Why hold an unorthodox belief?

Christianity was once a heretical branch of Judaism.

What makes me think that I know better than people who disagree with me? Generally the quality of the arguments. If I feel that I can make the argument for either side competently, and I think one argument is much better than the other, then I'll believe the better argument.

The history of Christianity is full of examples of widely-held beliefs that we now almost all reject.

In the end, I have to believe the things that seem to me to be true. To do otherwise would be dishonest.

sioleabha said:

This is not meant to be argumentative; it's an honest question.

Those of you who hold a belief that is not widely regarded by the Christian world as Biblically accurate, what makes you think that you (for lack of better phrasing) know better? Why do so few others see things your way?

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Some people called Jesus the prince of devils, because he wasn't orthodox:

Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.


I think Jesus set a good example of why the majority isn't always right. He wasn't crucified for following the crowd...

I subscribe to believes that are “unorthodox” and not most clear from the Bible, because my religion is not based on the Bible. It is based on the source of the Bible, Jesus Christ. As the above posters made clear, Jesus Christ taught a religion that was not most clear from the Old Testament, but no Christian questions that. For those who embrace sola scriptura the majority interpretation of the Bible might be something to think about, but for those who believe in ordained authority from God sola scriptura interpretations are of little concern.



Charity, TOm

Hi Forum,

This is probably the best question I've seen on this website.

This from Seebs..

In the end, I have to believe the things that seem to me to be true. To do otherwise would be dishonest.

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I would say this is a basic 'good thing.' In the end as well, it may be the ultimate intention of religious belief in the human situation.

However, on the other side of the coin, I have always disliked the 'unorthodox' label applied to my denomination which is the largest protestant denomination in Canada. It doesn't preach end times and the rapture is not a doctrine they teach either.

I always use a reference I found from a Muslim writer that explains how this person sees the teaching of Christianity.

Ali Al-Timimi

What about belief in the Last Day, do the Christians believe in the Last Day? No. Why don’t they believe in the Last Day? Because they believe the resurrection will be the resurrection only of the spirits. They don’t believe that this body, this flesh, these bones, and flesh, and blood, and so forth will actually be in Paradise. They think only your soul will be in Paradise. And that is why they reject what Muslims say when we say in Paradise people will eat and drink and have sexual relations.

That's how this writer sees Christian belief and so do I, this appears to me to be biblical and the biblical understanding of most christians.

This forum is what is unorthoodox to evangelicals as I understand it...

Anyway it's the owners barn, but I find the label offensive. However, try as you might the masses of Christianity do not seem to get into public displays of beliefs as I see it. In Canada the Catholics have a half hour TV spot once a day, the evangelicals fill two channels for the other 23 1/2 hours.

The folks who run this site have the ambition and the drive to construct and man this website so it follows that they would build it as they want it.

We get to use it and I'm thankful for that, but I can't support these things financially because that would be promoting false doctrine as I see it.

Personnal opinion.........................

Justme

I was attracted to a so-called unorthodox religion because of its neutrality stand. At one time, I did not know that there was a united global body of people that loved one another to the point of abstaining from military conflicts. (Thus they never injure their fellow believers as well as other people in other lands.) Also, they take such a stand despite opposition, persecution, and constant fault finding and ridicule.

Jesus said that we would know his people by the love they manifest amongst themselves. ---John 13:35

Today there are some 6.5 million such people in some 90,000 congregations around the globe, and every year increases by the hundreds of thousands.

I think that it is difficult for many to appreciate such a brotherhood because so many people are nationalistic.

Why hold an "unorthodox" belief.

God told me to!
Christianity as a whole was unorthodox when it started.

When the revolutionaries win, they in turn become The Man.

sioleabha said:

This is not meant to be argumentative; it's an honest question.

Those of you who hold a belief that is not widely regarded by the Christian world as Biblically accurate, what makes you think that you (for lack of better phrasing) know better? Why do so few others see things your way?

Click to expand...

Why do I think that I know better?
Mainly through Years of Extensive Reseach, Prayer, Testing of the Spirit, etc..

The Majority of Christians follow their favorite "Teachers", and spend much time quoting those teachers. They let somebody else do all the "leg work" for them. These Teachers are trusted because they are Popular, and many hold College Degrees that tell the world "Im an Expert".

I don't trust somebody else's opinion when it comes to something as important as Eternal Salvation. Therefore I personally sought out God's Opinion as His opinion is the only one that matters in the End.

And what I have Learned, I put into practice.

Most of the orthodox views are made of man's traditions that have no basis in Scripture,

Trinity, creeds, Sunday keeping, Saturday observance, Easter, Lent. Palm Sunday, Christmas, Halloween, Hierarchical authority, legalism, Popes, speaking in tongues, tithing, confession, beads, Maryology, icons, altars, praying to the dead, making the sign of the cross, being slain in the spirit, fish on Friday, stepping over sidewalk cracks - you name it.

