Christian Beliefs, what are they?

[Amatullah]

Salam (Peace)

Being born into a Muslim family, I don't know much about religions other than Islam. I want to be better informed about all faiths so I can decide for myself and consciously accept the Truth. I want to know more about Christianity but I would like to hear about Christian beliefs from Christians themselves. I would really appreciate it if Christian members would post their most important beliefs briefly so that I can get an idea of what Christianity is about.

Thanks in advance.

Amatullah

 

[Bandit]

If I tell you what my basic beliefs are in brief, will you share what your basic beliefs are too?

I am curious to see if there are 10,000 different ideas about Islam the way there are about this modern day Christianity. I am guessing every religion is like that?


My first basic beliefs are
1.the Word of God and that it is Gods written word for men today so that we can know God and have eternal life.
2. the indwelling of the spirit of God in me.
3. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
4. Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and love one another unconditionally.


What are your first basic beliefs for Islam.?

 

[Amatullah]

Salam (Peace)

I am curious to see if there are 10,000 different ideas about Islam the way there are about this modern day Christianity. I am guessing every religion is like that?

Yes I think every religion is like that. I was born into a Shia family but I don't call myself a Shia nor a Sunni, I'm just a Muslim (one that submits completely to God).

I have no right to speak on behalf of all Muslims because all people are different and have the right to excercise their own opinions. These are my beliefs:

1) There is only One God and Muhammed was the Seal of all Prophets and Messengers.

2) The Qur'an is the last and final Word of God and has remained undistorted from the time of its revelation to the present day.

3) Islam wants for us to love and accept each other irrespective of race, culture or religion which is why I respect all faiths. (You may not be my brother in faith but you are still my brother in humanity!) I know some Muslims claim that only Muslims are headed for Paradise and all other people are hell bound and I don't agree because I don't think it is for us to judge.

4) Religion is a way of life and I try to live by treating people in the way I would want to be treated because Islam is not just about the duties you have towards God but also the duties you have towards others. I also believe that we will be held accountable for what we did in our lives on this earth.

That's all I can think of for now, but I might add to it later.

Your beliefs are interesting.

Who is your god? What do you believe is the Word of God?

Thanks for your input.

Amatullah

 

[Postmaster]

Christians believe that a man called Jesus who was a Palestinian Jew came to this earth with the purpose of dieing for the people of this world. During his time on earth it is well documented that he healed people, bought people back to life (Saint Lazerus, whos tomb is in my home city Larnaca) and prophesied about others and himself. The wow factor about Jesus was his resurrection which no body in history has gone down for, if I'm not mistaken. Jews believe that Jesus was a fake and are still waiting for there Messia to come. Funny thing is ancient hebrew scripts prophesied Jesus but failed to accpet him.

Even Islam accpets Jesus as a prophet but Mohammed said himself was the chosen Prophet by God, the only difference is Chrisitans see Jesus as more then a prophet, they see him as Gods presence on earth.

 

[bananabrain]

a man called Jesus who was a Palestinian Jew

to be precise - it was called "judaea" then - it was a semi-autonomous province of the roman empire. only after a revolt against the romans, during which the Temple in jerusalem was destroyed and widespread destruction wreaked, the romans decided to "de-judaise" judaea, so they exiled many of the people, changed the name of jerusalem to "aelia capitolina" and changed the name of the province to "palestina", after the name of our *biblical* enemies the "philistines" - who are *unrelated* to the present-day palestinian arabs. so, to call jesus a "palestinian jew" is somewhat misleading - but then again, that is purposeful, isn't it?

b'shalom

bananabrain

 

[Postmaster]

Jesus was a philistine Jew. I'm pretty much sure he was I could be wrong? That’s what many Christians believe but I don't care what race he is, just trying to add a bit of history to what I say, with no intensions of anything else (before we start to get analytical).

And the Philistines were not Arabs, they were actaully Greeks from Crete that settled in the middle east as history has it and even present days Palestians know this.

