Here are Christians?
I am; but I am also learning about Judaism as it is my Ancestral religion.
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Here are Christians?
I am; but I am also learning about Judaism as it is my Ancestral religion.
I am, sadly backslid.
I'm a believer!
I too am a believer, but who is a poor excuse for one.
You mentioned that you were looking at Judaism. That is good because you will never understand the New Testament and Christianity until you understand the Old Testament and how the entire thing points to Christ.
This is my opinion and I do not mean to offend anyone. This is the only statement I will make on this topic here and will not debate it. To any one who is Jewish, I respect you as G*d's wife with all due respect.
I'm conflicted. Raised Roman Catholic. I believe the "Book" and would defend anyone's right to worship as they believe. but i have have little faith.Though i do pray from time to time. but i read your question and then walked into my kitchen and saw corn, beets, onions, potatoes and turnips that i pulled from the garden today, i have more faith in those veggies then i do an afterlife. They nourish me now. I have more faith in a collective conscienceless. Like i said, I'm conflicted. yes you could put some big holes in my belifs, i alrady did that. still woking on it.
I am a Baha'i. I believe in Jesus, but also in all the Other Ones.
I have a little Christian upbringing, but mostly my religious views are my own. I believe in a "creator" and a "world unified in harmoniously functioning as a greater organism". My beliefs somewhat reflect those of Native Americans, tho I've had no formal training in any religion.
I was raised by a family that thankfully allowed me to think for myself. I take in all that my senses will allow and that my feeble mortal mind can comprehend, and look upon the world and it's mysteries with open, awed eyes. I'm grateful that my beliefs were not force-fed to me by my parents and peers. They allowed me to believe what I think is right. That said, I could have just as easily been a murderer, as the nice guy you've come to know.
Can the world we live in be some random cosmic accident? hmmm. Somehow I think there is a purpose for all this, and whether you are buddhist, jewish, catholic, or whatever, as long as you believe there is something out there greater than "humans" (whatever the hell "human" means these days) I think we are on the same page.
It would be sort of complicated to explain it all without going into a 4 page essay, so I'll just answer the question "yes".
I Thank the Good Lord (whatever you percieve him to be) for all my blessings. I believe in my heart, that he has many names.
Taken from "Desiderata":
Quote:
...Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you concieve him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
Raised Pentecostal,hardcore bible thumping,tongues speaking,filled with the Holy Ghost sermons.
married a JW... Let my kids decide for themselves what they want to beLIEve.
Yea,I beLIEve in the Father,Son and Holy Ghost,I do not beLIEve in the gooip mongering that went on in the church I was raised in.
Sometimes I think I made a mistake for not taking my kids to a formal church setting when they were growing up,2 have been baptized into the Baptist faith,my daughter describes herself as wiccan......
Raised Methosist and married a Catholic Girl. I still consider myself Methodist but go to the Cathlic Church with my wife. We don't always agree, but we don't fight over it.
Baptist boy from a long line of Baptists in a house full of Catholics. My ggg uncle founded the third Baptist church in Indiana Territory (Illinois) and one was of two preachers that spent a week baptizing folks in the river near New Madrid in the days following the Great New Madrid Earthquake.
Well quite honestly I am of no "formal" religion. I have looked at many different ones, Many say basically the same thing...Be a good person.My beliefs are my own, although I would say closer to Native American(who woulda' thunk it?) than to anything else.... A small amount of teaching/training, in that. I do believe in a Creator. That's as much as I'm gonna' say about Religion....
Raised Methodist.
I am a Christian. My husband and I pastored a small Brazilian church in NC before moving to Brazil. My ministry school teacher is a Messianic Jew, so let me know if you have any questions as you study. I'd be happy to connect the two of you.Quote:
Originally Posted by hoosierarcher
I was raised catholic and even went to Saint Don Bosco school.
I believe everyone has a right to their own beliefs. If you are the type that tries to impose your religion on others. I got a long pig recipe I think would go great with you.
I will expand my op to say I'm a christian. I read the bible once in a blue moon, pray regualrly, don't attend church, don't force my beliefs, and feel everyone should have the right to free religion, or no religion if they choose and I don't look up or down on em for it.
I was raised baptist in KY, went to the muddy river to be baptised, had a preacher who come barreling down the holler drunk off his *** to church every sunday in his big black cadillac. He would scream and yell and tell us we're all goin to hell unless we changed our ways. It was a very stressful and hypocrytical system where everyone got dressed up in their sunday best, prayed in church and then right back to gossiping and sinning all around afterwards. It seemed like everyone was just putting on a show for each other, or just doing it because they had to, and it had nothing to do with god, or jesus, helping one another, or being saved, etc. Luckily, it didn't damage my belief system other than I'm personally against organised religion. But, not against those who practice it. Looking back, maybe it had everything to do with god and jesus.
I thank the lord every day and pray forgiveness for all those who sin against me, and forgivess for my sins against them, in Jesus' name, etc, etc. and I mean it.
Both of my parents were Methodist. We went to church probably on holidays but not much more.