I think I would rather let the Bible speak to me and guide my life, rather than Luther, Calvin, the Pope, TBN, Benny Hinn, Ron Parsley, Peter Popoff, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, gay preachers, Harvard and Yale, etc., and a long list of others are that are representatives of orthodoxy

those are not views more are the customs



Why hold a belief just because it is considered orthodox, if people were afraid to do what was considered unorthodox you would not be a christian today.

My own opinion is that being "orthodox" means little in regards to what is truth. Orthodoxy belongs to the majority and who is in power sometimes. In Messiah's day it was the legalistic, extra-scriptural, excessive tradition, sects that were "Orthodox". At another time it was what the Cahtholic church taught, today it's mainstream Christianity.

Majority really means nothing seeing how in many scriptural cases the majority was wrong and the remnant right. Don't misunderstand me, I would not argue that my stance of being Anti-Trinitarian, Pro-Torah, Pro-Hebraic understanding, Anti-Ultra Semitic, Pro-Messiah individual (a small portion of people hold such a perspective compared to the rest) is correct due to being the minority. I don't believe that a perspective belonging to the minority party concludes it as being true.

I'm only stating that orthodoxy or majority really means little to be afraid of being unorthodox. I think I would be considered unorthodox by every denomination I know of but that's okay.

I can't say much more than the others :up:
I doubt a person will look for a belief taking in consideration if it's orthodox or unorthodox. We look for what makes more sense for our minds and heart, what makes us feel good and in peace.

We look for a way to be together with the Love of God. And, if our brother or sister is doing the same in other way, more power for then. If it's the way they choose to re-unite, it must be truth - for that person, at least. nothing else matters

Coyote BR
Christian Spiritist

sioleabha said:

This is not meant to be argumentative; it's an honest question.

Those of you who hold a belief that is not widely regarded by the Christian world as Biblically accurate, what makes you think that you (for lack of better phrasing) know better? Why do so few others see things your way?

Click to expand...

Dear sioleabha,
I happen to know better now as a Christian (I don't carry any titles which give warrant to a specific denomination) because I have done as the Bible says in I Thessalonians 5:21 to "Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good". When I first became a Baptist (and Christian, I know Baptists are indeed Christians if they walk according to the truth that God has revealed to them) almost approximately ten years from the time I typed this message, I wanted not just to believe, but to KNOW that God really did exist. I threw a rock in the air at one time while I was reading the Bible outside, and sure enough, the rock VANISHED. GOD KNOWS THAT I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP!!!
Later on, I pondered on various subjects such as God's laws and healing, and at the same time, articles on the subject came my way, though I did not request them. THESE ARTICLES CAME AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME!!! Is that a miracle, or mere coincidence (so much strange phenomena has come my way since these did)? I have always prayed for God to lead me in the right path, as David did in the end of Psalm 139 (go there and see if I'm correctly referring to this psalm). I know that that sometimes means going against what Hank Hanegraff has referred to as the "pale of orthodoxy", which sounds awfully tantamount to the popular Catholic belief of the infallibility of the Pope (and I've wondered if the Pope, or John Paul II is so blessed, why does he have to fight against Parkinson's disease?). People should care more as to what truth really is, than what is orthodox! Some might consider something to be orthodox and others consider the same matter not to be (one of these beliefs is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, for instance, which "orthodox", I suppose, people such as Hank Hanegraff himself rejects). I'll tell you what, why do you believe Jesus is the Messiah? If He were living today, many would consider Him as a cult leader, what with the miracles He did and the things He said of Himself. People would think he was some revolutionary cultic sorcerer today if He had a ministry done by Him as He did in the first century A.D. If someone claimed they were God, would you believe them? No, unless they gave irrefutable PROOF, which the book of Acts says that Jesus did to prove Himself (check the first chapter and note the words "irrefutable proofs" or "infallible proofs" in the King James). Jesus' miracles were done to PROVE that He was who he said He was. The Scriptures concerning Him that were fulfilled in His time also PROVE His claim as the Son of God (which was blasphemy to the scribes and Pharisees).

The above statements I've made are not to shrug you off as some naive fool who doesn't know what in the world he/she is talking about pertaining to the Bible, but to help enlighten you as to what the Word of God says about PROVING TO YOURSELF God's Word. It is as Jesus said in John 7:17 (check to see if I'm right or wrong on the reference), "If any man do His [God's] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself". Sometimes this requires doing something that you may never have thought of doing before (like when I learned to keep the seventh-day Sabbath, though I'm not a Seventh-Day Adventist) to PROVE (I guess I can't stress that word enough) what God's will is. Romans 12:2 (once again, I know I'm right on the reference, but check and make sure, please) says to be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may PROVE [emphasis mine] what is that good, and perfect, and acceptable, will of God.

I've typed enough for now. God bless you as you seek to ascertain His will for you. Thank you for your time in reading this.