The trouble with religion

Taken said:

Whelp,
there is religion whereby men are in agreement in the same set of beliefs...
and then there is religiosity, whereby men are more focused on church pomp and rituals....

Have you got to kiss your holy fathers ring yet?

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Nope - but, as usual you grossly confuse custom with requirement.

Is kissing the Bride a "requirement" in a wedding ceremony - or a custom??
How about the wedding ring?

YOU need to learn the difference, my ignorant friend . . .

"ByGrace" said:

I'm a bit confused here BOL.
I believe pretty much the same way as mjrhealth does. Neither of us are " in" church and haven't been for decades.... because we agree that most organized church is a cult/religion...a god of their own making.

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Can I ask you an honest question?

If you believe in Christ's Church - and you believe in the fact that He said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it (Matt. 6:18) - then you must believe it still exists.
So, my question is: If the Scriptures tell us that the Church and Christ are inseparable (Acts 9:4-5) and that the Church is the FULLNESS of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23) - why do you stay away?

Heb.10:25 commands us NOT to forsake the assembling of ourselves as the Body.
NOT trying to pick a fight - jut curious.

mjrhealth said:

And so it is with Christ, when anyone truly comes to Christ, they receive Gods seed, the Holy Spirit, and when we receive Him we have a new man birthed in us as life is produced.

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I think equating the Holy Spirit, with God's "seed" is at best, stretching things way out of proportion and at worst, pretty close to blasphemy.

mjrhealth said:

And this works in the spirit, for when one becomes joined to the harlot church, they receive her seed, which is a counterfeit, being female she has no seed of her own, so you get this one

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Now you're approaching crazy town.

mjrhealth said:

1Co_6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. And all you will ever want to do is Glorify your Husband, Christ, as any woman who loves Her husband would.

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Equating 'one spirit" as being the same as a husband/wife relationship, when it comes to the unity we are supposed to have with Jesus and each other just astounds me. Either you've had some pretty warped teachers or you just make these things up to force a concept upon yourself that the bible never does.

Taken said:

No, I didn't confuse, I observed. LOL
True or false...?
One of the main tenets of the Catholic religion is that
not formally belonging to the Catholic church is objectively sinful.

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Care to show me WHERE the Church teaches this??
I'd like the official teaching from the Catechism.

I eagerly await your response . . .

BreadOfLife said:

Can I ask you an honest question?

If you believe in Christ's Church - and you believe in the fact that He said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it (Matt. 6:18) - then you must believe it still exists.
So, my question is: If the Scriptures tell us that the Church and Christ are inseparable (Acts 9:4-5) and that the Church is the FULLNESS of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23) - why do you stay away?

Heb.10:25 commands us NOT to forsake the assembling of ourselves as the Body.
NOT trying to pick a fight - jut curious.

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Thanks for yours .....how much time do you have? LOL

I'll try and nutshell because I ramble too much...

First, I see only God's Church in the earth..ONE church, One faith etc.. ( I respect your views too, but cannot hold them as my own)

I am in constant contact with many. I wont say this very loudly or the legalists will be upon me..but my husband and I were in leadership for a couple of decades. It started in England in our late 30's...our kids were teens, we, at that time drove to another town to attend the little mission hall where we first "saw the light" and came to Christ.

Many young friends of our kids hung out at our house...like a dozen at a time...shortly they came to Christ when we shared of the love of God who sent His Son to die for them , so that they could be in a living relationship with God the Father. ( I told you I got wordy and rambling! ha)

Then , I'd get phone calls for some of the mothers of the kids, wanting to hear about what made their kids all excited about God. ( ages of kids 12-17)
Soon , obviously , we started home study meetings...and also invited our pastor from the church where he had first preached to us .. he came to a few meetings...then prayed over us and blessed us to "go and do as Jesus did " - and share the good news of the death, burial and resurrection...

Within a few months we had to rent a hall, we had 78 people, from ages 80 down to 12.
Remember, this was back in the 60's... In England God was sweeping the country with a revival of house meetings ( like in Acts)
The people wouldn't stay away...they wanted 5 weekly meetings and the other two night , all the youth came to our house to hang out.

I know this is radical for you...and for all the legalist that we knew...they wanted their same old , same old, boring repetitious meetings...and frowned on us. But the meetings were like a freight train ...unstoppable...

Some American preacher came to town and wanted us to come over the attend some of their conferences. The story is too long...but in the end were were asked to come over to Canada in 1976 and help a large group here which was struggling. My brother took over the gatherings back in England..,..meaning, he paid for the Hall to meet in...and God did the rest!

