04 Jan 15
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyYou've got me curious. Do you believe Judaism "during the Theocentric Dispensation of the Age of Israel" was a religion?
I accept Jamieson's historical/biblical scholarship as the accurate explanation of these prohibitions during the Theocentric Dispensation of the Age of Israel [non-applicable in the current Church Age].
(I could ask further questions about the supposed need for male organs to be intact, but that takes us away from your primary purpose for this thread.)
04 Jan 15
Originally posted by FMFMaybe by the human definition it is.
Christianity is a religion because...
1. it advocates a belief in a supernatural and divine authority
2. it has a membership defined by a common narrative and efforts
3. it has specific beliefs and doctrines not accepted by non-members.
4. it has designated literature and a theology creating a moral code
You can take theistic religions like Islam a ...[text shortened]... hat you think the Christian religion is superior to other religions is irrelevant to this topic.
04 Jan 15
Originally posted by Paul Dirac IIOriginally posted by Paul Dirac II
You've got me curious. Do you believe Judaism "during the Theocentric Dispensation of the Age of Israel" was a religion?
(I could ask further questions about the supposed need for male organs to be intact, but that takes us away from your primary purpose for this thread.)
You've got me curious. Do you believe Judaism "during the Theocentric Dispensation of the Age of Israel" was a religion?
No. Mankind has been saved in the same way throughout human history: faith alone in Christ alone. In the Old Testament God revealed the Person of Jesus Christ and His substitutionary work [spiritual death] through the shadow form of the Levitical offerings. Before the First Advent He was known as the Messiah. They looked forward; we look back to the cross.
04 Jan 15
Originally posted by KazetNagorraPerhaps you should take the time to learn the language of God.
When we are discussing a topic in the human language of English, I'm afraid we are forced to restrict ourselves to human definitions.
This must be one of the most bizarre semantics discussions I have seen.
04 Jan 15
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyIt's a religion </thread>
[b]"Why Christianity is NOT a Religion"
"The way to be right with God in every religion is by earning your way. It is based on works, not grace. Christianity is different from every religion in this aspect: all other religions (including Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) state that you must [i]earn the right to be reconciled with ...[text shortened]... ly to the statements of this Scotsman who believes in Christ for his salvation and eternal life?[/b]
04 Jan 15
1 edit
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby (OP)"Why Christianity is NOT a Religion" (Part Two)
"Why Christianity is NOT a Religion"
"The way to be right with God in every religion is by earning your way. It is based on works, not grace. Christianity is different from every religion in this aspect: all other religions (including Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) state that you must [i]earn the right to be reconciled wi ...[text shortened]... Reply to the statements of this Scotsman who believes in Christ for his salvation and eternal life?
"I could go on and on. When Jesus was on the earth, religion was very rampant, as it is today. There was a group of corrupt religious leaders called the Pharisees who had taken the word of God, passed down from Moses and the prophets (the Torah), and written a commentary on it interpreting what the scriptures said (called the Talmud). Then they wrote another commentary on that commentary called the “Mishnah”. The Mishnah was a list of hundreds rules to meet in order to insure that you were obeying the word of God. These were created by man and had little basis in the actual scripture.
For example, one of the 10 Commandments (from the Torah) was, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”. The Pharisees had made literally hundreds of rules in the Mishnah that detailed to the n-th degree what you had to do in order to keep that commandment. There was a rule that you couldn’t walk through a field on the Sabbath because your sandal might clip a grain of wheat, and if it did you would be harvesting grain. If you were harvesting, you had worked on the Sabbath and sinned. Another example is that you could not spit on the ground on the Sabbath because your spit would create mud and this was making mortar. If you created mortar you were working on the Sabbath and therefore sinning.
Jesus hated this! He hated the way the Pharisees used the people’s love for God (or fear of God) to control them, limit their freedom, and empty them of the relationship with God that was intended. When you practice religion, your relationship with God is degraded to a mathematical formula. Do this, then do this, don’t do that, and presto. . . you are right in the eyes of God. This is TOTALLY missing the point! God wants so much more. He wants to have a real relationship with you. He wants to show his love to you and He wants you to love Him. That was the point of the original commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”. The Sabbath day was supposed to be a day for us to take a little break from working, refocus on what’s important, spend time with our family, and spend time with God. You can’t build a deep relationship without spending quality time together. If you read the 10 Commandments you will notice..." (to be continued)
http://philippians1v21.wordpress.com/why-believe-in-jesus/why-christianity-is-not-a-religion/
~ Te Deum Laudamus -Jake McWhirter" http://philippians1v21.wordpress.com/about/
04 Jan 15
Originally posted by KazetNagorraOur discussion is far less about human language than it is about horizontal human viewpoint vs. divine viewpoint.
