Christians! I'm probably going to regret this but...?

Question

If we spend all our time arguing denominational issues on y/a and in life, what time is there left to actually do what Christ commanded of us?
I see nothing that He said that indicates that we are to try to convert our fellow Christians to Christianity.
Why are we going around in circles and wasting our time and energy debating whether fundamentalist Christians are different from Catholics who are looked upon by other denominations as...
I've seen people say on here that Catholics aren't Christians! Well, if they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and that He died for them to save them from their sins and that He is the Son of God that qualifies them as Christians. Did I miss any of the basic qualifications?
Please, let's respect each other, in Jesus' Name.

Wow, Zenbull, thanks! Jesus said that even the demons would believe...I did forget to mention the most important thing: and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. I guess that just goes to show how imperfect I am, even when seriously trying to communicate what I consider to be a key issue.

Answer 1

I agree with you. There isn't going to be a Methodist section, Baptist section, Catholic section, Pentecostal section, non-denominational section, and so on in heaven. There will simply be people that worship and love Christ with all their being. In John 13:34 we are told to love each other as Christ as loved us. In 1 John 4:7-21, John preaches emphatically on the fact that loving others is directly connected to loving God. Also, we are always being watched. If we are busy arguing with one another, someone out there will see it and refuse to become a Christian because of our behavior. It's truly self-defeating for the kingdom to act in this way. We need to strive for unity!

Answer 2

If my denomination didn't say we are the true Christians, then what keeps my people from converting to other denominations?

And if we didn't try to convert others, then how is my denomination going to grow? The biggest denomination will have the newest and nicest churches in the most locations. This is just a consequence of being religious in America (or the West), where money is just as important as faith. Also, Christians believe you can convert Jews and Muslims (and Native Americans and African slaves) into Christianity, whereas Jews and Muslims don't separate their faith from their race.

I don't know about Muslims, but the Jews were more concerned with growing their faith by making more Jews (having lots of children) within strict guidelines (everything in Leviticus). This leads to my theory of why all the Abrahamic religions condemn homosexuality: if you don't make babies, you can't preserve the race/faith and your people will be taken over by Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia or (insert foreign superpower here).

Answer 3

Catholics are not fully following the teachings of Christ in the bible.while they believe Jesus Christ as the Son of God. and these are some mistakes and wrong beliefs of the Catholics>: Baptizing newly born child or children of young age, Repeated prayers which are not actually prayers but praising virgin mary,worshipping virgin Mary as God, praying to man made images and claimed to be God, kneeling to the pope and worshipping him , making the pope as the head of the church , calling the pope and the preist as father, making celebrations which are not biblical, belief of traditions and customs, eating of the blood, doing teachings and doctrines coming from the pople but not biblical like the communion, the 7 sacraments, celebration on the death of Christ is wrong, making December 25 as the birth of Jesus Christ and many other things to prove that it is not t rue christian religion.
jtm

Answer 4

protestant or catholic’
cried a voice from the crowd
‘not you again st peter’
I was thinking aloud
should have packed my bags
headed off for the coast
had my time already come
to meet the heavenly host?

they switched on their halos
adjusted their harps
checked that the blades
on the pearly gates were sharp
I asked them what they meant
about religious bent
they said ‘that’s the test’
I said ‘that’s the test-ah-meant’

they were giving holy orders
I think you’ll find
I was up against persuasion
of the religious kind

it was hailing marys
at the drop of a tract
said the 7 deadly sins
were staying round at my flat
I pondered on the churches
of england and rome
hadn’t paid the rent
for my spiritual home
needed guidance from the leaders
whose names I knew
archbishop…
and john player number two
I quaked in my sackcloth
threw away my joss-stick
burned my koran and said I was agnostic
‘I mean an atheist’ I cried
as they moved in for the kill
the walls tumbled down as they
handed me the bill

they weren’t impressed
with my distinctions
I think you’ll find
that I was up against persuasion
of the religious kind

