christianity church

Christianity? I am asking this from a historical and spiritual perspective. I am not trying to argue that one is better than the other. The history of Christianity shows us that there were many different Christian sects that existed in the first centuries. Ultimately, the sect that went to make up the Roman Catholic Church "won" the Christianity war. The other sects were persecuted for their beliefs by the Roman Empire.

What do you think if they hadn't have "won?" Where, as Christians, would we be today?

When John wrote Revelation, Christianity was upwards of 60 years old. At the outset, it had survived 40 years of constant opposition from Judaism. Then the Jewish system received a mortal blow in 70 C.E. when the unrepentant Jews lost their national identity and what was to them virtually an idol—the temple in Jerusalem.

The apostle Paul had foretold that there would be an apostasy among the anointed Christians, and Jesus’ messages show that in John’s old age this apostasy was already developing. John was the last of those who acted as a restraint on this all-out attempt by Satan to corrupt the seed of the woman. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 John 7-11) So it was the appropriate time for Jehovah’s Chief Shepherd to write to the elders in the congregations, warning of developing trends and encouraging righthearted ones to stand firm for righteousness.

How the congregations in 96 C.E. responded to Jesus’ messages we do not know. But we do know that the apostasy developed rapidly after John’s death. “Christians” ceased to use Jehovah’s name and substituted “Lord” or “God” for it in Bible manuscripts. By the fourth century, the false doctrine of the Trinity had infiltrated the congregations. During this same period, the idea of an immortal soul was being adopted. Finally, Roman Emperor Constantine gave state approval to the “Christian” religion, and this led to the development of Christendom, where Church and State joined forces in ruling for a thousand years. It was easy to become a new-style “Christian.” Whole tribes adjusted their earlier pagan beliefs to versions of this religion. Many of the leaders in Christendom became oppressive political tyrants, enforcing their apostate views by the sword.

Jesus’ words to the seven congregations were completely ignored by the apostatizing Christians. Jesus had warned the Ephesians to regain the love they had at first. (Revelation 2:4) Nevertheless, members of Christendom, no longer being united in love for Jehovah, fought vicious wars and persecuted one another horribly. (1 John 4:20) Jesus had warned the congregation in Pergamum against sectarianism. Yet, sects appeared even in the second century, and today Christendom has thousands of squabbling sects and religions.—Revelation 2:15.

Jesus had warned the Sardis congregation against being spiritually dead. (Revelation 3:1) Like those in Sardis, professed Christians quickly forgot about Christian works and soon delegated the highly important work of preaching to a small, paid clergy class. Jesus had warned the congregation in Thyatira against idolatry and fornication. (Revelation 2:20) Yet, Christendom openly sanctioned the use of images, as well as the promoting of the more subtle idolatry of nationalism and materialism. And immorality, while sometimes preached against, has always been widely tolerated.

Jesus’ words to the seven congregations expose the total failure of all of Christendom’s religions to be Jehovah’s special people. The clergy of Christendom have been the most prominent members of Satan’s seed. Speaking of these as ‘the lawless one,’ the apostle Paul foretold that their “presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception.”—2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.

While claiming to be shepherds of the flock of God, Christendom’s leaders, religious and secular, showed special hatred for anyone who tried to encourage Bible reading or anyone who exposed their unscriptural practices. John Hus and Bible translator William Tyndale were persecuted and martyred. During the bedarkened Middle Ages, apostate rule reached a peak in the diabolic Catholic Inquisition. Any who disputed the teachings or authority of the church were unmercifully suppressed, and countless thousands of so-called heretics were tortured to death or burned at the stake. Thus Satan endeavored to ensure that any true seed of God’s womanlike organization would be quickly crushed. When the Protestant rebellion, or Reformation, occurred (from 1517 onward), many Protestant churches manifested a similar intolerant spirit. They too became bloodguilty by martyring those who endeavored to be loyal to God and Christ. Truly, “the blood of holy ones” was freely poured out!—Revelation 16:6; compare Matthew 23:33-36.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/200704b/article_01.htm

2008-11-26 09:07:35 by Unity (for the USA)

Life before and after Christ changed them. ... Testimonies Christ Hillside Christian Church HCC life worship Amarillo Texas hillsidewired ...

I have a very important test and this is one of the things that I really need to know..

The Church would not even allow the Bible to be printed in English because it wanted to keep the "people" ignorant. For that matter, most of the lower level friars could not even read the Latin, and didn't know what the Bible said. Even some higher level bishops could not read the Latin.

"Long before the Reformation began there were rumblings against the Roman Catholic establishment in England, and an underground "Bible study" movement arose under the leadership of the Oxford professor John Wyclif, who recommended the authority of Scripture itself against the authority of the Roman Catholic bishops. This sounds very Protestant to us, and in fact Wyclif has often been called "the morning star of the Reformation," but Wyclif and his followers were not Protestants in the full sense, because they did not teach the doctrine of justification by faith; they were most interested in teaching about holiness and simplicity."
http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon9.html

http://www.williamtyndale.com/0biblehistory.htm
One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. "
http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/

2008-05-30 00:09:41 by Azumi

Price: $25.99 $16.45

I have narrowed it down to Orthodox Christianity and Protestant Christianity. Could someone give me some helpful advice or the pros and cons of both churches? I would like to become an Orthodox Christian but I feel that most Orthodox churches are too ethnically homogeneous and xenophobic to accept an outsider to their church.

Pray to God. :)

In my opinion I would go to a Protestant church because you can challenge your Christian life. In a Orthodox church, it's much more conservative and the focus is usually on the Eucharist alone. An Orthodox is much more ritualistic and symbolic which I think I gain nothing from it. I need to be drawn closer to Christ by gaining wider knowledge and applying it. :) I'm not judging anyone of them. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Rod B: I'm not sure about you; but everything we believe is in a book called the Bible. :)

2008-12-16 11:55:04 by HASV

Price: $17.00

Publisher: Abingdon Press (September 1996), Language: English
ISBN-10: 0687016118, ISBN-13: 978-0687016112
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews. Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #81,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

What is the significance of bells in Christianity? Why were bells chosen to call people to church, as opposed to another musical instrument or sound?

And that's what the bell sound is for, right? To call people to church to pray? Or is it for another reason?

Although there is no record of when the bell was invented, there are pictures of bells from early Chinese dynasties. So clearly bells predate Christianity.

Regular tolling of bells was one of the only ways for people to tell time. (The world clock derives from the Dutch word for bell "klok". Similarly the French "cloche".) Since religions would often have a regular structure to their worship and devotions - especially for the priests - tolling of the bells helped both to help the devout know it was time to do what ever was prescribed for that time, as well as to set markers during the day for what time it was.

As was also already mentioned, bells are loud, and different tones could be easily made to mean different things. No musical ability was required. A set of large bells on a tower would be heard for many miles. People could get a message very quickly, so this was also an excellent warning device if a town was under attack, or there was a fire etc.

The significance of bells to Christianity is the same as the use of bells for other religions. It had many uses.
- Time to come for a meeting.
- Time to pray or do some other personal devotion.

Please note that I am remarking on Christianity as a implemented as a religion. I find the study of religion interesting, from a historical and social perspective. But all religious behavior is only a shadow of the actual faith proposition that the religious circle around.

Personally I am much more interested in Christianity as a personal journey of faith and discovery than as a set of rules or religious behavior.

2008-11-29 12:10:30 by pinky ∞

1cor.14:34-35 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.

35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

No they wouldn't and your obsession does nothing but drive them further away into the abyss of hell thanks to you

2009-04-27 17:03:38 by 1Cor.14:34-35