Is Christianity becoming an Eastern Religion?

[traveller]

The overriding mindset among many Christians and many church organisations is that going to church (ie, the building - once every Sunday) does not on its own make you a Christian, but if you don't do this, then there's no way you can be Christian????

I find this to be true with many church-goers.

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I myself do not attend church.....I tried it.....got nothing out of it.

Y-O-U weren't supposed to get anything out of it.

Expand on this a bit, brother Dave

[Atonement]

If I'm not suppose to get anything out of church, why are there preachers there?

Not suppose to get anything out of it?? Sorry for the silly question.. But can you read? I just mentioned things you get out of Church; so this questions seems illogical if you actually read what I wrote..

1) To Honor Him

2) You have the opportunity to encourage and strengthen others

3) Others have the opportunity to encourage and strengthen you

4) Paul in the New Testament say's too.. "not forsaking our own assembling together" Hebrews 10:25

5) Singing, praying, studying, partaking of the Lord's Supper, and giving, build us up and make us stronger.

Can none of this be done outside of church?

1) To honor Him - Sure you can do this at home, but he ask that you also do it in Church (Scripture already quoted)

2) You have the opportunity to encourage and strengthen others (you tell me)?

3) Others have the opportunity to encourage and strengthen you (How if you are not there)?

4) Paul in the New Testament say's too.. "not forsaking our own assembling together" Hebrews 10:25 (Speaks for itself)

5) Singing, praying, studying, partaking of the Lord's Supper, and giving, build us up and make us stronger (sure you can, but why read the Bible at all?? I mean you want to dismiss the parts where it say's go to Church (Quoted already)).. Why should one study/read it at all? It's a valid question.. Because someone can't pick and choose the Scriptures they want to live by, in doing so you are creating a God for yourself to serve your purpose.

[Atonement]

If you feel the need to go to church, then go....but don't put down those who don't, because I don't put down those who do.

Hey if you feel put down then you need to seek prayer. I never put anyone down; If you are feeling convicted in your spirit.. Maybe you need to go to Church.. Just a thought

Which church would you recommend?

If I were a new believer coming to you with that question, what would you say to him?

I would say find a Bible believing Church. One that believes in both the death, resurrection of Jesus Christ.

[Matthitjah]

The overriding mindset among many Christians and many church organisations is that going to church (ie, the building - once every Sunday) does not on its own make you a Christian, but if you don't do this, then there's no way you can be Christian????

I find this to be true with many church-goers.

----------------------------------------------------------

I myself do not attend church.....I tried it.....got nothing out of it.

Y-O-U weren't supposed to get anything out of it.

Expand on this a bit, brother Dave

Well, it has been my experience that the times that I have gone out expecting to experience something, whether it be in Ministry or in Church. That I have been out for all the wrong reasons. You may even find that experience but if it is from God it will soon fade and you will be left with Faith in Him and His finished work until that is sufficient for you.

Funny, I was listening to a radio Preacher and his Sermon just today. It was on John 6 and the Miracle of the multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. The Preacher went on and got to the part where the people would have come and forced Jesus to be their King;

Joh

[Massorite]

Hello friends. I've been gone for a while from these boards, and I'm sure most of you probably have no idea who I am. Nevertheless, a warm hellooooo to you all. In my time away I have been meditating on God and thinking much about God's plan for the world. As I did this, something struck me - is Christianity becoming an Eastern religion. I know some of you are probably laughing hysterically at the possibility, but I'm quite serious.

What I've noticed when reading about people claiming to belong to Christianity is that in the Western world, Christianity is declining rapidly (sad as that may be to contemplate). Particularly in America, and even moreso in Great Britain, people seem to be abandoning the Churches at record rates and forging their own beliefs (some people I have read have estimated that global church attendance is decreasing at approximately 1% per year). In contrast, the East is embracing Christianity in record numbers. According to one source dating back to 2004, the number of Christians in China increased from 1 million followers 50 years ago to now 80 million people (obviously dated to 2004 - my calculations suggest that in 2004, 80 million would have been approximately 6.2% of the population, based on this site's information). Today, 4 years since that article, that number has jumped to 118 million (9% of the total population of China, according to this site). If current trends continue - the West will continue to lose its belief in Christianity, while the East will continue to embrace it.