 

[bananabrain]

exactly - the philistines weren't arabs at all. but to describe jesus as a "philistine jew" is also completely wrong.

b'shalom

bananabrain

 

[Amatullah]

Salam (Peace)

the only difference is Chrisitans see Jesus as more then a prophet, they see him as Gods presence on earth.

This is interesting but I am not sure I understand. Could you elaborate on it a little more? What exactly do you mean by he was God's presence on earth? Do you mean he was God himself? Or the representative of God? Or...? Sorry if I sound ignorant but I would really like to know.

Thanks again!

Amatullah

 

[Postmaster]

Well Muslims and Christians believe in the same God by this I mean all the Ideas you have of one God a positive force of the universe, is exactly the same as the Christians view there God. He is in fact the same ideology. But Jesus Christ to the Christians was God in the form of a human, he was more then a prophet, he was more then a person speaking the words of God, he was Gods presence on earth. That’s the views of the Christians and the people that wrote the bible, of what Jesus himself was saying.

 

[Faithfulservant]

Hello Amatullah and welcome to CR

I believe that God is three parts. God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Spirit. Im going to post my beliefs.

When we think about earthly fathers. We think about the love of a Father for his children and the rules our fathers give us to protect us. We also think about the discipline that our fathers give us when we disobey. We also think of fathers as the one that brought us into this world. That sums up God the Father. We can never achieve the Father without the Son.

When we think about the son Jesus we think about how God the Father loved us so much that He came to this earth to suffer for us the trials and tribulations of death and his glorious resurrection. We think of the hope that he brought to us. That we could now be worthy of eternity with God. God the Father is perfect we are not. How could we ever be worthy of being in His presence being so corrupted with sin. We have hope in the forgiveness of our sins. The promise that He gave us that if we ask forgiveness our sin is TRULY forgiven it is forgotten. We think of Jesus as our teacher.. He teaches us what God wants from us.. how to act.. how to think.. how to pray.. how to love each other as God loves us. We think of Jesus as our friend.. How wonderful it will be to walk with Jesus and talk to him and ask him questions. That sums up Jesus Christ our Savior.

When we think about the Holy Spirit. We think about the acting force of God. The power of God. It is God the Fathers presence on this earth. Jesus had to go prepare a place for us so He sent the Holy Spirit as our comforter as our helper. The Holy Spirit is our communication link with God. His Spirit comminicates with our spirit. He guides us in the path of God. He is our interpreter for God. He is our conscience our guide our voice of God.

The bible is the written word of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit interprets the word of God for us. We can never understand it without the Holy Spirit. The word of God is perfect.. infalliable.. incorruptible.. Each author of the book was convicted and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I think the most important part of my beliefs is that I am convicted of my faith. My faith has been shaken a few times in my 32 years but each time that happens I learn something that helps me grow stronger in my faith. I dont believe in the words of men I place my trust and my faith in God. I believe that he is alive in me and he talks to me. I pray I worship him I meditate on his word and the more I do these things the clearer his voice is to me. I believe in his perfection and in my complete imperfection. I believe that he loves ALL of us equally and tells me to love EVERYONE as equally. I believe that everyone has choices and each mans path is his own. I am not here to judge or condemn anyone of their chosen path. My job is to worry about my own salvation and let God worry about my brother and sisters salvation.

Faithful Servant

 

[Sacredstar]

In response to your question it depends on the Christian and how attached they are to scripture and the dogma that Rome promoted to further their own cause.

As a Christian Spiritualist these are my views:

1. The indwelling of the spirit of God in me.
2. I am here to purify my soul, achieve salvation and serve others
3. To achieve self mastery making the two energies within one and in so doing being able to merge my soul more fully with the spirit of GOD.
4. There is no such thing as original sin, we are born and are perfect in GOD's eyes.
5. The universal truths: Unconditional love, forgiveness, love your enemy as yourself, zero judgement, transparency, compassion. Faith in self and others, Hope and faith that we will create the Kingdom of God on earth by becoming real 'Human Beings' and living the universal truths. We all have spiritual gifts that we have been given to profit from. Prosperity of spirit and charity.

6. Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and soul and have no other before GOD. Love others with all your heart but your soul belongs to GOD.

Love beyond measure

Sacredstar

 

[Postmaster]

exactly - the philistines weren't arabs at all. but to describe jesus as a "philistine jew" is also completely wrong.

Yes but you can't say Jesus wasn't Jewish he clearly was and from a highly religious Jewish family too. From which ethnic tribe do you think Jesus originate from? If your ruling out he was a Philistine, what was he? The modern Palestinians are a mixture of Arab and Indo-Europeans of all ethnic groups that were in that area from the past. But Ancient Philistines were just Indo-Europeans (Crete). This could be why Jesus is preceievd as a white Caucasion and probably what sparked off the rivalry by Mohamed.

To be honest this subject is confusing to me, I probably don't know half as much as I think. At least I'm honest.

(Philistines being a Greek word. Just like Philidelphia in the USA Phili = friends delphia = brothers)

 

[Bandit]

Salam (Peace)

This is interesting but I am not sure I understand. Could you elaborate on it a little more? What exactly do you mean by he was God's presence on earth? Do you mean he was God himself? Or the representative of God? Or...? Sorry if I sound ignorant but I would really like to know.

Thanks again!

Amatullah

Most Christians do believe God turned into a man through the womb of a woman. I am one of the few that does not believe Jesus was God.
I see him as a man son of man who God made out of the womb of his mother, with the spirit of a man. Then at the beginning of his ministry he was filled with Gods spirit, thus becoming Son of God. A manifestation of the invisible God.
Jesus gave up his life when the people crucified him, we see the Love of God manifested in a man, laying down his life and there is no greater love than this.

Your beliefs are interesting.

Who is your god? What do you believe is the Word of God?

Thanks for your input.

My God is the one who made the planets and the universe and elements and made us (man) in his own image.

Amatullah, is your God the same God that I see? I would like to know how you see God also. Thankyou.

Word of God- The 66 books of the bible from Geneses to Revelation.
Some people only find history, religion and principles in this book.
For me this WORD is a live. It feeds my spirit and refreshes my thirsty soul. It is LIVING water for the soul.
The Old Testament (39 books) is more or less law for the Jew and for them to see where God had brought them from. Since Jesus and the New Testament (27 books) it is a LIVING WORD.
Another manifestation of God in a modern world.

Amatullah, Does your Qur'an or WORD of God also make you hunger and thirst for it when you read it?
I never read the book so I don't know and that is why I ask.

 

[Amatullah]

Salam (Peace)

My God is the one who made the planets and the universe and elements and made us (man) in his own image.

Amatullah, is your God the same God that I see? I would like to know how you see God also. Thankyou.

My God is He Who is independent of all existences while all existences are dependent on His existence. If your God is the God of Adam, Abaraham and all the other Messengers then yes we believe in the same God.

Though I am not quite sure what you mean by saying He made us in His own image...?

The 66 books you believe in, do you believe they have all been revealed by God? Or do you believe that the authors were men that had the Holy Spirit within them? Has the Bible been modified and revised from time to time?

Amatullah, Does your Qur'an or WORD of God also make you hunger and thirst for it when you read it?

The Qur'an was revealed to Muhammed in pure Arabic. Though I do not understand Arabic I know how to read it so I read a little and then refer to the English translation for the meaning. Some verses are decisive, others are allegorical and we use the former to interpret the latter. That's what I believe anyway. I like reading the Quran because it makes me feel peaceful and safe.

Thanks

Amatullah

 

[Bandit]

Salam (Peace)

My God is He Who is independent of all existences while all existences are dependent on His existence. If your God is the God of Adam, Abaraham and all the other Messengers then yes we believe in the same God.

Though I am not quite sure what you mean by saying He made us in His own image...?

The 66 books you believe in, do you believe they have all been revealed by God? Or do you believe that the authors were men that had the Holy Spirit within them? Has the Bible been modified and revised from time to time?

