is christinity a power struggle, or does it really offer a viable religion?

Question

Is Christianity a power struggle, or does it really offer a viable religion?

sorry for the mis-type :)

Answer 1

I think that it was, well not the religion, but the people that had the "top jobs"
I mean in the Middle Ages the bible came out in English, where the King ensured that some of the translation was interrupted in such a way, that both the Royal Family, and therefore the religion, did not suffer.

Answer 2

The problem is that Christianity is not one thing.
Their is the Roman Catholic Church with its enormous wealth and power base, particularly historically.
There are the Friends, almost the complete opposite.
There is the primitive US style, who believe that success proves the love of god and that you can get wealth through prayer.
Then there are the missionary types who feel they have to go out and shout at people and make them sit in halls looking at the chicken dinner they will get at the end of the sermon.
I also know churches where people are possessed and fall to the ground writhing, these churches are usually claiming to heal the sick.
All these people and more are part of what is called Christianity, but they do not have much in common.
there is not really a viable religion there, if you want that you have to pick the bits that make sense to you.
The question I always ask myself is this, almost every where, even in the poorest countries, the minister is almost always dressed up in fancy clothes. No one believes that Jesus dressed himself up, so why do they? What is that all about?

Answer 3

SJTRobertShaw -- you are so wrong buddy. It is a power struggle. Religion and Church's use this idea/concept of god to get people to follow their beliefs. Yes...their intentions appear good. But in reality if you're a true Christian not a hypocritical Christians (one who says they're Christian but don't follow the Church or its teachings) then you do what the Church says. If the Church says vote for Bush 'cause Al Gore is evil and a sinner, guess what...the Church is pretty powerful.

Power comes in masses, the more people that believe the **** the Church feeds the more powerful the Church becomes. Look gay marriage is banned in most of the country because of the Church...Abortions, hell you can't even watch Passions of the Christ or the Davinci Code without the Church (Catholic) condemning you. Don't kid yourself. The Church is very corrupt and all about power.

The funny thing is, they stole the whole concept from the early Greeks, Romans, and other cultures that made up this god stuff. There is no god. It's funny how many billions of people fall for that lame joke of a concept.

But I always say...If you're gonna go to hell, go because you chose to. Not because you followed some bullshit church and did what they asked believing they were right. Put your fate in your own hands, not in the hands of some corrupt *****.

Answer 4

Both, that's part of the confusion.

Different members of a congregation, or a hierarchy, may be putting in, and getting out, very different things while to all appearances belonging to the same organisation.

The power struggles may be as small (and as bitter ) as the place on the flower-rota at the local church, or in organising the local fete, or as large as intriguing around the election of the next pope. But that doesn't represent the intent or behaviour of many Christians for whom it is a faith first and last, not a potential power-base.

Answer 5

Christianity is a power struggle mainly between the Eastern Orthodox [Greek] Church and the Western Catholic Church.

Back in time each of the above churches represented the state religion of their half of the late Roman Empire. They have been at loggerheads ever since.

Curiously, the Island of Britain was for a couple of hundred years under the domain of the Eastern Orthodox Church - that was in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.

Why is that? The first Christian state religion of the Roman Empire was the Orthodox Church. It just so happens that the Govenor of Britain in the 3rd century AD was a Roman called Constantine the Great.

Constantine left Britain taking with him two Legions of the Romano British Army [Dragons] and marched on Rome. Constantine, a convert to Orthodox Christianity, had decided that the new Christian religion would become the new state religion of the Roman Empire.

The City of Rome [ROMA SPQR] would not accept the new Christian Religion. Constantine continued his march as far east as a land we now call Turkey. There, Constantine founded a new city, calling it "Constantinople".

Constantinople [Istanbul] was the centre of the Greek [Eastern Empire] Orthodox Church - the first State Religion of the Roman Empire.

When Saint Augustin arrived in Britain, he was appauled to find the people worshiping God and Jesus in what he thought of as a foreign manner, un-Catholic. It was much worse than that, because the British still worshiped their ancient gods too. It was quite common practice for example to go in the morning to the temple of Venus and then to a church in the afternoon.

Somehow, through it all and inspite of the struggle, the British have hung on to this idea of religious freedom. It forms part of English Common Law and is writ large across the US Constitution, Declaration of Human Rights, Bill of Rights whatever, etc.

I have heard that the Roman Catholic Church are to start an important dialogue with the Greek Orthodox Church on the issue of past mistakes made at Rome by the Catholic Church in respect of the Orthodox Christian Church.

The Royal Coptic Church of Egypt [the Copts] is the oldest Christian Church on Earth. JESUS CHRIST in Egypt.

Answer 6

true christianity is not about a power struggle nor is it a religion. Religion is man-made and while it was given the name Christianity, it is actually a way of life - a following of the teachings of Christ and God.

There is no power struggle really except between good and evil - God and the Devil. But God is the Ultimate strength and Satan has already lost but in the meantime he is allowed to roam this earth using us gullible and imperfect humans as nothing more than pawns.

True Christianity is a willing spirtuality. You have the choice to either follow it or not. Christ's teachings are nothing but pure and good. There is no condemnation except in the things that God deems as wrong - which are obvious to anyone - except we often try to turn what is wrong and justify it as right just because we are selfish creatures who like to think we do not have to answer to any higher authority.

But it's not struggle. You either accept it or you don't. Your choice - your life - your soul - your eternity....you do as you will. Anyone who tries to force it on you is in the wrong because God does not force love.

Answer 7

Roman Catholic theology is sound and viable. The Roman Catholic Church has some serious managerial problems, but its theology is sound and viable.

What you might be confused with is in the 2,000 year history of the Roman Catholic Church, church & state was not seperated in the greater part of the Catholic Church's existance. Bishops, Cardinals, and Popes also had political power as well as eclesiastical power. So a Pope could declare a religious war as quick as an emporer could declare a political war. Bishops could judge you for heresy and sentence you to death as quick as a Sheriff could judge you for sedition and sentence you to death.

Today in the States Church & State are seperated so you don't see too many Bishops holding court over a heretic anymore.

Answer 8

Its a struggle but not one of power. The basic tenents of Christianity are:-

1) lead a good life
2) be kind to one another

These are a struggle for everyone.

I don't see any evidence of it being a power struggle.

It's the world's most wide-spread religion and one of the oldest so I fail to see how one can argue it is not viable.

Answer 9

The only power struggle is between the so called religious leaders, the average Christian and Muslim really don't care they just want to go to church or the mosque in peace, personally I don't do any off it I am a non believer.

Answer 10

I think it's a way to justify what humans have done to the earth. If we tell ourselves that we are the only animals that god cares about and the rest of them are our birthday presents then we don't feel so depressed about annihilating about a thousand lives and destroying a good chunk of a beuatiful thing every time we build a parking lot.