... can you lead some of the more simple-minded among us through that apparent contradiction and explain how on EARTH what you believe does not constitute religion?
2007-02-20 12:39:46 · 22 answers · asked by Bad Liberal 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
*That is just propaganda to make Christians feel special. They claim they have a personal relationship with Christ and funny thing is, nowhere in the bible does it even suggest such a thing. They use that to excuse them from obeying what Christ commanded.*
2007-02-20 12:49:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
The word "Christian" comes from the Greek word christianos which is derived from the word christos, or Christ, which means "anointed one." A Christian, then, is someone who is a follower of Christ.
The first use of the word "Christian" in the Bible is found in Acts 11:26, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." It is found only twice more in Acts 26:28 and 1 Pet. 4:16.
Moreover, The true Christ is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:8): Jesus. It is important to note that it is the true Christ that makes someone a Christian. Not what man has establised on earth.
2007-02-20 12:48:27 · answer #2 · answered by Jo 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I like your question. I do not have a religion, but I am a Christian at heart. Some ppl like me realize that religion can sometimes distract from the word of God. I go to a non-denominational church. We focus on the word and teach and learn. In high school, all of my friends had a religion. When I asked them how come you have to give tithes, they basically said "I don't know, it's what God tells us." Well, they were right God tells us that, but they didn't understand that it was said. Now I asked my paster at my non-denominational church and he knew exactly where it was. Look in Mikaki (sorry for spelling) 3:8-10. The bible is like the instructions for life and afterlife. Everything you go through has been gone through before you in the word. That's where you'll find your answers, too. So excuse me if I don't belive in what i should wear, where to pray, what to eat, what to sing, what to play.... again it's a distraction to the word.
2007-02-20 12:55:24 · answer #3 · answered by rosepassions 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religion is a system
I don't have a system. I am not a member of any denomination. I have attended some churches, their Bible studies.
I read the Bible and Pray.
I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior.
I believe in what the Bible says about Him.
I believe That God wrote the Bible.
He did it through men. Inspiration is what it is called.
I seek the truth of God's word.
I don't buy into their particular belief systems. Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal
Catholic, or any other.
That is the best I can do.
2007-02-20 12:54:01 · answer #4 · answered by chris p 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christianity is based on Salvation which is a free gift and is not by works which any man should boast. See Romans 1. Religion is based on doing good works to measure up to righteousness. Remember God said that all your righteousness is like filthy rags. Your good works (religion) doesn't mean anything to God without the remission of sin. God requires a relationship with man not a religionship.
2007-02-20 13:09:15 · answer #5 · answered by charmaine f 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People who are ..."religious"...show an outward sign of their faith by boasting and priding themselves with their traditions of men so everyone can see how "holy" they are and how much "religiousness" they have. While at the same time they lack a true inner faith or have none at all. Showing a form of Godliness but denying it's power...........People who are followers of Christ fully commit themselves to His teachings and are true and faithful servants. With the inner strength and power of God's Holy Spirit that lives within them, they follow all of God's Commandments and spread the Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ to the world; The Kingdom of God is coming, repent! believe! so many people may also come to be saved.......True Christians are not ..."all show and no go".... They live by every word of God. They do not bury the truth of their faith in the ground so nobody else can have it. That would be very un-Christ like now wouldn't it?
2007-02-20 15:08:17 · answer #6 · answered by SLEDGE 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
religion is just a word the bible actually says in ...James 1:27... Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. So actually it is a matter of speaking of true righteousness before God which is to serve someone else before yourself....Over the years the word religion has been used to describe ...a form of godliness but denying the power of God ...Christians serve God and have Pure religion according to James 1:27...we basically try as much as Godly possible to refrain from what appears to be right without being right....I when talking of other organizations ...use that word itself organization...not religion...because back in the day in a song they sang "IGot my religion"..in an old hymn...my religion is just what the bible says to serve others through the Love of Jesus Christ...God bless
2007-02-20 12:56:18 · answer #7 · answered by soldier612 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
those who adopt the form of protestantism furthest removed from the original reformation churches are the ones formed by the Great Awakening in the United States. They base their religion on a simplistic and unscholarly interpretation of the Bible and read do so outside of its historical religious context, while reading back into the Bible a worldview that discounts that religious context. Therefore, they believe they have successfully separated their faith from their religion and choose to reject the relgion. Another piece is that they have faith and reason so intertwined that they reject compartmentalism in matters of faith, as well as in other areas of life.
2007-02-20 13:00:20 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The word religion is a man made word. For me I don't particularly like the word religion because there's only one God.
A Christian is a Christian no matter the denomination or "religion"
The word religion is not a biblical word, but it's a word that helps define the different denominations and beliefs
2007-02-20 13:01:15 · answer #9 · answered by grandmabonnie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a Christian, I personally think that the whole claim is stupid. I think that many people who say that misunderstand what religion is. Pharisees, from the Bible, weren't only religious, they had a false religion. Not all religion is bad, and I don't think the word religion can even be contrasted to a "relationship" - in fact, I think a Christian should have both, in a sense. The Bible says that religion that God, our father, accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. God, our father, accepts a religiong as pure and faultless, so to say that Christianity isn't about religion is ludicrous. It better be! Christianity is also about the relationship to God, however, and I think that is what most Christians are talking about when they say that Christianity isn't about religion. Religion, in my opinion, is the outward expression of the relationship...or something like that.
2007-02-20 12:47:31 · answer #10 · answered by sarcrl 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I am a Baptist.
I believe that having a relationship with the one real God is the only way to go to heaven after I die. I believe that if I do not have a relationship with Him, I will go to hell.
Whether or not that is a religion depends on the exact definition of a religion. It is my belief, though.
2007-02-20 12:49:24 · answer #11 · answered by awr226 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