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For the Basics category
Addressing commonly asked questions about Christianity from the perspective of a non-theologian
- Aren’t all religions essentially the same?
- Can God’s Will be Thwarted?
- What is the source of evil? Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
- Is Christianity Compatible with Positive Tolerance?
- What is Holiness?
- Are Christians Expected “to do” or Just “to be”?
- What is Your Theology?
- What Gifts Does God Give You at the Instant of Salvation?
- Why is the Protestant Church Dying in the United States?
- Did God Elect Only a Few for Salvation While Condemning the Greater Part of Mankind to Hell?
- Is Satan Alive and Well?
- What are the Attributes of God?
- What are the Core Beliefs of Christianity?
- What is the purpose of prayer?
1. Aren’t all religions essentially the same?
Can’t we reduce the major religions to a lowest common denominator, perhaps “The universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man?” At their core, aren’t all religions really teaching the same thing although their outward trappings may differ? Don’t all religious roads, though they differ in route, ultimately arrive at the same place?
Some core beliefs of Christianity are listed below. Unless you can locate another religion which shares these beliefs, the answer to the question is “no.”
- The one true God exists as three distinct, transcendent, immanent, infinite, eternal, and immutable persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is God the Son. Jesus Christ is man. Jesus Christ is one person whose divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed. Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
- No human being lives a sinless life.
- Salvation, from the consequences of sin, is possible only by (1) faith, (2) the grace of God and (3) the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. Continue reading this entry »