A Good Church

[Maddog]

i believe in one church, but it ain't the RCC.

So you believe in one church, what about the holy, catholic and apostolic part?

 

[Maddog]

I do not see anything in that particular creed that a true believer would disagree with.

Truth is truth, whether it's verbal, written in the Bible or written elsewhere. If all of the Nicene creed is true then a true believer must be bound to believe it. So, all Christians must adhere to it because it is true.

 

[watchmen]

Truth is truth, whether it's verbal, written in the Bible or written elsewhere. If all of the Nicene creed is true then a true believer must be bound to believe it. So, all Christians must adhere to it because it is true.

It is also true that Halloween is the celebrationof death, demons, and evil. Must all Christian have to believe that? as you said.....

Truth is truth, whether it's verbal, written in the Bible or written elsewhere

 

[watchmen]

So you believe in one church, what about the holy, catholic and apostolic part?

I believe all true believers in Christ are part of the true Church regardless of where they attend. So I would say no. If that means that I disagree with one statement in the Nicene Creed then so be it, there are many other creeds of men I would reject all together. As I said I do not need to adhere to creeds of men, or traditions of men to be a disciple of Christ.

 

[Maddog]

Watchmen, clearly we've got a problem...while truth is absolute, not everyone agrees on what is true. How do you come to your understanding of what is true and what is not, with regard to the Christian faith?

 

[suaso]

Halloween is the Eve of the Celebration of the lives of the Saints: All Saints Day. It is also known as the Feast of All Hallows (Hallow = Saint), so therefore, the Eve is the Eve of All Hallows...or... All Hallow's Eve. Over the course of hundreds of years, this gets compacted to: Halloween.

The incorporation of "celebrating" death, demons, and evil is a modern progression as folks I guess got bored with remembering saints, because all that got them was a day in church. This is taken from wikipedia, but it falls in line with everything you need to know to understand Halloween:

History

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "ome folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, [it is] more typically [l]inked to the celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)",[4] which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".[4] A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf)
The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes[5] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[6]

The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.[7][8] Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.[9] Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Another common practise was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.
The name 'Halloween' and many of its present-day traditions derive from the Old English era.

Origin of name
The term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows' Even – e'en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening. This is ultimately derived from the Old English Eallra Hālgena ǣfen.[15] It is now known as "Eve of" All Saints' Day, which is November 1st.

A time of pagan festivities,[6] Popes Gregory III (731–741) and Gregory IV (827–844) tried to supplant it with the Christian holiday (All Saints' Day) by moving it from May 13 to November 1.
In the 800s, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were once celebrated on the same day

All Saints' Day (officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas[1]), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honor of all the saints, known and unknown

So, in short, what we see today is actually more like Samhain. It isn't really properly Halloween.

 

[watchmen]

Watchmen, clearly we've got a problem...while truth is absolute, not everyone agrees on what is true. How do you come to your understanding of what is true and what is not, with regard to the Christian faith?

#1 The Bible
#2 The guidance of the Holy Spirit.
#3 A very few men that I trust, whos words bare witness with my spirit, through the discernment of the Holy Spirit with in me, and lines up with scripture.

 

[Maddog]

#1 The Bible
#2 The guidance of the Holy Spirit.
#3 A very few men that I trust, whos words bare witness with my spirit, through the discernment of the Holy Spirit with in me, and lines up with scripture.

So that's #1 Your interpretation of the Bible
#2 Your perception of the guidance of the Holy Ghost
# 3 A few friends who already agree with your interpretation of the Bible and to whom your perception of the Holy Ghost approves

...even if it's at variance with historic Christianity.

How would you know if you were wrong in either your Bible interpretation or your reading of the Holy Ghost?

 

[imoss]

Cant believe no one responded to Shad's post. He pretty much answered the thread so we can close it now and say goodnight. Goodnight all & God Bless.

 

[watchmen]

So that's #1 Your interpretation of the Bible
#2 Your perception of the guidance of the Holy Ghost
# 3 A few friends who already agree with your interpretation of the Bible and to whom your perception of the Holy Ghost approves

...even if it's at variance with historic Christianity.

How would you know if you were wrong in either your Bible interpretation or your reading of the Holy Ghost?

Depending on your interpretation of ''Historical Chrisrianity''. I have come to find out that by the 4th century Christianity has been perverted greatly from what it was in the 1st and 2nd centuries. So if it differs from what the original disciples of the 12 apostles such as Polycarp, or Ireaneus then I would question it, but if it differs from what the 4th-1500th century catholics say, then I am pretty sure I have it right.


P.S. I Stated how and why I believe as I do, and you twisting my words will not change the facts.

Originally Posted by watchmen

#1 The Bible
#2 The guidance of the Holy Spirit.
#3 A very few men that I trust, whos words bare witness with my spirit, through the discernment of the Holy Spirit with in me, and lines up with scripture.

 

[cornerstone]

Jesus said when he began His church that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. So I guess the best church is the one He established...where to find it, what does it look like, where is it assembled?

What makes a good church-scriptural, established by Christ, unified and in one mind.....still in existence today.....

It is not a universal entity that believes various doctrines on salvation, nor one that believes that baptism is accomplished by various means, or that the Lord Supper is taken by all. If you want to find His church, look at the doctrines of that church in scripture and find the church that follows those doctrines, that function in unity and love (not divisive doctrine) and exhibits the "one mind" that Christ said was required of His body.

 

[Sharp]

A good church should have a table tennis table, a pool table, food before and after the service, valet parking, some pinball machines, and sound doctrine.

 

[Maddog]

I Stated how and why I believe as I do, and you twisting my words will not change the facts.

I'm not twisting your words I'm just restating them to more accurately reflect reality. The Bible and the movement of the Holy Ghost must be interpreted. For you, the final arbiter of truth rests in your own interpretation of these.

 

[watchmen]

I'm not twisting your words I'm just restating them to more accurately reflect reality.

No you change them to try and disparage the truth.

The Bible and the movement of the Holy Ghost must be interpreted.

This is untrue, they just need to be believed as written, or spoken.

For you, the final arbiter of truth rests in your own interpretation of these.

I believe scripture exactly how it is written interpreting it is what gets people in trouble.

 

[suaso]

A good church takes out the trash, eats all the food on its plate, takes a bath, and does what its mother tells it to do.

 

[watchmen]

and does what its mother tells it to do.

No, that one of the harlots, not the Bride.

 

[suaso]

No, that one of the harlots, not the Bride.

what?

It's hard to convey humor over the internet, so um, are you being facetious or did I miss something?

 

[Maddog]

This is untrue, they just need to be believed as written, or spoken.

That's the ideal.

I believe scripture exactly how it is written interpreting it is what gets people in trouble.

Everyone interprets. That's how we function, and it's impossible not to. Everyone has their biases or their particular way of seeing things. The question is can we as individuals trust ourselves to correctly understand God's word?

 

[watchmen]

what?

It's hard to convey humor over the internet, so um, are you being facetious or did I miss something?

Nope those that listen to the ''Mother'' rather than the Groom are Harlots.

Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

 

[watchmen]

Everyone interprets. That's how we function, and it's impossible not to. Everyone has their biases or their particular way of seeing things.

I change my opinion to fit scripture, I have never changed scripture to fit my opinion.

The question is can we as individuals trust ourselves to correctly understand God's word?

Nope, I trust God to reveal to me His truth as He said He would.

1st John 2:7 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.