Could it be that one day in the not-too-distant-future, we will be calling Christianity an "Eastern Religion"?????

Just something I thought would spark some interesting discussion. All the best

Interesting thought Paranoid. Christianity started in the east.

[Smalcald]

Hello friends. I've been gone for a while from these boards, and I'm sure most of you probably have no idea who I am. Nevertheless, a warm hellooooo to you all. In my time away I have been meditating on God and thinking much about God's plan for the world. As I did this, something struck me - is Christianity becoming an Eastern religion. I know some of you are probably laughing hysterically at the possibility, but I'm quite serious.

What I've noticed when reading about people claiming to belong to Christianity is that in the Western world, Christianity is declining rapidly (sad as that may be to contemplate). Particularly in America, and even moreso in Great Britain, people seem to be abandoning the Churches at record rates and forging their own beliefs (some people I have read have estimated that global church attendance is decreasing at approximately 1% per year). In contrast, the East is embracing Christianity in record numbers. According to one source dating back to 2004, the number of Christians in China increased from 1 million followers 50 years ago to now 80 million people (obviously dated to 2004 - my calculations suggest that in 2004, 80 million would have been approximately 6.2% of the population, based on this site's information). Today, 4 years since that article, that number has jumped to 118 million (9% of the total population of China, according to this site). If current trends continue - the West will continue to lose its belief in Christianity, while the East will continue to embrace it.

Could it be that one day in the not-too-distant-future, we will be calling Christianity an "Eastern Religion"?????

Just something I thought would spark some interesting discussion. All the best

I apologize in advance for jumping in late to this, so please forgive me if this has already been discussed.

But I think first we must ask ourselves why we think Christianity have ever been a "western" religion and what that even means?

Christ of course was a Jewish man from Israel, the Middle East. The first Christian congregations were in the Middle East and Asia minor, in places Turkey, Greece, Crete, and of course what is today Italy. It was also very strong in Africa in places like Ethiopia and Egypt; in fact the oldest continuous Christian congregations are in those countries today. The Eastern Orthodox Church has always been in the East, in places like Russia and so forth and is making a large comeback in some of those countries today with the communists gone.

The idea that Christianity is a European and North American faith is relatively recent and really has never been statistically accurate. If we believe that all souls are equal in God's eye's, and I assume we all do, then the number of Christians worldwide the Body of Christ, is not in the West, not even close. If as you say 118 million Christians in China alone, if we throw in India which also has I think 50 million or so and the rest of the Far East places like Malaysia, we see there are more Christians in just those places than in the entire US.

The West has played a larger than life role in the spread of Christianity which has been great, but just going on numbers we must say we are not the center of the Body of Christ, the Church, and really what is wrong with that? The faith I have seen among Africans and the Chinese would put most of our comfortable congregations to shame, they are dying and being imprisoned for their faith in Christ, we are arguing about doctrinal details and how to fund new buildings to house fancier instruments and light shows.

[Matthitjah]

The overriding mindset among many Christians and many church organisations is that going to church (ie, the building - once every Sunday) does not on its own make you a Christian, but if you don't do this, then there's no way you can be Christian????

I find this to be true with many church-goers.

----------------------------------------------------------

I myself do not attend church.....I tried it.....got nothing out of it.

Y-O-U weren't supposed to get anything out of it.

Expand on this a bit, brother Dave

Well, it has been my experience that the times that I have gone out expecting to experience something, whether it be in Ministry or in Church. That I have been out for all the wrong reasons. You may even find that experience but if it is from God it will soon fade and you will be left with Faith in Him and His finished work until that is sufficient for you.

Funny, I was listening to a radio Preacher and his Sermon just today. It was on John 6 and the Miracle of the multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. The Preacher went on and got to the part where the people would have come and forced Jesus to be their King;

Joh

[MorningGlory]

Hello friends. I've been gone for a while from these boards, and I'm sure most of you probably have no idea who I am. Nevertheless, a warm hellooooo to you all. In my time away I have been meditating on God and thinking much about God's plan for the world. As I did this, something struck me - is Christianity becoming an Eastern religion. I know some of you are probably laughing hysterically at the possibility, but I'm quite serious.

