Bad Religion - Many Christians Endorse Heretical Beliefs Without Realizing It

[masmpg]

Very interesting article. Whole denominations are promoting deadlt errors. God's people have strayed for so long theyforgot their way.

Bad Religion - Many Christians Endorse Heretical Beliefs Without Realizing It

 

[Chester]

The article looks interesting. I am not sure it is really surprising the statistics and numbers they give.

It would be interesting to see how many on CC think that Jesus is the "first being created by God".

The article ends by saying that there are many people sitting in churches that are not saved! How sad!

One response I have is this: This is going to be changing in the next generation. The person sitting in church now who is not really saved will most likely not keep their children in the church. Our churches in America are soon going to be empty: it is already happening!

 

[masmpg]

The article looks interesting. I am not sure it is really surprising the statistics and numbers they give.

The article ends by saying that there are many people sitting in churches that are not saved! How sad!

One response I have is this: This is going to be changing in the next generation. The person sitting in church now who is not really saved will most likely not keep their children in the church. Our churches in America are soon going to be empty: it is already happening!

Good points. Recently I have been reading news articles about how "Christian" churches are dying. And other articles that state that millennials want truth not feel good religion. I believe that is the major problem with all denominations. They have lots the vision of Christ. Although some people can still attend church believing they are receiving a blessing, because they FEEL like they are, the truth is far more then just praising God and feelings. The sword is coming and we as "experienced" Christians must follow the advice God gave to Ezekiel in Ezekiel:3:18: "When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." and again in Ezekiel:3:20: "Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand." Danger is right at the door. The church is jumping off the spiritual cliff and who is sounding the alarm besides the few whom the organized churches shun and disfellowship because they are rocking the boat. All denominations are using baptism for filthy lucre. The more people they baptize the more money they get. Baptism use to be done only after training and strict adherence to denominational standards, I use denominational here because all denominations differ, obviously. They have strayed way off the path that leads to the sheepfold which is Jesus, and what does Jesus say about that? Here in John:10:1: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

The huge problem is: how do we wake up the church leaders who are preaching sleepytime messages in this time of trouble

 

[SunsSunny]

About biblical teaching I hold on to this opinion : basic simple gospel . The redemption power of christs sacrifice for all sins and life in his resurrection power. God is love. I look with hope that blasphemy against Father and Son shall be forgiven ... But against Holy Spirit, whose language is love laughter joy hugs smiles kisses ... There can be no forgiveness. For when we see an example of love it is good, when we see compassion and kindness , love itself testifies to Jesus Christ. All of creation testifies. So I guess words and testimonies and doctrine can be misunderstood. But love, peace, mercy, kindness, patience, forbearance , humility, gentleness ... Well if you hate those things.... Not much can be done .

so I guess I remain extremely optimistic that the grain of truth which has been soaked in false doctrine and twisted to deceive , pervert and profit from the gospel is there. And the power of truth will prevail .

So the title of this article is many Christians endorse heretical beliefs WITHOUT REALIZING IT. Paul wrote he was forgiven for his many sins because of ignorance . It is my hope that the love we carry based on the truth we know will reveal to God who knows our true intentions , and will in my earnest hope and confidence , overlook the foolishness which we have believed. For in the end, surely we will see that the details we argued over, were perhaps even negligible in the grand scheme of the loving evangelism we are called for, to love our neighbors and enemies and win their hearts in the reckless love which has no bounds and no limits in sacrifice and determination. Not through doctrine or reasoning, though it is certainly necessary for those who have such a calling. But for plain folks like me who prefer to accept a role of just loving , and winning souls with no exegesis or deep theological foundations , who build their hope on love alone. I hope God will forgive us for what we have believed to be true which was false .

So my safeguard is to plead the fifth , or 1co8:1. Knowledge builds arrogance while love edifies. Keep my sights set on love and press on reaching for glory to glory and higher calling which God has called me for all while keeping my doctrine rooted in love and simplicity .

You can call me a baby, but every parent will testify the moment they held their baby in their arms, that baby taught them a PhD in love . Love is enough

 

[SunsSunny]

And surely the true believers of the church, God himself will instruct and teach by His Holy Spirit in all truth and knowledge so I feel we are protected this way from heretical doctrine. I can remember one moment in my life when I was having a conversation with a seemingly wise man... The way he presented an interpretation of revelation and genesis was intriguing and as I looked the verses over I found no fault in what he was saying as he was testifying to root words in Hebrew and Greek which I could not at the moment verify... It was intriguing and new and he was kind and I asked Holy Spirit about it but He was silent. As soon as I resolved in my mind to give this man my ear and accept this teaching for now....
3 people popped out of nowhere and dropped bibles down and just rebuked him lol.... And laughed at him and then he began to defend himself and the words of his defense made me laugh at the ridiculousness of it all...

