“Why Don't You Look Into Jesus?”

[Araceli Cianna]

I was raised Christian and my entire extended family are Christian. It's hard not to include Jesus now and again in my own personal devotions. But apart from social convention I don't really have a connection with Jesus. So he remains a bridge between me and everyone else.

 

[Dawnofhope]

I'm not gonna lie, it hasn't been easy for me as a spiritual seeker. My mind has flipped every which way, to the point where I've lost a sense of my own self. Don't get me wrong, everyone! I haven't lost my now firm polytheistic conviction (especially as an unlimited polytheist )! Never. Though, I often times start to think deeply about my relationship with the religion of my youth – Christianity....

Mind you, I hold no animosity whatsoever towards it, or towards Jesus Christ, or The Bible. It's undoubtedly an ever-lingering presence in my life (and a positive one, at that, conjuring more than pleasant memories and emotions). However, with my 21st birthday speedily approaching, I realize that I'm on the threshold of the future of manhood, and that I can't hold on to the past. At the same time, though, my past will always be a part of me. I can't deny it. Religiously, I see no reason to distance myself from Christianity (again, despite my polytheism).

My question is: Do you see any way for me to reconcile my past (Christianity) with my present (unlimited polytheism)? Is it even possible or should my past simply be left in the past?


Thanks, everyone. I very greatly appreciate the advice given.

Although Christianity has become a polytheistic religion in denial, it is founded on Judaism which is strictly monotheistic. Any fair analysis will see Christianity and pagan polytheism as incompatible as fire and water. All the best with your search for truth and meaning.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Case not closed!!!! I am NOT telling you what you chose to believe. If you do not believe you are a polytheist, that is your problem.

Yes, it is case closed. You have no right to be trying to tell people what you think they believe. You are being extremely arrogant and just plain rude.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

You have a JW perspective. It had its place when it doesnt insult other religions.

He's a Baha'i. A lot of them (not all, there's like one that doesn't) tend to spew that sort of rude nonsense on here, I've noticed. It doesn't make their religion look nice.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Although Christianity has become a polytheistic religion in denial, it is founded on Judaism which is strictly monotheistic. Any fair analysis will see Christianity and pagan polytheism as incompatible as fire and water. All the best with your search for truth and meaning.

In denial? Adrian, I wouldnt expect that from you.

Christianity teaches god is the father, creator, divine: deity

It teaches christ is fully human, fully divine, savior: human being

It teaches the holy spirit (spirit that is holy) is love, compassion, etc coming from god to be a go between the creator snd christ: spirit.

The first is a deity/father/a god.
The second is human/savior/divine
The third is spirit holy/love/spirit.

A god is a deity.
God in christianity is someone with divinity with whom one places to worshil.

Christian worship one god/deity/creator, one human/divine/savior, one spirit/love/holy.

The collective term is god because they all are divine.

There is only one god: the creatoe.

It is monotheism.

Polytheism is more that one god/deity.

 

[shunyadragon]

Yes, it is case closed. You have no right to be trying to tell people what you think they believe. You are being extremely arrogant and just plain rude.

CASE NOT CLOSED!!!!!!!

I do not tell you or anybody else what to believe. I express my view of the Roman Church and Christianity.

You are being extremely arrogant and just plain rude, trying to censure other views and shut down differences in my view versus yours.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

CASE NOT CLOSED!!!!!!!

I do not tell you or anybody else what to believe. I express my view of the Roman Church and Christianity.

You are being extremely arrogant and just plain rude, trying to censure other views and shut down differences in my view versus yours.

Censure other views? Are you daft? I haven't reported you. It's all the same crap. You think you have the right to tell people what they believe as if you know better. No matter, I'm putting you in ignore.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

A Christian cannot be a polytheist. This is simply impossible, as we believe in and worship only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the one God.

Who decides if that is one god or three? I say that unless the Bible explicitly states somewhere that that is one god, the matter is unresolved, and every person makes that judgment call for himself.

Why should anybody defer to the church or any individual Christian to make that decision for him? The church doesn't own the Bible or have any authority over how it is understood unless one defers to it.

I don't.

 

[shunyadragon]

"Mother of God" is a statement about Jesus, not about Mary. As per the Council of Ephesus, Mary being called "Mother of God" or "God-bearer" (the latter of which being a slightly more literal meaning of the Greek word Theotokos) is a defense of Jesus' Divinity. As Jesus is both true God and true man, it is therefore proper to call Mary the Birthgiver of God. Not that God the Son did not exist prior to the Incarnation, but that He continued to be God even while becoming incarnate.

Yeah, you can blame that one on Scholastic theology. The Orthodox don't have a unified opinion. We hold that Mary is immaculate and sinless, but exactly when she became such is another matter. Some say it was at the Annunciation, some say it was from her birth onward.
We only call Mary "Queen of Heaven" because she is a co-heir with Christ, Who sits on the throne of the New Jerusalem. All of us will be "kings [or queens] and priests" (Revelation 5:10), and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17)

"The prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

It's not that Mary's a sort of goddess or has some "stuff" that the rest of us don't have, it's just that she is a righteous and holy person, sanctified by God, as we all will one day be.

It may not be monotheism as you believe it, you may not like the rationale and the explanation given, but the Trinity is a monotheistic belief. Trinitarians are monotheists, and all our Fathers have stated as much.

Even if you personally think the Trinity equates to "three separate gods", this is a misrepresentation of what we believe and teach. I say this not to convince you of anything, but to set the record straight for those who may be reading and don't know what the Trinity is.