What I've noticed when reading about people claiming to belong to Christianity is that in the Western world, Christianity is declining rapidly (sad as that may be to contemplate). Particularly in America, and even moreso in Great Britain, people seem to be abandoning the Churches at record rates and forging their own beliefs (some people I have read have estimated that global church attendance is decreasing at approximately 1% per year). In contrast, the East is embracing Christianity in record numbers. According to one source dating back to 2004, the number of Christians in China increased from 1 million followers 50 years ago to now 80 million people (obviously dated to 2004 - my calculations suggest that in 2004, 80 million would have been approximately 6.2% of the population, based on this site's information). Today, 4 years since that article, that number has jumped to 118 million (9% of the total population of China, according to this site). If current trends continue - the West will continue to lose its belief in Christianity, while the East will continue to embrace it.

Could it be that one day in the not-too-distant-future, we will be calling Christianity an "Eastern Religion"?????

Just something I thought would spark some interesting discussion. All the best

Hello, Paranoid, nice to see you back. Your post has really made me start thinking; this is something I never thought about before. Even though I did know that China had more Christians than the continent of Europe. I will be mulling this over for quite a while, I'm sure. Thanks for posting this.

[ParanoidAndroid]

My question to this would be.. Why would one not want to go to Church (i.e a building)? Usually the reason seems to be simple, and some look at it as a copout. Here is the basic reason why people do not attend Church

1) They want to do things their way, and do not want to answer to anyone (how powerful and truthful that is)

"One another" is mentioned 234 times in the Bible and 117 of those Scriptures are in regards to the four mentioned below

1) Pray for one another

2) Bless one another

3) Forgive one another

4) And love one another

Of course there are many others.. (i.e. Comfort one another, edify one another, Lift up one another, be kind to one another) etc etc.

How are we to do anything with "one another" if we are not there?

This is why many see it as a copout.. Sure going to "Church" does not make you a Christian..

Are you a solider if you don't have a army? I suppose

Are you a teacher if you don't have a class? I suppose

But are you making the best of your position as a Christian? I would say no

Each of us has skills, and your local Church could use yours skills. Now you may say "I don't have any skills" Sure you do, and being born again and bought by the Blood of Jesus gives you more then the qualifications to use those skills in Church. Maybe you should pray about it, and not turn your cheek away from the Lord's Church.

Just a thought my friends

What I think people mean is that if we go back to the biblical basis of a "church" (gathering of believers), then you don't need to be at a building to do this. Most of the early churches just met up at each others homes. Getting together with some friends to read the Bible and talk about it is "church". I think that God does encourage us to meet up with fellow Christians to encourage them (Hebrews 10:25 being the most obvious verse off the top of my head). But people can do that without subscribing to a particular denomination or following a ritualistic service for 2 hours once a week. As someone mentioned, there are 168 hours in a week, and people will spend 2-3 of those in Church (the building). We can meet up with other Christians and talk about the Bible outside of Sunday worship (many of you will go to mid-week Bible studies, that is also "church" - probably the more biblical church than the current Sunday model, I might add).

I could be wrong, but that's what I think those that don't go to church have been trying to get at.

[Guest man]

1) To honor Him - Sure you can do this at home, but he ask that you also do it in Church (Scripture already quoted)

No it doesn't.

2) You have the opportunity to encourage and strengthen others (you tell me)?

Are you saying this can't be done anywhere else but church?

3) Others have the opportunity to encourage and strengthen you (How if you are not there)?

I get my strength and encouragement from the Word. I don't need a pat on the back.

4) Paul in the New Testament say's too.. "not forsaking our own assembling together" Hebrews 10:25 (Speaks for itself)

Hebrews 10

25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

This can be done without going to church.

5) Singing, praying, studying, partaking of the Lord's Supper, and giving, build us up and make us stronger (sure you can, but why read the Bible at all??

Are you telling me that the only time you ever read the bible is in church?

I mean you want to dismiss the parts where it say's go to Church (Quoted already))..

This is what the Word has to say about these buildings you call church.

Acts 7

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