h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello,

I am sorry that someone has taken it upon themselves to write about 'Christianity' when they have not the least idea about their subject.

I am a Christian minister, and I do not recognise what you say in what I know. Your understanding is abismal, and I am only sorry you bothered in the first place. You even consider Catholics to be Christians! No Christian does, and you should have known that before doing something so daft as to tackle the subject.

For the record, no Christian is under the Laws of religious practice you mention, hence they do not do them. That was done away with in Christ.

What you think of as 'Christian' is most emphatically not.

Justin Hughes.

The author of this article, Colonel Sellers left h2g2 a few months ago. However, the Freedom from Faith Foundation that this article is part of is still active. Although i really wouldn't expect them to accept your views, you might like to take a look ; you can find it here - A665101

The majority of the Catholics I know consider themselves Christians.

Hello,

I would go further than that! Every Catholic considers themselves to be a Christian, sadly they are not the sort of Christian as God defines in His Word.

Are you a Catholic?

Yours, Justin

Thanks for that, I could not have known that, and I am only just finding out how to use this place!

I am sure the 'Freedom From Faith Foundation' would not share my views as you say! However, Almighty God does not share theirs, if they hold the views I suspect they do.

Yours, Justin

Good evening.

(no, I'm not a Catholic...) how do they fall short?

Mandragora,

There are times when I wish people would use easier board names!

As for your question, the RC religion is not, and never has been, 'Christian' as God defines it. It is a Babylonian religion dressed in the words and names of Christianity.

It came about in the mid-300's AD when Constantine changed the state religion from paganism to 'Christianity'. The 'priests' renamed their idols, and altered slightly their practices, and renamed them, and carried on.

There is no priesthood/laiety thing in the New Covenant.

What I am saying is that it was not a work of God but of man. It is impossible to be a Christian and a Catholic, as the Scripture and the Catechism of the RC 'church' are mutually exclusive. You cannot hold both, so are forced to adopt one or the other. Catholics always default to 'tradition', the word of the frocks, whereas Christians are only concerned with what God says, in His Word, the Scripture.

I could go on, but basically Catholicism is an 'earn your way to Heaven by good works, at least in part' gospel, whereas God says you will do no such thing.

Catholicism has more in common with Islam than with Christianity.

Justin

From what you say Justin, I take it you don't celebrate Christmas.

Alji

Alji,

That's right, no Christian celebrates Christmas as such, though most give presents to each other, as just something nice to do, and a harmless part of culture.

You will know I suspect that 'Christmas' was invented by the Catholics when they had to rename their festivals after the spurious conversion of the pagan Roman Empire to 'Christianity', and renamed 'Saturnalia'.

Giving presents is nice, and I do all year round anyway. We do not have children so we do not have a tree and all that stuff either. Some Christians I know do, but they don't 'celebrate Christmas' as such. They have Jesus Christ Himself every day, they do not need external props.

Justin

>Catholicism has more in common with Islam than with Christianity<

Where did you get this idea? It has nothing in common with Islam. The Koran says Jesus was a prophet.
Islamists believe that there is one God who is called 'He who is worshipped' Alah.
They don't believe God can have a father or a mother.
They do not have anyone like the pope as head of their faith.
The list could go on and on.

The Romans called all 'hic' religions pagan including the Christian.
Before it became the state religion under Constantine, the main religion was Mithraism and it is here we get the birthday of Jesus along with many of the titles and terms used by the church.

BTW while I'm here;

Jesus's birth is 1A.D.

Herod ordered the slaughter of the innocents and died before April 12, 4 B.C.

Jesus was also supposed have been born during the census of Quirinius which took place after Archelaus was deposed in 6 A.D.

Jesus was baptized by John soon after John had started baptizing and preaching in the 15th. year of the reign of Tiberias, i.e. 28-29 A.D. and when Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene. Lysanias ruled Abilene from c. 40 B.C.to 36 B.C.when he was executed by Mark Antony.

Annas was removed from the office of high priest in 15 A.D. after holding office for about 9 years. Caiaphas became high priest about 3 years later, holding office for about 18 years.

