Anonymous asked: i've read somewhere over the internet that Christianity isn't (or shouldn't be) technically called a religion because a religion associates with rules or bondage with laws, man made stuff etc etc, but in christianity everything should be centered in Christ and it's not possible to take him out of the picture otherwise there's no christianity. take away buddha from buddhism and buddhism will still exist. but this is not possible with christianity. do u agree with this uniqueness of christianity?

What you read is correct! Christianity is not a religion! Whoo! :D

Religion is man’s attempt to reach God through his rituals, sacrifices, traditions, and/or good works. But the bible tells us that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a Holy God (Isaiah 64:6).

God is a Holy and man is affected with a spiritual disease called sin:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Man is incapable of coming into the presence of God (a Holy God) through the doorway of religion. This is the great truth of Christianity. 

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8

While religion is about man trying to reach God, Christianity is about God reaching down to man. God took the initiative and sent His son Jesus into the world to take our sin that separates us from God, and to nail that sin onto the cross. He then covered that sin with His blood as the payment to restore us back into full relationship with Himself. 

Religion can save no one. Only Jesus can save (John14:6)

SO, I’m really confused of what to do. In my religion class in school, we were talking about salvation, and the class sort of came to this unanimous agreement that every faith leads to salvation. I told them about the verses “Thou shalt have no other God’s before me” and “None shall come to the Father but through me”, but they didn’t get it. They said it is arrogant to believe that only one faith will save (i.e Ghandi lived out a more Christ-like life than most Christians but was Hindu)

I have NO idea what else to say to them.

HELP! :)

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You sent a submission, LOL, Next time use our ask box! :D

Religion Class? That’s so weird!

HaHA. I’m sorry, I just never heard of a religion class, that studies all religions. 

What your classmates don’t understand is that all religions contradict one another, meaning,  if you were to believe in all religions, you wouldn’t really believe in anything. 

For example, Hinduism says God is an impersonal force while Christianity says God is a personal Being. Both can not be true. 

So, while all religions could be wrong, they all can’t be right. This leaves us to two end options for the religions of the world: Either they are all wrong or Only one of them is right.

So, how do we know which one is right? 

By examining the evidence! This is where Jesus stands apart from religious figures. 

Jesus is unique among religious figures. His disciples said that He is God (John 1:1, Philippines 2:5-7) because Jesus Himself said so (Mark 14:61-64; John 10:30-34). No other founder of a major world religion claimed to be God. Now, Jesus was either right or wrong to make His claim, and He confirmed this claim by fulfilling prophecy, living a sinless life, doing miracles, raising people from the dead (Romans 1:4), and He also said that His resurrection from the dead would be confirmation (Matthew 12:38-42; Mark 14:28). 

Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, is still in his grave. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is still dead. But not Jesus! He conquered death and by doing so, He provided the ultimate evidence for the truth of his unique claims.

Religious truth does not come down merely to differences in preference. Instead, we should think of religion the same way we think of medicine. Each religion recognizes the world is sick and offers diagnosis. In addition, each religion offers means of being cured. Just like when Doctors must choose the right medicine to cure us, we must choose the religion that offers the genuine cure to our sicknesses. In John 8:24, Jesus says “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Jesus offers both a diagnose and a cure. Sin is the disease we’re all infected with and Jesus is the one true cure. So, why is Jesus the only way? Because Jesus is the only medicine that can cure the spiritual disease - sin - that is killing us.

Check out these two websites as well. :)

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aiia/religionssame.html

http://carm.org/questions/skeptics-ask/why-jesus-only-way-heavengod

acousticwindow asked: I have a friend that has this giant blend of religions like Islam, Buddhism, Paganism, and more, and I'd like to bring her to Christ. How should I approach her? I just don't want to talk to her about Jesus and how she's in the wrong path and not offend her. I'm praying for her and her family, just in case they have a " blend" too. What should I do? You guys can pay as well. :)

Totally down to help give some pointers on how to speak to someone of a different religion. :]

Step numero uno (1). Do What Jesus would do.

