OnceConvinced wrote:
OpenYourEyes wrote:
if you probed deeper you'd find out that the differences are not that great when it comes to the important characteristics of Christianity. For instance, the overwhelming majority of Christian denominations believe in the divinity of Christ, the resurrection, the nature of God, the authority of Scripture, they share the same Bible canon, etc. Dividing over what day to worship, as Seventh-day Adventists are distinguished for has little impact on understanding the core messages of Christianity.
I disagree with several of these. I think you would find variation in how we Christians describe the nature of God, the "authority of scripture" and we do not all share the same Bible Canon. The second largest communion in the world is the Orthodox and their Canon differs from the RCC and her protestants. Among Protestants, Anglican/Episcopal and Lutheran, at the very least, maintain the Apocrypha with differences.
The older traditions maintain Tradition as well as the Bible and considering they came into being before the Bible Canon was formed and made available to all, this is understandable. Some Protestant churches also believe in tradition to varying degrees. And despite the fact that many Protestant churches deride all tradition, they have created their own new, replacement traditions such as altar calls.
Which important characteristics/core messages do the majority of Christians agree upon?
The doctrine of the Trinity (with changes and misunderstandings)
Original sin (with differences)
The divinity of Christ (with differences, some almost completely denying his manhood)
Baptism (with vast differences in perception of its meaning and purpose)
The crucifixion
The resurrection
The virgin birth
Forgiveness of sin
Confession of sin (apparently not attended, taught, by LATER protestant denominations)
Which are crucial when it comes to determining whether someone is a true Christian and saved?
This is purely a social construct that crept into the faith through some Protestant sects. I have seen long debates among theologians as to when one can know they have salvation and
if we can know. It shouldn't matter to the Christian what others think of him/her, their judgments are not valid (remember the Pharisee praying). All that matters is God's judgment and only God can make it. Otherwise it is a sin. The older churches don't do this business of judging others so much although they may say, in general, that we must believe certain things and do certain things, and avoid sinning and especially some sins.
Are these things listed by OpenYourEyes crucial for salvation?
Belief in:
- the divinity of Christ
- the resurrection
Do the majority of Christians agree on...
- the nature of god?
- the authority of scripture?
- which versions of the bible to use?
For salvation? What on earth do the different versions of the Bible have to do with salvation?! Or the authority of scripture? Scripture is useful, as Timothy says--but it does NOT say what some take it to say. So scripture is important, but as Jesus points out we can study the scriptures diligently believing that in them we have eternal life but we refuse to come to him for that life. I would say that we should do as Jesus taught us to do.
Many fail to remember that the church existed for fourteen Centuries before the printing press was invented and only hand copied Bibles were available until then. We've only been able to have personal Bibles for seven centuries and most of those centuries it was still too expensive for the common person to own.
Note that what is required for salvation also varies greatly among Christians. In my tradition we are saved, we are being saved, we will be saved. We don't consider it simple by any means.