The Qur'an was revealed to Muhammed in pure Arabic. Though I do not understand Arabic I know how to read it so I read a little and then refer to the English translation for the meaning. Some verses are decisive, others are allegorical and we use the former to interpret the latter. That's what I believe anyway. I like reading the Quran because it makes me feel peaceful and safe.

Thanks

Amatullah

Yes then we see the same God. God with no beginning or end. The same God of Adam, Abraham and Moses.
By image I mean this- We humans have physical ears to hear, eyes to see, nose to smell and mouth to speak and taste. Hands for strength and reaching and Feelings to feel with.
God also has these things. But his eyes, ears, nose and mouth are done in His spirit. God is a spirit and His eyes can see everything. His hands are much stronger than I can ever know and at the same time his hands are safety for me. By this I mean the strength and power of His spirit.
I, as a human learn how to worship God and love Him in spirit, with my very own spirit that he gave to me.
So I am only an image of God because He made me this way. I am just a man but made in His likeness.

I believe all 66 books were inspired by God and written by the apostles and prophets. The spirit of God operated a tiny bit different with men in the Old testament books, but still the books were inspired by God.

The New Testament books were definately inspired by God and written by men who did have the spirit of God within them.

The bible I use is one of the first bibles we ever recieved in English. It has not been changed for 500 years and I do trust in it. I have to translate it sometimes back to Hebrew and Greek and it is even better when I can translate it back.
Some people do keep revising the Bible but I am content with the early translation.
I believe God reveals these 66 books to men who truly seek Him and in faith. A little bit at a time.

I cannot read pure Arabic. So I would never be able to read the Quran. Except the English version.

I like reading the Quran because it makes me feel peaceful and safe.

That sounds like the spirit of God to me trying to talk to us because I believe God wants us to know Him. Peaceful, warm and safe.

I have one more question for you Amatullah. I think I have saw some writing about Jesus here at this forum in the Quran. I am not sure if there is or if there is not because I have never even seen a Quran - but I think I saw some writing here in this forum. But I may be wrong.
Is there such a thing about Jesus written by Muhammed in the Quran? I would LOVE to see those parts first.

Some verses are decisive, others are allegorical and we use the former to interpret the latter.

Can you do one verse for us and show me what you mean??? That would be really neat to me.

 

[timrevis]

Dear Amatullah,

As you can see, there are variations amongst Christians on what Christianity is. I will add mine.

What I was taught about "official" Christianity is:

1) We begin with Judaism in that we believe that Christ was the messiah predicted by the prophets in Old Testement (or the Torah)
2) Once arrived, Christ fulfilled all the prophecies.
3) Old Testement Jews had a sacrificial method of gaining forgiveness for their sins via the animal sacrifices offered at the Temple. Official mainline Christianity believes that the crucifixion of Christ on the cross was the final blood sacrifice required for the forgiveness of sins.
4) Mainline Christianity belives that no human is worthy of the gift (which is to say: no one can be obedient enough or good enough to be worthy of the final sacrifice) BUT that God offers the final forgiveness merely through the acceptance or belief that Christ performed this act on our behalf.
5) Our responsibilty, if we accept or believe in the act, is, according to the quote from Christ, twofold: "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto: that thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all of the law and the prophets."

I have Muslim friends and the shakey area (according to them - if I understand correctly) is our "trinitarian" theology - which is the three personalities of God. My Muslim friends say this makes us guilty of "Shirk" (I'm not sure I spelled that correctly) but according to them, the Trinity violates the Muslim premise of "there is no God but God" - in other words, it appears to them that we have claimed that there are three Gods. But we have not and, frankly, I can hardly understand it myself. But - to try to explain - the best explanation I ever had was that every element has three states of being: liquid, solid and gas. Using water as an example: frozen water is ice, still water is liquid, and boiling water turns to steam but the elemental composition is never changed (its all one part hydrogen and two parts oxygen) So, when we say we believe in God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we're saying that we believe that God manifests Himself in three ways - not a different God but three aspects. It's like saying that you are a son, a brother and a father - you're all these things but you're still you. The distillation or import of the Trinity is that God in human form (as Christ) having walked among people has a full and complete comprehension of the things that trouble us and bring us joy. Therefore we can never say that something has happened to us (hungry, tired, attacked, lonely, friendless) that God will not understand because He experienced it firsthand and therefore must know, understand and be compassionate. The Holy Ghost part of the Trinity is the part of God that Christ promised would remain behind after he was no longer physically visible for us to see and touch and the promise is that the Holy Ghost will comfort and direct the life of a beliver - not make it a perfect life, but make it a bearable life.

