Apostasy (priest, ritual, moral, Earth, doom)

[Booko]

Baha'is have a concept called "Progressive Revelation" and one implication is the notion that religions go through, well you might as well call it "seasons." That every religion has its "Winter" doesn't make the religion evil or individuals evil. It just seems to be the way religions work through history.

In that sense, you might say that Baha'is accept the notion of a Great Apostasy, though maybe not in the sense you refer to.

I can't say I've ever heard any Baha'i refer to anyone or any organization using the term "apostate" though.

I think I can safely say that most Baha'is would probably regard that sort of thing as at least a waste of time that could be used doing something more beneficial for humanity.

Not to mention it would conflict with our teachings about "consort[ing] with the followers of other religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship."

[Booko]

Originally Posted by fascist_crusader

I've gone to baptist churches since I was pre-school age, and I'd never heard the term apostasy in my life until some Mormon missionaries came to my door. The baptist churches I've been too teach sharing the love of Christ with sinners, not shunning them, and we certainly have no problem with Catholics. Sounds to me like this "baptist" church of yours isn't truly baptist, like Fred Phelps they're just using the name.

I regret to say that I have heard Baptists say such things, most notably the ones who tried to fire me from my job because I was a heretic cultist Baha'i Fortunately, the chain of management included some people that were more interested in job performance.

The flip side is, I have many Baptist neighbors and colleagues, and we get along swimmingly and they are good and decent people.

There seems to be a qualitative difference between Southern and northern Baptists, though. The Baptists I knew in the Midwest were pretty different than those in the south.

Still, it works better just to take each person as an individual. A particular church could be full of saints and I might have the bad luck to run across the person who just hasn't quite gotten the main point of the Gospels yet. (Hey, we all gotta start somewhere.) So if I thought ill of the entire church, that would be pretty absurd, eh?

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Trey of Diamonds

What, no Southern Baptists in the UK? Where do you get your hellfire and brimstone speeches from?

Did all of the Calvinists leave for the Colonies, then?

[Trey of Diamonds]

Originally Posted by Booko

Did all of the Calvinists leave for the Colonies, then?

Heh, sometimes I think so. Still, the founding fathers included a large number of Unitarians. Maybe the two exist to provide a balance.

[may]

In the first century C.E., as the apostle Paul relates in his second letter to the Thessalonians, some Christians became excited, thinking that the day of Jehovah was then upon them. But Paul warned that first the great apostasy had to come, and "the man of lawlessness" had to be revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)
Now, in this TIME OF THE END we can appreciate the vast extent of that apostasy and how lawless the clergy of Christendom are in God’s sight. During these last days since 1914, the clergy have heaped up a tremendous bloodguilt by supporting the ‘beating of plowshares into .SWORDS’ even telling their flocks to fight in the wars (Joel 3:10) They have also continued to teach false doctrines, such as inherent immortality of the human soul, purgatory, hellfire torment, infant baptism, the Trinity, and the like. Where will they stand when Jehovah executes his judicial decision? Proverbs 19:5 states: "He that launches forth lies will not escape."

[joeboonda]

Apostasy:

1. Described (Deuteronomy 13:13; Hebrews 3:12)
2. Caused by persecution (Matthew 24:9,10; Luke 8:13)
3. Caused by worldliness (2 Timothy 4:10)
4. Guilt and punishment of (Zephaniah 1:4-6; Hebrews 10:25-31,39; 2 Peter 2:17,20-22)
5. Cautions against (Hebrews 3:12; 2 Peter 3:17)
6. Shall abound in the latter days (Matthew 24:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1-3)
7. See ANTICHRIST

Apostasy is unbelief in Christ. If one has trusted Christ to have paid for all their sins on the cross and believe in their heart and confessed with their mouth that He rose from the grave, they are not an apostate, whatever denomination they are from. It is all about Jesus and what He did for us to reconcile us back to God.

[Seyorni]

That's a vary strange definition of apostacy, Joeboonda. You're saying that all non Christians are apostates.

[PureX]

Congregations that have no faith, are left only with threats to hold them together. It's a sad and dangerous way for people to behave.

[may]

Christians of the second century took on the trappings of the pagan Roman religion. They moved away from their pure Biblical origins and instead clothed themselves with pagan Roman garb and titles and became imbued with Greek philosophy.
Such an attitude left the way open for Greek philosophy and terminology to infiltrate Christendom’s teachings, especially in the fields of Trinitarian doctrine and the belief in an immortal soul.
The subtle influence of Greek philosophy was a key factor in the apostasy that followed the death of the apostles. The Greek immortal soul teaching implied a need for various destinations for the soul—heaven, hellfire, purgatory, paradise, Limbo. By manipulating such teachings, it became easy for a priestly class to keep their flocks submissive and in fear of the Hereafter and to extract gifts and donations from them.

[Trey of Diamonds]

Originally Posted by joeboonda

Apostasy is unbelief in Christ. If one has trusted Christ to have paid for all their sins on the cross and believe in their heart and confessed with their mouth that He rose from the grave, they are not an apostate, whatever denomination they are from. It is all about Jesus and what He did for us to reconcile us back to God.

Ummm, I don't think so, Apostasy is a part of all the Abrahamic Religions. I think it even existed in Judaism prior to the birth of Christ. It may even be limited to the followers of Yahweh, Jehovah and Allah exclusively.

Does anyone know the origin of the concept of Apostasy and if any non-Abrahamic religions use the term or have a similar one?