Donatus

Understanding Christianity

"Christianity is just another one of many religions. They all teach people to live a good life."

"Christianity simply gives people a high standard of morals to try to follow."

"Christianity means going to church occasionally and being good to your neighbors."

Are any of these ideas about Christianity true? No! Though held by many people, each of these thoughts are wrong. Christianity is not just one among many religions. Nor does it simply call for a person to be good and attend church.

Christianity stands unique among all the world’s religious systems because it’s founder, Jesus Christ, is the Son of God. He came to Earth to reveal God to us in human form. This is true of no other religion. Jesus Christ is not simply another human being. He is God!

Therefore salvation (release) from the guilt of sin is possible only through Him. He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). "Salvation is found in no one else" (Acts 4:12).

A Christian is not someone who simply attends church, tries to be good on his own, or attempts to build up merit before God. Rituals and good deeds will not make you a Christian; you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And this is possible only when you admit that you are a sinner and you turn to Him for forgiveness of your sins. That is why Jesus died on the cross; to bear your sins so that you can receive Him as your Savior. When you do, He will forgive you and give you eternal life. Then as a child of God, you can have fellowship with Jesus Christ in prayer, and you can depend upon Him for help each day. This is what Christianity is all about; salvation from sin and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

This wonderful relationship can be yours only by faith, that is, only by trusting in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. All your efforts to save yourself or to gain peace with God are in vain. All other religions are based on human efforts, trying to be good enough to please one’s god or gods. But no one ever knows if he has done enough good works.

By contrast, the Bible says we can never work enough for our salvation. Instead God offers it as a free gift. "The gift of God is eternal life" (Romans 6:23). And this gift must be received by faith. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Church attendance, baptism, kind deeds....none of these will ever be enough to get you to heaven. "He saved us, not because of righteous [good] things we had done, but because of his mercy" (Titus 3:5).

Becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, is possible only because of God’s grace. Grace is His favor which we don’t deserve. Because He offers us the gift of eternal life freely, we can’t do anything to build up any merit before God. In other religions, people try to reach God by their own efforts. But in Christianity, God has reached down to us, and in His love He offers us the gift of eternal life....for free! "[We] are justified freely by his grace" (Romans 3:24). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Will you trust Jesus Christ now as your personal savior? If you will do so, you will receive God’s free gift of eternal life and forgiveness of your sins. Turn to Him now in faith, realizing you can do nothing to save yourself. To become a Christian, pray a prayer something like this:

God, I confess that I am a sinner, and I realize I can’t save myself. So I ask Jesus to save me from my sin by forgiving me and giving me the wonderful gift of eternal life. I trust Him now as my Savior. Amen.


If you have prayed this prayer, please answer the poll.

Astreja

I had an opportunity to say the Sinner's Prayer some thirty years ago, and balked because it sounded wrong and felt wrong. At age fifty, my revulsion has deepened even more.

I reject Christianity because I reject the concepts of Original Sin, blood sacrifice, and substitutionary atonement. About the only thing in the entirety of the Gospels that I can stomach is Matthew 25:35-40.

Og

I am Christ.

Sadly, not an option in the poll.

I understand the value of the above attitude as an opiate for large masses of people, but honestly, what Jesus was trying to tell you was that you should look in a mirror and see God. That's what he realized. He realized that he was God.

You can't change the fact that YOU ARE IT. All you can do is ignore it willfully or because you've been deceived. That is the meaning of the Fall From Eden into Sin.

May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you.

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
The self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships
You & I, no distinction. - Tat Tvam Asi
Become Who You Are

Tomasz

__________________
It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts - Sherlock Holmes

Og

The virgin birth is a metaphor for his life. The death and resurrection is the metaphor for his teachings

It's not animal passions. It's fears and desires and good and evil. You must die to these forces in the world in order to truly live. That's the metaphor of christ's teachings.

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
The self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships
You & I, no distinction. - Tat Tvam Asi
Become Who You Are

Tomasz

The middle path of buddhism ?

__________________
It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts - Sherlock Holmes

Og

Yes, all religions share this elementary idea. "The straight and narrow" etc..

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
The self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships
You & I, no distinction. - Tat Tvam Asi
Become Who You Are

Herra1

Again. Dear Og, What is THE metphor/s of these Jesus teachings ?
Really.
Tell me.

"5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also." Matt 5:40

Or this
"15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread." Matt 15:1-2.

Og

Yes, this is one of the reasons for the schism with modern culture and christianity. It's based on rules that are completely out of date.. pharisees, elders, goat farmers and shepards...

The elementary idea is lost when it is not communicated in terms of the modern culture. This is the job of the artist. It's why star wars and similar films speak to us. They also speak to this elementary idea. Luke in the trenches attacking the death star with vader on his tail is the same as christ on the cross... etc... It's letting go to the fears and desires and finding truth in the divine ground of being (i.e. the force).

It's an elementary idea that has been around long since before christ.. Particularly in the east. It's not a surprise that christ rose up at the time he did given the integration of east/west cultures that started with the persian incursion into the west followed by alexander's response, the roman silk road, and the missionaries of ashoka the great of india.

Things like your hand washing quote above are part of the expression of the elementary idea of transcendence in terms of the folk forms of the time in which it was written.

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
The self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships
You & I, no distinction. - Tat Tvam Asi
Become Who You Are

Herra1

I think our understanings of his teachings are many, many miles apart.

The coat. Do not defend yourself. Rather, submit to someone who has a law by his/hers side. Dosent matter if it is legimit or not.
Nazi Germany or Stalins Russia.

Washing hands. Do not wash your hands before you eat.
Before Jesus came, the diciples were taught to wash their hands when they were going to eat, Jesus changed ALL that.