The Core Message of Christianity

[Darth Rotor]

This thread is for the Christian apologists of the site - specifically hamelekim, ethnikos and Kurious_Kathy.

What is the core message of Christianity?

Sacrifice.

What is the minimum we need to know in order to be saved - the smallest possible distillation of Christ's message to humanity?

Your question misses the point.

DR

 

[arthwollipot]

Your question misses the point.

Why?

 

[Darth Rotor]

Why?

How little can I get away with is the operative intent there.

That is a selfish, self centered approach.

The core message you asked for is Sacrifice, which is by its nature selfless (as an ideal, at the very leas It's also a lot harder in practice than it is in theory.

DR

 

[arthwollipot]

How little can I get away with is the operative intent there.

That is a selfish, self centered approach.

The core message you asked for is Sacrifice, which is by its nature selfless (as an ideal, at the very leas It's also a lot harder in practice than it is in theory.

DR

Perhaps I phrased my question wrong then, because that was not my operative intent.

I was after different peoples' descriptions of the central message of Christianity - the core of Christ's teachings, without the inevitable trappings. When I was a churchgoer, the message was (essentially) Christ died for your sins - whoever believes in him will go to heaven. I have found it most interesting to see the different interpretations different people have.

For example, DR, your message focuses only on Christ's sacrifice, and mentions nothing about salvation, belief, or heaven. MG1962 removes Christ entirely from the picture, leaving only "be excellent to one another", which isn't part of the message I learned. Hamelekim focuses purely on belief, and not on the message of sacrifice or redemption. Everyone else is just yammering .

 

[hamelekim]

And that is exactly what makes it so dangerous.

Take a good person and convince them that no matter what their neighbor is in danger, and needs to be saved, and only they can do it, and you produce a monster.

Yes, that is a problem in Christianity today. People think that they are responsible when the Bible is clear that it is God. Christians are to preach the gospel, but there is no argument we can give that will convince someone to truly believe unless God works in their heart.

That doesn't mean we are supposed to be apathetic either.

 

[tsig]

How little can I get away with is the operative intent there.

That is a selfish, self centered approach.

The core message you asked for is Sacrifice, which is by its nature selfless (as an ideal, at the very leas It's also a lot harder in practice than it is in theory.

DR

I thought the core message was:

Suck up to Jesus or burn.

But I see that there is no core message that all Christians believe. They each have their own private Jesus

 

[sugarb]

Perhaps I phrased my question wrong then, because that was not my operative intent.

I was after different peoples' descriptions of the central message of Christianity - the core of Christ's teachings, without the inevitable trappings. When I was a churchgoer, the message was (essentially) Christ died for your sins - whoever believes in him will go to heaven. I have found it most interesting to see the different interpretations different people have.

For example, DR, your message focuses only on Christ's sacrifice, and mentions nothing about salvation, belief, or heaven. MG1962 removes Christ entirely from the picture, leaving only "be excellent to one another", which isn't part of the message I learned. Hamelekim focuses purely on belief, and not on the message of sacrifice or redemption. Everyone else is just yammering .

I think the core message, really, is that we should treat others as we wish to be treated, and through love be willing to sacrifice (as Darth Rotor said) FOR others. Believing in Christ means that you believe that is possible, since it goes against a whole lot of our nature as humans (and I grew up in a Methodist Church, and that is what we were taught. Not harsh judgements or believing "our way is THE way". We were taught about what we should expect from ourselves, not what was expected from us). Personally, though I have many favored parts of the Bible, I think the one that applies best is the "love" chapter. 1 Corinthians 13. Depending on your version, it is charity (love). Frankly, as I see things, it is the way we treat our fellow men and women that indicates our true depth of belief in the teachings and life of Christ.

It doesn't have to be as complicated as a whole lot of folks make it.

 

[the_smasher]

I think the core message can be found in John 3:16

 

[atavisms]

What is the core message of Christianity?