I, like you, will not criticize the beliefs of another human. I have no doubt that, had I been born in the Middle-east, I would be a Muslim. But I believe that had I been on the planet alone, I would believe in God because I sense Him all around. For whatever reason, I was raised in a Christian world, Christianity as explained to me makes sense and logic, and I embrace it wholeheartedly and try to live up to my end of the covenant which is - Love God - love the people.

I've probably not made things any clearer but I pray God will bless you.

Tim

 

[Quahom1]

Salam (Peace)

Being born into a Muslim family, I don't know much about religions other than Islam. I want to be better informed about all faiths so I can decide for myself and consciously accept the Truth. I want to know more about Christianity but I would like to hear about Christian beliefs from Christians themselves. I would really appreciate it if Christian members would post their most important beliefs briefly so that I can get an idea of what Christianity is about.

Thanks in advance.

Amatullah

Amatullah - Greetings,

I am from a place on earth where my neighbors (most all) are/were Arab Muslims.

We all agreed on a common prayer in times of communal need, or crisis, or for sports matches for our children at school.

"Our Father in Heaven,

Blessed be His name.

His Kingdom come His will be done,

on Earth and in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

forgive us our transgressions,

As we should forgive our transgressors

For your's is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.


Sometimes the Christians expounded, and other times the Muslims expounded, but it worked beautifully. See there was never an exception, or an admonition, or a complaint by the "mothers" on the block, when it came to the husbands and the kids, or the family.

Personally I believe the "moms" don't give a damn. They simply want their families and homes and neighborhoods, safe, prosperous. They want to grow old, worrying obout their kin, and about their men. And they want to be surrounded by all of them, on their death bed, if that is the way of things.

It's us men that are often idiots, and ruin the beautiful "dreams" of the women. But I've seen it, and it does work. (at least here in the United States).

v/r

Q

 

[Amatullah]

Salam (Peace)

I believe God is infinite and therefore I am not sure if I believe He is a spirit, or maybe I am misconstruing what you mean by the word 'Spirit'? By spirit would you mean an inspiritation of divine guidance? Or...?

I cannot even imagine God because I believe there is nothing and no one even remotely like Him but anyway it is enough for me to know that He exists and that He is there for me.

Yes the Quran does talk to us about Jesus...In fact there are 114 Chapter/Surahs in the Quran and one entire chapter has been named Mariam(in Arabic Jesus is Isa and Mary is Mariam). I'll paste some of the verses:

This is what Mary said when the Angel from God came to inform her that she would have a son:

She said: My Lord! when shall there be a son (born) to I me, and man has not touched me? He said: Even so, Allah creates what He pleases; when He has decreed a matter, He only says to it, Be, and it is.
3:47

We are taught that he spoke when still in his cradle:

But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle?
[size=-1]He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet;[/size]
[size=-1]And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live;[/size]
[size=-1]And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed;[/size]
[size=-1]And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.[/size]
Such is Isa, son of Marium; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute.
[size=-1]It beseems not Allah that He should take to Himself a son, glory to be Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it "Be," and it is.[/size]
[size=-1]19:29-35[/size]

That particular verse I highlighted does not imply that Jesus is already dead and has already been resurrected. It means that he was blessed on the day he was born, on the day he will die (because Muslims believe he was raised to Paradise and will reappear and eventually die because all humans are to taste death) and on the day he will be resurrected with all other humans.