St. Gregory of Nyssa said in his On the Holy Trinity, and on the Godhead of the Holy Spirit:
"They charge us with preaching three Gods, and din into the ears of the multitude this slander, which they never rest from maintaining persuasively. Then truth fights on our side, for we show both publicly to all men, and privately to those who converse with us, that we anathematize any man who says that there are three Gods, and hold him to be not even a Christian."

Outside the fact that tritheism is roundly denounced by all the Fathers. St. Gregory of Nyssa even has an entire treatise dedicated to this called On "Not Three Gods". Christians are not and have never been polytheists. I have made you aware, so please stop misrepresenting what we believe, willfully or otherwise.

This is not a debate forum, so I won't press the issue further, only to state that we wrote our New Testament and know what we meant by it. The people who defended the dogma of the Trinity at Nicaea, and the divinity of both the Son and the Holy Spirit throughout the centuries leading up to it, were reading the New Testament in the language in which it was written, and were aware of all its nuances. They were brought up in the teachings of the Apostles, guided by teachers who were appointed by these same Apostles. If the Trinity is a lie, then so is the New Testament.

I am expressing what I believe concerning the Trinity, the Roman Church and Christianity, and will continue to do so. I am not telling you or anyone else what to believe. This is my view and I have the right to express it.

By the way your description of Mary, as far as I am concerned, justifies her as a Goddess, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Jesus Christ God incarnate.

 

[blü 2]

Argentinian 'unholy steak'

Drag the cow through the fire, and cut it up warm and bloody.

Ah, so that's how it's done!

Do you kill it at some stage? Or does that spoil the unholy effect?

 

[Shiranui117]

I am expressing what I believe concerning the Trinity, the Roman Church and Christianity, and will continue to do so. I am not telling you or anyone else what to believe. This is my view and I have the right to express it.

By the way your description of Mary, as far as I am concerned, justifies her as a Goddess, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Jesus Christ God incarnate.

My only concern was that others might mistakenly assume your personal opinion on Christian teaching to actually be Christian teaching. As long as others reading your posts understand what we Christians actually teach concerning the Trinity, Mary and the Saints, and how your personal assessment differs from what that teaching is, your opinion is of no consequence to me.

 

[Dawnofhope]

In denial? Adrian, I wouldnt expect that from you.

Christianity teaches god is the father, creator, divine: deity

It teaches christ is fully human, fully divine, savior: human being

It teaches the holy spirit (spirit that is holy) is love, compassion, etc coming from god to be a go between the creator snd christ: spirit.

The first is a deity/father/a god.
The second is human/savior/divine
The third is spirit holy/love/spirit.

A god is a deity.
God in christianity is someone with divinity with whom one places to worshil.

Christian worship one god/deity/creator, one human/divine/savior, one spirit/love/holy.

The collective term is god because they all are divine.

There is only one god: the creatoe.

It is monotheism.

Polytheism is more that one god/deity.

I appreciate your views Carlita, and always well presented with respect for others. The debate about Christianity's monotheism verses polytheism is frequently debated here on RF. I don't want to add anymore as its getting away from the OPs question. I do believe we all have a right to our views regardless of our religious outlook or whether we agree or not. That was my point in addition to addressing the OPs dilemma.

 

[Dawnofhope]

My only concern was that others might mistakenly assume your personal opinion on Christian teaching to actually be Christian teaching. As long as others reading your posts understand what we Christians actually teach concerning the Trinity, Mary and the Saints, and how your personal assessment differs from what that teaching is, your opinion is of no consequence to me.

I think @shunyadragon should cut his beard. He look too much like a Catholic Priest which is obviously why everyone thinks he is representing the church.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I think @shunyadragon should cut his beard. He look too much like a Catholic Priest which is obviously why everyone thinks he is representing the church.

Catholic priests don't have to have beards. You might be thinking of Orthodox Christian clergy.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Catholic priests don't have to have beards. You might be thinking of Orthodox Christian clergy.

I haven't been around too many Catholic and Orthodox priests so I believe you. Congratulations on your return to the Christian fold.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I haven't been around too many Catholic and Orthodox priests so I believe you. Congratulations on your return to the Christian fold.

Thank you. Now I have to find a church to call home.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I appreciate your views Carlita, and always well presented with respect for others. The debate about Christianity's monotheism verses polytheism is frequently debated here on RF. I don't want to add anymore as its getting away from the OPs question. I do believe we all have a right to our views regardless of our religious outlook or whether we agree or not. That was my point in addition to addressing the OPs dilemma.

Eh. I never understood the debate about christianity being polytheistic. Thats like saying bahai is polytheist because of the many manifestations. Like the praying to statues, its one of rediculous debates that I have yet and want to understand.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Thank you. Now I have to find a church to call home.

All the best with that. I had some positive and not so positive experiences with a few churches before I changed my religion nearly 30 years ago. It probably comes down to local knowledge with having a church that's in your neighbourhood, a peer group that you click with, as well as a theology your comfortable with. I'll be very interested to hear where you end up.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Eh. I never understood the debate about christianity being polytheistic. Thats like saying bahai is polytheist because of the many manifestations. Like the praying to statues, its one of rediculous debates that I have yet and want to understand.

I like the new religion...

Phò thiện hạnh (kindness)

We could all do with a little more of that.

 

[shunyadragon]

Ah, so that's how it's done!

Do you kill it at some stage? Or does that spoil the unholy effect?

Killing is optional, the purpose is unholy bloody warm meat.