WHEN CHRISTIANS GET IT WRONG Christians and Other

WHEN CHRISTIANS GET IT WRONG Christians and Other Religions

Young adults, who have grown up in a more multicultural world than previous generations may have a difficult time believing that people will suffer eternally in hell just because they did not call upon the name of Jesus Christ.

One young adult said that he had problem with the Christian faith because they claimed that they have a God of love, a God of compassion, and God of forgiveness, but if you do not confess Jesus Christ as your Savior then you’re gonna burn in hell.

Many of these young adults have moved away from organized religion. If we wish to draw them back into community with us, then we need to learn how to discuss these subjects with them.

If it is your belief that anyone who does not profess Christ as their savior will spend an eternity in hell, then you need to explain why this does not apply to: • Babies and young children • People who have not had a chance to hear about Jesus • People who died before Christ was born

In this discussion, when we talk about other religions, we are referring Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc. For people of other religions such as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, what do you believe happens to these people after death?

What does the word religion mean? Religion - a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons.

Do all Christians believe the same thing? Do all Protestants believe the same thing? Do all Methodists believe the same thing? Do all people in this class believe the same thing?

We are dealing with beliefs which may or may not be true or facts. Have any of your beliefs changed over time, if so, what? If you had to sit down and tell someone what you believe in, in terms of religion, what would you tell them?

Remember that we now call Christianity began as nothing more than a Jewish sect. Two things happened that had major effects on Christianity’s split from Judaism. In 50 AD, the Council in Jerusalem decided what would be required of Gentile converts. In 70 AD, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and Sacrificial Judaism moved to Rabbinical Judaism.

The Nicene Creed (about 325 AD) United Methodist Hymnal We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Apostle’s Creed (around 390 AD) I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The first Christians were no more than a Jewish sect. When they started breaking away from Judaism, several different groups formed, each with their on beliefs. The beliefs I just showed are the ones we have because a group called Proto-orthodoxy won the war of words among these groups.

The earliest Christian communities had an enormous variety of viewpoints and attitudes and approaches. By the end of the second century, the hierarchies of bishops, priests and deacons emerge in various communities and claim to speak for the majority. The others were declared as heresies. Other groups included: • Ebionites • Marcionites • Gnostics (many forms)

If the Ebionites had won, then our beliefs would have included: • Christianity would not be a religion only a Jewish sect, we would have converted to Judaism along with eating kosher, and circumcision • Jesus was the expected Messiah • No virgin birth • Jesus was only human • Jesus kept God’s law perfectly • No more sacrifice needed after crucifixion • Rejected all writings of Paul, kept Matthew • Probably vegetarians

If the Marcionites had won, then our beliefs would have included: • Nothing Jewish about it, no Jewish customs and traditions, no OT scriptures • People saved by faith, not works • Two Gods, one of the Jews and the God of Jesus • Jesus was not human, only appeared to be • New Testament was only 11 books, mainly the letters of Paul • Like Thomas Jefferson, Marcion removed all verses from the NT that opposed his views

The Gnostics thought that the Proto-orthodox views were inadequate and superficial but not wrong. Gnostics confessed orthodox creeds, read their scriptures, and accepted their sacraments. The Gnostics felt that they were spiritually superior to the Orthodox people because they had superior knowledge of the divine truth. They were the enemy within the orthodox churches, considering themselves to be spiritually elite. The had learned the secrets.

• They were believers in Christ, but they heard a different message from Jesus. • They had beliefs, as we all do, but they did not insist they had the corner on interpreting the world or God. • The place to find God was within oneself, not in externals like beliefs, dogma, or dictates of the church. • Their interpretation was that we could experience the living Christ and God, by seeking God. • Your faith is not what you believe about Christ but your relationship with Him.

Gnostics believe in finding their own truth, and don’t believe in “hell, ” “sin, ” or that Jesus came to die for our sins -– but was a human messiah who served as a living example of how we should think and behave. They believe that Christ was a divine emissary, totally spiritual that entered the body of the human Jesus at baptism and left Him to suffer the crucifixion alone. Church members believe in an all-loving, allmerciful and benevolent God.

For me, one of the problems we face today is that we tend to get so caught up in what we believe and defending those beliefs, that we don’t spend enough time on understanding what Jesus actually said and taught.