I've studied several. Ascribe to none.
But I do lead a 'christian' life. That is all about how you act and react toward others, not whether you specifically believe in the Holy Trinity.
You've all heard of a "confessional booth," right? Here we go........
I was baptized, confirmed, and married in the Catholic Church.
I was a member of the parish council when I was 30. I guess I asked too many questions, and it didn't seem to bother the other council members when I confronted the pastor and he finally admitted that he grossly misrepresented the purpose of a major fund-raising drive that was underway. I told him that where I came from, we called that "criminal fraud." I resigned and lost all respect for that pastor and every member of the parish council who blindly supported what I knew was simply a theft in progress.
Then, I got divorced, and, in the Catholic Church, THAT is a sin that's apparently worse than molesting alter boys. So, my name is still on the parish roles, but I haven't walked into that church more than a dozen times in the last 20 years.
And then, my office brought a claim against Father James Porter. Remember him? His was the very first well publicized priest child-molester case. Yeah, I heard the word "ex-communicated" memtioned a few times when we tried to get the church to do the right thing.
Over the years, the evidence mounted and convinced me that there was a world-wide institutional conspiracy in the Church to cover-up for thousands of these evil men who had spent decades molesting children and destroying young lives while professing to be doing the work of God. It it all of them? No, but the cancer is widespread throughout the highest levels of the church. I despise hypocrites and I despise corruption.
And so, I will say that I'm a Christian. I believe in God and in Jesus Christ, and I talk to them in my own way whenever and wherever I feel I should. For me, God's altar is wherever I choose to pray.
Radically saved in 1979 & totally delivered from drugs & alcohol. I've studied history, the Bible, and other works to know, not believe that Christ is the Son of God as well as God the Son and was resurrected on the 3rd day. I also know that "religion" is NOT Christianity. I don't go to church, I am the church. I am a devout follower of Yeshua HaMashia (Jesus the Christ in Hebrew) enough to know that Christ taught love, forgiveness, & compassion. I do not preach my faith to others unless asked, and those that do challenge me are quickly sorry that they did as I give them irrefutable evidence of the Resurrection. I will not do so on this forum, however, because this is not the time or place for that. I belong to a Christian Leaders group called "Theophilus Journey" that was started by Glenn kaiser, a Pastor with Jesus People USA (JPUSA) out of Chicago, the same group that hosts the Woodstock style music festival called Cornerstone, at a 600 acre campground a few miles from where I live. Entry into that forum is not open, you have to be invited in and if anyone would like to PM me about wanting to become a member I'll see what I can do. One warning, however, these folks are some of the most well-studied, highly intelligent people you'll ever hope to meet, so discussing anything with them is not always wise. Jon Trott, one of the authors that printed the truth about Mike Warnke's bogus claims is from that ministry. I also hold that none of us who follow Him (Jesus) here are who we'd like to be, that's why he gave us the gift of love. Okay, now I gotta go back to being "crusty old Sarge!" :cool2: (aren't you sorry you asked?:innocent:)
When I lived with my grandparents they were Baptist and I went to church every Sunday, but my parents have no religion really. Married a Christian who is very serious about her religion. I don't go to church and don't want to really. Now I have my own religion I spose. I just try to be a good person and hope that's enough.
I was raised Methodist.
Raised an Independent Fundamentalist.
Interesting how vastly different we all are and still play well together. Even share our toys.
raised roman catholic, a very rich and priveldge lifestyle that i saw and see as nothing but hypocrysy.
been saved a couple of times, once in the youth ranch i spent the rest of my teen yrs at and again when i rode bulls with cody custer, cowboys for christ(i wonder how many times one needs or can be saved) the mountains of arizona cured what ails me(for the most part)
in my core i believ in something. what i don't believe is that i need to go to church on sunday be fake and look at my watch while saying all the right things. what i do is lead by example(will people know i am a christian if they look at me or say" really you are one"
The reason i am so passionate about the fire dept and search and rescue is i think it is a responsible thing to do to help people selflessly and aslo my penance(long story)
Many years ago, I saw several things done by respected members of a couple of different churchs, that turned me off from going to church. I haven't been in many years. I still consider myself a Christian, but to me, it is a personal thing and not about visiting a certian building on a certain day. It's more about living right, and treating others as you/I wish to be treated.
This may be overly simplistic, but I'm a simple guy.
I believe in God, I believe in his word ( the bible), I'm not a church goer , but I consider myself a christen
i was raised Roman Catholic, and still am Catholic. in the Christan organization i am in up at school, Campus Crusade for Christ, i am one of only about 3 catholics in the group of 100 some people. i find that most non-catholics don't think catholics are Christian at all, so i find myself constantly defending my faith. catholics are most definitely Christians.
:whistling: :gagged: :gagged: :gagged: MPHHHH! :sneaky2:Quote:
Originally Posted by huskymill
I was raised Baptist, married in a Presbyterian church and am currently a member of a Methodist church.
