Ok, so everyone says that Christianity is a bad religion and that none of it makes sense. I'm not here to tell you that Christianity is awesome and amazing( which it is).
I'm going to explain why Christainity isn't a religion.
The term religion means any person or institutinalized system of beliefs or practices embodying this belief or reverance. Why is that important? Because Christianity isn't like that.
Every religion has a set of things that you must do. Catholics believe you have to confess, say 7 Hail Mary's and bam! everything is done and taken care of. Episcopalians belive that you have to bow at every little sight of the bread of life and cup of salvation.
Christianity does none of this.
Christianity is all about a walk with God. There is no confessiong every time youdo something wrong, or bowing every five seconds. Being a Christian is all about you and God. Not you, the church, then God. You and God, that's it.
When you accept Jesus into your heart, you have just been forgiven and guaranteed eternal life. After that, what you do is up to you. Now, I don't mean you go around killing and robbing people. What I mean, is YOU make your own decisions. YOU decide when to make time for God and when not too. Its all about YOU! Not what the church says.
Christainity isn't about a set of rules, or any of that. It's all about walking side by side with God. ON your terms. God will wait for you to accept Him. After that it's all up to you
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You're right that christianity is not a religion. However, it almost seems like your bashing some of the religions. Be a little careful, i'm not offended but i'm just giving you a heads up. I am christian too. And it really is all about the relationship and not the religion.
Jasmin Muniz
Being a Christian myself; I believe that christianity is not a religion, it's a lifestyle. But I also believe that it has a lot to do with the church, a good bible-based church. My pastor teaches us ways that we can effectively use the word of God in our everyday lives.
Christianity is about you and God, but it's also about the relationships you have with other christians around the word of God, and growing spiritually.
-Amanda-
Check out my blog
"This is why Atheism is the belief that there is no God and Christianity is the belief that there is a God."
And believing that Jesus was the son of God, which stems from the belief that the Bible is the infallible word of God, which is where the religious can of worms pops open. If it is just about you and God, and you're view of God isn't identical to the one found in the Bible, then you are a theist of some flavour, but not a Christian, because questioning the fallibility of the Bible constitutes questioning the very foundation of the Christian belief system.
"Christainity isn't about a set of rules, or any of that."
That may be what you believe, but that doesn't make it so; the evidence found in the Bible would clearly point to many sets of rules and clearly contradict your assertion.
"It's all about walking side by side with God."
Have you actually read the Bible?
Christianity is a religion, all the sub-sets of Christianity are called denominations, they are subcultures within the dominant religion, not religions in their own right; the same way Americans will hold many different views and values to each other, but they are still Americans.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
Good post you did an excellent job. You do need church though. But you are right about the relationship part.
Why do you think that religions/denominations with practices and rituals are less about a relationship with God than your view of Christianity? When you're stressed, or depressed, who is at the top of your mind? For people who have rituals as a part of their religion (and I don't mean bad rituals, just things like touching the head, heart, and both shoulders), perhaps they are better able to put themselves out of the picture and focus on God when they face times of stress.
~C
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I'm sorry you've been led to believe some negative things about Catholicism and Episcopalians. I'm Catholic and I've never been taught that Hail Marys fix everything. I think it might have to do with the part where that's not how Confession works.
Maybe read up on things and post some facts. Sometimes what you've been taught, or what you believe are merely opinions, no matter how well the information was presented to you.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-
I guess I didnt explain things well.
I do think going to church is great. I go to church every week and I am heavily involved in it. However, that wasnt the point I was trying to make.
The point I was trying to make is that being a Christian does not mean you are set by rules. Being a Christain doesn't mean you have to do a bunch of things because of what you did ( confession etc)
Im not trying to bash on other religions, but this is an opinion. If your a catholic, or whatever, thats great. I dont think any less of you, cause I;m sure you're an awesome person.
But, alot of people do get a little turned off by the fact that you have to follow certain rules and all that stuff. Im just here to say, that being a Christian is about you and God. You take whatever you have up with Him. Its about growing with Him, walking with Him, learning more about Him and what He has done in your life.
I'm sorry if I offended anyone, I really am.
Just know that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.
I noticed you mentioned that going to church is a good thing- do you think that going to church and listening to someone else's take on it all helps you to expand and fine tune your own view, or do you think that it encourages the idea of being bound by a set of rules, with the pastor as the referee?
Cheers!
F*** Religion. Read more here:
http://www.progressiveu.org/020528-f-religion
I'm assuming this is in reply to my comment, since I'm the only one who mentioned being Catholic. Perhaps next time, just reply to my comment rather than making a passive aggressive reply through an entirely different blog entry.
I wasn't offended. I'm pretty used to non-Catholic denominations being confused, and even flat out making up stuff about Catholicism. I know that what I do, and what I'm sorry for, is between myself and God. There is no actual rule that says I absolutely have to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (aka Confession). I go because when I openly acknowledge that there's something in my life I want to change, I'm more likely to change it. That would be the point of confession--not because if you don't tell a priest your deep, dark secrets, you're going to Hell. Confession is like any other sacrament in Catholicism--it's a spiritual gift that you can choose to accept, or not.
Every religion has rules. The rules of Catholicism just happen to be a little more... structured maybe is the word? And a lot of them are more like guidelines than actual rules.
I know what being a Christian is about. I wrote an entire blog about it here.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-
"I'm pretty used to non-Catholic denominations being confused, and even flat out making up stuff about Catholicism."
Yeah, especially when everybody knows that Protestants eat Catholic babies and dance around pineapples, naked, at midnight.
_____________________________________________________________
I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™