorites: A priest and rabbi were talking one day when the rabbi asked the priest about the different titles in the church. "What is it you become after a priest", he asked. The priest explained that you could be given the honorary title of monsignor following years of faithful service or become a bishop and lead a diocese. "Is that all", asked the rabbi. "Well", said the priest, "you could be elected to the College of Cardinals and from there one could become Pope." "How about after that?" the rabbi continued. "I suppose you could be beatified and proclaimed a Saint" said the priest. "Anything else?" said the rabbi. The priest, somewhat flabbergasted, exclaimed "What do you want, Jesus Christ?" To which the rabbi calmly respond, "Well one of our guys made it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor 36 Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by Stu A priest and rabbi were talking one day when the rabbi asked the priest about the different titles in the church. "What is it you become after a priest", he asked. The priest explained that you could be given the honorary title of monsignor following years of faithful service or become a bishop and lead a diocese. "Is that all", asked the rabbi. "Well", said the priest, "you could be elected to the College of Cardinals and from there one could become Pope." "How about after that?" the rabbi continued. "I suppose you could be beatified and proclaimed a Saint" said the priest. "Anything else?" said the rabbi. The priest, somewhat flabbergasted, exclaimed "What do you want, Jesus Christ?" To which the rabbi calmly respond, "Well one of our guys made it." :laugh: Very Funny, I'll have to remember that one.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by mardi gras skin Then how about this one. As a protestant, I am also an "original" Christian. You guys excommunicated each other, then we got excommunicated. Protestants spew some stupid stuff towards Catholics in our ****ized attempts at excommunication. So good. We've all excommunicated each other. The Church got its collective hissy fits out of the way. But all of us claim the Nicene Creed as our heritage. The foundational statement of faith for all Christians still holds. That's amazing to me. I think its a good idea to reclaim our unity. But there are so many other details that get in the way. Overall it is good that we agree on the Gospel but unfortunately those details sometimes clutter the field taking our eyes off the big picture. Sometimes I think we are dicing hairs while at least for some of the more "contentious" Catholic beliefs I think there is a lot of misunderstanding out there. I know before I became Catholic, I was quite the purveyor of such misunderstandings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardi gras skin Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 When have the details not gotten in the way? Titus 3: Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Are the details profitable? If so, lets dig in. If not, why are all of us Christians spending so much of our time defining ourselves by them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Originally posted by mardi gras skin When have the details not gotten in the way? Titus 3: Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Are the details profitable? If so, lets dig in. If not, why are all of us Christians spending so much of our time defining ourselves by them? I suppose we are seeing the fruits of the shortcoming of man. But even for myself, while I will listen to others and look for common ground many of my beliefs are probably not going to change and certainly won't if Rome doesn't. I think the best thing we can do at this point is proclaim the Gospel, keep our civil discourse and wait for His return. I'm pretty sure he'll straighten us all out. I certainly need some "straightening" as my wife can only do so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 Originally posted by mardi gras skin I believe that the Nicene Creed is central to the Christian faith. As far as I know, there is no branch of Christianity that disagrees with anything it says. It is the unifying statement of the Universal Church: The Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. I have enjoyed these posts and hope to get some opinions about"one baptism for the forgiveneses of sin" I believe and my church teaches that baptism is not a requirement for the forgiveness of sin,It is instead a public testimoney or acknowledgement of your being forgiven. IE a pictorial ordinance showing the death burial and resurection of Jesus ,Showing the washing away of sins and the start of a new life. I would like to hear your beliefs in reguard to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenaa Posted August 28, 2004 Author Share Posted August 28, 2004 I agree, Baptism is just a public display of faith. Not necessary for salvation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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