IMHO, too many church congregations seem to be out to impress the world with a bigger is better attitude and lose sight of what religion is all about.
Well I guess i'm a pagan/unitarian. I don't really care about religion as much as I do about spiritualality. Some horrific things have been done in the name of religion, pretty much every religion, but not in the name of spirituality. It also matters not to me which path you choose to take, just so long as you don't tr and force your path onto to me or anyone else.
I'm not saying that the catholic church is perfect, far from it. i see hypocrisy in the church the same as everyone else does, and sure it annoys me, but the faith is what is important here. there is hypocrisy everywhere. i see alot of people that don't go to church and just think that reading the bible is enough, but it can be very badly taken out of context when you are interpreting the word on your own. having the structure of the church is an attempt to keep the word from being misinterpreted. knowing the word is important but living it is more important. i didn't mention this in my earlier post, but i respect other's believes. i have many friends that are non catholics. I'm not out to convert any of them to Catholicism. i just want people to respect my faith, and i believe that the only way any group of people can get past their differences is to listen to others point of view and respect it even if it is not your own.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarge47
(i hope this doesn't come off as too preachy)
Not too preachy for me. That's the hardest part about religion or lack there of. Many people feel strongly one way or the other and that's probably why it's so taboo on forums and the like.
I am real impressed that no one has gone off the deep end yet.
No, but I'm going to have to take away your soap box. :innocent: :sneaky2:Quote:
Originally Posted by huskymill
Actually I do agree with you...in part. This is one of those things that would be great being discussed face-to-face as opposed to posting by written word only; say around a campfire, for example. My Dad was Roman Catholic & his two greatest idols in life were Adolph Hitler & Al Capone. He'd even poked a pencil into his ear and punctured his ear-drum to stay out of WWII. He was also a bigot. His brother-in-law, my uncle, was Roman Catholic & was "connected." (That's Chicago for you.) On the flip side I've met some really cool "Born-again" Catholics, and yes, I do believe that Christianity does exist within the Catholic structure. So I wasn't condemning your viewpoint, just wishing we were able to meet and talk. It would make for an interesting discussion. :cool2:
Let's all remember what the OP was asking for. He was polite enough to also include the "no debate" in the title of the thread. Lets try and keep it that way. Thanks.
i am christian but i dont like most churches. one i went to the preacher was praying while the donation plate was being passed around and said" lord bless the peoples who pay offerings in our church today...and those who dont too since they cant afford it." another one was saying if you dont spank your children your not christian. i know not all churches are bad but ive seen a lot
Baptist, from a long, long line of them. Practice my faith daily and try to live it.
I grew up Baptist, but now attend a Vineyard church. I agree with what others have said. It's not the church that makes you a Christian, but the relationship.
I feel the same way. It is not what one says, but what one does.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aurelius95
Do unto others as you would have done to you.
That sums it up for me.
I'm what you call a "recovering Catholic". Born and raised in the Roman Catholic church has made me rather faithful...but not religious. Regardless of the fact that I no longer associate with an organized religion, I still consider myself a very faithful Christian.
I don't always get it right, but the Lord knows I am trying my best to live by the Book, glorify Him in all I do, and share the Love of Jesus with everyone I meet.
I've been a Christian for 20 years, preaching for 10 years, and I've been a full time Pastor of a Baptist Church for 5 1/2 years. Living "the life" ain't easy, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. The Lord has delivered me from huge issues, and has given me strength to do things that I never could apart from Him.
I'm never going to force my faith on anyone - it doesn't work that way, anyhow - one must freely choose to believe. However, I try to never miss an opportunity say a word for the Lord or tell what the Lord has done for me and can do for others. My life has been powerfully changed, and I will tell anyone so. He can do the same for anyone.
I can see a pattern here that many people get discouraged with "Christianity" and "religion" in general because of all the seeming inconsistency in the lives of those who claim to believe. This is to be expected. There are many people in the world who have "got religion" but don't really have a Biblical relationship with Jesus. In other words, a great many people may claim to be Christians, but aren't the "real deal" as far as the Bible is concerned. What can you expect but hyporisy when people aren't what they claim to be? That is the very definition of hypocrisy. It is also quite true that people who really are the "real deal" can do some very foolish and sinful things. But if you are the "real deal" you can't continue in sin without being convicted over it.
If I may humbly offer any advice to those who who are contemplating Christ and Christianity, it is this:
(1) Study the Bible every day and ask God to help you understand it. Not everything that is associated with Christianity is actually Biblical - there is a LOT of tradition, etc., that is not rooted in the commands of God.
(2) Seek out people who seem to be doing their best to live by the Bible. This may be very difficult. Even among Christians who are the "real deal" it is really hard to find someone who is 100% sold out to Jesus. When you find such a person, learn all you can from them.
(3) Be honest and objective and totally open your heart to God. The Bible says if you seek Him you will find Him.
I know this forum is not about religion. I hope I haven't gone too far with my post. I'm not trying to debate anyone; just trying to explain where I stand. If I can be helpful in any way, I will be glad to answer a PM.