The REAL religion?....

[creativeamanda]

Alrighty...you need a history lesson on the Nicean creed. That is not what you think it is.

Huh? This is the Niceaen Creed. . .

THE NICENE CREED

The Synod at Nicaea set forth this Creed.

We believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Of all things visible and invisible.

We believe in One Lord, Jesus Christ the only son of god. God from god, light from light, true god from true god. Begotten not made, of one being with the father, Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, By the power of the Holy Spirit he was made man. For our sake he was crucified died and was buried. He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures And is seated at the right hand of the father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead And of his kingdom there will be no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord and giver of life Who proceeds from the father [and son], Through the father and son is glorified, He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church We believe in communion of saints, the resurrection of the dead And the life of the world to come.

Are you thinking of the Apostles' Creed?

The Apostles' Creed
The basic creed of Reformed churches, as most familiarly known, is called the Apostles' Creed. It has received this title because of its great antiquity; it dates from very early times in the Church, a half century or so from the last writings of the New Testament.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell. [See Calvin]

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Either way, the Apostle's Creed roughly lays out my beliefs. I won't tell anyone they are heading for damnation for not believing the same as me. I choose not to get into that whole debate.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

And most other religious books have similar claims. It all boils down, then, to faith. Either you choose to believe in a religious creed or you don't. The one that you accept will seem most "real" to you.

Right. I had to accept that and live true to it. In my heart I knew that I could follow organized religion.

 

[creativeamanda]

Also, not all Christians acknowldege or recognize the Apostle's Creed which states Jesus descended into hell before he went to heaven. This is not stated in the bible at all.

It is, however, alluded to in the Bible:

from John Calvin:

No wonder, then, if he is said to have descended into hell, for he suffered the death that, God in his wrath had inflicted upon the wicked! Those who — on the ground that it is absurd to put after his burial what preceded it — say that the order is reversed in this way are making a very trifling and ridiculous objection. The point is that the Creed sets forth what Christ suffered in the sight of men, and then appositely speaks of that invisible and incomprehensible judgment which he underwent in the sight of God in order that we might know not only that Christ’s body was given as the price of our redemption, but that he paid a greater and more excellent price in suffering in his soul the terrible torments of a condemned and forsaken man.

JOHN CALVIN'S: INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION; http://www.reformed.org/master/index.html?mainframe=/documents/Christ_in_hell/index.html

 

[ead79]

According to the Bible, Jesus is the only path to salvation. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In other verses Jesus discusses the need for salvation from sin, and the Bible also says that everyone has sinned and is in need of salvation (Romans 3:23). In Romans 10:9-10, the Bible says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Thus, I believe that Jesus is the only hope for salvation, and that it's a free gift from God that I can't earn by doing good things (see Ephesians 2:8-9). So I believe that a person must choose to follow Christ in order to have eternal life.

That being said, I don't think that any one denomination is the key. Jesus didn't come to save only Baptists or only Catholics or only Methodists--He came for everyone. So while I believe that one must be a Christian, I don't think the denomation matters in the slightest.

 

[sunlver]

I don't know if their is one true religion. I can tell you that I am Jewish, and over the years, I have had Christians tell me that me and my family were going to HELL because we didn't believe in the whole Jesus thing

Acutally I should clarify that, the people who have told me I was going to HELL were Baptists/born again Christians. I have had people tell me when I was a teenager, and then different people tell me when I was an adult with kids, that we were all going to HELL...nice huh? Can't imagine any religion that is an OK practice to tell people

 

[wall*e2008]

I only worry about what church is the right church for me and my family. I believe in the Bible and thus that Jesus is the way, but I cannot say with complete certainty that others cannot get to heaven based on the book I believe in. I will wait until my time and if all goes well I will be in heaven and hope to get the answer to all of these questions.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Huh? This is the Niceaen Creed. . .

No you need a history lesson in the meaning of the creed. The word "Catholic" is synonymous with Christian.
That is what I mean.

 

[emma'smom]

Yes, that is my understanding as well. We say this creed in our Presbyterian church.

It's my understanding that the creed means "catholic" (small "c") as in:

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) –adjective

1. broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal.
2. universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.
3. pertaining to the whole Christian body or church.

From a Christian standpoint, the roadmap, provided in the New Testament, is clear. In order to be a Christian (i.e. spend eternity in heaven), one must 1) acknowledge that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 2) acknowledge and believe that Jesus died to redeem us from those sins; 3) confess Christ as Lord of your life (behaviors change because of #3).

That's it, boiled down. IMO (and only my opinion...), everything else is just "religion" and gingerbread. If you're Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist, etc. etc. ad nauseum, it all boils down to those three steps. The interpretation of #3 is what makes organized religion (and it's what ticked Jesus off about the Sadduccees and Pharisees).

 

[NY Disney fan]

The only holy document that matters in the U.S. is the Constitution followed by the Declaration of Independence. No other creeds or books need apply.

