You say christians are wrong and bad and all that stuff, ok. Who here would believe in their faith so strongly that they could take the challenge of going to a christian church one time and just listen to the sermon? Afterwards, ask questions if you have them, but be open minded like you say you are..
2006-06-19 17:32:04 · 12 answers · asked by qtee 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am a christian. And I respect you and what your trying to do. I think it is always good to ask questions. People should be ope minded about Christianity. Telling people about God does not make them bad, not at all!
2006-06-19 17:39:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
The giant problem with your suggestion is that the places that have "Christian" in their name do not teach the same thing. They are Churches, eccelesial communities, or cults. You have no idea what a person could learn just by walking into any old building. Anti-Christian, Anti-God, and Anti-Scripture sermons are spoken of all the time.
I understand what you are trying to do, but it is no guarantee that a person will get to understand what real Christianity is about.
If you are interested in challenging non-Christians, challenge them by your love for them. Be kind, gentle, and tender hearted. Correct error in truth. There is a famous Buddhist (forgot his name) who once said that the Christian ideal of love is greater than that in Buddhism, but he never saw Christians act that way so he stayed Buddhist.
2006-06-20 01:39:43 · answer #2 · answered by Liet Kynes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, i'm not a christian, although i dont see anything wrong with christianity. i have a fiath i believe very strongly, and in america, its actually quite difficult to get through life without ever setting foot in a church, weddings funerals baptisms, whatever. so i would hazard to say there arent a lot of non christians who havent been to church at some point. as for the sermons, some of them are very nice, some of them are very.... theatrical... some are dead boring. depends on the minister/priest/pastor/reverend. one of my best friends is a catholic priest, and another is the daughter of a minister. we all have different beliefs, we have all been to each others services on a fairly regular basis, and we all have enormous respect for the others faith without once being tempted to join it. its not even really a question of faith. in many ways its simple indoctrination. most (not all) people do not stray from the faith they were raised in. statistically, anything you believe by the time you are five, you believe for the rest of your life. so people stick with what they know, and no amount of exposure to other faiths is going to change their mind, any more than going to synagogue is going to make you a jew, or going to a circle is going to make you a pagan.
2006-06-20 00:44:36 · answer #3 · answered by janushyde01 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a practicing Hindu, former Christian missionary. I have no problem going to other houses of worship. I usually attend a Unitarian-Universalist church on Sundays. I have been on Saturdays to the synagogue of a friend. I have been to a Koran discussion group with some Muslim friends. I have attended circles at the covens of my Pagan friends. I have been to a Zen center with my Buddhist friends and have sat in many churches (Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Mormon) with my friends from each of those religions. As a Hindu I don't believe Christianity is 'wrong' and 'bad'. I believe that all religions, when believed deeply, are paths to God. That the universal truth of the innate nature of the inner Self can be discovered by all people, regardless of what religion they happen to practice. I have no problem going to these different places and participating. My religion does not forbid me from doing that. It teaches me to respect the beliefs of others because they are just yet other perspectives on God. So basically, to answer you question: I already do this, I have already done this in the past, I will continue to do this so long as I am always welcome (it might surprise you to know that some of my friends invited me to their churches only to have their leaders inform them that I was not allowed to attend and thus I was forced to leave so that is why I stress the always welcome aspect).
2006-06-20 03:36:07 · answer #4 · answered by gabriel_zachary 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Been there, done that. I'm open minded but having a concert inside a "church?" Having a book store inside a church? Isn't that why Jesus rebelled at his church once? Just asking.
I'm not Christian or an atheist by far but I'm still finding my one true comfortable space. So far, it's my home, with my kids and hubby.
I do go back and forth though.
2006-06-20 00:37:35 · answer #5 · answered by bitto luv 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Been there, done that, and I bought the t-shirt! LOL...
It IS because I have been open-minded that I recanted and repudiated my personal beliefs that I was being [falsely] taught since my early youth. Then I decided to formally leave the church that I once belonged to and I'm certainly glad that I did...
Or else I wouldn't have found the Truth that I sought.
Peace be with you!
2006-06-20 00:46:08 · answer #6 · answered by Arf Bee 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, great challenge.
i actually first did read your Bible, the word of God. I found a lot of messages about Love, Respect, Understanding. All kinds of rules that i had lived by all my life already. So that was nothing new to me.
I also saw some new things in that Bible. That i had to condemn all my gay friends, that i should not make love to my sweet girlfriend, that i should not eat shellfish, that my girlfriend and i should not get married because we are unevely yolked, that i should kill all sorts of animals for food, that women should obey their husbands. Those rules were kinda new to me, and i chose not to follow them. They seemed kinda silly, and most of them are the opposite of the message of Love, that i followed all my life.
I also took your challenge. I went to church, listened to the priest. He asked us to pray together for a hurricane that was on the other side of the ocean. I imagined he would pray for the victims there, but of course i was wrong. He asked us to pray to make sure that the hurricane would stay at the other side of the ocean, and not reach us.
So, to summit it: The Bible taught me to almost hate others, the Church taught me to be selfish and forget about others.
yeah, i loved that challenge.
2006-06-20 00:44:15 · answer #7 · answered by Thinx 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I spent 20 years of my life in churches, attended Bible college, and have studied the Bible to the point of memorization. I haven't heard a unique sermon in more years than I count. What, exactly am I supposed to learn at this point in my life?
2006-06-20 00:45:21 · answer #8 · answered by Dustin Lochart 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have gone to church many times and read your Bible cover to cover. I dont hate Christians in general just the idiots who insult everyone who dosent think as they do. Blessed be.
2006-06-20 01:01:55 · answer #9 · answered by Ravenhawk 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well i grew up in a catholic church. and i was open minded
i went to assemblies of god and i was open minded
i went to non-denominational christian sermons and i was open minded. i went to bible studies and i was open minded. i went to revivals and i was open minded?
my question is when am i ever going to find an open minded christian that isnt afraid of eternal damnation?
2006-06-20 00:43:25 · answer #10 · answered by mournyngwolf 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