Rules of the Game
Well, spirituality took a back seat in this weeks discussion. It was still there, but we ignored it when it tried to give us directions. I'll comment on that some other time.
I think we agreed that the many different church denominations have distinguished themselves by the traditions they enforce. And that enforcing traditions kind of defeats the purpose and it makes Christians look divided and therefore foolish because we can't agree on how we should dress at church.
Church traditions are soully for the personal preference of the congregation. Choosing which church to go to based on whether they are strict about certain things is our way of having some control over this 'faith thing'. And I'm worried that it's the traditions, which are entirely deemed by man and not God, that can, and have deterred people from exploring a life with Jesus.
Isn't it important, to be united with and accepting of other Christian churches, no matter how orthodox thier pastor, minister or priests are, no matter what there dress code is on Sundays, or how formal their wedding ceremonies are.
Trust me I remember being on the outside, and I remember thinking what a joke those churches are. Even if I wanted to believe in God, how would I know who was right. Like a parent who loves all of their children equally no matter their differences, doesn't God love all of his children. Why do we spend so much time fighting with our brothers about the rules of the game. This isn't monopoly. I think people just want to be able to say, "I'm right", " I know better," or "I win, you lose, sucker."
I don't think that's what God had in mind.
I think we agreed that the many different church denominations have distinguished themselves by the traditions they enforce. And that enforcing traditions kind of defeats the purpose and it makes Christians look divided and therefore foolish because we can't agree on how we should dress at church.
Church traditions are soully for the personal preference of the congregation. Choosing which church to go to based on whether they are strict about certain things is our way of having some control over this 'faith thing'. And I'm worried that it's the traditions, which are entirely deemed by man and not God, that can, and have deterred people from exploring a life with Jesus.
Isn't it important, to be united with and accepting of other Christian churches, no matter how orthodox thier pastor, minister or priests are, no matter what there dress code is on Sundays, or how formal their wedding ceremonies are.
Trust me I remember being on the outside, and I remember thinking what a joke those churches are. Even if I wanted to believe in God, how would I know who was right. Like a parent who loves all of their children equally no matter their differences, doesn't God love all of his children. Why do we spend so much time fighting with our brothers about the rules of the game. This isn't monopoly. I think people just want to be able to say, "I'm right", " I know better," or "I win, you lose, sucker."
I don't think that's what God had in mind.
posted by Anonymous at
10:26 AM
3 Comments:
Me either. I think the confusion comes when we apply what God's doing in our own lives to everyone around us. "God convicted me of smoking so nobody should smoke" It's so easy to slip into that self righteous attitude without God's grace and mercy.
and how! I mean... amen!
Unless we can say we are without sin, then we should not be casting any stones at others, or worrying about what rules should be set,how people dress or look, and telling others how to live. It's not up to us to judge others by their outward appearances. If we just take the time to get to know others, I'm sure we'll find that there is someone of real value behind whatever outward appearance you see...just as a book, we should never judge it by it's outer appearance. The only one that we really need to worry about and please is God. After that, then we need to do what God is convicting us to do, and set our own boundaries & limits and do what we know is right and not worrying about trying to please everyone else around us... now that's a hard one for some of us!!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home