Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre
I have nothing but respect for you Chris. I have always found you very sage, but those two words make me frown.
As I have stated on here many times I was brought up Roman Catholic, but I am now non-religious.
I have a JW Kingdom Hall, not far from me and they, as they do, call round and as I’m polite I engage with then and they leave the two standard publications. My favourite item was always “was it designed or was it luck”. Or something like that, as they failed to grasp what evolutionary theory was. They have their view on the story of Christ that may not chime with your view, but it’s their view.
But my ire with your comment is the inflection that my Christianity is better that your Christianity. We have the same god but you’re not doing it right. You’re not real.
In how many other areas in society, can that, and is that accusation often made?
That’s not “real” socialism, that’s not “real” communism, that’s not real Islam…. examples in point.
Those arguments can lead to extremism.
That very notion is the reason I’m non-religious.
This will be my first and only post in this thread.
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Fair point, however I’m not appealing simply to what goes on in my own church on a Sunday morning here. I’m talking about orthodox Christianity that rests on the Nicene-Constantinople Creed, which is the refined, finally-agreed form of essential Christian belief that all Christian churches agree with. It has existed in its final form since the 4th century AD (though it reflects the teachings of the church fathers back to the first generation church) and has survived schism, reformation and all manner of conflict.
With a Catholic upbringing you may remember it; it begins “I believe in One God, the Father almighty”. Real Christianity, regardless of denomination, is in agreement with that creed. From time to time, throughout history, movements have occasionally sprung up that reject the creed. Most often they reject the Trinitarian parts, which confess that God is eternally Father, Son and Spirit, three and yet also one. Whatever disagreements different denominations have had, they have always agreed that the creed is a basis for agreement of what Christianity actually is.
I make no apology for asserting that a church that is in agreement with the creed is a Christian church, while an organisation that calls itself the only true church yet is not in agreement with the creed is, well, not.
The Watchtower Society is not a Christian organisation. Kingdom Halls are not Christian churches. Mormons are not Christians and their temples are not places of Christian worship. Unitarian churches, which historically have been the more common form of trinity-denying organisation in the UK, are not Christian churches.
You will find possibly quite surprising levels of cooperation between churches in British towns and cities these days, even amongst Protestant and Catholic, but wherever you find a “churches together” movement you will find that those churches associate on the basis of essential credal belief that necessarily excludes Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Unitarians, Christian Scientists, Spiritualists, and any other organisation that denies those basic beliefs.