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Why do Christians Believe different things?

rs9896

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There seems to be so many different strands of Christianity in the modern world. People will say their version is correct because God spoke to them and showed them the truth. This seems to happen to people with different ideas of Christianity, suggesting God is deceiving some people, which is unlikely as God is all loving. Or on the contrary some people are lying, or deluded about their interaction with God. Some believe in creationism, some incorporate the big bang theory into their beliefs. The list goes on.
My question really is, as a Christian, what should I believe out of all these claims? Are their any fundamental beliefs which all Christians believe, on which I can base my own beliefs on?

Thanks
Rob
 

CryptoLutheran

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Because Christians are fallible, frail, faltering human beings like everyone else. Show me someone who thinks they got it all figured out and I'll show you someone living in a fantasy world.

Historically the the Nicene Creed is the confession Christianity has agreed upon. Your mileage may vary, but the whole of mainstream, orthodox Christian thought rests on the Nicene Creed. As far as that goes, origins debates like the ones going on here are, to some extent, peripheral--at least as far as basic, bare bones orthodoxy goes.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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mark kennedy

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Interesting question and one of the things you have to appreciate, thinking people often differ on a wide range of issues. Creationism as it presents itself in this day and age is largely reactionary, you would have to take the issues seriously for any of the pro and cons to be of any use.

As far as fundamental beliefs the New Testament does not beat around the bush about what we are to believe:

“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. (Acts 10:38-44)​

Your supposed to believe that Christ is God incarnate but I didn't actually believe that for the first year I was a Christian. Didn't know anything about justification by faith or really care about the virgin birth. I wanted to be baptized which started a rather strange inquiry into water baptism. What I found is that the vast array of doctrine on this simple ceremony are legion.

When you hear the Gospel you believe and you are marked with the Holy Spirit of promise. This is your guarantee that salvation is yours and he (the Holy Spirit) will show you all things concerning Christ that are required for you to believe as Christian. If God holds the heart of pagan kings in his hands and directs them accordingly how much more so does God teach believers sound doctrine?

In other words you are asking the wrong person, it's the Holy Spirit that leads and sanctifies the believer.

However, if you want to know what someone like Paul would have answered to your question try the first three chapters of Ephesians. You will not get a more concise doctrinal statement of Christian conviction.

Grace and peace,
Mark
 
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Papias

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Cryptolutheran wrote:

Historically the the Nicene Creed is the confession Christianity has agreed upon. Your mileage may vary, but the whole of mainstream, orthodox Christian thought rests on the Nicene Creed.

Yes Rob, CL is right - That's the most basic summary you can get, that nearly every Christian will agree on. Note, however, that they agree on the text of it, but not always on the meaning of that text. For instance, the "one baptism" part was oringinally put there to say that the baptisms of other denominations outside of the Catholic Church were not valid (the Novationists & Donatists). Specifically, those schismatic denominations held that the priest must be a good Christian to administer a valid baptism, while the church in Rome held that it was the office of the priest, as part of the Catholic Church based in Rome that made the baptism valid, (even if the priest was corrupt) hence the line in Nicene creed that "we acknowledge ONE baptism for the forgiveness of sins" - that one baptism being the one by the Catholic church based in Rome, not one by other denominations.

Today this same line is interpreted to mean different things. Protestants see baptism as an outward profession of inward faith (hence the emphasis on adult baptisms), while Catholics see it as a special way to remove orignal sin (hence the emphasis on baptism of babies).

Other parts of the Nicene creed mean different things to different Christian churches and to different Christians. Most (not all - see Christians like jehovah's witnesses) will agree with the text, but not the meaning of the text, of the Nicene creed.


As far as that goes, origins debates like the ones going on here are, to some extent, peripheral--at least as far as basic, bare bones orthodoxy goes.

Right. Some Christians today lose sight of the fact that there has always been some debate in Christianity about origins, and that it is not important to salvation nor to orthodoxy.

Papias
 
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juvenissun

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This is the beauty of Christianity. We have a set of core beliefs. And we have other individual understandings as inspired by the Holy Spirit. You do not want every Christians believe exactly the same thing, starts from the smallest detail to the major doctrine.

Think: a government has prime minister, defense minister, financial minister, etc. etc. They are all humans under one government, but everyone of them are different. It is only a good thing that the defense minister fights the education minister on the budget share.
 
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CryptoLutheran

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Papias, the only thing I'd correct in your statement would be,

Protestants see baptism as an outward profession of inward faith (hence the emphasis on adult baptisms),

This is true of the Anabaptists and their spiritual descendants, but isn't true of Protestantism as a whole. My Baptism wasn't an outward profession of an inward faith, but the miraculous act of God by which He made me born again, united me to His Son, and made me His child, in the holy waters of Holy Baptism in the name of the Triune God.

