What If I Belive In God And Jesus But Dont Have A Religion

reply to post by Devestator


I'm a bit worried that the experiences of you and your friend have influenced your opinion of churches as a whole. Now unfortunately, bad churches do exist. And it appears you've had some experiences with some of them. I'm sorry for that.

However, there are also GOOD churches out there (I know, because I go to one), and I'd encourage you to find one. Not that there's any problem with not going to church and being a Christian, but I've found going to church helps me grow in my relationship with Christ and expose some faults in my life that I didn't even realize I needed forgiveness for.

Regardless, I wish you luck.

Originally posted by EPH612
reply to post by Devestator

 

I'm a bit worried that the experiences of you and your friend have influenced your opinion of churches as a whole. Now unfortunately, bad churches do exist. And it appears you've had some experiences with some of them. I'm sorry for that.

However, there are also GOOD churches out there (I know, because I go to one), and I'd encourage you to find one. Not that there's any problem with not going to church and being a Christian, but I've found going to church helps me grow in my relationship with Christ and expose some faults in my life that I didn't even realize I needed forgiveness for.

Regardless, I wish you luck.

I'm sure there are some decent churches out there however church is like a cult... Same thing different beliefs... I have a story to share... An ex girlfriend of mine was telling me about a time when their family was poor and didn't really have any money. They tried going to a church known for being a "good church". They were told not to come back because they didn't have any money to donate. This is a TRUE story. I'll tell you what and I've made this comment twice already but I want to stress it. You do not need church. Your body is your church. Your intuition should be able to decipher from right and wrong. You really honestly don't need to ask for forgiveness because you are already forgiven... However you are expected to learn from your mistakes and try to change them as you grow wiser. Christ is already in your life. He's been there since you were conceived. Do not believe the B.S. That you somehow need a priest to talk to god for you. That in and of itself is a sin on the priests part.

reply to post by group935


You don't have to become a member of any congregation to believe in God; even Mose's relationship with God was a personal one.

Originally posted by group935
Hello

I Definatly Belive In God Now But I Do Not Have A Religion Thank You

Welcome to true Christianity. It's about a relationship, not religion.

I think that people hate the idea of being religious because they hated them when they did not know Christ. So when they do find Him they are hesitant to give themselves 100% into following the faith. But Christ said you must be like children. What do you think He meant? Do children act as their own theologian? Or do they have faith that seems foolish to adults? Why is it written in the OT that you must follow God's ways even if you can't understand them? A spiritually "enlightened" one will laugh at such a concept.

Believe it or not Christ commissioned his apostles to establish a church and make disciples of people in all nations. Those who say otherwise are ignoring scripture.

Sounds like you aren't a true believer then, I mean honestly at this point you might as well. you know, worship...

dat spajetti monstah

reply to post by 547000


Christ may well of commissioned his apostles to establish a church and make disciples of people in all nations but where are the ones who knew what Jesus was talking about? Jesus had a message about consciousness.
Jesus did not have a surname, the word christ means consciousness.
We all have to follow Gods way but some resist and get hurt. But most 'think' they can do it better and God lets them try.

reply to post by Itisnowagain


Christ doesn't mean "consciousness", who told you that?

reply to post by NOTurTypical


What do you think the word Christ implies then? Maybe you can teach me something. I know it is often thought to be the surname of Jesus but it is not.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

What do you think the word Christ implies then? Maybe you can teach me something. I know it is often thought to be the surname of Jesus but it is not.

The anointed or the anointed one. Personal pronoun specific. He is the only Christ, the anointed one of God.

Originally posted by EPH612
Well, I've seen some on this thread say "agnostic", but I'd like to point out that that's not entirely accurate. An agnostic is defined as "a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God" (New Oxford American Dictionary). So, by believing in God you're not an agnostic.

If I had to say, I'd say Christian. Based solely on the thread title where you profess belief in God and Jesus (which I assume to mean you believe in Jesus as the Son of God), and that's all Christianity truly is. All the rest of what Christianity is usually defined as today is primarily theology and doctrine.

And in response to some of the posts I've read on here, it's my personal belief that you DON'T need to read the Bible to be a Christian. However it is an EXCELLENT guide to grow in your faith and relationship with Christ.

I wish you all the best, group 935.

I am tired of people defining agnostic in their own way, they pick one sentence out of a dictionary and assume its the entire meaning. Here is another excerpt of the definition so everyone can see the whole picture:

In some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the difference between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief

To be agnostic can mean that you believe in something greater, but you don't know it. I know God exists but I don't know God. It also means not to follow one specific claim or beleif, maybe the jews were right, maybe christians, I do not know. I believe though.

That makes me angostic. While I understand some may find this definition hard to grasp, it is in fact the truth based on my studies with many religious teachers.

I find no religion my own therefore I am agnostic.

Originally posted by KonquestAbySS
Hmmm I believe in GOD, but not Jesus... I believe that makes me an agnostic? Hey Regardless I treat others how they want to be treated, that's my philosophy..

Your belief in God but lack of following a specific sect proves true that you are Agnostic. Don't let the others make you think differently based on their half-meaning definitions posted here.

You do not have too be part of a religion/group/cult too believe in god,Its a matter of belief's and opinion's.What you believe is what you believe.

I think people choose not too be in a religion because they may be even too lazy to go to mass or not totally into it, But you can still believe in god and not do anything about it, Also the fact that they dont want too go to a religion also shows they arent 100 Percent sure they think god exists.

Personally, I believe in god. but am I religious? no.
We all have our own ways with keeping with god.

