Important characteristics of Christianity

[OnceConvinced]

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.

Which important characteristics/core messages do the majority of Christians agree upon?

Which are crucial when it comes to determining whether someone is a true Christian and saved?

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?

[OnceConvinced]

Most if not all translations are bias by the doctrines and contextual understanding of the translators. That is why using multiple translations is advisable.

So from your perspective there's not even one trustworthy translation that would stand on its own?

[OnceConvinced]

Things that all Christians, unitarian and trinitarian alike, agree on, or should be able to agree on:

-The importance and supremacy of the Bible as the main source of Spiritual inspiration, if not it's infallibility

How do you personally see the bible in this respect?

-The Ten Commandments

The 10 commandments say to keep the sabbath (Saturday) holy. Do the majority of Christians believe it important to keep the sabbath holy?

- Jesus as the most important prophet at the very least, if not the 2nd person of the Trinity.

Ok, so when it comes to the nature of God we already have a huge disagreement. Some say Jesus is only an important prophet, others say he IS God. And some would say he is the SON of God.

What stance do you take?

-The teachings of Jesus, especially the Golden Rule

Is keeping the golden rule crucial to consider oneself saved or a "true Christian"?

What other teachings of Jesus can you think of that would be agreed upon by the majority of Christians as crucial?

and the Lord's prayer.

I've been a part of many Christian churches throughout my life. Only one church ever prayed the lord's prayer and that was a presbyterian/Anglican one.

Is praying the lord's prayer crucial for Christians?

[Checkpoint]

Your other question was:

When it comes to bible authority, what would you say most Christians would believe?:
A) It's God's infallible word
B) It's God inspired, but contains human errors
c) Other

Most Christians would either believe A) or B).

Generally, fundamentalists and evangelicals believe A) and main-liners believe B).

So would you agree there is definitely some major disagreement then on bible authority?

Hard to say whether it is major or not. Most Catholics and Orthodox probably go for A rather than B.

It is more an individual matter rather than a denominational one,

Who knows what % are for A and what % opt for B.

[OnceConvinced]

Just to elaborate on what was quoted about me. Christians don't believe that the God of the OT is a moral monster, they don't believe that Christian doctrine is sexist, they don't believe that the nature/attributes of God conflict with each other or with logic, etc, etc.

I am not asking what Christians don't believe, but what they DO believe... and how much of that most agree upon.

But let's go with those negatives for a moment. If a Chrisitian were to exhibit even one of those beliefs would that make him a false Christian?

Is it crucial that a Christian reject all those notions?

These beliefs are common across all real Christian denominations and of course they're more than needed to retain a stable belief in Christendom.

You need to clarify some a little more though.

What about the nature of God is agreed upon by the majority of Christians?
What about bible authority is agreed upon by the majority of Christians?
In what way is Jesus divine?

Others here have also made some comments about what most Christians agree on. Here are some. Do you agree these are crucial characteristics of Christianity?

1) Must obey the golden rule
2) Must recite the lord's prayer
3) Must see Jesus as their saviour
4) Must believe in the trinity

[OnceConvinced]

Your other question was:

When it comes to bible authority, what would you say most Christians would believe?:
A) It's God's infallible word
B) It's God inspired, but contains human errors
c) Other

Most Christians would either believe A) or B).

Generally, fundamentalists and evangelicals believe A) and main-liners believe B).

So would you agree there is definitely some major disagreement then on bible authority?

Hard to say whether it is major or not. Most Catholics and Orthodox probably go for A rather than B.

It is more an individual matter rather than a denominational one,

Who knows what % are for A and what % opt for B.

What do you believe yourself?

[Checkpoint]

Your other question was:

When it comes to bible authority, what would you say most Christians would believe?:
A) It's God's infallible word
B) It's God inspired, but contains human errors
c) Other

Most Christians would either believe A) or B).

Generally, fundamentalists and evangelicals believe A) and main-liners believe B).

So would you agree there is definitely some major disagreement then on bible authority?

Hard to say whether it is major or not. Most Catholics and Orthodox probably go for A rather than B.

It is more an individual matter rather than a denominational one,

Who knows what % are for A and what % opt for B.

What do you believe yourself?

I believe A).

[Elijah John]

Things that all Christians, unitarian and trinitarian alike, agree on, or should be able to agree on:

-The importance and supremacy of the Bible as the main source of Spiritual inspiration, if not it's infallibility

How do you personally see the bible in this respect?

I take the Bible seriously as Spiritual inspiration, not literally. I think the Bible was inspired by God, not dictated by Him.

-The Ten Commandments

The 10 commandments say to keep the sabbath (Saturday) holy. Do the majority of Christians believe it important to keep the sabbath holy?

Not as Holy as Orthodox Jews do, and most Christians observe it on Sunday, not Saturday. Many usually attend services on Sunday at the very least, not all refrain from work.

- Jesus as the most important prophet at the very least, if not the 2nd person of the Trinity.

Ok, so when it comes to the nature of God we already have a huge disagreement. Some say Jesus is only an important prophet, others say he IS God. And some would say he is the SON of God.

What stance do you take?

Trinitarias consider Jesus to be "God", Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians, unitarians (small "u" unitarian, as opposed to UUs) and various "free-lancers" and "heretics" do not.

We consider the Father alone to be God.

I see Jesus as the most important prophet, but not as "God". Jesus was completely human.

-The teachings of Jesus, especially the Golden Rule

Is keeping the golden rule crucial to consider oneself saved or a "true Christian"?

What other teachings of Jesus can you think of that would be agreed upon by the majority of Christians as crucial?

'

His teachings on the Father's mercy. The importance of repentance. The ethics of the Sermon on the Mount, and the Parables. The necessity of inner devotion to God, not merely external observance.

and the Lord's prayer.

I've been a part of many Christian churches throughout my life. Only one church ever prayed the lord's prayer and that was a presbyterian/Anglican one.

Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Eastern Orthodox combined make ups the vast majority of worldwide Christians, they are all Creedal, liturgical churches. They all recite the Lord's prayer as part of the mass (service). I was not aware that Presbyterians recited it as well.

The fact that the churches you've attended in the past that omitted the Lord's prayer, makes me think you attended Evangelical Churches, which seem to consider the teachings of John and Paul as more important than the teaching of Jesus as found in Matthew and Luke. John and Paul did not teach the Lord's prayer, Matthew and Luke's Jesus did.

Is praying the lord's prayer crucial for Christians?

I think so, it is the prayer that Jesus taught when his disciples asked him how to pray.

But the Lord's prayer can be considered a model for prayer, not necessarily a word for word mandate.

Thanks for the questions OC.

[Monta]

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.

Which important characteristics/core messages do the majority of Christians agree upon?

Which are crucial when it comes to determining whether someone is a true Christian and saved?

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?

But you are an atheist!

I came here to escape all the bombardment....
Isn't Theology Doctrine and Dogma for Christians only discussion?

[Elijah John]

But you are an atheist!

I came here to escape all the bombardment....
Isn't Theology Doctrine and Dogma for Christians only discussion?

Moderator Clarification

Not at all...you may be thinking of "Holy Huddle".

Non-Theists and Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and other non-Christian religionists are welcome to post here as well, but on this forum it is assumed that the Bible is authoritative and that God exists.

Points of doctrine and dogma, however, and interpretation are debatable here.

A knowledgable atheist can debate these things without actually believing them, as well, sometimes better than a theist can.

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[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by OnceConvinced]

In the bible Jesus is reported as saying the chief characteristic of Christianity would be love. Most Christians accept that this to be the case.

JW