BOL we were never 'a church' , we were all just a small part of God's Church without walls......God Glorious Church in the earth. Which is, His people , His body, His Bride....as Paul shows us. ( But , we all do understand what people mean, when they say.." Have you been to church today. " We just answer...not preach a sermon on it!
It just a habit now that people call it "church".
Without people the building is just that, a building.

As for joining local gatherings...we have tried.
I still there listening and inwardly groaning...and wondering what on earth God thinks of us all.
Rather than show my discontent, I just do not go. I cannot agree with half of that I hear preached.

So..that is all I can tell you. In our 50 + years of christianity we have just about seen it all... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I have more confidence than you do, that God is Love...and He has a Master Plan for us all.

God bless ...Helen

Episkopos said:

Christianity is only reduced to the level of a religion by making it an ideology....rather than it being the power of life and light in the Lord for mankind. So then only the devil himself (and they who seek to justify themselves in their carnal state) is involved in making it a religion.

On the religious level people can remain carnal and still seem to be justified by their religious beliefs and actions. Religion is artificial. Christianity is to abide in Christ who is the way the truth and.....the Life. For real.

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The definition Christianity is a Religion:

(1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural
(2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

Definition of RELIGION

If your a Christian then your in a Religion and even God Himself recognizes as much in His Scriptures in James 1:27. I don't understand why protestant evangelicals want to be like secular society and try to redefine words, are evangelicals that insecure that they need to act like secular society.

Taken said:

I asked you a question.

If you do not have an answer just say so.

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Nope - haven't kissed any rings.
YOUR turn to answer . . .

Taken said:

The Question was...True or False.

Which is it?

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It's false. Kissing the Pope's ring is NOT a requirement.

Now - answer the question:
YOU claimed that it is main tenet of the Catholic religion that
not formally belonging to the Catholic church is objectively sinful.
Care to show me WHERE the Church teaches this??

I'd like the official teaching from the Catechism.

BreadOfLife said:

Kissing the Pope's ring is NOT a requirement.

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I just do it for fun

historyb said:

The definition Christianity is a Religion:

(1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural
(2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

Definition of RELIGION

If your a Christian then your in a Religion and even God Himself recognizes as much in His Scriptures in James 1:27. I don't understand why protestant evangelicals want to be like secular society and try to redefine words, are evangelicals that insecure that they need to act like secular society.

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The religious/secular dichotomy is artificial. It is a false dichotomy. Jesus came to mankind as a real person....not a religious figure or apparition. Being spiritual in Christ is in real time...in reality.

When a person is healed by Jesus... is it secular or religious? Of course neither. Something is either real or not. That is what religion is missing...reality.

mjrhealth said:

Religion, why is it such a problem, Well it all starts with this.

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

And repeated

Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

And again

Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

It is so simple, when a man and woman come together and, well have sex, and the male seed enters into the female, they become one, and life is produced,

And so it is with Christ, when anyone truly comes to Christ, they receive Gods seed, the Holy Spirit, and when we receive Him we have a new man birthed in us as life is produced.

But.

1Co_6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

1Co_6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

And this works in the spirit, for when one becomes joined to the harlot church, they receive her seed, which is a counterfeit, being female she has no seed of her own, so you get this one.

Rev_2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

So if you have ever wondered why, catholics sound like catholics, mormans sound like mormans, JW’s like Jw’s, Sda like Sda, etc etc, it is because they have joined themselves to their church, their religion and the two have become as one.

And that religious spirit can be very violent when anyone stands up and tries to take one of her children from her she despises the truth and rejects all that is from God.

That’s why it is written,

Rev_18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

But so few are willing.

But you see when one comes to Christ, truly, than,

1Co_6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. And all you will ever want to do is Glorify your Husband, Christ, as any woman who loves Her husband would.

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"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father..." James 1:27

Episkopos said:

The religious/secular dichotomy is artificial. It is a false dichotomy. Jesus came to mankind as a real person....not a religious figure or apparition. Being spiritual in Christ is in real time...in reality.

When a person is healed by Jesus... is it secular or religious? Of course neither. Something is either real or not. That is what religion is missing...reality.

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It is Religion, if you want to be a Christian you are in a Religion it's up to you. I am glad my Religion is Christianity not just some silly nonsense

Taken said:

No I didn't. I asked you if that was true or false.

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Here is YOUR post #25:

Taken said:

No, I didn't confuse, I observed. LOL

True or false...?

One of the main tenets of the Catholic religion is that

not formally belonging to the Catholic church is objectively sinful.

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The LAST thing you mentioned was the line in RED. The "True of False" was about your first sentence regarding your confusion.
I should have known you couldn't substantiate your idiotic anti-Catholic accusations again.

PAR for the course with you . . .