Nonchristian vs Antichristian

There's a big difference

Published on February 15, 2006 By JillUser In Religion

I think everyone who doesn't consider themselves christian has gotten accused of being antichristian at one time or another. I have gotten accused many times. Ironically the accusers are people with some sort of martyr complex who assume that they will be persecuted for being christian. They take issue with me in anticipation of my taking issue with them.

I am not denying that there are plenty of people on the planet who actually are antichristian. I just find it odd when I or some of the kindest people I know have been labeled as such. It isn't a 'you're either with me or against me' subject.

I am also perplexed as to why so many christians can't fathom anyone believing in God without believing Jesus is his son. I can understand why they can believe in Jesus not because it makes sense to me but because I am open minded and realize that other people have different experiences in life than what I have experienced in my own. Those experiences help form how we see the world and how we fit in it. If you see only your path, your way as being the only way, then you are not open minded.

Comments (Page 4)

Leauki

on Feb 15, 2006

Yes, Yoda. I'll make sure I plug time into my schedule to get all that studying done on top of cleaning, caring for my family, working my job, grading papers, and maybe...just maybe paying my bills.

You realise, of course, that we also have jobs and flats, and some of us have families (I do not).

I work nine hours a day, study in the evenings, go to shul on Fridays, and learn Hebrew on the weekends. But that doesn't mean that when I say something about another religion without learning about it first, I get an automatic excuse.

I read the Christian Bible, the original (German) Luther translation too, and the Qur'an as well (in English). I found that this was too important not to be done, even though I might have little time for it. How can I talk about other people's religions without a minimum effort to, of not understand, at least learn about them?

Whoa there Marcie. I think he said he looked Jewish because, well, Jesus was Jewish.

I did some research before I said that. It turns out Jesus was a Jew and many apparently claim he was from the family of David. He was thus, genetically, a pure-blooded Jew. I figure it's thus a safe bet that he looked Jewish.

Weren't we all supposedly created in God's likeness?

Look at me. Do you think G-d wears glasses?

Leauki

on Feb 15, 2006

Ok, as I said, I am not an expert on theology.

But here's the deal on us being created in G-d's likeness:

It's not about looks.

"B’tzelem Elohim" means in G-d's image. But it doesn't refer to looks because G-d doesn't have looks. It refers to other traits, namely free will and the ability to differentiate and choose between good and evil.

The Allen joke about the glasses is thus philosophical. It points out the fallacy in assuming that we actually _look_ like G-d. We do not. Nobody and nothing does.

Leauki

on Feb 15, 2006

(Yes, I know about Ruth.)

MarcieMoo

on Feb 15, 2006

I read the Christian Bible, the original (German) Luther translation too, and the Qur'an as well (in English). I found that this was too important not to be done, even though I might have little time for it. How can I talk about other people's religions without a minimum effort to, of not understand, at least learn about them?

Unfortunately I'm an ignoramus because I don't know German or Latin, just a little bit of French and Spanish.

I apologize for having an opinion.

MarcieMoo

on Feb 15, 2006

Marcie

stop spam quoting people.

spam quoting?

Unfortunately, I don't need nor want your advice, either. If Jill doesn't want me here, it is well within her means to help me out the door. She's a big girl and she can run her own blog.

MarcieMoo

on Feb 15, 2006

G-d doesn't have looks

For not being a theological expert you sure seem to know alot about it. How do you know for sure God doesn't have looks?

JillUser

on Feb 15, 2006

Marcie

stop spam quoting people.

Sushi, that was out of line. She is responding in the way she sees fit. She is staying on topic and not calling anyone (except maybe herself

) names. She is welcome here on my blog.

BenUser

on Feb 15, 2006

While Jesus was indeed Jewish, he was not a descendant of David. That was a myth created by Christians to help make their case that Jesus was the messiah.

JillUser

on Feb 15, 2006

Like you said, you aren't an expert and noone on Earth is when it comes to what God looks like. Therefore, noone can state as fact that God doesn't have looks and being created in his own image doesn't mean in likeness.

The Allen joke about the glasses is thus philosophical. It points out the fallacy in assuming that we actually _look_ like G-d. We do not.

So if my child wears glasses and I don't, my child can't look like me? Do you see the problem with that argument. Noone said we look exactly like him. That is impossible. Noone looks exactly like their parent either.

