What is a Religion and what is Christianity?

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CaptainGoat

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Basically put, a religion is a set of strong beliefs a person or a group of people adhere to that sways their concept of life. This is why to challenge the beliefs of a person is like challenging their very own being, so I understand when one comes across two beliefs that are complete opposites, both sides of the spectrum will be defending their views. Sometimes people can be following a religion and not be aware that it is a religion because pre conceived perceptions associate the term "Religion" with God, a god or gods, where the term refers to basing ones life on a set of beliefs and living according to those beliefs, hence why atheism falls into the category of a religion. (By the way, most who say they are athists do believe in the possibility of a creative power even if this power started the big bang concept, though this does take them out of the concept of atheism which in its roots sets out to disprove that god exists. Most simply dont know what they really believe so cling to the atheist label as the nearest label they can find to describe their present state).
Being a Christian I do fit in this category though I've found that there is something rather unique which separates itself from any other religion or concept and it is so different that it is almost into a new category entirely. A relationship! In other words, there is more to it then following a set of beliefs. There is a one to one relationship with God.
Now within the term "Christianity" there are those who are following the religion of Christianity as they know there is something more but not sure what (As they have all the mental knowledge but somehow there is no relationship) and there are those who walk with God.

I write this to try to explain concepts of what a religion is and what a relationship is so one has an understanding on why ones beliefs and thoughts are important and why one tends to get hurt when they are challenged. Wherever one comes from, it digs deep as it is ones whole being or reason to live as it were, as we are made to worship. So if we worship God or anything else, any belief we adhere to, it cuts deep if such roots are challenged.
I'm not saying dont challenge. By all means, as we need to challenge ourselves and our friends so we all will be found by God! As it is only when we open up, we are ready to have a deep relationship with God through what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross at Calvary.
 
Very nice point on religion....
I would like to add...

Religion is a vehicle in which we use to hide ourselves from the uncertainty....

As humans we cannot know everything, but we would like to, we cannot manipulate our world in it's entirety no matter how powerful we become...

What religion also allows, is an answer to the uncertainties, and a vessel to mold the world into our philosophy....


For instance, Atheistic science answers the questions of where we are, who we are, how we are, and where we are going.... Through the answers of these questions we mold our perception of the world into a understandable thought.
Islam answers the same, as well as buddhism, mormonism, hinduism, etc....

Man suffers from a unquenchable thirst... We must know the questions listed above...

What is interesting though, you can almost tell the intellect of a child, by noticing the age at which they first start lying, and how long it takes them to lie very well. The reason I bring this up, is through lying we can manipulate the world around us. We can change history, present, and future with just mere words.... We mold the world with our tongues.


With religion, it does not matter if it is based on facts, what matters is does it change the world into a conceivable picture... Can this belief mold the world and make it more clear to me?
Atheism right now is doing the best at convincing the world that it is the most conceivable picture through giving people illustrations like a childrens book...
You want to know what you are? Here is a picture of DNA, how it works, and what it means.... Here is an explanation on why the sun is hot, and what your brain is made out of, and what makes you feel happy, and what chemicals make you feel sad... Etc...


Atheism allows a person to answer these questions to a satisfaction that they believe that they can accurately define the questions of: who, what, when, where, and why....

Every religion must answer the questions above else they will fail....


As you said
You can argue facts until you are blue in the face. Again, through lies we manipulate the world... And the party who is wrong will never accept that they are wrong because you are not showing them facts.... What you are doing is tearing their world apart.... My beliefs of this world have flipped 180degrees after leaving atheism and becoming a christian...
If you cannot supply adequate answers to the questions, you will never fulfill the desire in their hearts....
And this is where the Gospel comes in, it answers every question without fail...

Who am I? A child of God, a hand molded creation....
What am I? A human, a being partially animal, partially spirit.
When am I? The present, but soon to be judged, and through Judgement I will be found guilty, the question is willI let Christ atone my sins...
Where am I? Earth, another creation of God.
Why am I? To glorify God, and to exist as an example of His Power and Perfection.


In my opinion Atheism does not truly define these questions as deep as Christianity, because instead of explaining who you are, they explain what you are made out of....
Instead of explaining why you are, they explain the how life could have began...

Now this is very biased, and an atheist would think the answers of Christianity are very "emotional" and "shallow".


