Religions
What religion is true, and what even is religion?
Starting off what the bible says about religion, James
1:26-27 tells us that if someone is religious lets him be pure in his religion and helping the poor that lack
in life, if he does not follow his religious practices, its for nothing
Acts
26:4-8 talks about how pharisees were for example religious.
The true meaning of religion is putting the ritualistic nature of a certain religion over what God actually wants.
This most of all impacts rituals in religions
True Christianity isn't a religion, its a relationship instead
Religion 🔗
Main difference
Religion requires steps and preparations, religion is always man made
Prayer
Religious prayer is a ritual people have to do to please their gods/god.
Religious prayer often requires steps and a certain position.
Religious prayer can be often recognised by things like quickly saying a certain text or by reading a text for prayer
Rituals
In religion there's a concept of paying yourself to heaven idea behind it, you go to heaven by your acts not your belief
People do rituals in hopes to please their gods/god
Even the Lords supper is seen as something different by certain churches, certain churches think they drink literally the blood of Jesus and cleanse themselves through that
Religion has also one certain trait, is it following steps and instruction to do rituals, if one goal is not met, then the ritual was all for nothing
Motives
The motives behind religion is fear and the will to go to heaven
People think that by doing good acts and by following all rules tightly that they will go to heaven, usually those rules are taught by other people who twist the scripture.
In short
Fear is what drives people to religion
Also objectifying God is what drives religion
Relationship 🔗
Main difference
Relationship is having God and the law in the heart, its accepting him in our lives and relying on him
Prayer
Relationship prayer is how people talk to God, it is sending a message.
True communication with God can be done in any situation and position, it can be done with the mouth or through as long as it comes from the heart
Relationship prayer can be recognised if the prayer comes from the heart and is as talking to another person
Rituals
In relationship people will be saved through faith not by actions. (Ephesians 2) faith asks for trust and love.
If you have a relationship with God, you will follow the laws out of love as in John 14:15-31
The Lords supper is there to remember how Jesus died for us, its not to cleanse or anything else
John 6:54-58 is seen as symbolic and is made to be remembered and honored.
Motives
The motives behind a relationship is respect, love and trust.
People who have a relationship with God, follow his word and question other peoples teachings, which is also what the bible tells us 1 John 4:1
In short
Respect and love is what drives relationship
Believers see God as a king not a dictator
How Does That Impact Other Religions? 🔗
We will start with those religions that are part of Christianity. In Christianity there are 2 main branches:
Catholicism 🔗
Roman catholic
Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox
What distinguishes it
Catholics follow traditions and spiritual leaders, example: "the pope, priests, ect"
Catholics believe that sanctifying, worshipping or even venerating the saints will make them closer to God
Catholics usually use verses like hebrew 12:1 and that christians do not die but sleep while dead.
Catholics also tend to think that they're the first church ever and use the verse out of context matthew 16:17-19
What this verse truly means is that Jesus has ordered to build a church on top of the mountain in Caesarea Philippi to show dominance over evil, the hole on the bottom of the mountain looked horrible as like hell.
This hole is also called the gates of hell
Catholics also tend to worship objects like the crucifix and believe it holds power.
Protestant 🔗
Baptism
Calvinism
Pentecost
Angelical
Lutheran
Non denominational
What distinguishes it
Protestants stay with the bible itself and don't invent traditions or have spiritual leaders.
Protestants worship God only and no one else
Protestants usually are closer to the truth than catholics
Protestants also have specifically 66 books and dont include apocryphas
Protestants take verses like Ecclesiastes 9:1-5 to tell catholics they should not worship or venerate the dead
Protestant use verses like isaiah 44:6-8 to reject the pope or any other religious leader
Usually protestant churches aren't the big and glorious looking churches but use normal churches or even just rooms to worship God together
Usually a protestant preacher does not take this fancy clothes as catholic priests have and come in normal clothes
False Gospels/Doctrines 🔗
Arianism: Denies the full divinity of Jesus Christ, claiming He was a created being rather than eternally coexistent with the Father.
Docetism: Teaches that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and did not truly suffer on the cross, emphasizing His divinity over His humanity.
Nestorianism: Argues that Christ had two separate persons, one divine and one human, rather than a unified divine-human person.
