The Exclusivity of Christianity

[Trailblazer]

the first thing, or at the second at worst, I would write in my Scripture is: there is no other God apart from me.

That is what the scripture says.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Have you ever noticed that non-believers often have big egos, take themselves very seriously and look down on people of faith?

No.

 

[Trailblazer]

No.

but I have noticed that a lot of believers do.

 

[F1fan]

I'm a critical thinker and I have been born again of the spirit.

You're not showing anything that indicates either claim is true.

It radically changed my life. I know many others who have had the same experience.

Yes, deep fervor can change lives. We see it in many areas of human life, religion, politics, sports fans, entrepreneurship, relationships, etc.

Have you ever noticed that non-believers often have big egos, take themselves very seriously and look down on people of faith?

No. I would suggest it is egotistical for people to make extraordinary claims that they can't demonstrate are true. Some try, and I give them credit. But it's worse among those who don't bother at all, those who repeat claims and ignore all requests for evidence and explanations. It's as if they believe they are special.

 

[Colt]

You're not showing anything that indicates either claim is true.


Yes, deep fervor can change lives. We see it in many areas of human life, religion, politics, sports fans, entrepreneurship, relationships, etc.


No. I would suggest it is egotistical for people to make extraordinary claims that they can't demonstrate are true. Some try, and I give them credit. But it's worse among those who don't bother at all, those who repeat claims and ignore all requests for evidence and explanations. It's as if they believe they are special.

I’ve already told you that the subjective experience of the spiritual rebirth is inexplicable. You keep asking for evidence for something that isn’t provable? I think you know subjective experiences aren’t provable and just want to argue.

 

[F1fan]

I’ve already told you that the subjective experience of the spiritual rebirth is inexplicable.

Subjective experience? Well that is a downgrade from what you have been claiming thus far. So given these experiences are subjective can you also concede they might be created by the subjects themselves, and not what is believed to be happening as experiencing an improbable spirit?

You keep asking for evidence for something that isn’t provable?

Right because I was responding to rather extraordinary claims that you were making. Let's note none of them before now suggested they were subjective and thus not necessarily something non-believers are missing out on, as you implied.

I think you know subjective experiences aren’t provable and just want to argue.

Oh the irony. Don't like being called out on the extraordinary claims you have made over and over and over again? Could it be that your religious beliefs are just imagined via what you heard otehr Christians describe?

 

[viole]

That is what the scripture says.

I know.
As I said, if I had to make up a God, would make sure Scriptures contain exactly that.

Ciao

- viole

 

[CG Didymus]

The pentecostals that speak in tongues is an interesting example. How is it only those types of Christians do this and no others? The Occam's Razor answer is that believers adopt and mimic learned behavior in that sect. Why isn't it the "power of the Lord"? Well it's odd how God influences different groups in different ways if it's "one true God" as most Christians claim. So many things are exclusive to various Christian sects.

A Christian friend was at a Pentecostal Bible study and was kind of pushed into having to do a prayer to receive the "gifts of the Spirit" with speaking in tongue being the sign that he had received them. He said he was making up words and sounds and the group leader leaned down to listen, he had been "slain in the spirit" but he said he was actually pushed back until he fell back into the arms of the person behind him who gently let him collapse to the ground. She listened and said he was praising God and everybody said "Halleluiah". But he knew she was lying, and the whole thing was just doing what was expected to be part of the group.

But I'm sure that there's people swear that their experience was real. I think it is the same thing, though, with just believing, or saying you believe, just to be one with the group.

 

[rational experiences]

I never believed in gods terms.

I knew I loved. I knew spiritual humanity proved kinder loving caring manners family are first.

I knew hypocrites attended church out of fear they were lying knowing they were..cursed by belief and still misbehaved.

Isn't religions fault that hypocrites attended service or used it as a front reason to hurt others. By I'll be saved anyway. They are so loving and believe in me reviews.

Is the true history.

Regrouping of family for mutual care love support not a cult but can be used as a cult. No different from governing techniques. Depends on the rich man himself.

Church rich were healers first built first medical building by type structure resonating.

How organisation changed is our life in review now. Third chance..last chance.