So so as always , God defends us who are His and not one will be snatched out of His hand. I'm very trusting and lucky to have God watch over me that day haha it was funny and crazy to see bibles get slammed down out of nowhere !

 

[AuntieAnt]

About biblical teaching I hold on to this opinion : basic simple gospel . The redemption power of christs sacrifice for all sins and life in his resurrection power. God is love. I look with hope that blasphemy against Father and Son shall be forgiven ... But against Holy Spirit, whose language is love laughter joy hugs smiles kisses ... There can be no forgiveness. For when we see an example of love it is good, when we see compassion and kindness , love itself testifies to Jesus Christ. All of creation testifies. So I guess words and testimonies and doctrine can be misunderstood. But love, peace, mercy, kindness, patience, forbearance , humility, gentleness ... Well if you hate those things.... Not much can be done .

so I guess I remain extremely optimistic that the grain of truth which has been soaked in false doctrine and twisted to deceive , pervert and profit from the gospel is there. And the power of truth will prevail .

So the title of this article is many Christians endorse heretical beliefs WITHOUT REALIZING IT. Paul wrote he was forgiven for his many sins because of ignorance . It is my hope that the love we carry based on the truth we know will reveal to God who knows our true intentions , and will in my earnest hope and confidence , overlook the foolishness which we have believed. For in the end, surely we will see that the details we argued over, were perhaps even negligible in the grand scheme of the loving evangelism we are called for, to love our neighbors and enemies and win their hearts in the reckless love which has no bounds and no limits in sacrifice and determination. Not through doctrine or reasoning, though it is certainly necessary for those who have such a calling. But for plain folks like me who prefer to accept a role of just loving , and winning souls with no exegesis or deep theological foundations , who build their hope on love alone. I hope God will forgive us for what we have believed to be true which was false .

So my safeguard is to plead the fifth , or 1co8:1. Knowledge builds arrogance while love edifies. Keep my sights set on love and press on reaching for glory to glory and higher calling which God has called me for all while keeping my doctrine rooted in love and simplicity .

You can call me a baby, but every parent will testify the moment they held their baby in their arms, that baby taught them a PhD in love . Love is enough

Hallelujah!!! \/ I praise God for this amazingly beautiful post. I am just so edified in my spirit and encouraged in my heart by the love of Christ pouring through your message. Thank you, SunsSunny for sharing this word of life!

 

[FreeNChrist]

It is true that many profess-ors of Christ are perfectly content in their ignorance.

 

[kaylagrl]

Very interesting article. Whole denominations are promoting deadlt errors. God's people have strayed for so long theyforgot their way.

Bad Religion - Many Christians Endorse Heretical Beliefs Without Realizing It

Wow,quite an amazing article. A couple of points and Im sure Im going to hear disagreement. Im not going to name names but if you sit down and watch TBN you're going to hear a lot,a LOT of doctrine that is wrong. For instance,not naming names I was watching a program where this man, a preacher I think,was giving a testimony of how his mother was miraculously healed. Pretty much she was raised off her death bed. I was really getting touched by the story until he said "I vowed my seed of faith,my seed faith..." TV evangelist speak for "show me the money."Off went the TV. I had a girlfriend that watched all these shows and she was as confused as a termite in a yo-yo. TV evangelism has not been good for doctrine.

On top of that I just want to add that while I love some worship songs added to a service,they should not replace hymns. Many of the hymns are our doctrines set to music. Worship songs are not about doctrine and a lot of it is repetitive. While they have their place they should not replace hymns. Just my 10 cents.

 

[Chester]

On top of that I just want to add that while I love some worship songs added to a service,they should not replace hymns. Many of the hymns are our doctrines set to music. Worship songs are not about doctrine and a lot of it is repetitive. While they have their place they should not replace hymns. Just my 10 cents.

Ditto on the "keep the hymns!" -- Amen!

 

[masmpg]

Wow,quite an amazing article. A couple of points and Im sure Im going to hear disagreement. Im not going to name names but if you sit down and watch TBN you're going to hear a lot,a LOT of doctrine that is wrong. For instance,not naming names I was watching a program where this man, a preacher I think,was giving a testimony of how his mother was miraculously healed. Pretty much she was raised off her death bed. I was really getting touched by the story until he said "I vowed my seed of faith,my seed faith..." TV evangelist speak for "show me the money."Off went the TV. I had a girlfriend that watched all these shows and she was as confused as a termite in a yo-yo. TV evangelism has not been good for doctrine.

On top of that I just want to add that while I love some worship songs added to a service,they should not replace hymns. Many of the hymns are our doctrines set to music. Worship songs are not about doctrine and a lot of it is repetitive. While they have their place they should not replace hymns. Just my 10 cents.