 

[disney_family_1247]

I'm half Muslim and half Catholic (if you believe that religion is inherited rather than chosen). I was baptised as a baby, but my younger brother wasn't. For junior high, my parents sent me to a Catholic school to avoid some bad things at the public one. On the first day of religion class, the nun announced that everyone who wasn't baptised was going to H***. I was so shocked that this woman who didn't know my father or brother was telling me what was going to happen to them in the afterlife, no matter how good they were in this life! Strangely, this nun had a sign hanging in her classroom that read, "Religion is what we do with the presence of God." That always sounded very accepting of different faiths to me .

Anyway, I am related to Jews, Muslims, Catholics, possible a Buddhist, and some Athiests. There's no way that I could choose the "real" religion among them because they are all my family.

 

[creativeamanda]

No you need a history lesson in the meaning of the creed. The word "Catholic" is synonymous with Christian.
That is what I mean.

Yes, that is my understanding as well. We say this creed in our Presbyterian church.

I agree. I thought The Mystery Machine was thinking that that creed was not the Nicene. My bad. I am a Presbyterian, as well. We say the Apostle's Creed.

 

[creativeamanda]

BTW. . .I do have a belief system that I believe to be the way for people. However, I choose not to debate it, because the worst thing you can do is debate religion. I don't have religion. I have a RELATIONSHIP. Which makes a huge difference.

 

[TruBlu]

Can't imagine any religion that is an OK practice to tell people

I am only asking this because I'm curious. I'm not trying to be disrespectful in any way. I've just never been brave enough to ask any of my friends who are Jewish in person. What do Jewish people believe will happen to Christians when they die?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I would imagine that most religions (the church) will say that THEY are the one "true" religion.

This is so true. And some denominations will even state that they are the only "right" religion.

The only true religion would not be an "organized" religion.

My thoughts exactly.
That being said, I am Christian. Just not a church go-er and I don't believe some of the things many do believe in.


Just figure out what works for you and go with it.
As a quote from one of my fave movies: "No denomination's nailed it yet, and they never will because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith."

 

[richmond282]

From a Christian standpoint, the roadmap, provided in the New Testament, is clear. In order to be a Christian (i.e. spend eternity in heaven), one must 1) acknowledge that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 2) acknowledge and believe that Jesus died to redeem us from those sins; 3) confess Christ as Lord of your life (behaviors change because of #3).

That's it, boiled down. IMO (and only my opinion...), everything else is just "religion" and gingerbread. If you're Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist, etc. etc. ad nauseum, it all boils down to those three steps. The interpretation of #3 is what makes organized religion (and it's what ticked Jesus off about the Sadduccees and Pharisees).

According to the Bible, Jesus is the only path to salvation. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In other verses Jesus discusses the need for salvation from sin, and the Bible also says that everyone has sinned and is in need of salvation (Romans 3:23). In Romans 10:9-10, the Bible says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Thus, I believe that Jesus is the only hope for salvation, and that it's a free gift from God that I can't earn by doing good things (see Ephesians 2:8-9). So I believe that a person must choose to follow Christ in order to have eternal life.

That being said, I don't think that any one denomination is the key. Jesus didn't come to save only Baptists or only Catholics or only Methodists--He came for everyone. So while I believe that one must be a Christian, I don't think the denomation matters in the slightest.

I agree w/ both of these statements. Being a (fill in the blank w/ a "religion") does not assure you of a place in heaven. Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and having a personal relationship w/ Him does.

 

[jamimb]

I do not believe there is one "true religion" but I do believe that there is one "truth" if that makes any sense. Either the grass is green or blue but not both. I believe that one "truth" is Jesus Christ and his work on the cross for my sins. I believe that some religions may be closer to that "truth" than others but that no one religion has got it all right because as humans we are falliable (spelling?) Does that make any sense???

 

[rparmfamily]

I've been told, by a southern baptist coworker, that I was going to Hell because I wasn't saved, because Catholics don't believe in being saved. He would argue with me that his religion was the one TRUE way to salvation. I have to say, it shocked me, I've never had anyone tell me the way I prayed or my religion was wrong.

Whatever dude.

 

[bicker]

" ... honor reality, and keep our minds open to the evidence of the senses and of science's unending quest for deeper understanding. These are our best means of coming to know the Universe, and on them we base our aesthetic and religious feelings about reality ... "

"REAL" religion implies objective Truth, and that means empirical evidence, satisfying the principles of the scientific method, including repeatability of the demonstative tests.

 

[gemmybear83]

I believe any faith is a wonderful thing for people to have and believe. I live in a multi cultural area and live alongside; Christians, orthodox Jewish (the biggest community in Europe), Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist.

I find that I disagree with aspects of all these religions but am happy to live alongside people and their different faiths, and find it interesting to learn more about them!

I'm English by the way!

 

[tink_n_pooh]

The only people I have ever heard referring to one religion as being the only "true" religion have been Jehovah's Witnesses.