10Mar14 What does it mean to be Catholic?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/opinion/what-it-means-to-be-catholic-now.html?emc=edit_th_20140310&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714&_r=0
These questions are combining concepts from our discussion on chpt 6 The Bible, our "clergy" guests against the backdrop of the Christian season of Lent, which begins today with Ash Wednesday.
Answer 1-2 questions (identify which # in your response), and respond to 1-2 other posts.
Q1: What exactly does "salvation" mean? Is it a restoration of our relationship with God or the return to a moral life? Is it doing "the next right thing" or does it have more to do with being baptized or knowing/believing in God?
Q2: What does the word "Christian" mean today? What criteria does someone have to satisfy to count as a Christian? Why is it important to know who is and who isn't a Christian? Does this emphasis arise out of the need for the earlier peoples to distinguish themselves from the nations around them?
Q3: What (if anything) makes Jesus different from other spiritual leaders? What does "Son of God" mean? Does one have to believe in the incarnation of God within Jesus to be Christian, or is it simply enough to be inspired by his life and teachings?
Q4: Jesus is said to have proclaimed the coming of "the kingdom of Heaven" and the phrase "Eternal life" is used in the Gospel of John. Does this mean that there is an afterlife, or can it perchance mean that there is a new and better way of living in this life--a way that relates properly to eternal truths and values?
Q5: In order to be saved, does one have to believe in the claim that Jesus is the Son of God, and that his death atones for the sins of the world? Or can one just see him as a "guru", a guide, one who reveals God, a source of spiritual life, an example of selfless living?
Q6: What is Lent? Why do Christians participate in certain practices or disciplines during Lent? Are those practices valuable outside of a Christian framework?
#5
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion a person does have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God in order to be saved. The reason we are saved is because of his sacrifice, otherwise we would not have a good enough way of atoning for our sins. Before Jesus people had to sacrifice an animal for every sin committed. By Jesus sacrificing himself he allows us all to be saved from sin.
I agree as well. Jesus died for us and our sins, so that way we can be saved. Jesus is the Son of God, and this is the reason why we can be saved, and that he is not a "Guru".
DeleteI can agree with both of you but I feel that while Jesus did die for our sins and he is responsible for our salvation, would God deny those who do not believe but live selfless and humble lives? Take for instance, someone who was born and raised in an atheist household and they were never truly taught about Jesus, or what if they were born on a island where no one is Christian? But both of these people both lived amazingly good and selfless lives? Just because these people were simply never exposed to Christianity will they be barred from salvation?
DeleteQ1: Salvation is the act of repenting sins with the faith of Christ, so it is a restoration of our relationship with God. I believe it is both doing the next right thing sort of like a "What would Jesus do?" and believing in God and that Jesus died for our sins so that we could find salvation within him.
ReplyDeleteQ4: I believe that Jesus' proclamation of the coming of the "Kingdom of Heaven" and his use of the phrase "Eternal Life" imply both and after life and a new way of living in this life that is properly in line with eternal truths. I think that if we live our lives in line with the eternal truths laid out for us in the gospels then we will attain "Eternal Life" after our death in this world.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 5:
ReplyDeleteIn order to be saved, I do not believe that one must believe in the claim that Jesus is the Son of God, and that his death atones for the sins of the world. This concept is foreign to some culture, some who may not have even heard of Jesus Christ. Does this mean that these people can not achieve salvation and are damned to hell? I do not believe so. However, I do believe to it important to follow the message that Jesus sought to instill in all of our lives: love of your neighbor and to "treat others the way you would want to be treated." I don't think that saying others cannot be saved because of a difference of opinion or simply never hearing of such concept would be following this message. I, myself, do believe that Jesus' sacrifice atones for sins; however, I do not think my beliefs are necessary to be "saved" or should be pushed upon someone else. Leading a life in good faith and kindness is truly what the message of God states
Also, I just read this essay discussing beliefs about religion & morality internationally which I think fits into our discussion
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/2014/03/18/the_destructive_myth_about_religion_that_americans_disproportionately_believe_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Oh boy....Does this ever open a can of worms. This is demeaning to southerners and makes everyone else look like terrorists trying to manipulate them by way of religion. It's quite frankly awful.
Delete"A primary reason for abject child poverty in these Southern states is that more than a third of children have parents who lack secure employment, decent wages and healthcare. But thanks to religion, these poor saps vote for the party that rejects Medicaid expansion, opposes early education expansion, legislates larger cuts to education, and slashes food stamps to make room for oil and agriculture subsidies on top of tax cuts and loopholes for corporations and the wealthy. Essentially, the Republican Party has convinced tens of millions of Southerners that a vote for a public display of the Ten Commandments is more important to a Christians’ needs than a vote against cuts in education spending, food stamp reductions, the elimination of school lunches and the abolition of healthcare programs."