Choices.

 

[rational experiences]

I never believed in gods terms.

I knew I loved. I knew spiritual humanity proved kinder loving caring manners family are first.

I knew hypocrites attended church out of fear they were lying knowing they were..cursed by belief and still misbehaved.

Isn't religions fault that hypocrites attended service or used it as a front reason to hurt others. By I'll be saved anyway. They are so loving and believe in me reviews.

Is the true history.

Regrouping of family for mutual care love support not a cult but can be used as a cult. No different from governing techniques. Depends on the rich man himself.

Church rich were healers first built first medical building by type structure resonating.

How organisation changed is our life in review now. Third chance..last chance.

Choices.

About earth as God as science.

Taught.

I'm spiritualist naturalist human not science.

Experiences of human bio attack phenomena proven real.

Learnt about humans god terminology.

 

[Colt]

Subjective experience? Well that is a downgrade from what you have been claiming thus far. So given these experiences are subjective can you also concede they might be created by the subjects themselves, and not what is believed to be happening as experiencing an improbable spirit?


Right because I was responding to rather extraordinary claims that you were making. Let's note none of them before now suggested they were subjective and thus not necessarily something non-believers are missing out on, as you implied.


Oh the irony. Don't like being called out on the extraordinary claims you have made over and over and over again? Could it be that your religious beliefs are just imagined via what you heard otehr Christians describe?

Could it be that religious experiences are real and since you haven’t had one and are anti-religious you claim they can’t exist simply because they are inexplicable to those who haven’t experienced it?

I stand by what I posted that you can’t accept: “If you ever receive the gift of the spirit birth, the birth of faith, then you will know! You will also humbly concede that “knowing” is inexplicable”!

 

[PearlSeeker]

In his effort to promote Christianity as the one true faith, he totally missed the point didn't he?

The author used a wrong text (Ephesians 4) to back up his claims. A better one should be for exanple:

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." (Timothy 2:5)

I believe that the Bible was written to cover only the Christian Dispensation.

A Biblical term for this is "covenant" (a contract between God and man/people). Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. Why do the Christians think this is the definite and final covenant? The good old answer: Because the Bible says so:

"Unlike the other high priests, He [Christ] does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself." (Hebrews 7)

" Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord..." (Hebrews 13:20)

"To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father — to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen." (Revelation 1)

"So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1)

Jesus never claimed to be Lord and Jesus never claimed to be King.

"You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and you are correct, for so I am." (John 13:13)

"... and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:29-30)

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me." (Matthew 28:18)

Finally, Jesus never said that there would never be any more religions revealed after Christianity.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (Mark 13:31)

"I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." (Jude 1:3)

So Jesus came with a new Revelation from God and added to what Moses revealed.

Yes, but the word was about adding to the commandments. Jesus didn't do that.

 

[Messianic Israelite]

The first issue is, Yahweh is not really the name of God in the Hebrew bible. I think you know this. In Judaism we don't claim to know its name at all, but know that it has 4 letters. Generally speaking, Jehovah is a better appoximation than Yahweh. So, really, it should be 4 letters and 3 syllables.

Hi dybmh. Good afternoon. I'm not sure if you are simply ignorant on the matter of Yahweh's Name or are just being dishonest. There's absolutely no way that any Jew - at least any Jew that is accustomed to the Hebrew language - should ever say that Jehovah is the accurate pronunciation of the Name. The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown till about 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius and L. Capellus as against grammatical and historical propriety. It came about by combining the Tetragrammaton and the Hebrew word for L-rd, substituted by the Jews for YHWH, because they shrank from pronouncing the Name owing to an old misconception of two passages, Exodus 20:7 and Leviticus 24:16.

To give the name YHWH the vowels of the word for L-rd [Heb. Adonai] and pronounce it Jehovah, is about a hybrid combination it would be to spell the name Germany with the vowels in the name Portugal viz, Gormuna. The monstrous combination Jehovah is not older than about 1520 A.D so why are you supporting its use. Yahweh was the Name of the Most High in Biblical times, and still remains that way today as His Name does not change.