Surely the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was.
3:59

I believe that since He created Adam without a father nor a mother He is Able to create a man from a mother only, without a father.

There are many more verses, some that talk about the miracles he performed by God's leave but you have a look at these ones first. Could you show me some verses from the Bible?


Thanks

Amatullah

 

[Amatullah]

Salam (Peace)


Tim:

I've probably not made things any clearer but I pray God will bless you.

No actually I think I understand it a little better now. I'm not saying I agree but at least now I know why you believe God experienced human life etc.

I personally believe that God is All-Knowing and therefore does not need to 'experience' to 'know' because that is a human weakness.

"Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto: that thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all of the law and the prophets."

I am so happy to hear this! We have similar teachings in Islam. Muhammed taught us:

'A believer is he who wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself'

'He is not a believer who has his fill while his neighbour is hungry'

Quahom:

It is so good to hear that some Muslims and Christians out there can live together as a community, respecting each others rights and beliefs. That is how it should be everywhere not just with Muslims and Christians but with all faiths...

Thanks so much for your replies

Amatullah

 

[Quahom1]

Salam (Peace)

I believe God is infinite and therefore I am not sure if I believe He is a spirit, or maybe I am misconstruing what you mean by the word 'Spirit'? By spirit would you mean an inspiritation of divine guidance? Or...?

I cannot even imagine God because I believe there is nothing and no one even remotely like Him but anyway it is enough for me to know that He exists and that He is there for me.

Yes the Quran does talk to us about Jesus...In fact there are 114 Chapter/Surahs in the Quran and one entire chapter has been named Mariam(in Arabic Jesus is Isa and Mary is Mariam). I'll paste some of the verses:

This is what Mary said when the Angel from God came to inform her that she would have a son:

We are taught that he spoke when still in his cradle:

That particular verse I highlighted does not imply that Jesus is already dead and has already been resurrected. It means that he was blessed on the day he was born, on the day he will die (because Muslims believe he was raised to Paradise and will reappear and eventually die because all humans are to taste death) and on the day he will be resurrected with all other humans.

I believe that since He created Adam without a father nor a mother He is Able to create a man from a mother only, without a father.

There are many more verses, some that talk about the miracles he performed by God's leave but you have a look at these ones first. Could you show me some verses from the Bible?


Thanks

Amatullah

To not attempt to imagine God, is to do God a disfavor, for He made us in His "likeness" and image...

Surely the Qu'Ran does not forbid us from attempting the impossible? To attempt to imagine Him is not the same as to be Him. To be "like" Him is perfectly acceptable Amatullah. My own children want to be "like" me, and I encourage that...

Our Father in Heaven, Would He not wish this for His "Children" , to try to be "like" Him?

And if not, why not? Why not strive to please the Father? Why not try to emulate the Father, in dealing everyday with everyday problems and issues? And why not ask ABBA everyday for guidance in doing so? What is so Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim about these simple desires, concerns or requests? I tell God I need a walk with Him, and request it be granted, and I do it every morning on my way to work...(I'm so arrogant, and scared sometimes).

I bet a dollar to a doughnut that we ask our own human fathers about things regularly (I sure as hell do). The older he gets, the more I bug him for wisdom! The more he tells me, the more I make up my own mind about things.

One day he will be gone, and she will be gone. I will be the patriarch, but I have one fiesty (and loving) matriarch beside me, but we know we don't know all. We depend upon the Christian ways, because after a hard look at all, this is the path we choose.

I do not feel sorry for anyone who chooses another path save one, those that choose no path at all, or choosing to believe in self, as God.

But I will fight those who attempt to force me to choose their way, with extreme predjudice.

I understand the Arab mind (a little bit), does the Arab understand mine? (I don't think so).

I have a word for and understanding for the word "comprimise". The Arab language has no such word - only "save face", I take what is mine home and you take what is yours home. That is a distinct problem that must be overcome. Im wrong? Tell me so.

v/r

Q