Acceptance

[James_Lai]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity? Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones? What if most of the differences are nonsensical? Do they have to belong to the same denomination, or to be broadly Catholic or broadly Protestant for example? Where do you draw the line? If you do. Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother? Say, a Judaist or a Muslim based on some shared views of the Abrahamic beleifs?

To whom would you start preaching the gospel for example, and with who you will see no need to?

Of course we are to love any neighbour as ourselves regardless of who they are. I’m taking more about having a commonality that you feel on a closer level based on similar faith, or similar understanding of things, or similar activities, or same spirit in you, or similar eternal fate?

Who do you consider your own and why?

 

[Albion]

Basically, it would be the same standard as used by Christian Forums (see "Help and Rules").

Obviously, Muslims or Buddhists are not Christians by any standard. And as for the cultic, or very unorthodox movements, that do accept most of the Bible and affirm Christ as their Savior but not their God, I feel a significant degree of comradery although, technically speaking, they are of a different faith.

 

[Clare73]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity? Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones? What if most of the differences are nonsensical? Do they have to belong to the same denomination, or to be broadly Catholic or broadly Protestant for example? Where do you draw the lines? If you do.

I draw the line for fellowship at the practice of habitual open known sin.
But I do not disclaim them as a Christian brother or sister.

Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother? Say, a Judaist or a Muslim based on some shared views of the Abrahamic beleifs?

I accept them as I accept everyone as human persons just as myself.
I do not consider them Christian apart from faith in and trust on the person and atoning sacrifice (blood, Romans 3:25) of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sin.

To whom would you start preaching the gospel for example, and with who you will see no need to?

I present Christianity only to those in whom I discern the Holy Spirit at work to make them receptive.

Of course we are to love any neighbour as ourselves regardless of who they are. I’m taking more about having a commonality that you feel on a closer level based on similar faith, or similar understanding of things, or similar activities, or same spirit in you, or similar eternal fate?

Who do you consider your own and why?

I consider all those of faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior as my own, because we have so much in common without even knowing each other; i.e., the same Holy Siprit.

 

[Tolworth John]

Where do you draw the lines?

Don't care about denominations, but do care about whether they accept/believe that salvation is only through Jesus.

 

[Sunshinee777]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity?

All those people who love Jesus are my brothers and sisters in Christ. They are my family (even if they don’t consider me as their family) I love them all. No matter what they do or not do.
No matter how they dress or what is their skincolor. I love them all.

And plus what Tolworth said.

If someone says he can be saved by his own works I don’t consider him my brother because only Jesus is saviour.

 

[eleos1954]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity? Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones? What if most of the differences are nonsensical? Do they have to belong to the same denomination, or to be broadly Catholic or broadly Protestant for example? Where do you draw the lines? If you do. Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother? Say, a Judaist or a Muslim based on some shared views of the Abrahamic beleifs?

To whom would you start preaching the gospel for example, and with who you will see no need to?

Of course we are to love any neighbour as ourselves regardless of who they are. I’m taking more about having a commonality that you feel on a closer level based on similar faith, or similar understanding of things, or similar activities, or same spirit in you, or similar eternal fate?

Who do you consider your own and why?

Everybody needs to hear the gospel ... whether or not they are open to it is not known until it's presented ... and you never know who that may or may not be.

The gospel is to be presented, not as a lifeless theory, but as a living force to change the life. God desires that the receivers of His grace shall be witnesses to its power. . . . He would have His servants bear testimony to the fact that through His grace men may possess Christlikeness of character, and may rejoice in the assurance of His great love.

Jesus needs to be the center ... if not ... then it's not the gospel.

Regardless we are called to live in peace.

I don't have a "own" ... everyone and everything belongs to Him. We are sojourners.

John 1:11
Amplified Bible
He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him.

It's not a people group of some kind ... it's the entire world and it's all His.

 

[Martinius]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity? Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones? What if most of the differences are nonsensical? Do they have to belong to the same denomination, or to be broadly Catholic or broadly Protestant for example? Where do you draw the lines? If you do. Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother? Say, a Judaist or a Muslim based on some shared views of the Abrahamic beliefs?