Though, this is a tangent, I just think it bears mentioning.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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gluadys

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Good point. In the Reformed tradition (Calvinist, Presbyterian) baptism is seen as a Christian analogue to circumcision. It is initiation into the household of God as a member of the covenant people and so is appropriately ministered to the children who will be raised in the covenant community. The doctrine of election comes in here as well. It is God who invites and welcomes into his household those to whom He extends his saving grace. So, as you say, baptism is seen as a sovereign act of God who will bring it to fruition.

So, there are not only the general Protestant-Catholic differences, but various Protestant approaches to baptism as well, not just the Anabaptist believer's baptism.
 
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Papias

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CryptoLutheran wrote:


Thanks for the correction!

Papias

(Funny, I posted that last night and it doesn't seem to have posted. Maybe I forgot to hit something......)
 
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juvenissun

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I labelled myself as a Baptist because I was baptized in a Baptist church. And I think immersion is the proper way of baptism. That is all the reason.

Do I need to know how are Baptist different from other denominations as you pointed out? I don't think so and I don't care about their arguments. If I carefully study their doctrine, I probably don't want to be a baptist anymore. I am sure that I won't agree on some of what they said.
 
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gluadys

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On a personal level, you don't need to know. But if you want to discuss doctrine and practice on an inter-denominational level, yes, you should be aware that Baptists are not the only Protestants and other Protestant traditions have other ways of thinking about core Christian beliefs and practices.

You will probably never find a Christian community that you agree with 100%.

I have been Baptist, Presbyterian and United Church of Canada (Methodist/Congregationalist/Evangelical Brethren and Presbyterian) and I am currently Anglican. I have also worshipped---to my benefit--with Pentecostals, Christian Reformed, Lutherans, Catholics, and Ukrainian Orthodox. I have also studied with LDS and JW's enough to know why I don't join them.
 
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juvenissun

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Woww... You are a wise woman. I don't know any of them, including Baptists.

Could you tell me one difference of the "core beliefs" between, say, Baptists and Presbyterians (or any two which you know better)? (I don't like Presbyterian church. I think they are more "new-aged" than I like to see. That means they walked too far from the core beliefs). To my knowledge, I thought all denominations hold on very similar core beliefs. Is that not true?

Hey, this reminds me the Seven Churches in the Revelation. Do all seven of them hold on the same "core beliefs" regardless of their own special problems?
 
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CryptoLutheran

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There isn't any one Presbyterian church. In the United States there are several Presbyterian denominations, the two largest are the Presbyterian Church (USA) sometimes abbreviated PCUSA and the Presbyterian Church in America, abbreviated PCA. But there is also the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and other Presbyterian bodies just in the United States alone.

I'm not even entirely sure what you mean by "new aged", but I would encourage you to spend some time doing some homework. About a decade ago, before I started bothering to really learn what anyone outside of my own church believed, I was pretty hostile toward every other denomination, viewing them as either stuff shirt or "liberal" and either way repugnant to God.

Then I decided to become informed, and that changed everything.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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gluadys

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Presbyterian new age? Wow, I never in my life expected to hear staid old Presbyterians described as new age. Calvin & Knox must be turning over in their graves!!!.

Well, THE Presbyterian/Reformed distinctive is a focus on the sovereignty of God that extends to holding that God is the only agent of salvation. Presbyterians are more likely to speak of God's grace, while Baptists are more likely to speak of the believer's faith. (Of course, Presbyterians don't reject faith and Baptists don't reject grace. It is more a difference in emphasis than disagreement.)

But Presbyterians don't talk about "making a decision" for Christ, because in Presbyterian theology, God makes the decisions. Baptists (at least those I knew) speak of baptism as the believer's testimony or witness, a believer's act of faith and obedience. Presbyterians speak of baptism as a means of grace, as God receiving and welcoming the one baptized into the household of faith. So baptism is seen as a work and gift of God, not an act of the believer.

Along with that, the Baptist theology focuses primarily on the individual. Baptism is about God and the believer, each believer individually. Presbyterian theology focuses more on the community. Baptism is initiation into the Body of Christ, which is the Church.

I was very surprised when, after being baptized in a Baptist church, I was later contacted about becoming a member of the church. Coming from a United/Presbyterian background I had assumed that I was already a member by virtue of being baptized.

But basically, you are right. Beneath differences in practice and emphasis, most denominations (Protestant, Catholic & Orthodox) do hold to the same basic core beliefs. We may not all understand the Nicene Creed in quite the same way, but it remains a good summary of the core beliefs of the vast majority of Christians.
 
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juvenissun

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Excellent. Thank you very much. I understand and agree.

I feel the New Age smell on two (the only two, i.e. 100%) Presbyterian (USA) churches I visited (I stayed with them for 6 months and 3 years). According to my conservative mind, they are too liberal in practice. My current Baptist church is perfect.
 
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juvenissun

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Thanks for the clarification.

Not like you, even I don't understand how are they different, I tend to accept them all, until any particular one is proven otherwise. As a result, to know the differences among denominations has never been my concern. For example, the baptism by sprinkling is OK to me, even I don't like it. And the Catholic Pop is fine with me, even I will not knee to him, and certainly will not agree to him in 100%.
 
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