Is there a Christianity that isn't toxic?

[JCFantasy23]

It can be frustrating trying to find the right fit of a church. They can each differ, even in the same denomination. I'm not sure which church you went to that had three worship songs at the beginning and none thereafter, but I've personally never experienced that with any church I've gone to. I have a feeling there's churches out there you'd like, you probably just haven't run into them yet.

 

[Shiloh Raven]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mercynotsacrifice/2016/07/01/is-there-a-christianity-that-isnt-toxic/

All of these, but especially 2, 3, 8, 9, & 10.

What points resonate most with you?

Based on my previous experiences within the Christian church, all of the them, but number 9 especially.

9) Solidarity Not Sanctimony: What Jesus calls out as sin is the failure to love. He consistently takes a posture of solidarity, standing up for people, rather than sanctimony, standing up for the rules. This isn’t to say that rules are unimportant. But every rule must submit itself to the authority of the great commandment to love God and love neighbor. Perfect love is our ultimate goal. Anything short of that is sin, but we have a gracious God who is constantly replacing our sin with love.

 

[linr05]

My family left the Catholic church when I was a teenager. I tried going back...however...that's a discussion I do not wish to have here, let it suffice to say that there's no way I will ever darken the door of the RCC ever again.

Funny thing is you couldn't if you tried. Look up the word Simulacrum. Then try betrayedcatholics.com. Enemies of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church plotted for centuries to usurp Her outward form. They succeeded in 1958. Most are clueless. The Great Chastisement is underway. Being your own pope will win you no grace.

 

[RedPonyDriver]

Funny thing is you couldn't if you tried. Look up the word Simulacrum. Then try betrayedcatholics.com. Enemies of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church plotted for centuries to usurp Her outward form. They succeeded in 1958. Most are clueless. The Great Chastisement is underway. Being your own pope will win you no grace.

There's no need for bashing here. You don't like the RCC for certain reasons and that's cool, however, I'm willing to bet your "brand" of Christianity is probably just as toxic.

And now, I see you're a "traditional Catholic"...talk about toxic!!!! No thank you.

 

[FireDragon76]

I attended an Independent Christian Church. I like the idea of weekly communion as I believe it to be biblical. HOWEVER...I can't deal with the lock-step right-wing politics that are so popular in the evangelical community.

There are a lot of alternatives. There are a lot of churches where politics is not a frequent topic.

 

[linr05]

There's no need for bashing here. You don't like the RCC for certain reasons and that's cool, however, I'm willing to bet your "brand" of Christianity is probably just as toxic.

And now, I see you're a "traditional Catholic"...talk about toxic!!!! No thank you.

The books The Broken Cross, The Plot Against the Church, and Martinez's The Undermining of the Catholic Church tell the same. I can have justifiable anger that enemies have impostured and led a coup of Christ's external Church.

I'm affirming love of the true RCC--not its Simulacrum. (U still didn't bother to look up the word!)

How can U even discuss something about which U are unknowing?

 

[RedPonyDriver]

Honey, I know what a Simulacrum is...a simulation.

Traditional Catholicism is just as, if not more, toxic than other forms of Christianity. My family left Catholicism when they left Cuba.

CC, BSME, MSME, PE, MBA.

 

[Jack of Spades]

What points resonate most with you?

The last one was inspiring. Quoting the blogger:

So when I share my faith with another person, Christian or not, I expect to be evangelized by them at least as much as they are evangelized by me. Real evangelism is not about inviting people to be an audience in my stadium. It’s about falling more deeply in love with God and expecting every other person to be an angel sent from God to teach me something


- I very strongly agree with the blogger on that quoted part. I am very delighted to find a Christian author who thinks that way.

My old, mistaken view on spiritual wisdom was that it's like a pyramid, where the people on the top teach those who are on the bottom. Over the years I have come to see that this was a completely mistaken view on spirituality.

Spiritual life is indeed life, and anyone who is connected to the source of life, has something to teach to me, attitudes, goodness, wisdom of heart, their life-experience, the touch and memories of love they have had in their lives and plenty of things like that. Many people have something good in them, that can inspire others. All they need to do is to be themselves, and 'let it flow' in a normal conversation.

Not everyone is a good teacher, but I believe that the more I see God in others, the more teachers I end up finding for myself, just by being open-minded. God is the teacher, and God himself lives in the people who seek him. I believe this is not just a poetic expression, but spiritual reality, as the Bible puts it, Christ in us.