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Subject: Christianity a religion?? Author: James [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 16:28:55 09/27/00 Wed I don't believe that Christianity is a religion in of itself. Let's look at what makes a religion... Basically religion is based on what YOU do. YOU perform rituals, YOU meditate, YOU do things. That is a religion. Christianity is not based on what you or I do, it is based on what Jesus has already done. Sure people have Christian relgions, which are relgions based on what Jesus has done. They are ways people react to that. But it's what THEY do. Christianity is not a religion in that sense. So in other words you don't have to belong to any organized church to be in the Church of the body of Jesus Christ. You only need to believe that he dies and rose again and that through him your sins are forgiven. That's all it takes to be a Christian. The rest of it is based on what you as a person do. That makes the religion. Let's look at the Christian "rituals" that every church does. Three things... 1) baptism: Baptism is not a ritual that human beings perform. It is a requiement given to us by God. He ordered us to baptize the nations. And it's more about what God does for us than what we do for God. Baptism is a means of grace that God instills in us through baptism. So it is something he does for us and not a ritual that we perform for him. 2) Communion (lords supper): Again many think it's a ritual that we perform. But again the communion is not about what WE do for God. It's about the forgiveness and grace he gives us through the bread and wine. Yes we actually recieve forgiveness and grace with the bread and wine. We recieve into our bodies the blood and body of Jesus Christ, (in with and under the bread and wine, or if Catholic actually in the bread and wine). So it's not something we do to remember Jesus Although we do remember him when we do this, but it is about Him forgiving us. Not us honoring him...frankly we could never do im credit... 3) Prayer: Prayer is not meditation. I've been thinking about this one. I have nothing against meditatioin, however I do not believe prayer is meditation. What is it then? Communication with God. Actully talking to Him and Him actually listening to us. I firmly believe prayer is like talking to your best friend. Is talking to your best friend a ritual? No. Now to me rituals referr to something WE do, so it does not fit into these catagories. that's my take on it.... [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]