a lamb to the slaughter
a human sacrifice
I told their spiritual leader
his sceptre looked nice
a hymn book skimmed my ear
but I was only grazed
I dived for cover
as the sawn-off bibles blazed
in the gore I gasped
‘was it something I said?’
then a solid granite altar
hit me on the head
a collection plate plunged into my groin
they marched off discussing
the battle of the boyne

as I expired I was thinking
they’d been rather unkind
but I was up against persuasion
of the religious kind

bleeding and naked
I was somewhat at a loss
the good samaritan was drinking
at the sign of the cross
recalling their question I felt totally alone
as I peered out from underneath
the tablets of stone
in the gutter lay the crushed
remains of a bible
it proclaimed their grievances
were purely tribal
they made me see the light
for that I offer my thanks
I was collared by the dogs
now I’ve joined their ranks

onward christian soldiers
I hope you don’t mind
being afflicted by religion
of the persuasive kind

now if you’re visiting some irish town
the politicians’ heads stuck in the ground
and the only bell ringing has a
graveyard sound

someone’s got to stand up or
nothing’s gonna change
till religion

Answer 5

Preach it sister, the truth is Christ. Finally a call to Christian unity. I'd appreciate a hug from a Catholic, and I'd give one too.

In truth I drive by many chruches, and I feel the hand of God on most all of them, all denominations, But I'm guess I'm weird that way. I figure that any church that is putting forth Christ is ok in my book, and My Book is His Book AMEN

al 4 now b

Answer 6

Jesus did tell us to go into a city & preach the gospel but if that city will not receive you leave & shake off the dust of thy foot as a testimony against that city, for it will be better that you never had went into that city then to go & they reject you, because they not only rejected you, but they rejected me also. Friend, I say this as humble as I can & as polite as I can, I can not compromise with anything that is not truth as Jesus Brought it unto his Apostles, Yes, I will pray for them, & No I won't reject them if I have to work with them, I am now retired, & I had to work with mockers, Unbelievers, & Make believers, & Athiests & Muslims, & not one time did I treat them bad. Many of them thank me when I retired for living the True Christian life before them, never think that these people don't know how a Christin is to live. I left my testimony with them, I even went back a few times to visit my fellow employees, & they still thank me for the life I lived before them, yes even atheists, thank me, & one atheists died 5 years befor I retired, & just about 10 days before he died, he called my house for prayer, I wonder why. Maybe he finally knew there was a God. Why else would he call me.

Answer 7

Many Catholics (not all) believe that Jesus' death on the cross is not enough to save them.....i.e. God's grace is not enough. One of my ex-boyfriends, who is Catholic , explained it by saying that Jesus "opened the door" to heaven, but St. Peter wouldn't necessarily let him go through it. He can never be sure he's done enough "good things", attended enough masses, said enough Hail Marys or prayed the rosary/to saints enough. All of this is contrary to the Bible, which says that faith, and only faith in Christ, will save you. That is the problem.....Catholics are considered Christians by general definition, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll end up in heaven.

Added: 100% agreement with Kait's answer.

Answer 8

The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.

It is impossible to give a universal statement on the salvation of all members of any denomination of Christianity. Not ALL Baptists are saved. Not ALL Presbyterians are saved. Not ALL Lutherans are saved. Salvation is determined by personal faith in Jesus alone for salvation, not by titles or denominational identification. Despite the unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, there are genuine believers who attend Roman Catholic churches. There are many Roman Catholics who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. However, these Catholic Christians are believers despite what the Catholic Church teaches, not because of what it teaches. To varying degrees, the Catholic Church teaches from the Bible and points people to Jesus Christ as the Savior. As a result, people are sometimes saved in Catholic churches. The Bible has an impact whenever it is proclaimed (Isaiah 55:11).

Answer 9

Even if you spend 3 hours/day on R&S, you'll still have plenty of time to do what Christ has commanded us to do. So come on and join the fun.

Answer 10

Romans 1: 29-32 Gives a long list of inconvenient traits that seem to displease God in general, and seem to speak directly to your question.

[28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, DEBATE, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31{{{{{Without understanding}}}}, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.]

God bless.