Statistically speaking poor southerners, African Americans are the most religious demographically. This makes sense for politicians to use religion against them in order to manipulate them into what they want.
That's the way I read it anyway.
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ReplyDeleteQ2: What does the word "Christian" mean today? What criteria does someone have to satisfy to count as a Christian? Why is it important to know who is and who isn't a Christian? Does this emphasis arise out of the need for the earlier peoples to distinguish themselves from the nations around them?
DeleteI think the term Christian refers to someone who subscribes to the belief that there is a God, and Jesus Christ was his son. I think that a Christian identifies with the need to lead a moral life, distinguishes between what is right and wrong and would be someone who tends to go to the church of their choosing a few times a month.
In todays society I don't think we need to walk around "branded" as a Christian. I see crosses around peoples necks, tattoos on arms or number stickers on cars that lead me to believe they want to be identified as Christ-like. To me, however, it is not important to know someones religion. That's their own business. The only time to me it would be important is if they died and I went to their funeral, I would't want to embarrass myself or insult a cultural norm by way of attire.
I think the emphasis to distinguish oneself as a certain religious subscriber stems from cultural norms. For example, someone who lives in Cincinnati, a city that began with mostly German immigrants is going to develop as a Christian/Catholic city therefore handing down to their families these same beliefs. I think this is true in most cultures. It's when a person or culture crosses cultural boundaries, or moves to other countries conflict arises due to these different beliefs.
Q2: To me, the word “Christian” today means someone who believes in one God, based on the life and teachings of Jesus. For someone to count as a Christian, I believe that they need to attend Church on a regular basis, study the Bible and apply it to their everyday life. I think that it doesn’t matter who is a Christian or not. Each person is allowed to have their own beliefs and showcase those in ways they feel appropriate. For myself, I suppose the only time that I would feel that it would be appropriate to know of someone’s religious beliefs is for a wedding or funeral. Knowing the different cultural and religious aspects would help someone to be respectful in such a situation. I attended my first Catholic funeral in the fall for a friend’s baby who passed away, and I wish that someone would have informed me before going what the process would be throughout the service so that everything didn’t catch me off guard. I didn’t know what the expectations were, and didn’t want to seem rude.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #1
ReplyDeleteTo me "salvation" or the criteria needed to enter salvation doesn't necessarily mean one has to "know" God and I think the idea can include both a solid moral standing and that it has inclinations for the after life. I think that the judgement of whether or not we will enter salvation at its core comes down to how we treat others. This means one does not have to be religious to be saved. Regardless of our faith, if we choose to be selfish and cruel then our "salvation" will be questionable but if we live a selfless life for others then I feel we are already experiencing salvation and it will continue in the afterlife.
I completely agree with you Nate. When looking back at the Gospels, when the scribe asks Jesus what the most important commandment was, Jesus said that we must love God and also that we must love our neighbors like God. In a sense Jesus gave two answers. But that is not true. Jesus said the same answer in two different ways. One cannot love God without loving your neighbors. But even if you believe in another religion, by loving your neighbors, you are also loving God.
DeleteQ.5
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that one has to believe in the claim that that Jesus is the Son of God in order to be saved. Some religions do not even believe in Jesus and I do not think that this means they will not be saved. When it comes to the second part of this question I do believe that Jesus shows a good model of how to act. Jesus is the perfect example of selfless living. As long as a person treats other fairly I believe that they will be saved.
#5. Although i do believe that it is important to believe that Jesus is the son of God, its not a necessity to be saved. One could truly believe in God and not believe that Jesus is the son of God. For example, some believe that God would not have allowed what happened to Jesus happen if he really was the Son of God. Does this mean that they won't be saved. I don't think so. They could still believe in Jesus as a man and praise him for everything that he did for us by living a selfless life.
ReplyDelete#2 The idea of what a "Christian" is can be a minefield in today's society. Vast numbers of varying types of people hold up that banner... even though their ideologies seems to come completely contradictory origins. For me, a Christian is someone who believes in the life and works of Jesus Christ and believes that he died to save us from our sins. Knowing who is and who isn't a Christian isn't important. Following the Word means following the Word. We aren't supposed to judge each other. We're supposed to help one another. If you won't help someone because they aren't your brand of Christian, then you aren't a Christian. But I'd still help you anyway. Self-identifying as a Christian was, originally, the ultimate symbol of faith. To do so pretty much ensured your torture, persecution, or death. As Christianity became favored, it was probably a way to distinguish between being a Jew (historically less favored) or a pagan (historically viewed as ignorant). It seems like today, though, people label themselves that way as an intellectually feeble way to protect their narrow minded musings.
ReplyDelete