by Powermetal4ever 18 Replies latest watchtower bible
It's not? Your original post said: "Alright this has been in my brain lately: Both catholic church and the orthodox church has been around for about 2000 years, shouldn't they know how to practice christendom correctly by now?"
Seems to me that's about truth.
Everybody has their own truths. "Practice christendom correctly" does not mean the same as truth.
If everyone has their own 'truths' there is in fact no truth at all.
If everyone has their own 'truths' there is in fact no truth at all.
True
there is in fact no truth at all.
In the Cloud-Cuckoo Land that is religion, that situation is entirely possible!
TTWSYF2 days agoOn the one hand, you have the
Catholic Church started by Jesus and His chosen apostles.
On the other hand you have the
WTS started by Charles Taze Russell
hmmm, you may be on to something
Yes I find it very interesting. Been reading about Jesus lately from other views than the WTS bullshit I have been feeded with my whole life. And that's how I came up with this thought about the time perspective.
Truth is eternal. Belief is dynamic. The Bible moves the goal posts of salvation. First, obey the law Moses gave and sacrifice animals for forgiveness of sin. Next, obey Jesus' teachings and accept Jesus' sacrifice as your savior or for forgiveness of your sins. From early Christian sects we eventually get the Roman Catholic Church. Then its the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Then we get untold number of sects as a result of the Reformation.
It is no longer even a matter of moving the goal posts on the football pitch. It is a game of chess. The pieces are constantly being moved and you have to move your pieces to stay in the game.
And yet, the bible hasn't changed. I stopped looking at the contraptions men.
Saved by grace through faith. It just doesn't get any easier than that. Christianity is about doing less from your own volition, not more.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship
I personally don't mind people rejecting Christianity, it is their freedom to do so. I just like to remind people from time to time to make sure they understand what they are rejecting.
Saved by grace through faith. It just doesn't get any easier than that. Christianity is about doing less from your own volition, not more.
Martin Luther is the one that came up with this teaching. That is why Luther wanted books of the Bible to be removed. One of the books Luther wanted removed was the Book of James. Why?
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:26 NIV
The Vatican removed 14 books from the Bible in 1648.
Luther made an attempt to remove the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation from the canon (notably, he perceived them to go against certain Protestant doctrines such as sola gratia and sola fide).
So, I do agree with the notion that Jesus taught that life - it's not about you. Life is about connecting and helping others. Salvation is a sticky subject. Salvation from what?
When it comes to the Bible never changing - it's changed several times over the centuries. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I believe the future of Christianity, if it is to have a future, is Integral Christianity. The mark of a person's advancement in a spiritual path is when their focus shifts from salvation to showing gratitude.
As I told a good friend - I am not a Christian. I am a follower of Christ and The Way (as Christianity was first known). What I find interesting now is that the phrase "The Way" translated into Mandarin is "Tao" as in Taoism. People who focus on salvation live a life full of fear and anxiety. People who focus on living in harmony with others and nature live a life of peace and happiness.
If the teachings of Jesus are your path, that is good! You have chosen a path. No one can choose your path for you. Now start on the path and don't stop. There are only 2 reasons people fail to reach the top of the mountain - they never start and the stop because it gets difficult.