Yahshua our Messiah referred to those who had suppressed and replaced the Sacred Name in Luke 11:52 when he spoke of the lawyers taking away the 'key of knowledge'. Yahshua also said He wouldn't return until Jerusalem says:

"Blessed is He that comes in the Name of Yahweh" (Matthew 23:39)​

...not in the Name of Jehovah which was certainly not his Name and only a few centuries old. Truth matters. It's the difference between eternal life and eternal death.

 

[Messianic Israelite]

And as you can likely tell if you've read my words above, I'm concerned about the standard that opposes that trend. You seem to be in the camp of the writer cited in the OP. The proper response of the humanist is to demonstrate why none of the religions can be called correct and none should have sway over society or any life other than those of volunteers of that religion.

Religions have no truth not known to secularists. None of them, including yours. What they have are claims of truth, but they use the word to mean whatever they hope is true and choose to believe is true. Their metaphysical truths - claims about possible gods, a possible supernatural realm, and a possible afterlife - are neither demonstrably true nor useful for making decisions while navigating life. What they are useful for is certain groups of people to use to exploit others willing to believe them. How much time, labor, and money do believers give to perpetuating their religions, what good societal does that accomplish, and who benefits from their largesse?

It Aint Necessarily So. Good afternoon. Well, we will see at the Judgment Seat what is Truth and what isn't. You said "Religions have no truth not known to secularists", my question is, then why don't they obey it? Why don't they obey the Bible? Take for example the Sacred Name of the Most High, if they know it is Yahweh, why don't they use it? No, they don't know the truth. As it is written

“My people are fools; they do not know me.
They are senseless children; they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.”

When you start living the Kingdom way of life, as you become more obedient, you see the Truth of the Word more clearly (Proverbs 4:18). Paul tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving (2 Corinthians 4:4). You ask what good does religion accomplish. I can't speak for all religion, only my own. We are doing Yahweh's will, preparing a people for Yahshua's return, and preparing ourselves to be in the Kingdom of Yahweh, where we will be able to rule with Yahshua forever and ever. We are living the Kingdom way of life and witnessing that life to our surroundings which in turn is making the world a better place. Yahshua called His people the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). We bring out the best in people and Yahshua brings out the best in us.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

we will see at the Judgment Seat what is Truth and what isn't

There is no reason to believe that. I have a tried-and-true method for deciding when ideas are correct that has served me well for decades. It tells me to disregard unsupported claims like that one.

You said "Religions have no truth not known to secularists", my question is, then why don't they obey it? Why don't they obey the Bible? Take for example the Sacred Name of the Most High, if they know it is Yahweh, why don't they use it? No, they don't know the truth. As it is written

My definition of truth is obviously different from yours. And why would an unbeliever live according to a holy book said to be written by a deity he doesn't believe exists?

When you start living the Kingdom way of life, as you become more obedient, you see the Truth of the Word more clearly

The opposite was the case for me. Clarity followed my exodus from religious faith.

Paul tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving

I have a different take on reality than that. It's the believers who are blinded, and not by a demon.

You ask what good does religion accomplish. I can't speak for all religion, only my own. We are doing Yahweh's will, preparing a people for Yahshua's return, and preparing ourselves to be in the Kingdom of Yahweh, where we will be able to rule with Yahshua forever and ever. We are living the Kingdom way of life and witnessing that life to our surroundings which in turn is making the world a better place.

I don't believe that your god exists, so I don't believe that you're doing anybody's will but your own. I don't know just what your religion is, but none of the Abrahamic religions make the world a better place as I define better.

We bring out the best in people and Yahshua brings out the best in us.

That's not my experience.

 

[F1fan]

A Christian friend was at a Pentecostal Bible study and was kind of pushed into having to do a prayer to receive the "gifts of the Spirit" with speaking in tongue being the sign that he had received them. He said he was making up words and sounds and the group leader leaned down to listen, he had been "slain in the spirit" but he said he was actually pushed back until he fell back into the arms of the person behind him who gently let him collapse to the ground. She listened and said he was praising God and everybody said "Halleluiah". But he knew she was lying, and the whole thing was just doing what was expected to be part of the group.