I am not saying you must answer all these questions immediately in order to convince someone that Christianity is true.
But, they must be answered within a X amount of time else the person will try the religion and find it lacking... I had this happen to me when I became a Christian and 3 months in I read Genesis for the first time and was shattered because the story of Genesis conflicted with the answers Atheism gave me...


Last point I would like to make, Religion is most of the time instilled on a person when they are a child.... Today we find Atheism the most growing religion in youth, not because it is correct... But because it is taught.... Take God out of Education (or gods for that matter) and you get a youth believing in a religion without one. Put gods in place and now you get a polytheistic youth....
 
To elaborate on the Why am I, christianity vs atheism...
This is where the famous Morals argument against atheism comes into play... People have found Atheism has not answered one of the questions, but merely explained the what am I in a fashion that could seem like the why am I to the average person.

This lack of answering a question has created a very big hole in the armor that atheism provides...

I also find it interesting that religion must answer 5 questions... And God gives us 5 armors.... Ephesians 6....
Direct correlation I don't think so but an interesting thought....
 
Mind you, many beliefs are more like margarine then butter.
 
Religion noun from dictionary.com

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe,
especially when considered as the creation of a super human agency or
agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often
containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon
by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices
 
I think religion has been defined pretty well here, so I just want to give my understanding of what Christianity is. It is Truth. Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life. As a whole, and the way I've come to see it through being saved and indwelt by His Spirit, Christianity is the Truth of life and reality as a whole. I'm still amazed almost daily how well everything fits into the Christian worldview that the God of everything provided us.
 
JAMES 1:26-27.
If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart,
this man's religion is vain.

Pure 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'


.
 
I new some atheists that believed that was some kind of cosmic battery out in space that recycled souls,they didnt say souls though they said "people",wouldnt that battery be considered a deity?

So they wouldnt be true atheists correct?
 
imfinallyfree said:
I new some atheists that believed that was some kind of cosmic battery out in space that recycled souls,they didnt say souls though they said "people",wouldnt that battery be considered a deity?

So they wouldnt be true atheists correct?
Click to expand...
Yes, as the religion of atheism sets out the goals to prove that there is no God, hence why the theory of evolution is required to enable them to have an idea that points towards God not existing.
Most professing atheists who are not, also follow evolution but they quote the start being formed in a "Big bang" but they do not know what caused the molecules that caused life to come together in this theory. A God or a random coincidence.
{Consider a massive big bang. What happens when bangs normally take place? They happen when there is an explosion and almost all explosions will destroy anything around it, or do nothing at all. How come the biggest bang ever that was caused by a totally random event somehow cause life to evolve? That takes faith that is beyond my reasoning to believe that one!}
The concern I have with a few preachers is they mix athletic theories with our faith in the Word of God. Now the issue here is that millions of years does not fit into Genesis. Now if we excuse the foundations of the Word of God as fables or stories (In other words not a true account but an example...To simplify it, a lie told to prove a point) then we can also call the rest of the Word the same, and we have no basis to account for our faith. It is amazing how many well educated preachers can't put their faith in the Word of God as it is written. Paul had similar issues with preachers in his day!
 
CaptainGoat said:
Yes, as the religion of atheism sets out the goals to prove that there is no God, hence why the theory of evolution is required to enable them to have an idea that points towards God not existing.
Most professing atheists who are not, also follow evolution but they quote the start being formed in a "Big bang" but they do not know what caused the molecules that caused life to come together in this theory. A God or a random coincidence.
{Consider a massive big bang. What happens when bangs normally take place? They happen when there is an explosion and almost all explosions will destroy anything around it, or do nothing at all. How come the biggest bang ever that was caused by a totally random event somehow cause life to evolve? That takes faith that is beyond my reasoning to believe that one!}
The concern I have with a few preachers is they mix athletic theories with our faith in the Word of God. Now the issue here is that millions of years does not fit into Genesis. Now if we excuse the foundations of the Word of God as fables or stories (In other words not a true account but an example...To simplify it, a lie told to prove a point) then we can also call the rest of the Word the same, and we have no basis to account for our faith. It is amazing how many well educated preachers can't put their faith in the Word of God as it is written. Paul had similar issues with preachers in his day!
Click to expand...

You dont have to convince me man.

Im completely down with God.

I think that most profess to be atheist do it for political reasons and ignorance.
 
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