I don't recall ever watching a televangelist preaching the gospel of Jesus. They preach the gospel of money in the pocket. It is not the money that corrupts but the love of it, and when we get so much we only want MORE! Judgement day is coming, and as I pray for these false teachers who are leading many poor sheep astray, I pray more for the sheep.

I hear you about the music. Although I like to listen to some contemporary music I much prefer hymns when attending church. To use music to attract people into the church is what is also driving them away. When one comes into the house of God we should be reverent, and act like we are in the presence of God, after all He does promise that He sends the Holy Spirit into our congregations, but this is not an unconditional promise. It will only happen if we are obedient to Him.

I was raised a catholic, and learned many good principles from that denomination even though I believe their teachings are far from Christian, when one compares the bible to the catechism. Reverence is of the utmost importance in the cathedral.

 

[kaylagrl]

I don't recall ever watching a televangelist preaching the gospel of Jesus. They preach the gospel of money in the pocket. It is not the money that corrupts but the love of it, and when we get so much we only want MORE! Judgement day is coming, and as I pray for these false teachers who are leading many poor sheep astray, I pray more for the sheep.

I hear you about the music. Although I like to listen to some contemporary music I much prefer hymns when attending church. To use music to attract people into the church is what is also driving them away. When one comes into the house of God we should be reverent, and act like we are in the presence of God, after all He does promise that He sends the Holy Spirit into our congregations, but this is not an unconditional promise. It will only happen if we are obedient to Him.

I was raised a catholic, and learned many good principles from that denomination even though I believe their teachings are far from Christian, when one compares the bible to the catechism. Reverence is of the utmost importance in the cathedral.

I agree with you on reverence also. I use to attend a church where they sat up tables in the back of the church where people could have coffee and a doughnut. Can you guess what happened? Right,no one listened to the pastor,not that he was preaching anything anyway. Everyone socialized and ignored the service. Then they would have up to an hour of worship songs,possibly more singing the songs over and over. Now I love music but there was little to no preaching. The older folk were hanging onto the chairs to stay standing. I would sit down. The lady that ran the worship music said something to me and I let her know that I was not going to stand that long for her or anyone else and that it was too hard on the elderly. I use to travel and do concerts,I didn't expect the congregation to stand with me for an hour and a half while I sang. In some churches I felt like the worship service was more to showcase the talent,or lack of it, of church members. More time and effort was placed on the worship service than the message and then there goes doctrines.

 

[masmpg]

I agree with you on reverence also. I use to attend a church where they sat up tables in the back of the church where people could have coffee and a doughnut. Can you guess what happened? Right,no one listened to the pastor,not that he was preaching anything anyway. Everyone socialized and ignored the service. Then they would have up to an hour of worship songs,possibly more singing the songs over and over. Now I love music but there was little to no preaching. The older folk were hanging onto the chairs to stay standing. I would sit down. The lady that ran the worship music said something to me and I let her know that I was not going to stand that long for her or anyone else and that it was too hard on the elderly. I use to travel and do concerts,I didn't expect the congregation to stand with me for an hour and a half while I sang. In some churches I felt like the worship service was more to showcase the talent,or lack of it, of church members. More time and effort was placed on the worship service than the message and then there goes doctrines.

WOW! this sounds like a service a friend of mine brought me to, although standing was not required, at least not while I was there, the songs, which was the whole service were so hypnotic that they started singing in tongues, and after a while quite a few in the room started muttering and peeping, like the bible calls it. I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I weep when I see people being deceived like that. I am certain Jesus does too. I am not against speaking in tongues but there is a time and a place for everything in church, and tongues is one of the most carefully explained aspects of church involvement. Doctrine??? there was no doctrine. There was nothing. It was more like a music class than any form of worship I have ever seen or read about in the bible.

 

[Zmouth]

... but every parent will testify the moment they held their baby in their arms, that baby taught them a PhD in love . Love is enough

Sorry if I am taking your comment out of context, which I probably am but in either case don't take personally since I don't disagree with the spirit of your comment but if parents who abuse their children are Dr's of Love, then I agree with Solomon, "...I am sick of love." Song 2:5

 

[eph610]

Good points. Recently I have been reading news articles about how "Christian" churches are dying. And other articles that state that millennials want truth not feel good religion. I believe that is the major problem with all denominations. They have lots the vision of Christ. Although some people can still attend church believing they are receiving a blessing, because they FEEL like they are, the truth is far more then just praising God and feelings. The sword is coming and we as "experienced" Christians must follow the advice God gave to Ezekiel in Ezekiel:3:18: "When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." and again in Ezekiel:3:20: "Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand." Danger is right at the door. The church is jumping off the spiritual cliff and who is sounding the alarm besides the few whom the organized churches shun and disfellowship because they are rocking the boat. All denominations are using baptism for filthy lucre. The more people they baptize the more money they get. Baptism use to be done only after training and strict adherence to denominational standards, I use denominational here because all denominations differ, obviously. They have strayed way off the path that leads to the sheepfold which is Jesus, and what does Jesus say about that? Here in John:10:1: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