But I'm sure that there's people swear that their experience was real. I think it is the same thing, though, with just believing, or saying you believe, just to be one with the group.

I don't doubt these people are having real expriences, and I meant that in the sense that they are present and doing certain rituals and acts as part of a group. However I doubt the experiences are authentic, which is different. I suspect these experiences are what you explain, a performance by all actors. There are a lot of social elements to religious fervor and participation. The believer wants to belong, and more requirements there are to belong the more stress involved. Your friend is an example of how to fake the experience in order to join the tribe, and avoid the stress of being rejected.

I think the authentic experiences are those who go to revival type services. I've been to a few in my day and you can feel the energy. The believer will treat this as the presense of the Holy Sririt as me, with my education in psychology, understand it as a palpable fervor and excitement. I've felt similar feelings at concerts and sports events. The religious will interpret their feeling differently as part of their mental condition.

It's interesting to see how believers will claim real experiences but have no idea what they think happened, nor consider it was self-induced. This is part of the willing believer contributing to the religious experience by listening to other believers and then creating a similar mental experience. That is tribalism at its core. This behavior is highly satisfying and stimulates the reward center of the brain, and in essence creating a pavlov's dog situation.

 

[F1fan]

Could it be that religious experiences are real and since you haven’t had one and are anti-religious you claim they can’t exist simply because they are inexplicable to those who haven’t experienced it?

Could it be? Sure. But neither you, or other believers who claim to have had such specific experiences, can explain what they really are, nor offer evidence they aren't like any other human experience of fervor. And studies have revealed that the brain plays a huge part in creating experiences that are imagined, and this includes the brain injecting hormones into the blood which creates euphoric feelings. I have felt awe and fervor at events myself, but the difference is that I have a real curosity of of what we humans are experiencing. I have no motive to validate religious beiefs, as you do.

I stand by what I posted that you can’t accept: “If you ever receive the gift of the spirit birth, the birth of faith, then you will know! You will also humbly concede that “knowing” is inexplicable”!

I course I don;t accept implausible and extraordinary claims when a person can't offer evidence, I'm a critical thinker. Remember how you claimed to be one too? You aren't offering evidence of that either, so I reject that claim too, by logical default.

Do you understand what the logical default is? If you are really a critical thinker you would know.

 

[F1fan]

When you start living the Kingdom way of life, as you become more obedient, you see the Truth of the Word more clearly (Proverbs 4:18).

Obedient to what authority? Can you explain how any such authority exists as an independent entity, and not an invented puppet that exists only in the minds of a congregation?

Paul tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving (2 Corinthians 4:4).

And why do you think paul is correct?

You ask what good does religion accomplish. I can't speak for all religion, only my own. We are doing Yahweh's will, preparing a people for Yahshua's return, and preparing ourselves to be in the Kingdom of Yahweh, where we will be able to rule with Yahshua forever and ever. We are living the Kingdom way of life and witnessing that life to our surroundings which in turn is making the world a better place. Yahshua called His people the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).

What is you religion, and what makes it more authentic than what Hindus or Muslims believe as true?

Do you extend tolerance to other believers and their truth, just as you have you own interpretation and truth?

Do you think your version of truth is absolute, and has authority over others, including atheists?

We bring out the best in people and Yahshua brings out the best in us.

Really? How do you explain that Lutherans and Catholics were guilty of the Holocaust? Do you think the extermination of European Jews indicates "the best in us"?

 

[Colt]

One Lord, One Faith, One God: The Exclusivity of Christianity​

Open your Bible to Ephesians 4. And we have been in Ephesians 4 for a month, I think, but we finally have arrived at verses 4, 5, and 6. And this is a very, very important moment to stop and consider a far-reaching reality that is clearly indicated here. Let me read Ephesians 4:4, 5, and 6. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” Here is the singularity of Christianity. Seven times, you have the word “one” repeated. This is a declaration of the exclusivity of the true faith, the true religion.

There is only one body: the church; one Spirit: the Holy Spirit; one hope: that of heaven for those in Christ. There’s only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. That should make it abundantly clear that there are no others, no others. But it seems to have somehow escaped this generation of so-called Christians and even so-called evangelicals, because in a recent survey an inexcusable display of ignorance was manifest.