Originally posted by awakened1
Religion in general, especially organized religion is in place to control minds, nothing more, Spirituality on the other hand is the connection from within, God what we call Consciousness, Higher Power, the SOURCE of all things has no religion. Man creates things to try and express what he feels. Religion is not necessary to know that there is something higher than this realm we find ourselves in

Blessings

I agree with you. Organized religion has a lot of blood and death in it's wake. And thats so unfortunate. Because at first those who started "a movement" that became a religion had only the best of intentions. But human beings are opportunistic, and once you start worshiping the messenger and not the message, well you see what you get. It was once said to me by a very wise old man that "religion is organized angst" I think he was right. One can seek enlightenment by honestly and openly seeking wisdom. Add the adage that in your quest you wish harm to no one. And you will have found your version of God.

I was raised catholic with church every week, 1st communion and the whole deal... I just want to say that all my understanding of Jesus and God came years after I stopped going to church and paid more attention to what was going on inside myself. My better understanding didnt come because I stopped practicing as a religious catholic but because I made a conscious decision to pick up a bible and learn something I wanted to know. I was never taught in church or caticism classes as a kid how to meditate on things and I now believe that when you see the tipical picture of a child kneeling befor bed with prayer hands that if you could go back far enough and see Jesus pray to God, you would see someone in a more buddhist meditation position completely relaxed and at peace. I still consider myself catholic but as a catholic I cant ignore the centuries of war and corruption in the religions past without questioning not the teachings of Jesus himself but the teachings of all the religious leaders after him. If I had lived in Christs time I wouldve kept record of the 10 commandments and then simplified everything else into just 1 word, LOVE. Who knows after the past 2 millenia how many facts pertaining to Jesus' life were lost, changed or forgotten. Probably quite a few in the Dark Ages alone. I guess what Im saying is that you dont need the label of a religion to believe in God or Jesus... and in my opinion the following of Jesus through faith is better appreciated and understood when you live it spiritually and the rest falls into place.

Originally posted by group935
Hello

I Definatly Belive In God Now But I Do Not Have A Religion Thank You

Well, if you read your Bible, you will see that Jesus taught it was all about relationship, not religion.

Jesus condemned the Pharisees for putting religious rules over relationships, even using religious rules to justify not helping their elderly parents.

If you attended my church, you would have heard the pastors using "religion" in a negative sense. So what you saw is not shocking to me at all.

reply to post by NOTurTypical

Christ-consciousness is Christ, in whom we can renew our minds, our heart and soul. To recieve him, is like obtaining a spiritual helmet of sorts, capable of protecting the mind from negative influence so that we can rightly discern with wisdom, the truth of God. It is the annointing of the holy spirit capable of making us into the likeness of Christ. When in relationship with this spirit, comingling with us, Christ is not particularized, not apart from us, not an object of worship. Christ-consciousness is the second coming of Jesus Christ, who comes from no particular direction. It's about an experience, not a doctrine.

Originally posted by Enemyc0mbatant


I'm sure there are some decent churches out there however church is like a cult... Same thing different beliefs... I have a story to share... An ex girlfriend of mine was telling me about a time when their family was poor and didn't really have any money. They tried going to a church known for being a "good church". They were told not to come back because they didn't have any money to donate. This is a TRUE story. I'll tell you what and I've made this comment twice already but I want to stress it. You do not need church. Your body is your church. Your intuition should be able to decipher from right and wrong. You really honestly don't need to ask for forgiveness because you are already forgiven... However you are expected to learn from your mistakes and try to change them as you grow wiser. Christ is already in your life. He's been there since you were conceived. Do not believe the B.S. That you somehow need a priest to talk to god for you. That in and of itself is a sin on the priests part.

First of all, I can't tell you how sorry I am that anyone has to go through that. For the rest of your post, I have a mixture of agrees and disagrees. I agree that you don't NEED to go to church (I elaborated my standing on this on a previous post. If you care to read it I believe it's on page 9). I agree that you don't need a priest to talk to God for you. However, I don't quite agree that it's a sin on the priests part, and I STRONGLY disagree with your statement that "you don't need to ask for forgiveness". I also disagree with "Christ is already in your life. He's been there since you were conceived". God does not become a part of your life unless you let him be a part of it. And I don't quite understand the "same thing different beliefs" part, and would appreciate it if you could elaborate.
(Disclaimer: I have no theological evidence for any of this, it is only my personal belief system)

Originally posted by EspyderMan
I am tired of people defining agnostic in their own way, they pick one sentence out of a dictionary and assume its the entire meaning. Here is another excerpt of the definition so everyone can see the whole picture:

In some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the difference between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief

Okay, first of all, you were incorrect in assuming that I was assuming. I didn't assume it was the whole meaning. I used a dictionary definition of how I understood "agnostic" is (usually) defined. But yes, you are correct that it's not the whole picture. I should have stated that, so that's my fault. Fair enough.

To be agnostic can mean that you believe in something greater, but you don't know it. I know God exists but I don't know God. It also means not to follow one specific claim or beleif, maybe the jews were right, maybe christians, I do not know. I believe though.

That makes me angostic. While I understand some may find this definition hard to grasp, it is in fact the truth based on my studies with many religious teachers.

I find no religion my own therefore I am agnostic.

Okay, here's where I get a bit confused (I'm one of those who find that definition hard to grasp). The very nature of religious belief is that YOU DON'T KNOW. It's not about knowing, it's about your faith.

(Sorry if I'm not reading either of your posts correctly, but that's how I understood them)