Teaching Christian principles -

[FJK]

A Christian sci-fi movie I watched last year has left me pondering the question:

 

Does teaching Christian principles without the authority of God and belief in Christ behind them improve society or does it destroy the Church by diluting the belief, faith, and values of its members?

 

I know my own thinking on this but, having led myself down the wrong road many times in my life, I would appreciate the thinking of others to weigh against it.

 

(If this is not a good line of thought, or a proper topic, to pursue, please let me know that too)

 

 

[Mr. M]

5 minutes ago, FJK said:

A Christian sci-fi movie I watched last year has left me pondering the question:

 

Does teaching Christian principles without the authority of God and belief in Christ behind them improve society or does it destroy the Church by diluting the belief, faith, and values of its members?

 

I know my own thinking on this but, having led myself down the wrong road many times in my life, I would appreciate the thinking of others to weigh against it.

 

(If this is not a good line of thought, or a proper topic, to pursue, please let me know that too)

 

 

We are His Witnesses, and walk in the authority that the Father has given unto His Son.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Amen.

As to the unbelievers in the world, we teach Christian principles by living by them. 

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

1 hour ago, FJK said:

A Christian sci-fi movie I watched last year has left me pondering the question:

 

Does teaching Christian principles without the authority of God and belief in Christ behind them improve society or does it destroy the Church by diluting the belief, faith, and values of its members?

 

I know my own thinking on this but, having led myself down the wrong road many times in my life, I would appreciate the thinking of others to weigh against it.

 

(If this is not a good line of thought, or a proper topic, to pursue, please let me know that too)

 

 

Was the movie you are referring to called TimeChanger? Is a great movie although quite ridiculous at points. But I believe that the authority of Christ MUST accompany moral teaching. Without the absolute standards of Christ,  morality becomes an endless debate of personal preferences where everyone has their own truth.

[farouk]

4 minutes ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

Was the movie you are referring to called TimeChanger? Is a great movie although quite ridiculous at points. But I believe that the authority of Christ MUST accompany moral teaching. Without the absolute standards of Christ,  morality becomes an endless debate of personal preferences where everyone has their own truth.

@TrueFollowerOfChrist In the end, it's indeed Scripture rather than religious movies that count...

[TheBlade]

3 hours ago, FJK said:

A Christian sci-fi movie I watched last year has left me pondering the question:

 

Does teaching Christian principles without the authority of God and belief in Christ behind them improve society or does it destroy the Church by diluting the belief, faith, and values of its members?

 

I know my own thinking on this but, having led myself down the wrong road many times in my life, I would appreciate the thinking of others to weigh against it.

 

(If this is not a good line of thought, or a proper topic, to pursue, please let me know that too)

 

 

Lol would it be like you need a drivers licenses to drive yet you think.. na I don't need one I can drive anyway. Anyway I don't see it hurting the Church in anyway. With out Christ as the foundation "trying" to use the principles without knowing Him I don't see it standing. With 1st John there were those that believed they don't sin. Its just being deceived. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. To me just the enemys way of saying "you don't need Christ to be good". As Christ said "you being evil know how to give good gifts to your Children". With out Christ its evil at the root.  

[FJK]

2 minutes ago, TheBlade said:

Lol would it be like you need a drivers licenses to drive yet you think.. na I don't need one I can drive anyway. Anyway I don't see it hurting the Church in anyway. With out Christ as the foundation "trying" to use the principles without knowing Him I don't see it standing. With 1st John there were those that believed they don't sin. Its just being deceived. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. To me just the enemys way of saying "you don't need Christ to be good". As Christ said "you being evil know how to give good gifts to your Children". With out Christ its evil at the root.  

Do you see the Church being hurt in any way now, and how and why is it being hurt if you do?

 

(Being curious about how you see it now, not critical of it.)

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

On 3/2/2023 at 9:56 AM, farouk said:

@TrueFollowerOfChrist In the end, it's indeed Scripture rather than religious movies that count...

I never said otherwise. Are you opposed to movies? I simply mentioned one that had a good message. 

[farouk]

1 hour ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

I never said otherwise. Are you opposed to movies? I simply mentioned one that had a good message. 

I guess I was just commenting...........

[Who me]

On 3/2/2023 at 3:39 PM, FJK said:

Does teaching Christian principles without the authority of God and belief in Christ behind them improve society or does it destroy the Church by diluting the belief, faith, and values of its members?

Why do you think that a society that lives according to Christian principals and morality even when most of that society is not Christian doesn't improve society and somehow dilutes the faith of Christians?

 

Do a survey of history and look at society following Christian revivals.

 

As an evangelistic tool, ask people you are talking to where their ideas about personal liberty, responsibility and freedoms come from? They are not found anywhere but in Christianity.

[FJK]

5 hours ago, Who me said:

Why do you think that a society that lives according to Christian principals and morality even when most of that society is not Christian doesn't improve society and somehow dilutes the faith of Christians?

 

Do a survey of history and look at society following Christian revivals.

 

As an evangelistic tool, ask people you are talking to where their ideas about personal liberty, responsibility and freedoms come from? They are not found anywhere but in Christianity.

This is actually a complicated subject, but it (for me) involves at looking at the movements at the turn of the last century )around the late 1890's into the early 1900's) moving away from Christ as a necessary authority toward developing a culture in both larger society and within the Church that was oriented toward obtaining the benefit of Christianity and it's teachings without needing to accept Christ and dedicate our lives to him.  The professing of the basis of Christianity, faith and belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as being unnecessary to get the results of Christianity (a sort of Christianity without God and Christ involved).

 

You might consider books such as As a Man Thinketh and It Works from that turn of the century period as an example of this move away from Christ while retaining the benefits of Christianity or look into the present books like The Secret that have stemmed from them to see what I am trying to talk about.  It seems to be using Christ's principles and teaching as some sort of magical tool while leaving Christ out of it (and this actually does work for that end of pursuing and fulfilling fleshly desires, Satan knows this and exploits it).

 

As far as weakening the Church, leading the members astray in their beliefs, as a sort of backlash of this trend, For some unknown own reason I found myself reading and meditating on 1 Timothy 4:1 just prior to logging in here, and I think that particular verse, even in context with its entire scripture, expresses what I see happening to the Church more than anything I can possibly say in my own way.

There are probably a dozen major discussions and sermons that could stem simple discussion thread that could amount to a full book each, but I don't think it necessary to go into all of them in depth to understand its subject.

But perhaps I'm wrong about this, maybe I'm just getting Jaded in my old age and spending too much time on the internet,  I do thank you for your thinking to give me more things to consider.

 

Forgive me for such a long post, I can't seem to condense it without failing to say what I want to say.