Can we talk?

Madman

Senior Member
Is it possible for Christians of different denominations to discuss their beliefs and traditions, why they believe them, where they originate, and their purpose, without getting angry with each other?

For many of us these discussions are not about salvation only about beliefs.

I was privileged enough to be invited to a week long class, that met in the evenings, on "The Reformation and the Roman Catholic Church". It was astonishing as to how all of the ancient faiths were misrepresented.

Anyway. Though it might be fun to talk, or write.
 

Madman

Senior Member
I wonder how those councils in Nicaea went down with the various beliefs?
You can read them.

The first council of Nicaea was called to fight Arianism, which by the way was a problem in the Eastern church, but the entire church met.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
You can read them.

The first council of Nicaea was called to fight Arianism, which by the way was a problem in the Eastern church, but the entire church met.
I was talking more about the order, arguments, voting, political pressure, etc. with divine intervention. Plus Constantine being involved.
 

Robust Redhorse

Senior Member
One of my best friend is a Church of Christ member.

I am a Baptist.

We discovered, pretty quickly, that neither "denomination" means anything unless you know the doctrine of the specific body of believers.

We used to talk all the time about our religious beliefs, and never had anything other than friendly, respectable disagreements.

99 percent of the time, it's was just semantics (hardly anything fundamental).


There are many misunderstandings about the differences in various protestant, evangelical, fundamentalist, Christian faiths.


Where I live (in the north Georgia Mountains), we could interchange preachers between Southern Baptist, traditional Methodists, Holiness, independent Baptist, Pentecostals, Church of Christ, Anabaptists, and Congregational Christians and not miss a beat if everyone could agree on pushing someone's head underwater during "baptism".

There are even Mormons that come to our worship services, because 99% of it is what they believe.
 
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RegularJoe

Senior Member
Been studying apologetics for as long as i can remember.....
and, while, it serves my needs to further grow my overall faith in Jesus,
it does, for me, raise questions,
many very reasonable questions which
as reasonably (as i am able : ) to think thru
and discuss with other Believers of all denominations
i never expect nor need, actually, to be adequately answered for me
on this side.
How come, i ask myself.
Answer for me: The only question that truly needs an answer is ~ was Jesus for real as is historically documented, i.e., did He die and come back to life, in which case all He taught is valid. E.g., He was (is : ) either a liar, a lunatic, an illusion,
or the Son of God and my Savior.
All true Christian denominations (and their adherents),
as well as me,
subscribe to the latter.....
which is why my reply to Madman's -
Is it possible for Christians of different denominations to discuss their beliefs and traditions, why they believe them, where they originate, and their purpose, without getting angry with each other?
is an emphatic "Yes."
 

Madman

Senior Member
Well there was this one bishop by the name of Nicholas that went around slugging heretics. We call him Santa Claus.
LOL
The other bishops had him incarcerated for the night, just to show that it was inappropriate, even if they did agree.
 

Madman

Senior Member
I enjoy those conversations, my wife, Southern Baptist, me Anglican, spent our early years together learning looking, for an expression of worship, that seemed to represent our adoration of God.

Eventually we settled back into Anglicanism. All of my in-laws are a version of Southern Baptist, or non-denominational, once they understood that Anglicans/Catholics really do love Jesus and that salvation comes through him alone it got better during the holidays.

It is always a joy to have discussions about Mary, is the Sacraments, or the deuterocanonical books of Holy Scripture.

The usually see the argument even though they disagree. I have to be careful about some of their traditions, I have stepped on more that one land mine and had to eat holiday meals at the children’s table.
 

gordon 2

Senior Member
LOL
The other bishops had him incarcerated for the night, just to show that it was inappropriate, even if they did agree.


Puts a spin of leaving him milk and cookies and not so much the rum punch.
 

gordon 2

Senior Member
One of my best friend is a Church of Christ member.

I am a Baptist.

We discovered, pretty quickly, that neither "denomination" means anything unless you know the doctrine of the specific body of believers.

We used to talk all the time about our religious beliefs, and never had anything other than friendly, respectable disagreements.

99 percent of the time, it's was just semantics (hardly anything fundamental).


There are many misunderstandings about the differences in various protestant, evangelical, fundamentalist, Christian faiths.


