Can we have a Christianity thread? I’m trying to understand more about it...

Can we have a Christianity thread? I’m trying to understand more about it, especially since I have a friend who’s been hounding me to go to church.

I asked a question on a thread a while back about faith and good works. I was told faith without works is a thing because if you truly believe, then you will be good without the promise of a reward because you truly believe. Or at least that’s how I understood it.

I’m having trouble reconciling this in a larger world view. Because it’s so easy to look around, see people who believe and have “faith” that Jesus is lord and died for their sins, but are absolute and total shit people. Does their supposed faith lead god to forgive them? Or are these people going to hell for continually being shit? Cause if people don’t follow Jesus’s teachings but proclaim him lord at the same time? Are they punished or forgiven?

Also, as a general question, I’m curious to here some opinions on Bible interpretation. Here in burger land, evangelicals read it literally but that really comes across to me as weird because I thought the Bible is full of parables and you shouldn’t take parables literally.

Also, are there any denominations that aren’t “we have the one true way to salvation” or “oy vey make to tithe extra!”. I’m getting a bad vibe from my friends church and want to look at other denominations before they try selling me bible study material. Also because I’m graduating Uni soon and might want to move out of My home.

Sorry for asking all these questions. Twenty plus years of my life I’ve not been super religious but I feel like I should change that.


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Read this:

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Thank you, I will.

So I read it and have to ask. Why Catholicism and not another?

The person who wrote it (Wolfshiem, he might pop in if he sees this thread), is a Catholic so he wrote it from that perspective.

Oh true. It was a good read though.

Don't do it, OP. Skip the Hebrew baggage and go straight to comfy stoicism.

...

I started wading into stoicism before this funny enough. I feel like I’m missing something though.

And besides, in addition to getting connected to God, I can connect with some church qts when I go to my friends church.

bump

"Salvation" doesn't necessarily mean Heaven, it can mean everlasting life. If Protestants believed all Christians go to Heaven, would they have Protested?

Rather, the Protestant doctrine is reaching the Father by faith alone, not salvation by faith alone. For salvation was supposed to be through the Church. And the Church can't decide the faith.

Well what disqualifies someone from Salvation then? If someone has faith but is a massive piece of shit are they saved?

And as for the salvation through church, does that mean you don’t need a church? Or rather church alone isn’t the gatekeeper of salvation?

Episcopal/Anglican might be interesting to you. Speak to some clergy about it, that goes for any church.
Also the book of James (one of Jesus' siblings). Tells us that good works are definitely part of being a good Christian.

I know James tells us Good works is necessary.

I guess I should reframe my question. If someone has faith, but does no good works, are they still saved? Because I see a lot of people who claim to follow Christ in faith but are self serving as a whole on the world.

You better not connect...in that way

According to Protestants, I think good works are a way to prove your faith. To catholics, if you don't follow the Commandments you won't reach salvation.

Haha, I’m not looking for that user. But I won’t lie that hanging out with a bunch of qts, even if it’s doing bible study isn’t enticing. I am only human and do want to get married and have a family someday, and you never know where you’ll find “the one”.

So to Protestants then, if you don’t do good works, are you just a hypocrite before good?

Catholicism seems a bit more straightforward so I think I understand them.

>Here in burger land, evangelicals read it literally but that really comes across to me as weird because I thought the Bible is full of parables and you shouldn’t take parables literally
Different books in the bible belong to different genres. The main points of contention are Genesis and Exodus, which, contrary to popular belief are not allegory at all but pure history, and were generally treated as such until modern science and archaeology began putting doubt on their narratives.

Bump

Faith is the key to salvation, but there's more to it than just believing that Christ is. Even demons recognise Jesus as Lord, but that's not helping their cause one bit. Trying to figure out specific "conditions" for saving oneself is a waste of time. Same goes with trying to figure out if some other person will be saved or not. A Christian should just mind his own sins and try his best to resist them.

Also, you'll find arrogant cunts in every denomination. Don't judge a denomination based on a couple of people who belong to it, and be careful while reading any online materials since they can often differ from the actual teaching of a particular denomination.

>Because it’s so easy to look around, see people who believe and have “faith” that Jesus is lord and died for their sins, but are absolute and total shit people. Does their supposed faith lead god to forgive them?
Demons acknowledged that Jesus is Lord.
Jesus himself said that many people will call him "Lord" and still they will be denied, while those who didn't know Him will be saved.

>Or are these people going to hell for continually being shit?
It's not for us to decide.

>Cause if people don’t follow Jesus’s teachings but proclaim him lord at the same time?
Then they are hypocrytes and should realize that for their own good.

>I’m curious to here some opinions on Bible interpretation
Bible always was interpreted in many different ways. No one is "right" because if it was, there would be consensus on every particular matter.

>are there any denominations that aren’t “we have the one true way to salvation”
Arians, unitarians, probably.
Also you should know that even by the teachings of Catholic Church you can be saved even if you aren't officially Catholic Christian. So there's that.

>If someone has faith, but does no good works, are they still saved?
then their faith is dead, and so it their souls
seriously, even accepting faith is a good deed

You can historize faith pretty much to death for yourself if you go down the "Yaweh as a mutated stormgod" route.

Still doesn't excuse being a piece of shit

>seriously, even accepting faith is a good deed

>Still doesn't excuse being a piece of shit
of course not

>If someone has faith but is a massive piece of shit are they saved
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

He's a papofile and doesnt see the flaws of the modern church.

LCMS is far superior in 2017.

And OP, people of strong faith will have good works.
faith is,

a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever...Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire!

>we found a pot with a word on it and it disproves the bible

Wew.

>a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever...Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire!
This is correct.; It's not a matter of whether works are required for salvation. A true believer who has the spirit working through him will naturally create good works just as a side effect of their belief. Someone who says they accept Christ as their savior but produces no works is clearly lying. It's like a person who claims they're on a diet then goes and orders McDonalds, everyone can see through it.

Yep.
This

I know there’s arrogant people in every denomination, I just wonder since I see a variety of denominations excuses bad acts. Like numerous churches who had pastors arrested for child abuse in the news.
But thank you, you and
You guys answered my questions perfectly. Thank you.