That depends on who is doing the reading.
The people who burned the witches alive read the same words of jesus we see today and somehow justified their actions.
(a paraphrase of Sam harris qt)

The point is, there is alost enough there to do just about anything
you wish to do and say god wills it. (remember Elizabeth Smart's religion us brainwashing by her kidnapper, it fed right into what she had already been taught at home. (ie. that "God" is real and has a will)

There are also some of the most ambitious concepts of which man is capable in there. 'Love your enemies' etc.

 

[hamelekim]

Yep, that goes for 'addicted to religion'

ETA that'll teach me to refresh properly before I post, 2 of ya beat me to it.
Also agree with Darat...I am not hate filled, and I don't hate something I dont believe in!

Addiction to God is what the world needs. I would freely admit that I am an addict to God's word.

 

[arthwollipot]

Addiction to God is what the world needs. I would freely admit that I am an addict to God's word.

That's good. Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step in getting help.

 

[lionking]

The main message I was taught was that the Catholic Church was the one true church and that, while other christians had a shot of getting into heaven, they were right behind the eight ball.

 

[Flo]

The core message of Christianity is that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved.

You should make up your mind ...

It always seems like former believers are the most aggressive in their dislike of Christianity. I was the same when I left Christianity. I think it's because they know the truth, and don't want to follow it. So we fill up with hate in order to block out what we know to be true.

How convenient : don't like an opinion ? it's only because you're deliberately making yourself blind to THE TRUTH.

 

[~enigma~]

Yes, that is a problem in Christianity today. People think that they are responsible when the Bible is clear that it is God. Christians are to preach the gospel, but there is no argument we can give that will convince someone to truly believe unless God works in their heart.

That doesn't mean we are supposed to be apathetic either.

So why do you try to argue with people. Methinks you don't practice what you preach.

 

[dafydd]

Okay, well, here's where more clarification would be good. Do you agree or disagree with Ethnikos? I wish he would post here and state his beliefs clearly, because all we have to go on is what was said on another thread, but he did just say there that Catholics (and a great big undefined bunch of other Christians as well) were not saved, and were going to hell. Catholics do believe in Jesus. So what's your vote on where they're going to end up?

They will end up brown bread,just like the rest of us.

 

[Jontg]

 

[Maia]

So the core of Christianity is... if Jay Cutler turned to hair metal? It could work...

Anyway, the reason why I keep trying to get resident Christians around here to answer that question about whether or not Catholics are going to heaven is that I think it really reveals something central about what a dominant strain of Christianity does indeed believe the core message of Christianity itself to be. Catholics think of themselves as Christians, read the Bible, pray, believe in Jesus, etc., and there are one billion of them... yet on sites such as "Rapture Ready", there are a zillion threads on the subject of "How to Convert Catholics" at any given time. A whole lot of other Christian sects aren't going to make it by exactly the same reasoning (Episcopalians, United Church of Christ, United Methodists, any church that is "reconciling" (accepts GLBT folks.)

So this clearly shows that by this way of reasoning, the core message of Christianity always comes down to one thing, and it isn't even about following a set of rules. It's about following the right set of rules. And if you didn't figure out the right set, then you're out of luck; no matter how sincere you were in your beliefs, no matter how hard you tried, you're not "saved." You've got to believe in the right God, you've got to follow him in exactly the right way, you've got to get every Line A of Subsection B of Group Z of Paragraph H6 100% correct, because even the tiniest eensiest little slip in the wrong direction, and you're going to hell hell HELL!! How much more clear can it be that this is nothing but a weird variant of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

 

[~enigma~]

if Jay Cutler turned to hair metal?

 

[normdoering]

And that is exactly what makes it so dangerous.

Take a good person and convince them that no matter what their neighbor is in danger, and needs to be saved, and only they can do it, and you produce a monster.

Not just that, convince them that all who don't believe as they do are evil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1gB0W3ktcY

 

[Eskarina]

Addiction to God is what the world needs. I would freely admit that I am an addict to God's word.

The one who ordered the death of a man who gathered sticks on Sabbath? The smiting of the Midianites? The murder of all Egyptian firstborn? The execution of homosexuals? That god?

Do you happen to have his number? I'd like to have a word with him about his more than questionable morals.