Sixty-six percent of American Christians say many religions lead to eternal life—that’s two out of three. Fifty-two percent of evangelicals say many religions can lead to eternal life. Forty-eight percent of evangelicals said that God accepts the worship of all religious people. Now, let me correct that. One hundred percent of true Christians say no other religion can save. One hundred percent of true evangelicals say no other religion can save. One hundred percent of evangelicals say God rejects all worship other than that which is consistent with His divine revelation in Christ.

How do we get to a place where people declare they are Christians and evangelicals, and basically don’t even understand the most foundational reality of what is true religion? How does this happen? On the face, you might say they lack instruction, and you would probably be right. But even deeper than that, I think they lack courage, because the reason people cave in to say that other religions can give eternal life is so that they don’t wind up offending other people—because that’s hard to deal with.

But on the face of it, it’s impossible that Christianity is true and other religions are true. This is the basic law of reason called the law of noncontradiction. Just from a rational standpoint, the law of noncontradiction is, “A cannot be non-A at the same time in the same way.” Let me spread that out over Christian theology: If Yahweh is the one and only living and true God, there is no other god. If the Bible is the one true revealed revelation of God, there is no other revelation. If the Son of God is Jesus, who is alone Lord and alone King, there is no other lord. If Jesus Christ is the only Savior from sin and eternal judgment, there is no other savior. If sinners can be saved only by the gospel of Jesus Christ, then they can’t be saved by any other means. If people can only escape hell by trusting in the person and work of Christ, they cannot escape hell by any other avenue. If sinners will be in hell forever if they reject Christ, there is no other way for them to escape. If the sole work that saves sinners is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then no other work can save sinners. If the gospel is the only saving truth and all other claims are lies, if there is only one true religion, then all others are false. If there is only one true God, who is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit—then there is no other God. So you get the idea.

All of those things that I postulated for you are Bible claims. I was just giving you what the Bible says: one God, one divine revelation, one Lord, one Savior, one gospel, one means of escaping hell. That’s what the Bible claims, and it is essentially that that is its greatest offense. And because it is such an offense, people cave in, and rather than be faithful to that gospel, they come up with ridiculous things like, “You can get to heaven by any religion.” A lie from the devil. Deuteronomy 4:35 says, “The Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.” That’s the exclusivity of the true God. Deuteronomy 4:39, “The Lord, He is God in heaven [alone] and on the earth below; there is no other.” First Kings 8, verse 60, “The Lord is God; there is no one else.”

To continue reading:
One Lord, One Faith, One God: The Exclusivity of Christianity

(Continued on next post)

In my theology one will pass through the regime of the Son en route to the Father. But since faith in the unseen God is the only requirement for salvation, the father respects the "faintest flicker of faith".


"The farther down the scale of life we go, the more difficult it becomes to locate, with the eye of faith, the invisible Father. The lower creatures—and sometimes even the higher personalities—find it difficult always to envisage the Universal Father in his Creator Sons. And so, pending the time of their spiritual exaltation, when perfection of development will enable them to see God in person, they grow weary in progression, entertain spiritual doubts, stumble into confusion, and thus isolate themselves from the progressive spiritual aims of their time and universe. In this way they lose the ability to see the Father when beholding the Creator Son. The surest safeguard for the creature throughout the long struggle to attain the Father, during this time when inherent conditions make such attainment impossible, is tenaciously to hold on to the truth-fact of the Father’s presence in his Sons. Literally and figuratively, spiritually and personally, the Father and the Sons are one. It is a fact: He who has seen a Creator Son has seen the Father." UB 1955

 

[soulsurvivor]

One Lord, One Faith, One God: The Exclusivity of Christianity​

....

With a hard, dogmatic belief system like that, you will probably be very disappointed when the Christ Returns. When that happens, I am not sure if you will reject the Christ or you will reject Christianity (when you find out it is not exclusive). But in either case, it will be pretty devastating. Hopefully you won't do anything extreme or drastic, because the Christ will be returning very soon.