What would it take to make you a Christian?

[LittleLambofJesus]

If Christianity not only saw but experienced the Light of God as alive and vibrant within others of other spiritual paths as well as the very foundation of Life itSelf across the whole of the Cosmos, than just maybe that might move me.

Why would I want to be a "Christian?" On the one hand we have Christ, the essence of Love and Life. And the other we have Christianity with all of it's rules, dogma and such. And it's only rarely that they cross paths.

I'm reminded of what the medieval mystic Marguerite Porete wrote when she distinguished between two kinds of churches. The first is the Great Holy Church, which preaches Love. The second is the Little Holy Church, which preaches rules and law and order.

It needs to be noted that the latter Church, the one that preaches rules and law and order, burned her at the stake.

Forgive me for saying this, but sometimes I think maybe some don't believe because of a kind of charicature of Christianity that they see. Christianity is a VASTLY varied landscape in these days, and wherever we fit in it we surely see others as WAY off base.

A lot of popular attitudes and teachings are of the sort that I think would drive most thinking people away from Christianity. The faith wasn't based on those sorts of things.

We need to be the kinds of people who draw others to actually see Christ in us. The kind of people who were so compelling that even when they were being martyred, onlookers would suddenly be convinced of the truth and even proclaim it though it meant they would be martyred as well. (Not that I'm hoping for a return to Christian persecution, it's just that this provides the most concrete proof that people were actually convinced by seeing true Christians.)

ETA: If the Holy Spirit is evident within us, people should be able to see us as different for it!

Excellent!

Matthew 5:
15 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

1 Peter 2:12
Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles/Nations that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
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In the immortal words of M Gandhi:

 

[~Anastasia~]

Excellent!

Matthew 5:
15 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

1 Peter 2:12
Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles/Nations that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
=========================
In the immortal words of M Gandhi:

I believe I had Ghandi's quote echoing in my mind as I wrote that post of mine you quoted.

Its something good for us to remain aware of. Thank you for posting it.

God be with you.

 

[Noxot]

Jesus and Christians like origen, berdyaev, Catherine of genoa, swedenborg and a host of others worthy to name convince me to stay. But I like non-Christian people too such as Max striner. If I had the time I would probably read shankaras works, he seems promising.

I still struggle with authoritarian conceptions of reality. I want to be fair to Jesus but I want to be fair to other high claims of others. It's not like only Christianity is trying to claim absolutes in truth. I see buddhism's struggle to escape reincarnation as a lame game that I do not wish to play. Samsara should be my servant, not my master.

And in general I think that if my soul is not compatible with eternity then it shouldn't exist in the first place.

 

[MarkusAurelius]

@cloudyday2
Great question! I don’t know what would convince me. However, if the God of the Bible exists, he absolutely knows what would convince me but for whatever reason he has withheld this from me. Perhaps he’s waiting for the right time?