When we are discussing a topic in the human language of English, I'm afraid we are forced to restrict ourselves to human definitions.
This must be one of the most bizarre semantics discussions I have seen.
04 Jan 15
Originally posted by josephwEdit: “Indeed Christianity is not a "religion", but instead is a "faith" in God's reaching out to the one who by faith, and through faith, takes hold of the free gift of eternal life.”
Inspiring. Thanks Bob. As usual you made another significant contribution to this forum. The case for Christianity is clearly and saliently made denoting its superiority to all other faiths.
Indeed Christianity is not a "religion", but instead is a "faith" in God's reaching out to the one who by faith, and through faith, takes hold of the free gift of eternal life.
What is the exact difference between “faith” as you pose it and faith commonly defined as “complete trust or confidence in the Christian G-d and/or strong belief in the doctrines of the Christian religion based on spiritual conviction rather than proof”, then?
Furthermore, which way (other than accepting blindly the Christian beliefs as they are stated exclusively in the Holy Book) takes place the so called G-d’s “reaching out” to the one who by faith, and through faith, takes hold of the free gift of eternal life, since faith in this context is by force the blind belief that the Christian G-d is existent and must be worshipped by any person (who is by definition Christian solely if she acts according to the Christian doctrine, and not a Christian if she does not act according to the Holy Book), whilst the “free gift” and the “eternal life” are exclusively religious Christian concepts?
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04 Jan 15
Originally posted by black beetleI can answer the first question. I think the answer can potentially be both a surprise to you and the answer to your second question.
Edit: “Indeed Christianity is not a "religion", but instead is a "faith" in God's reaching out to the one who by faith, and through faith, takes hold of the free gift of eternal life.”
What is the exact difference between “faith” as you pose it and faith commonly defined as “complete trust or confidence in the Christian G-d and/or strong belief in ...[text shortened]... whilst the “free gift” and the “eternal life” are exclusively religious Christian concepts?
😵
Indulge me for a few moments. Look at the following two verses please.
Romans 3:25a
Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood,..
And
Galatians 2:20d :.. and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
The Romans verse isn't referring to a man's faith in Jesus' blood, but in fact it is God's faith in His blood. The entire context attests to that interpretation.
The Galatians verse makes it clear that is by the faith of Jesus that the believer lives the Christian life because it is Christ that is being formed in the believer to the degree that the believer's mind is transformed by God's written Word.
Faith is what faith is. The difference is who's faith is it. Yes there is common faith. Everybody has it. We use it each day commonly. Then there is the faith of God, which is a gift to the believer. While I may have my own faith, which is common to man, it is by and through the faith of God, and of His Son, that that the believer lives the life of God.
Very simple and easy to understand really.
Originally posted by black beetle in reply to josephwOriginally posted by black beetle in reply to josephw
Edit: “Indeed Christianity is not a "religion", but instead is a "faith" in God's reaching out to the one who by faith, and through faith, takes hold of the free gift of eternal life.”
What is the exact difference between “faith” as you pose it and faith commonly defined as “complete trust or confidence in the Christian G-d and/or ...[text shortened]... ok), whilst the “free gift” and the “eternal life” are exclusively religious Christian concepts?
😵
"What is the exact difference between “faith” as you pose it and faith commonly defined as “complete trust or confidence in the Christian G-d and/or strong belief in the doctrines of the Christian religion based on spiritual conviction rather than proof ..?"
bb, here's an everyday example of my understanding of the question above which I'm sure josephw will answer with his own definitions and/or explanation. If another site member is privately aware of your need for financial help and offers to pay for your RHP Subscription Renewal, you have two options: faith, belief, "complete trust" and "confidence" in the person making the offer or to decline it because of disbelief or lack of empirical proof that the site member will deliver or pride. -gb
04 Jan 15
1 edit
Originally posted by JS357Unsure of the criteria in this distinction (without a difference in the eyes of some); however, not all believers in Christ "follow" Him after salvation by growing in grace through systematic exposure to the accurate teaching of the Word of God.
I would buy this if instead of "Christianity" another term like "following Christ" were used.