Be Sensitive and respectful! :D

The bible teaches us that the fruit of the spirit is “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Gentleness, and Self - Control.” 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23

This means we must be compassionate and humble when we share our faith with people of differing religious beliefs. A really important thing to remember, is to never give the impression that Christians are more smart or more wiser then others. We are all sinners saved by grace and our attitudes should be “servant like”.. just like Jesus’s was. (Check out Philippians 2 for some pointers.)

If you do this, then you’re ready for the next step! :DD

Step numero dos. (2) Understand other faiths.

Christians are often perceived as good talkers but bad listeners. Don’t be one of them! LMBO! We must show our sincere interest in the beliefs of others. Discover their basic beliefs and why they hold them. As we ask questions respectfully we gain credibility and trust. If it’s possible, read their religion beforehand, google it, rent a library book, just so you can demonstrate some basic knowledge of their belief system. You don’t have to become an expert, but your interest will demonstrate that you care about your friend, which leads to the next step!! :))) 

Step numero tres (3.) Explain why Christians don’t believe all religions lead to God.

As you build trust with your friend, you will eventually find a chance to explain the Christian faith. You will need to be able to explain who Jesus is, what the cross is about, and how Jesus has changed your life. You will also need to explain why all religions do not lead to God. (The prophet Jeremiah understood that there was only one God, and He alone is worthy of our trust. Jeremiah 14:22.) You can demonstrate how all religions can not lead to God by pointing out the fundamentally different claims various religions make about God, humanity, and the origin of the universe. Note the centrality of Jesus in Christianity the absence or diminished role in other religions. At the base level of many religions are commonalities such as the duty to “love your neighbor”  (Luke 10:27) but the more you explore them the more you see that they all make vitality different claims about the ultimate truth. Having demonstrated the incompatibility of competing religions claims, your conversation can naturally turn to the question of which religion is true and whether the bible is trustworthy in respecting God.

Step number cuatro (4.) Pray for your friend. :)

Never give up on your friend, no matter how resistant they may seem. Simply being a friend and praying for that person can make a huge impact. You may be the only Christian your friend knows so don’t give up and just trust God to work in their lives. 

:] :] :]

Anonymous asked: I'm the one that keeps asking about how people hate religion but love the Lord. What did you mean when you said, "They don’t understand that apart from Jesus Christ no man comes to the Father." I'm still extremely confused, but still trying to understand. So, you do not call yourselves Christians? If you have a name for how you worship, what would that be? Most importantly, i'm not really seeing the difference between being Christian and following Jesus. :/ Help?

First I’d like to discuss the term “Christian”. Christian is not necessarily a God-ordained term; it is a man given term. Acts 11:26 says it was at Antioch that people began to call the spiritual descendants of Christ “Christians”. Biblically, however, those who have entered into a covenantal relationship with God through Christ are all of on of two origins: Jewish or Gentile. We learn in Galatians 3 that our earthly identity is of nothing, that it is regardless of being Jew or Greek, male or female, bondservant or free, but that we are all one in Christ and of Abraham’s seed and thus part of a covenant apart from religious and social/racial background and achievement. More importantly, the term Christian has become a term today used by many who do not know Christ. They have a mental understanding that God exists, and even that Jesus died for them, but they have not confessed their sin, and received Christ’s atonement for sin, which is the only way to salvation; which is the answer to your first question which I’ll expound upon later. These people confess Christianity but have not received the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christianity has become a nation or people in that people think they’re in a relationship with God through Crist because they’ve been a Christian their “entire life”, which is utterly false. This problem is especially prominent in the Bible-Belt in the United States where if you believe God exists, your grandma is an inactive member of the First Church of the Morgue, you vote conservative/Republican, and eat steak and potatoes then that means you’re a Christian and you’re going to heaven. Again, this is false.