Where I live (in the north Georgia Mountains), we could interchange preachers between Southern Baptist, traditional Methodists, Holiness, independent Baptist, Pentecostals, Church of Christ, Anabaptists, and Congregational Christians and not miss a beat if everyone could agree on pushing someone's head underwater during "baptism".

There are even Mormons that come to our worship services, because 99% of it is what they believe.

This is very interesting. I wonder if this sort of thing is more common to the Southern US compared to other areas of the US and the world? And if so, why?

OH! It should be possible to talk--- Yes. So I have this serious question: What we gona do when the discussion gets the label of "ecumenical" with the patina that it is satanic?
 

Madman

Senior Member
This is very interesting. I wonder if this sort of thing is more common to the Southern US compared to other areas of the US and the world? And if so, why?

OH! It should be possible to talk--- Yes. So I have this serious question: What we gona do when the discussion gets the label of "ecumenical" with the patina that it is satanic?
Ecumenical! Similar to “may they all be one as I and the Father are one”?

Heaven forbid! A TRUE reformation.
 

RegularJoe

Senior Member
All seems good up thru the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds ....
hence, my family members acknowledge full agreement up thru said creeds
and it works out fairly well.
 

Madman

Senior Member
One of my best friend is a Church of Christ member.

I am a Baptist.

We discovered, pretty quickly, that neither "denomination" means anything unless you know the doctrine of the specific body of believers.

We used to talk all the time about our religious beliefs, and never had anything other than friendly, respectable disagreements.

99 percent of the time, it's was just semantics (hardly anything fundamental).


There are many misunderstandings about the differences in various protestant, evangelical, fundamentalist, Christian faiths.


Where I live (in the north Georgia Mountains), we could interchange preachers between Southern Baptist, traditional Methodists, Holiness, independent Baptist, Pentecostals, Church of Christ, Anabaptists, and Congregational Christians and not miss a beat if everyone could agree on pushing someone's head underwater during "baptism".

There are even Mormons that come to our worship services, because 99% of it is what they believe.
This is interesting and worth a thread of its own.
 

Madman

Senior Member
All seems good up thru the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds ....
hence, my family members acknowledge full agreement up thru said creeds
and it works out fairly well.
RJ, You wouldn't be a part of continuing Anglicanism or Coptic would you? The Coptic's broke from the church at the Council of Chalcedon, arguably over skirmish caused by a language barrier.
The continuing Anglican Church stopped any change in theology and doctrine after the 7th ecumenical council because that was the last time that the world wide church spoke with one voice.

Our prayer is that the Church will once again be united and doctrinal differences can then be worked out.
 

RegularJoe

Senior Member
All seems good up thru the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds ....
hence, my family members acknowledge full agreement up thru said creeds
and it works out fairly well.
RJ, You wouldn't be a part of continuing Anglicanism or Coptic would you? ....
Nope, Madman. Am not.
However, I thank you for asking : ).
I am the "reformed" 'version' (to the bone and back again) of Christianity.
 

Madman

Senior Member
Start from the premise (or promise) that all believers are already one in Christ.

That the body is no more divided than Christ is, and if one is in some way convinced otherwise he must look to a perfect frustration in trying to find some inconsistency in the consistency that is Christ. Or some place of separation in Himself (Jesus Christ) from the will of God the Father.


Or, if need be, likewise imagine the Father answers this prayer:

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

With either a "no" or a maybe.

In which case go back to the beginning and start over with an examination as Paul says:

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

If all that argues against this...even by some presentation of evidence in appearance is yielded to, men will only find themselves...despite all their "good" motives...working only against something already accomplished.

Yet, God is faithful.
Wish it was so. There is lots of animosity toward the Catholics out there.
 

jbogg

Senior Member
I was raised Catholic buy some fairly strict Catholic parents, Catholic High school…. Married a nice southern Baptist girl. Started visiting churches to see what made the most sense for our family. A few years later I realized I was having one too many disagreements with the pope so ended up getting fully immersed at the local Baptist church. My parents were horrified, but hid it well. My in-laws were ecstatic and would joke that they washed that Catholic right off of me. I would reply that I was now covered either way.

These days I have not darkened the door of a church in years. I had trouble getting past what I saw as hypocrisy on all sides. Hunting the mountains over the past few years has given me plenty of mountaintop moments when I feel closest to God.
 
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