CHRISTIANITY
When Christianity was first introduced, it is believed that it succeeded because it attracted the appeal of the masses. With its coming, Christianity brought a new conception of ‘humanity’ to a world saturated with cruelty and debasement. Paganism’s weakness and the early church’s social structure helped draw many to the new faith.
There are many distinct definitions of the term "Christian". Different people have defined a "Christian" as a person who has:
- ~ Been baptized as an infant
- ~ Become ‘saved’ as an adult, i.e. they have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior
- ~ Gone to church regularly
- ~ Heard the Gospel in a certain way, and accepted its message
- ~ Recited and agreed with a specific church creed or creeds
- ~ Simply tried to understand and follow Jesus' teachings
There is little agreement between the faiths as to who is a Christian and who is not and there is no common definition between them. Any random group of people [of the different faiths] could be gathered and in many cases a person would choose their own faith as being ‘truly Christian’ and define al the others as less than Christian. Other individuals might say all denominations are Christian. Many others will select some of the faiths as being Christian and reject the rest. There is no way to reach a common definition to identify a group as being ‘truly Christian’.
To consider the alternative ~ to define some individuals or their denominations as non-Christian could lead to serious consequences. In some countries, such as Ireland, religious claims and differences have led to death while here in Canada there is a huge reservoir of tolerance that has prevented friction from deteriorating into widespread violence. There have been many religious based conflicts throughout the world over many decades of time. It could be a fairly easy matter to deteriorate from ‘you are different’ to ‘you’re not a real Christian’ to ‘you are beneath me’ to ‘you have no right to live’ [Northern Ireland and Bosnia are perfect examples of what can happen].
Some people sincerely believe that those who have different beliefs from themselves are not Christians ~ this is truly a hasty and rash decision although many of them are totally convinced of the accuracy of their statement because of their religious studies or history.
For the sake of argument, this web site will use the same definition of Christianity as the government census offices and public opinion polls: Anyone who seriously and thoughtfully considers themselves to be a Christian ~ is considered to be a Christian.
Christianity is said to be about following the teachings of Jesus of Nazereth [Jesus Christ as some people refer to him]. Most Christians regard him as the Son of God and they further believe in the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit [Ghost]. They believe that he was born to mankind from a virgin, he taught us his beliefs in a God, he was crucified for his beliefs and teachings, he died and came back three days later, then ascended into Heaven.
Christianity’s common theme is that a Christian is saved by being baptized either when they were infants or being born again as adults. They are said to have taken Jesus into their hearts and repented for their sins. Some feel that absolution of one’s sins is a right into heaven granted freely by God while others disagree and say it requires personal effort.
Using the term ‘Body of Christ’ to refer to those individuals who have been saved, (a.k.a. born again), one author writes: "Whether we are Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Lutheran, United, Muslim, Jewish, Spiritualist or Roman Catholic matters not at all...We are the body of Christ. We stand scattered among the world of unbelievers. We are even scattered among the religious who think they are Christians because they are a part of a church or because they work for Him."
Standing before a congregation of Disciples to confess faith in Jesus Christ and become part of the church, a person is asked only one question. It is usually phrased, 'Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and do you accept him as your personal Savior?' " By answering yes, the person becomes a member of the Disciples of Christ, and thereby also of "The universal church."
Copyright © 1994, Victoria Nelson
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