I agree with you that God isn't a nitpicker but I also agree that you are being a bit nit picky. Of course you did have the disclaimer that you aren't an expert so you are admitting the possibility of fallacy with your statement.

Adventure-Dude

on Feb 15, 2006

While Jesus was indeed Jewish, he was not a descendant of David.

Ben in a sense I do agree with you as we cannot use Joseph to link him to David. Joseph was not his biological father. But someone was telling me that they found that Mary was (I'm not saying this is factual). Has anyone checked into this?

sushiK

on Feb 15, 2006

Sushi, that was out of line. She is responding in the way she sees fit. She is staying on topic and not calling anyone (except maybe herself ) names. She is welcome here on my blog.

My appologies

BenUser

on Feb 15, 2006

I do not believe in the other two "Abrahamic religions". They have nothing to do with my Christianity, other than the fact that Judaism shares the first five books of the bible with us."Christ" is the core of my faith. Neither Judaism nor Islam want anything to do with my Christ.

Judaism doesn't "share" the first five books. Judaism is based on the laws of the Torah, the five books of Moses, which (supposedly) was dictated to Moses by God. Christians took the word of God (the Torah), renamed it the Old Testament, and in effect, modified the word of God to create their new religion.

Much of what Jesus preached was the same as what many other Jewish priests were preaching at the time. It was the apostle Paul who shifted Christianity from a religion of the teachings of Jesus to a religion ABOUT Jesus. Paul came up with the concept that belief is the only thing that is really important and our actions are secondary. It was too difficult for many to abide by the laws of the Torah. With Paul’s new religion, all you had to do is believe in Jesus and you achieve eternal salvation when you die. What a deal! What a marketing campaign!

MarcieMoo

on Feb 15, 2006

Mary was a descendant of David as well.

MarcieMoo

on Feb 15, 2006

Sushi, that was out of line. She is responding in the way she sees fit. She is staying on topic and not calling anyone (except maybe herself ) names. She is welcome here on my blog.

Thanks, Jill. I appreciate your letting me be a guest here!

MarcieMoo

on Feb 15, 2006

So...basically your saying that the first five books of my Bible are different that the Jewish Torah? I don't think so. Christians added books to the OT, and after Jesus came and went the NT was added, but we didn't "modify" it.

Much of what Jesus preached was the same as what many other Jewish priests were preaching at the time. It was the apostle Paul who shifted Christianity from a religion of the teachings of Jesus to a religion ABOUT Jesus. Paul came up with the concept that belief is the only thing that is really important and our actions are secondary. It was too difficult for many to abide by the laws of the Torah. With Paul’s new religion, all you had to do is believe in Jesus and you achieve eternal salvation when you die. What a deal! What a marketing campaign!

Paul lived with Jesus and was with him all the time. Paul wrote a lot of the New Testament, but JESUS said it was all about Him, not Paul. And the Torah is too difficult for ANYONE to live by. I mean...how many times have I had to run into the street to stop my fiancee from fighting and grab him by his privates and drag him home, only to have my hand cut off later? Thank heavens they regenerate. (Sorry...that law in Leviticus was always one of my favorite ones.)

It took me a long time to see the relationship between the OT and the NT. See...prior to Christ, the Jews were sacrificing animals once a year to pay for their sins. They had to take an unblemished sheep, goat, doves, etc. (whatever their station allowed), to the temple and kill it, and the spilled blood would cover their transgretions for the year. But...see...a bird, or a goat, or a calf, even if they're perfect, aren't even CLOSE to a human.

Jesus' crucifixion was the HUMAN sacrifice that was needed to pay for the sins of man. Because of Jesus, everything changed.

I've been a Christian since I was 7. I'm 25 now. And to be honest with you, I still don't understand a lot of it. I don't think I ever will. But I do know this much: it works for me. My faith makes me a better person. It helps me be that "moral and upstanding" person that shades was refering to up yonder. I would even go so far to say that the times that I'm really reading the Bible and talking to God are the times when my depression is alleviated along with my stress levels. I don't think my faith makes me weak, I think it builds me up and makes me stronger.

I don't expect anyone else to believe just cause I do. It's a choice I made almost two decades ago. There have been peaks and valleys in my faith for sure. There have been times I've felt close to God and other times I've felt far away. But God and my faith have always been a constant. I don't need scientific proof. I have proof in my own life and in the life of others that I know and love that God is alive and well and wants a relationship with me. ~shrugs~

Sorry...that was kind of a vendetta.

Bad Marcie.

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