"The ancient Greek word "mysteria" comes from the word "myein", meaning to initiate."
The act of baptism, for example, is one version of an initiation.
"In the language of the early Christians the mysteries were those religious teachings that were carefully guarded from the knowledge of the profane. An example is the Secret Gospel of Mark, which was preserved from profane view in Alexandria, and is now known only through chance references in a letter of Clement of Alexandria. The "sayings" Gospel of Thomas expresses mysteries that were confided by Jesus to Thomas alone, according to the manuscript, and the traditions of early Christian Gnosticism were based on esoteric information available only to disciples."
"Though these traditions were marginalized by mainstream Pauline Christianity and eventually declared 'heretical', it has been suggested that Christianity had its origin in a mystery of initiates. According to this view, Christianity began as a Jewish adaptation of Greek mystery religion, and that Paul developed Christianity in another, more public, Hellenized direction, ultimately more acceptable to mainstream Roman culture."
"These gnostic views are wholly rejected by almost all Christian groups in the world today. Indeed, it is believed that many of the New Testament authors wrote specifically to refute gnostic heresies."
2006-07-10 20:54:57
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answer #1
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answered by Jim T 6
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Because it strengthens the belief that one needs a church, and by extension, it's agents, to connect with God...the more information you have about the true nature of the universe, the less you need anyone else telling you what to believe...and believing for yourself is very bad business for religion...so by keeping the church "mysterious", they can also keep you afraid of the unknown. If there is a God, I cannot believe he wanted you to be afraid of the dark...
2006-07-10 20:48:55
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answer #2
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answered by taishar68 2
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The early Oneness believers were commonly used as "modalists." regrettably even as the Trinitarian view became the "respectable" view of Christianity, the writings of the modalists were destroyed. All we ought to bypass on to carry close what they believed are references to them contained in the writings of Trinitarian church fathers. Piecing at the same time the writings of Tertullian, Justyn Martyr, and others, one well-knownshows that the early modalists held a view very very like contemporary Oneness Pentecostals. God has continually had a remnant of believers. Jesus suggested that the gates of hell would not succeed antagonistic to His Church. And Oneness believers ought to correctly be chanced on contained in the writings of the total thing of church heritage. David ok Bernard has a number of books on Oneness and Trinity in church heritage, that are likely the perfect i have chanced on so a procedures. no matter if someone ought to correctly be kept whose journey does no longer line up completely with a Biblical new beginning journey or how a procedures you ought to deviate from that journey and nevertheless be kept, i do no longer understand. that is totally as a lot as God. yet, as my Apostolic brothers and sisters have noted, the Biblical plan of salvation, it extremely is repeated over and once extra contained in the e book of Acts, is repentance, baptism contained in the call of Jesus Christ, and receiving the present of the Holy Ghost followed by employing conversing with different tongues because the Spirit supplies the utterance (Acts 2:38; Acts 10; Acts 19). even as requested what one might want to do to be kept, it extremely is the answer i will continually provide them, because it extremely is the Bible answer. One's personal salvation is the single maximum significant element for them to be in contact with on someone aspect. All coaching aside on the nature of the Godhead, criteria of holiness, etc., one must be fairly efficient that she or he has had a Biblical conversion journey. that is why i'm always admonishing others in this website to be fairly efficient that they have got were given salvation acceptable. because if one receives it incorrect, the outcomes are everlasting. Apostolic Believer in a unmarried God, JESUS
2016-11-06 04:55:36
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answer #3
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answered by heyder 4
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religion originated in the ancient sumer civilization when the goverment made up stories about angry gods to keep people under control. people began to worship those gods and that is how religion was born
2006-07-10 20:48:22
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answer #4
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answered by Dorkchop 2
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Because they don't want anyone to look too closely at their beginnings. If you did, you'd realize that it was started just to be a political entity. The whole god myth is just that - a myth.
2006-07-10 20:49:49
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answer #5
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answered by Jolly1 5
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no its not a mystery..search for trusted sorces of history you'll know everyhing...some from other relegoins try to burry the christian history....because of horrible things they did to christians!
2006-07-10 20:58:39
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answer #6
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answered by donia f 4
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u mean the vatican? maybe it's because of all its historical coverups, who knows.
2006-07-10 20:51:15
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Where does it say that?
2006-07-10 21:25:01
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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