Monophysitism: Holds that Jesus had only one nature, which was either solely divine or a synthesis of divine and human, rather than distinct divine and human natures in one person.
Pelagianism: Denies the doctrine of original sin and asserts that human beings could achieve salvation through their own efforts without divine grace.
Gnosticism: Holds that salvation comes through special knowledge and that the material world is evil, often presenting a dualistic worldview and different narratives about creation and the divine.
Marcionism: Claims that the God of the Old Testament is a different, inferior deity to the God of the New Testament, leading to a rejection of the Old Testament.
Sabellianism (Modalism): Believes that God is a single person who reveals Himself in different "modes" or "aspects" (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) rather than three distinct persons in one essence.
Free Grace Theology: Group of theology that revolves around viewing salvation as a transaction rather than covenant relationship.
Protestant Denominations 🔗
Baptist
NIFB
The new baptist church NIFB have one massive issue which is: The literal hatred towards gay people.
Matthew 5:21-22
But in general, Baptism is good since its biblical, only the hatred towards homosexuals is the main issue for them
Also they are KJV only and don't accept any other version
IFB
They are better off than the new baptists since they don't hate the homosexual people.
The IFB church is very close or even hits the spot of what God truly wants from us
They also only Follow the KJV only
Southern Baptist Church
The southern baptist church is led by the spirit and the word of God the bible.
Calvinist
Calvinists themselves don't call themselves a religion but a "soteriology"
Calvinists believe in predestination.
Predestination can have multiple meanings:
- No free will, but contradicts genesis 6:6
- God choosing people to be saved, which would contradict the death of Jesus for everyone
- That EVENTS specifically only happen to people for them to choose God or not which is very well possible even
Reformed Baptist
Reformed baptists believe that the baptism of babies is wrong and baptise young adults who decide themselves
Reformed baptists do not have the KJV only issue
Presbyterian
Presbyterians believe that babies should get baptised
Pentecost
Pentecostals believe that you must speak in tongues to be saved
Or believe that everyone can speak in tongues at least
Oneness
Oneness pentecostals deny the trinity and believe that Jesus is the Father
Trinitarian
Trinitarians believe in the trinity
Anglicans
Anglicans are seen as protestants, althoughvery close to catholicism, here are some certain traits anglicans believe
- Believe in apocryphas and have creeds
- Some pray to mary, and some don't
- Anglicans pray in certain ways like in groups (never alone) also certain texts.
- Unlike catholics they went the Augustinianism way.
Lutherans
Lutherans have 66 books and no apocryphas
Lutherans also keep the liturgy
Lutherans keep some elements from catholicism like the hierarchical element of having priests
Non Denominational
Non denominational many times say they're simply christian
Non denominationals are either people who dont know denominations yet or people who purely follow God's teaching and guided by the spirit
Non denominational does not invent their own story, but take everything from the bible always
Non denominationals do not care about any figure that isn't in the bible
Other Religions 🔗
The bible warns us about the story of satan and how satan is a deceiver
Revelation 12:7-17 tells us that satan got thrown down into earth and now hes trying to devour who he can with his lies
Making sense of this logic, angels are all waiting in heaven and the demons and satan are ravaging on earth, there are a LOT less angels on earth than fallen angels/demons
Let us analyse some religions
Islam
Islam misleads people using main components like "jesus did not die on the cross" as in haddith 4:157
So you have to ask yourself who paid for the sins of islamists, which can be found in the sunnah muslim 2767d
Also, islam affirms the bible in the haddith 3:3
Jehovas Witness
Jehovas witnesses believe that Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are 3 different gods
The jehovas witnesses have a different version of the bible that has different texts in it than the normal bible
Their version is the NWT (new world translation).
Here's an example of a verse that has been changed:
1 John 5:7:
7 For there are three witness bearers: 8 the spiritl and the waterm and the blood;n and the three are in agreement.
In general the bible of the Jehovas witness has been corrupted
Mormons
Mormons are very far away from what the bible teaches us
Mormons have their own book, its called "the book of mormons"
Mormons have tons of gods and believe every man can be a god
Bookless Religions 🔗
The bookless religion are usually always spiritual rules and opening yourself to the spiritual world
As said, the world is full of demons, so youre opening yourself to demons to enter you and cause demon possessions
Almost every spirit is a demon in this world
