Unless one is able to distinguish between God's purpose for a religion and the accomplishment or lack thereof by those that practice it, one cannot avoid focusing on the trees, not the forest.
What is a religion? It is an institution, founded for a certain purpose, but which necessarily involves flawed human beings. Because flawed human beings are contradictory beings, whatever they engage in has the potential to do either good or evil.
But, I think it's mistaken to see the institution purely as some creature of its own, rather than fundamentally being a collection of people engaged in an endeavor. In other words, it's mistaken to imagine that a religion can somehow exist separate from the people that practice and drive it.
Instead of saying 'the religion does some good', its more correct to say that the people who practice the religion do some good, but they also do evil. Even better, some of the people who practice the religion do good, but others do evil.
Marx wanted to separate the two and somehow give "religion" a status of its own, which is a really con job. "religion is the opiate of the people" really only stands when you give the religion a life of its own, instead of correctly ascribing the fruits of a religion to how those who practice it practice it.
Likewise, Atheists also tend strongly to highlight: It's the religion! Instead of "it's the people". Because then the denial can be one of the religion, instead of HOW the people are acting.
I'd say no book tries to do anything. Guns don't kill people. People kill people.
Exactly. Christianity is about the words of the Bible, the words of Jesus, and the personal relationship you have with the trinity. Big church buildings and Instagram pastors wearing Jordan’s have nothing to do with the actual doctrine
I'd go one step further. It's not really about doctrine. Doctrine is a formalization of a set of beliefs, but doctrine can be fallible.
But my point is that God inspires to individuals and people to found a religion because He has a purpose for that religion, and what he wants it to accomplish. But whether it accomplishes that or not is partly determined by what the individuals and people involved choose to do.
In the case of Christianity, to my mind, it's primary purpose is to lay and prepare the foundation for the second coming of Christ. Just as the primary purpose of Judaism was to prepare for the first coming of Christ.
So God inspired Abraham's family, and then delivered the core precepts via Moses, but time and again the Israelites fell into faithlessness and therefore ultimately hindered what God was hoping they would accomplish: a people purified and sanctified and fully ready to receive the Messiah, and unite with him.
Israel failed big time. (parable of the vineyard). Thus, once Jesus accomplished spiritual salvation via the offering of the Cross, God and Jesus inspired the disciples via the Holy Spirit to found what became Christianity.
Christianity grew, expanded and essentially became the foundation for a global civilization that recognizes Christ as king and the truth he taught as a fundamental guide on how to live and shape human society. But, along the way, many also failed. Corruption entered the Church, then the Vatican, and to greater or lesser degrees, Christians have lived up to or failed to live up to God's desire for them.
It's not the fault of "Christianity", but rather, the fault of individuals and groups who fall into a faithlessness that causes them to eventually cause evil instead of multiply the good God desires.
That was my point.
I don't think it's a coincidence that all around the world, Christianity is being reformed, in a completely new and vital way. Everywhere you find the Great Awakening, there is a powerful revival of Christian spirit that is tied to neither doctrine, denomination, or institutional churches, but people feeling revived in their relationship with God and Christ, and more and more focused on becoming genuine Christian in heart than on the external trappings that you mention (because your point, is of course, an essential one!).
Unless one is able to distinguish between God's purpose for a religion and the accomplishment or lack thereof by those that practice it, one cannot avoid focusing on the trees, not the forest.
What is a religion? It is an institution, founded for a certain purpose, but which necessarily involves flawed human beings. Because flawed human beings are contradictory beings, whatever they engage in has the potential to do either good or evil.
But, I think it's mistaken to see the institution purely as some creature of its own, rather than fundamentally being a collection of people engaged in an endeavor. In other words, it's mistaken to imagine that a religion can somehow exist separate from the people that practice and drive it.
Instead of saying 'the religion does some good', its more correct to say that the people who practice the religion do some good, but they also do evil. Even better, some of the people who practice the religion do good, but others do evil.
Marx wanted to separate the two and somehow give "religion" a status of its own, which is a really con job. "religion is the opiate of the people" really only stands when you give the religion a life of its own, instead of correctly ascribing the fruits of a religion to how those who practice it practice it.
Likewise, Atheists also tend strongly to highlight: It's the religion! Instead of "it's the people". Because then the denial can be one of the religion, instead of HOW the people are acting.
I'd say no book tries to do anything. Guns don't kill people. People kill people.
Exactly. Christianity is about the words of the Bible, the words of Jesus, and the personal relationship you have with the trinity. Big church buildings and Instagram pastors wearing Jordan’s have nothing to do with the actual doctrine
I'd go one step further. It's not really about doctrine. Doctrine is a formalization of a set of beliefs, but doctrine can be fallible.
But my point is that God inspires to individuals and people to found a religion because He has a purpose for that religion, and what he wants it to accomplish. But whether it accomplishes that or not is partly determined by what the individuals and people involved choose to do.
In the case of Christianity, to my mind, it's primary purpose is to lay and prepare the foundation for the second coming of Christ. Just as the primary purpose of Judaism was to prepare for the first coming of Christ.
So God inspired Abraham's family, and then delivered the core precepts via Moses, but time and again the Israelites fell into faithlessness and therefore ultimately hindered what God was hoping they would accomplish: a people purified and sanctified and fully ready to receive the Messiah, and unite with him.
Israel failed big time. (parable of the vineyard). Thus, once Jesus accomplished spiritual salvation via the offering of the Cross, God and Jesus inspired the disciples via the Holy Spirit to found what became Christianity.
Christianity grew, expanded and essentially became the foundation for a global civilization that recognizes Christ as king and the truth he taught as a fundamental guide on how to live and shape human society. But, along the way, many also failed. Corruption entered the Church, then the Vatican, and to greater or lesser degrees, Christians have lived up to or failed to live up to God's desire for them.
It's not the fault of "Christianity", but rather, the fault of individuals and groups who fall into a faithlessness that causes them to eventually cause evil instead of multiply the good God desires.
That was my point.
I don't think it's a coincidence that all around the world, Christianity is being reformed, in a completely new and vital way. Everywhere you find the Great Awakening, there is a powerful revival of Christian spirit that is tied to neither doctrine, denomination, or institutional churches, but people feeling revived in their relationship with God and Christ, and more and more focused on becoming genuine Christian in heart than on the external trappings that you mention (because your point, is of course, an essential one!).