Now to the first topic. Jesus says in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one can come to the Father except through him. Jesus is the only way. We do not come to salvation by race or by religious achievement, we come by the atonement of Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 puts it this way: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast. That faith is faith in the finished work on the cross,the sufficient sacrifice of Christ, that he is the propitiation of our sins. 

Again, the purpose of that video is to point out there is a difference between this false Christianity that is so prevalent and the true gospel. All over the place people think they are justified by what they wear, what they do, how much they pray, etc. They follow a list of rules, specifically the rules of the old covenant, of dos and don’ts, in an attempt to achieve the grace and favor of the Lord. Religion makes rules where Jesus made relationship. Following a list of rules, such as what I write about now, is not God’s plan for us. Jesus fulfilled the law, we no longer live according to a list of rules but walk in the Spirit. 

-Tyler

Anonymous asked: Soooooo, if you hate religion do you go to church? I'm having a hard time understanding, But, I am trying. Though I think I like religion. My church doesn't tell me what to do at all. I've never felt enslaved. And my biggest question is why do you hate religion? I know that people at places like Westboro Baptist are ridiculously insane, but is that the reason?

It depends on how you use the word religion. Many times within Christianity the term “religious” is used to describe a pharisaic mindset that is centered around trying to achieve God’s acceptance through natural means, through following a list of dos and don’ts, etc. Salvation isn’t about what we do but about what Christ did. We can not attain salvation by works but receive by faith. At salvation our spirit is renewed and the power of sin is broken; our “want-tos” and desires change.

Church isn’t something that can save anyone. I know people who have gone to church their whole life who do not have a relationship with the Lord. They’re in a mindset that if they do morally right things that makes them ok with God. They think that if they do the 10 commandments most of the time that they’re ok. They don’t understand that apart from Jesus Christ no man comes to the Father. 
This doesn’t mean church isn’t good. I’m an associate pastor at a church. Church is good. In fact, Hebrews 10:25 says not to forsake it. More than that though, Church isn’t somewhere you go; Church is every believer. We are the church. There is nothing special about the building where a local church, or body of believers, meets. God doesn’t live there, God lives in the believer. We gather as a body of believers, brothers and sisters in Christ, to build one another up and strengthen each other, to worship together, to love each other, etc.

-Tyler

Anonymous asked: Hey I'm talking to this girl about a religious mind set. And how GOD doesn't look for that but an intimate relationship with him and this started because of that video hate religion but love Jesus spoken words. And he says Jesus came to abolish religion and she got all fussy about it and she is asking me to show her in the bible where is says that being religious isn't too good . But I can't find anything help me out ? What do you think about The subject

It’s actually never been about religion. The old covenant was exactly that, a covenant between God and his people and they agreed to do what the law said. Everything points to Jesus. Jesus has filled the righteous requirement of the law and that is imputed to us through faith (Romans 8:4). We walk after the Spirit, not after the law.

Jesus didn’t come to abolish religion, he came to fulfill the law; it’s always been about Jesus, always. Jesus didn’t just come to save us from hell, Jesus came to restore us and bring us back to an intimate relationship with God. 

-Tyler

Anonymous asked: have you seen that "why i hate religion but love Jesus video"? do you agree with what he is saying? why or why not? i like it but it kind of left me confused!!!

I agree with it 100%. My community is filled with religion but very little Jesus. Recently a mom was telling me about how the mom of her daughter’s friend doesn’t like her due to how she colors her hair and says she’s a bad kid. I’ve known this girl for four years and she’s a good girl and loves God. It hurts her that her friend’s mom doesn’t like her.
I myself have been judged by religious people whose hearts are far from God. They look at my long hair and how I dress and write me off as Godless, little do they know I love God and am an associate pastor at a local church. I’ve come across churches that make you dress up in order to come and criticize people if they aren’t dressed right. In one church I saw a man who is poor and dresses in clothes given to him; on man told him he needed to quit dressing like that when he comes to church. How horrible!
That’s just a little of why I agree with the video.

-Tyler