That's a lot of questions. One should, if they are truly Christian, accept and tolerate anyone of any faith...or no faith at all. We are not to judge, for we will be judged as we have done. Which tells me that if we treat others, or even think of others, with intolerance, enmity, or anger, God will treat us the same way one day. I could accept and do accept people of other Christian and non-Christian faiths as spiritual brothers and sisters. Jesus did that, over and over again. And we should do as he did.

To whom would you start preaching the gospel for example, and with who you will see no need to?

I am not much of a preacher, but I think people should be engaged in discussion about the Gospels, should learn about what Jesus really tells us in the Gospels, for those commandments and lessons apply to everyone. I have learned much spiritually and have deepened my own Christian faith from people of other faiths. There is too much wisdom and guidance in the world's religions for us to ignore it. And, surprising as it may be to some with blinders on, many of the tenets and teachings of those other religions mirror or complement what Jesus taught.

Of course we are to love any neighbour as ourselves regardless of who they are. I’m taking more about having a commonality that you feel on a closer level based on similar faith, or similar understanding of things, or similar activities, or same spirit in you, or similar eternal fate?

Who do you consider your own and why?

Of course we have an affinity and feel most comfortable with people who are like us. That seems to be in our nature. To again use the example of Jesus, we should also be open to everyone, receptive and inviting of others, not just with "our own kind". Personally, I like to immerse myself, as much as I can, in the cultures of people different from me. Different in terms of ethnicity, language, place of origin, beliefs, etc. What I learn is that we are much more alike than different.

Too many people live in a cocoon of their own devising, trying to be safe in their own little world, not adventuring out to see what the rest of the world is like (even the world outside their own neighborhood or community). And I don't mean not traveling at all, as I know people who have traveled to foreign lands and remained within their small group, never actually mixing with any of the natives, never crossing the street (real or figurative) to see what was on the other side. All they knew afterward was the famous sites they visited, and nothing at all about the country or the people in it.

I highly doubt we can ever find or know God by spending our lives in our own little cocoon.

 

[PloverWing]

If the question is "Whom do I consider to be a Christian?", then it's anyone who looks to Jesus as the way to be right with God, and/or looks to Jesus' teachings as the way to live one's life. That means I include some folks like JWs, LDS, and many Unitarians as Christians who are mistaken on some things, but who are Christians nonetheless.

This is a more interesting question to me:

Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother?

In general, I try to find what we have in common, and build on that. If you're Jewish or Muslim, then we disagree about who Jesus was (and that's a significant disagreement), but we agree that there is only one God, and that it's important to worship God and align one's life with God's will, so you are my spiritual -- cousin? -- because of that element of faith that we share. If you're more different from me, say, Hindu or Neo-Pagan, then you're spiritually a more distant cousin, but still we share the belief that there's an element of the Sacred in the world, and that it's worth discovering and communing with that Sacredness, even though we see the nature of the Sacred very differently.

I don't often preach to people, but I'm willing to talk about my spiritual life and practice with other people if they're interested, and I like to hear about other people's spiritual lives and practices. Sometimes we find we have unexpected things in common.

 

[timf]

Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones?

1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

We shouldn't get too wound up over what others believe, but we should not associate with those whose actions bring disrepute.

 

[PloverWing]

Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones?

I Corinthians 5 and Romans 14 do indeed give us two sides of this question. In the one passage, Paul speaks of distancing ourselves from those who engage in covetousness, idolatry, and other sins. In the other, Paul encourages us to recognize that Christians may disagree about what is sinful, and to recognize that a person different from us may still be trying to live to the glory of God.

I do see some of my fellow Christians living lives that contain more self-centeredness or greed or meanness than they should. Maybe they're like that brother or sister that you don't really get along with, who says rude things to you when they come to dinner, but they're still family, like it or not.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity? Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones? What if most of the differences are nonsensical? Do they have to belong to the same denomination, or to be broadly Catholic or broadly Protestant for example? Where do you draw the line? If you do. Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother? Say, a Judaist or a Muslim based on some shared views of the Abrahamic beleifs?