Alji

Alji,

Indeed, but as the Koran was dictated by an epileptic warlord with an insatiable sexual appetite I don't think we should take too much notice of it, do you?!

My point was that the pope who is the head of the RC religion gives nodding assent to the Bible, and to the Lord Jesus, in just the same way that the Muslims do. The Muslims believe, rightly, that Jesus was a prophet, and they don't do what he said, just like the Catholics.

Indeed you are right, what most consider to be Christian festivals are pagan festivals dressed in 'Christian' words and names.

Jesus was not born in 1 AD, He was born in 4 BC by the calendar we use, the calendar is wrong.

Much of what you say there is not quite right, and you must have copied it from some sort of 'sceptics answers to Christians' source.

You have missed a point Alji, Christians know Jesus Christ personally, and hear Him speak to them. They have an actual living relationship with the Person who made them, and they come from a completely different direction to you. How do they know what He says in the Scripture is right? They know Him who inspired it. How do they know that what all the sceptics who have been trying to overthrow the gospel for 1,970 years says is wrong? They know Him.

The Bible says Muhammed was a false prophet, and nothing whatever to do with God. The Muslims say 'Allah has no son', true, the Koran says that he does have three daughters though, one called Manat, I can't remember the others. But the God of the Jews and the Christians is called Jehovah, or Yaweh. He is not the same person.

Yours,Justin

How do you know that what you hear is the word of Jesus?

Jews and Muslims believe in the same God.

Christ is a title. Jews and Muslims do not use the name of God.

Do you believe Jesus is the only son of God?

Alji

Alji,

Nice to hear from you. I am not sure what is going on but all sorts of strange things are happening on the electronic front!

How do I know it is the Word of Jesus, well, I can't really answer that in a way you can understand but perhaps an illustration will help.

If you, a human being, made by God, albeit you inherited sin at conception, don't you think you would recognise the voice of Him who made you?

Jews and Muslims do not believe in the same God. The God of the Jews and Christians have different names, different character, and are utterly opposite in how they behave.

Indeed Christ is a title. Jews do use the name of God, they use the name 'Jehovah', and a truncated version of Yaweh. Muslims use the name of their god, 'Allah'.

It would not really be right to say 'I believe Jesus is the only Son of God', more I know it is with the same certainty that I know what my name is.

I hope you are well

Justin

"Christians know Jesus Christ personally, and hear Him speak to them."

Anybody ever read "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind", by Julian Jaynes?

H.
*Conscious* human, most of the time.

Justin, Allah is a title just as Christ is a title. I have a book called 'Stories of the prophets' by Ibn Kathir (810-870)A.D., translated by Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Geme'ah of the Office of the Grand Imam, Sheikh Al-Azhar.
Chaters;
One - The story of Adam.
Two - The story of Enoch (Idris)
Three - The story of Noah (Nuh)
Six - The story of Abraham (Ibrahim)
......The story of Ishmael (Isma'il)
......The story of Isaac (Ishaaq) and Jacob (Yaqub)
The list goes on, Jonah, Moses and Aaron, Ezzkiel, David, Solomon and many more.


Alji

I keep losing letters! I will have to be more carefull when I type.

Justin, the Jews never say the name of God. The YHWH is a symbolic name and has no vowels. It means I was, I am, I will be. In normal Hebrew reading, Jewish people substitute word "Adonai" (Lord) or the phrase "Ha Shem" - which literally means "the name".


Alji

Hello Hoovooloo,

What a name!

No,in a word! I am too busy serving the Lord, like you would be if you knew Him!

Justin

Alji,

I know that, I have not looked into pagan religions to not know that buddy!

I have a copy of the Word of God to mankind, I am too busy to read mere stories, Alji. I have my Bible open as I read this, as I am taking another Bible study tonight.

Hope you are well.

Justin

CLR James, the Trinidadian cricket writer and historian, once famously wrote "What do they know of cricket, who only cricket know?".

One might equally pose the question, "What do they know of Christianity, who only Christianity know?".

Aggressive ignorance is one of the most contemptible of human traits. Being proud of it is another.

H.