"Branches" of Christianity

[yoej_ogart]

Honestly, I really really DON'T believe in categorizing our faith. I mean, don't you?? Calling ourselves people who follow Him and only him, when we are out there debating whether we are in the same category as other faith? To the world, we are in a religion..and to be frank, that is baloney! Jesus hated the religious ones! When we get into this relationship, that doesn't mean "give our lives to this religion" or to start spreading around that "I'm in a new religion called, Christianity"..it ain't a religion! It's a relationship that he wanted with us, a strong one, that is so tight and so faithful that it seeeems to other people like it's a religion. Now a days, so many people(even Christians) have gotten the idea of there being different kinds of Christians;radical or religious.. That's just sad. Since there has been crazy Christians, who get tattoos for Jesus or still go bungee jumping screaming "I love Jesus!" or even where jeans to church, other Christians started believing that they weren't right in the head lol so there goes the "Radical Christianity". Well, the "radicals" looked at the other Christians, saying stuff like "Ugh, they are too strict" so they said that they were "religious" just because they may have seemed as if they were following the "rules" a little more. To me? When you are really deep with God, you won't consider the Ten Commandments as a big rule sheet..because your so in love with God, you'd ANYTHING for Him anyhow! ....anyways, if God intended for us to be called religious, wouldn't He of told you already? I mean, straiigghht out! If he wanted us to be categorized or even be okay with it, wouldn't He of told us? The world is so tied up in crap about God, I can't even go on a day without having to explain my,so called, "religion"... This is what I think, what about you?? and be nice please

 

[mpaper345]

People who are not in the truth of Christianity that claim Jesus as their savior are still with Jesus although they will not be saved unless their salvation is Bible based and not tradition.Jesus told the Pharisees that they hinder people from receiving salvation because of their traditions so a person has to follow Christianity in the truth to be saved.Jesus said they make the word of God of none effect by their tradition and if you follow tradition of something important that is in error that is essential to salvation and being right with God you make the word of God on none effect and will not receive any benefit from God towards you in the tradition that made God's word of none effect.
The disciples told Jesus that some people that claimed Christ as their savior would not follow them.Jesus said do not worry about it for if they are for us they are not against us.

We have to remember that even though some people do not believe what we believe and are not in the truth they are still for Jesus and those people do have to be reached with the truth.Like God said let us reason together over truth.It does have a purpose to reach out to people who are not in the truth to show them their traditions are wrong are they are hindering God's.The problem is there are so many people that think they are right arguing with each other that people are saying well who has the truth.It is making the truth more obscure to believe.

It is strange that we Christians are supposed to be reaching the world with the truth of the Gospel and are all supposed to have one mind with one truth but we are arguing with each other truth which should not be so.

Remember being wrong about something in the Bible that is not essential to salvation and you teach it is not going to effect your salvation but when it comes to things that are essential to salvation,or would cause a stumbling block to someone,or would cause someone to lose their faith or anything like that and you teach it will be hazardous to your spiritual health.

Matt

 

[Thaddaeus]

I stongly disagree With the statement that Christianity is not a religion: what better way to sum up Christianity than by this :

Jas 1:27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

the only reason we couldn't call it a religion, is the very reason it is so misunderstood even by the ones that call it a relationship. Because in a religion there is an obligation to obey the laws of God, and Christians don't want to be accountable for their actions. So in a relationship we are not accountable for anything, if we please Him then whoopeeeee we did good, but if we don't, oh well after all I am human. But it was Jesus, Himself that said if you Love me keep my commandments, we can't even love people in our own churches. Jesus didn't hate the religious people He hated what they had done with religion. I wonder how Christians stack up to what we have done with our religion, we have denouced it as a religion and call it a relationship. And we are the ones that judge the scribes and Pharisees. call it what you want but are you pleasing the Father of your relationship or are you pleasing the God of your religion, either way you should being doing one, and if we are then we will soon discovery that we are doing both!!!!!!!

undefiled before God and the Father to keep himself unspotted from the world.
if it is your God or your father He wants us to do good and to turn from evil
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

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RELIGION, n. relij''on. [L. religio, from religo, to bind anew; re and ligo, to bind. This word seems originally to have signified an oath or vow to the gods, or the obligation of such an oath or vow, which was held very sacred by the Romans.]
1. Religion, in its most comprehensive sense, includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of his will to man, in man''s obligation to obey his commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man''s accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties. It therefore comprehends theology, as a system of doctrines or principles, as well as practical piety; for the practice of moral duties without a belief in a divine lawgiver, and without reference to his will or commands, is not religion.

 

[phil36]

the only reason we couldn't call it a religion, is the very reason it is so misunderstood even by the ones that call it a relationship. Because in a religion there is an obligation to obey the laws of God, and Christians don't want to be accountable for their actions. So in a relationship we are not accountable for anything, if we please Him then whoopeeeee we did good, but if we don't, oh well after all I am human. But it was Jesus, Himself that said if you Love me keep my commandments, we can't even love people in our own churches. Jesus didn't hate the religious people He hated what they had done with religion. I wonder how Christians stack up to what we have done with our religion, we have denouced it as a religion and call it a relationship. And we are the ones that judge the scribes and Pharisees. call it what you want but are you pleasing the Father of your relationship or are you pleasing the God of your religion, either way you should being doing one, and if we are then we will soon discovery that we are doing both!!!!!!!

Well said, Thaddaeus, I couldnt agree more.

Phil

 

[Browncoat]

I stongly disagree With the statement that Christianity is not a religion: what better way to sum up Christianity than by this :

Jas 1:27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Now if only we followed that verse