To whom would you start preaching the gospel for example, and with who you will see no need to?

Of course we are to love any neighbour as ourselves regardless of who they are. I’m taking more about having a commonality that you feel on a closer level based on similar faith, or similar understanding of things, or similar activities, or same spirit in you, or similar eternal fate?

Who do you consider your own and why?

Jews and Muslims are sometimes referred to as "cousins" since we worship the same God of Abraham. The terms brother or sister are terms used to describe Christians that is born out of the belief that the Christian Church is God's Household. St. Paul invokes the language of the Household to describe God as Father, Christ as the Son who is the Father's heir, and we are adopted into God's house as sons and daughters. In this adoption we gain Christ as Brother and His Father as our Father. Thus "brother" and "sister" are terms of intentional familiarity.

Anyone who confesses Jesus Christ is my brother or sister. That said, yes there are lines. Namely, I do not regard those whose beliefs are wildly at odds with the historic Christian faith as brothers or sisters; not out of mean-spiritedness, but because if we aren't even meaning the same thing when we say "Jesus Christ" and "God the Father" then we aren't confessing the same religion. This is another example of how the Nicene Creed becomes an important standard of Christian faith and confession.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[seeking.IAM]

I am connected by faith to Christians of all stripes whose beliefs align them with the Nicene Creed as defined by the church in its earliest days. I am connected to non-Christians by our shared humanity and my Saviors command to love others as myself.

 

[Irkle Berserkle]

Hello.
How much are you willing to accept or tolerate people who don’t believe as you do within Christianity? Would you embrace somebody as your sister or brother by faith as long as they call themselves Christians? What if they don’t act like ones? What if most of the differences are nonsensical? Do they have to belong to the same denomination, or to be broadly Catholic or broadly Protestant for example? Where do you draw the line? If you do. Would you accept a person of another faith as a spiritual sister or brother? Say, a Judaist or a Muslim based on some shared views of the Abrahamic beleifs?

To whom would you start preaching the gospel for example, and with who you will see no need to?

Of course we are to love any neighbour as ourselves regardless of who they are. I’m taking more about having a commonality that you feel on a closer level based on similar faith, or similar understanding of things, or similar activities, or same spirit in you, or similar eternal fate?

Who do you consider your own and why?

Hmmm, I just responded to another of your threads where I made the point that I've just come from a forum where anyone who claimed to be a Christian couldn't be challenged even if he flatly rejected the Bible and was spouting New Age blather in the name of a Jesus who bore no resemblance to the Jesus of the Gospels. It was more than I could take, and I not only left but made sure I was banned and couldn't return just so I wouldn't be tempted.

No, there are Christian essentials. I'm willing to state them quite broadly, but there are outer limits. As I explained on another thread, I'm willing to regard Jehovah's Witnesses as my Christian brothers and sisters because I'm not prepared to say their understanding of Jesus violates any Christian essential; the Trinity may well be a Christian essential, but I'll let God decide whether believing Jesus is "the unique firstborn of creation who ransomed us from sin" is so far off-base as to disqualify the JW.

I don't regard Mormons, Jews or Muslims as Christians. Many may be wonderful people and there may be theological similarities, but they aren't part of the body of Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ are determined solely on the basis of theology. A brother in Christ who is a jackass will either be avoided by me or be told he's a jackass. A Muslim who is a pleasant person will be treated accordingly. I don't know whether I'm blessed or cursed, but precisely none of my close friends are Christians, and most aren't even theists. I don't find this has any practical effect on our relationship at all. They simply aren't brothers and sisters in Christ.

I think that's my bottom line: Brothers and sisters in Christ are those who believe the Christian essentials, but whether someone is or isn't a brother or sister in Christ is of no practical importance to me. Some of my non-Christian friends are interested in God-type topics at a superficial level, but I frankly never attempt any proselytizing because I know them well enough to know I'd only destroy the friendship.

 

[angelsaroundme]

"The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God." - Leviticus 19:34

I try to be friendly to everyone and leave the rest in God's hands.