The huge problem is: how do we wake up the church leaders who are preaching sleepytime messages in this time of trouble

All denominations are using baptism for filthy lucre. The more people they baptize the more money they get. Baptism use to be done only after training and strict adherence to denominational standards, I use denominational here because all denominations differ,

Acts 8 shows us that Baptism can take place in a puddle, with the right heart change, stop making it a religious ritual....

Lemme Guess, all those that are falling off the cliff are also not using the KJB either , right?

 

[eph610]

Wow,quite an amazing article. A couple of points and Im sure Im going to hear disagreement. Im not going to name names but if you sit down and watch TBN you're going to hear a lot,a LOT of doctrine that is wrong. For instance,not naming names I was watching a program where this man, a preacher I think,was giving a testimony of how his mother was miraculously healed. Pretty much she was raised off her death bed. I was really getting touched by the story until he said "I vowed my seed of faith,my seed faith..." TV evangelist speak for "show me the money."Off went the TV. I had a girlfriend that watched all these shows and she was as confused as a termite in a yo-yo. TV evangelism has not been good for doctrine.

On top of that I just want to add that while I love some worship songs added to a service,they should not replace hymns. Many of the hymns are our doctrines set to music. Worship songs are not about doctrine and a lot of it is repetitive. While they have their place they should not replace hymns. Just my 10 cents.

Kayla,
Honest question for you and not meant to stir up anything....I ask because you are a singer...

Do you find that some Hymns actually put people into bondage rather than keep them free?

I think there are some hymns that actually say things opposite to the Gospel....

This does not mean I am giving the current worship scene a complete pass...I just wanted your take on it...

 

[eph610]

WOW! this sounds like a service a friend of mine brought me to, although standing was not required, at least not while I was there, the songs, which was the whole service were so hypnotic that they started singing in tongues, and after a while quite a few in the room started muttering and peeping, like the bible calls it. I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I weep when I see people being deceived like that. I am certain Jesus does too. I am not against speaking in tongues but there is a time and a place for everything in church, and tongues is one of the most carefully explained aspects of church involvement. Doctrine??? there was no doctrine. There was nothing. It was more like a music class than any form of worship I have ever seen or read about in the bible.

Hate to pick a bone with you here, but what did Paul say about singing in the Spirit?

I do agree there are abuses in the modern day worship music...but I also find that some of the old Hymns say things completely contrary to the Gospel or the rest of the Bible...especially when they sing about "Heaven"....

Worship is not MUSIC, a song or a hymn, true worship is a lifestyle of prostrating yourself before God....if we taught what worship really was, the likes of Bethel and Hillsong would likely go away.....This is where words really matter...maybe Hillsong should stop calling it "Worship" and call it Praise....

For example, I do not believe, Abraham took any musicians with him and Isaac, when they went up the mountain to "worship"....Gen 22 was the first time the word Worship was used in the Bible....

 

[FlSnookman7]

I think hymns are more geared towards participation and worshiping God where more modern music is like a concert. That is not to say that 20,000 people worshiping at once is not awesome, it is but to me 50 people singing "Amazing Grace"" in the county jail is just as awesome. I guess I am saying I enjoy hymns and modern worship songs.

 

[kaylagrl]

Kayla,
Honest question for you and not meant to stir up anything....I ask because you are a singer...

Do you find that some Hymns actually put people into bondage rather than keep them free?

I think there are some hymns that actually say things opposite to the Gospel....

This does not mean I am giving the current worship scene a complete pass...I just wanted your take on it...

Well I guess it would depend on the hymn. Do you have an example? I do find that most worship songs aren't very deep. They repeat a phrase over and over. I love Micheal W Smiths "Above All". But a lot of them are not saying much. I think there needs to be a balance in singing and it should not overtake the sermon unless the Spirit moves.

 

[eph610]

Well I guess it would depend on the hymn. Do you have an example? I do find that most worship songs aren't very deep. They repeat a phrase over and over. I love Micheal W Smiths "Above All". But a lot of them are not saying much. I think there needs to be a balance in singing and it should not overtake the sermon unless the Spirit moves.

Thanks Kayla,

This answers the question. I do not want to go further or list examples, to avoid offense and derailment...

 

[kaylagrl]

Thanks Kayla,

This answers the question. I do not want to go further or list examples, to avoid offense and derailment...

Understood