My fellow Christian brothers and sisters: Do you ever feel sad at how divided our religion of Christianity is?

Question

Now when I say how divided we are I meant in terms of how many sects and denominations there are. Also how would Jesus feel if he were here? Was this one of the reasons that he hated religion?

Answer 1

In a way I feel sad and in a way I am delighted. Let me explain . . .

Division among those who profess to follow Christ is sad in itself, yes. Division among humans is sad, period. I do assure you, however, that true Christianity is not divided at all. True Christian brothers and sisters are united in their love for and obedience to Christ as well as to God. Their love extends beyond the man-made borders of race, ethnicity, money, nationalism and so forth. John 13:35 says love is the identifying mark of true Christians. Christ said: by this all will know you are my disciples – if you love one another. Imagine: those people NOT Christians would recognize the disciples of Christ because of their self-sacrificing love. Why, Christ’s true disciples do not even engage in carnal warfare. How could they fight against their fellow Christians in other countries? And since the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself, and since Christ commanded to love your enemy, how could his followers take up arms against the enemy even though the enemy is not a Christian? No, true Christianity is not divided at all.

Moreover, it was Christ himself who warned, in his profound illustration at Matthew 13:24-43, that there would be counterfeit Christians (weeds) deliberately planted among true Christians (wheat) and that the false would be planted by the enemy (Satan). He made it clear that this would take place early on in the infancy of the Christian congregation and that the counterfeit Christians would not be dealt with until the harvest. Thus, I take delight in the fact that this prophecy has been - and is being - fulfilled. I take delight because I can trust the words of Christ.

Ever see a counterfeit bill? Some of it looks pretty good. But it is not real money, is it? It is illegal and spending it - even innocently - can get you into a lot of trouble. Furthermore, the quantity and quality of counterfeit money varies so that false bills differ from bill to bill to bill. It is useless to try and familiarize oneself with every counterfeit bill that comes into play. Thus, one of the best ways to make sure we are not fooled by counterfeit money is to become so intimately familiar with the real thing that when we see it, we spot the counterfeit quickly.

It is similar with true Christians - the ones that Christ planted. These united brothers and sisters have become so intimately familiar with what is truth, with what is required by God, with what is taught by Christ, that when the counterfeit comes along - they can spot it.

Therefore, Christianity is not divided. The division is among the counterfeit Christians.

As for Jesus hating religion, what he hated was deception and hypocrisy. Religion, strictly speaking, is a form of worship that includes a system of beliefs, doctrines and practices. Thus, the Judaism that Jesus practiced was "religion." Patently, he did not hate it.

But that being intimately familiar with true worship is profoundly important can be seen by Christ's words at John 17:3. It is a matter of (our) life and death. I hope this helped you a bit.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 2

Man took the Bible and translated it so many times that many plain and precious truths have been removed or distorted. That's the reason for all the different divisions and arguments/wars.
Jesus came to earth as an example and a sacrifice for man. He set up His Church on the earth as He wanted it. But man destroyed it again. How He has the patience and tolerance for mankind is only understandable if you believe that He is a God. If only He were here again. Where does it say that He hated religion? He hates hypocrites and those that harm little children that much I do know. Ask a LDS missionary about Jesus Christ. They will fill in the blanks and clear up any misunderstanding that you may have. You do not have to pay for their information. It's all free and they will give you a Book of Mormon free too.
Good Luck and Good Bless.

Answer 3

Wow. This question is at the core of why The Church in the Unites States has lost its way. Most of us are brand conscious, and if you were to ask a Pentecostal how his theology differs from an Assembly of God person, they would have a very difficult time. There are dozens of types of Southern Baptists. Why? At some point we became very concerned about our particular viewpoints, and not our place in the body of Christ. Yes, there are false teachers, and they are to be identified and quarantined. The massive movements toward reconciliation between denominations, racial and ethnic groups in the US is that we are starting to see the impact of the Separatist mentality--"I am of Paul. I am of Apollos." If we are all in Christ, we serve the same Lord and must call The Church to unity IN CHRIST. Outside of Him, The Truth in His Word, there can be no unity. Within His Body, there can be charity and grace to disagree on non-core Biblical doctrines. Unfortunately, you will never get some Catholics to agree that James 2 is in the Bible, nor will you get some Baptists to agree that the Bible does not prohibit consumption of alcohol. Oh, what a force God's people would present if we cared nearly as much about The Kingdom as we do about the carpet in the lobby. I am of Christ--I care not what other labels others may attach. I worship in a local body of believers that is of a denominational label that I do not carry--they are my family and I simply don't care. He is more important to me than the lables. Blessings.

Answer 4

Jesus would never approve of all these present Christian Religions. Not a single one of the first ones lasted past 300 A.D.
Jesus did not hate religion. Jesus was a Jewish Rabi from the David line. And he taught as he was so post to. And he loves all. In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus says he is NOT here to start a new religion, but to fix the Jewish one. Are any of us even taking heed of that?

Answer 5

Yes, it does make me sad. We are the body of Christ on earth. We are dividing not just one another -- we are dividing Christ. We are tearing him apart when we are fussing and fighting over the silly things rather than gathering together under the banner of Christ and going into the world to the people that are in need as ONE united body.

Answer 6

The long and short of it, is that, Division in any form is comdemned in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 1:10

Answer 7

Absolutely! I know that God is not happy that we are a house divided. I've said before that we should let our similarities unite us instead of dwelling on our differences. It's also the reason I consider myself a believer in God and a follower of Christ - a Christian (no denomination!).

God Bless.

Answer 8

Actually, it makes me happy. How can this be? Because Jesus said this would happen.

Why it makes many of you sad, is because the majority of you, do not realize the doctrines you have in common are the reason for the doctrines which separate you.

For whenever leaven entered your dough, you all became incapable of getting it out. Yet, you do not even realize the leaven is there. The leaven with which the majority of you have contaminated the truth is obvious to us though. Easter, Christmas, trinity, hellfire, immortal soul, these are the thing which have caused you divisions, and will continue to do so.

Once you want to learn the truth, and let go of the bad seed with which Satan over sowed your fields, then, and only then will you ever see the possibility of true unity.

Answer 9

Yes however if people ask what is your religion, you should simply say I am a follower of Christ. And that will separate you from the other groups

Answer 10

Yes, it is sad. And seeing people like the poster CJ who attempt to divide even further and post lies makes it even worse.