Does a person have to attend Church in order to be a Christian?
There are many who believe that, in order to be a Christian, you have to attend Church. I do not agree with this view. I believe worship can happen anywhere, anytime and in many ways. The Gospel of St. Thomas, discovered in Nag Hamadi in 1945, only goes to prove my point. The Vatican has declared this Gospel to be heresy. Why would they agree with this Gospel? It would take money out of their pockets, the Vatican is one of the wealthiest non-nations on Earth! The priests, the pope and the Church itself are extremely threatened by this Gospel. Their jobs depend on the masses believing thier immortal souls depend on Church attendance and tithing.
"The Kingdom of God is within you. It is all around you. Break a piece of wood, there I am. Lift a stone, you will find me for I am everywhere."-Gospel of St. Thomas
http://users.misericordia.edu//davies/thomas/Trans.htm
Yes
Side Score: 5
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No
Side Score: 19
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Kind of. A lot of people call themselves Christian these days. Just by believing in Christ. If it was that easy to be Christian I don't think the Christian God would've made the effort with the Bible etc. The way I see it to be a true Christian you have to follow the ways of Christianity. Just by reading the Bible over and over again and seeing your own definition is not enough to say 'I don't have to go to Church to be Christian'. It's up to the head of your branch in Christianity to tell you how to practice as he knows it. Side: yes
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I know so many who do attend Church, who are not Christian by any standard except they show up every Sunday. "The head of my branch"? The ONLY head I know of is God. By the way, God did not write the Bible, men inspired by God wrote it. When the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he gathered all the books of the not-yet-formed Bible and formed a council to decide which books would be included and which ones would not. He was a pagan helping other fallible MEN decide which books to include in the Bible. Any book that gave women any sort of importance or power was excluded, of course. He changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday (which was a Roman pagan day of worship). Believing in Christ and worshiping does make you a Christian, it is that easy. At least according to Jesus Christ, himself. He said "No one can get to the Father, except through me". He didn't say except through a priest, preacher or a building (church). The Bible also states that "church" is a gathering of three or more people worshiping and praising the Lord. I gather with like-minded people all the time and worship and praise God. Side: No
I know so many who do attend Church, who are not Christian by any standard except they show up every Sunday. Turning up on Sunday doesn't make you Christian. "The head of my branch"? The ONLY head I know of is God. You KNOW God? By the way, God did not write the Bible Didn't say He did When the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity... (etc. blah blah) OK? lol... Believing in Christ and worshiping does make you a Christian Wait wait.. what was that?? AND worshiping?? Explain worshiping to me.. does that include going to church? Following the commandments? Practices? Culture? etc.? I gather with like-minded people all the time and worship and praise God. Be proud. Then that does mean you attend church. Again, if you're going to sit there reading the Bible over and over and make your own decisions about how the Bible should be followed you're obviously not in any proper branch of Christianity. However you might actually be right.. but I REALLY doubt it. Which means its your own subjective following of the Bible. If you think you're more intune with Jesus than those who've been following the religion for hundreds of years being passed down the generations then you're off in your own world. It happens to people who think they're smarter than they really are. Side: yes
Christians meet on a Sunday because that was the day that Jesus rose again. The Bible does not say that church is a gathering of 2 or 3. it says where 2 or 3 gather in my name there I will be. I am concerned about your opinions on the canonisation of the bible and would encourage you to research it further. Side: yes
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Going to church has nothing to do with you being a Christian. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20). http://www.carm. Side: No
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I always find the notion of a "holy spirit dwelling in people" rather humorous, because it only seems to pop up after people discover Jesus through somebody else. There's never any spontaneous conversions in remote parts of the world where people have never heard of Jesus, and suddenly realize their inner spiritus sancti. Side: No
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Hey guys, I am just working on an essay on this subject at the moment it would be good to know your opinions on what I have done so far...I believe what I have written to be the truth as it has all come from the good book! Jesus wants all of us who profess faith in Him to be committed to the church. Jesus loves the church! He loves the universal church as well as every local church and He wants us to love it too! The Bible does not demand that we as Christians are members of the church in the modernly perceived way. It does not demand that we are to be signed up to a monthly newsletter and that we get personally invited to church meetings, we do not have to shake the right hand of fellowship to be a member of a church. The Bible does not teach solitary faith. The Bible describes a faith lived in and expressed in community. 1 Cor 12:12-27 is a commonly used part of the bible to describe how the church should be. In verse 18 it says that our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. No part of our body is detached! No part of our body works alone. It is impossible for us to work efficiently as Christians if we are not attached to the body of Christ – the church. An eye that is detached from the body is unable to see, it becomes purposeless. Jesus loves the church, He’s committed to it and He wants us to follow His lead. To be truly committed to a church you have to be a team player. Very early on in Jesus' ministry He 'recruited' His Disciples. Jesus did not set out to spread the gospel alone. The 12 disciples were not perfect by any shape of the imagination, neither did they understand in full everything that Jesus taught them straight away. Jesus was committed to His disciples and He spent time with them explaining the meanings of His parables and explained the word of God to them. The 12 disciples were the 12 men that started the first churches. Jesus loves every church in spite of its short falls. He loves it so much that He was crucified for the church and sent the Holy Spirit to guide and help us. Jesus remains constantly committed to us, we must be constantly committed to Him and to each other. Acts 2:47 Jesus built the early church. He added to their numbers through the teaching. Jesus continues to build the church today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, using the church to communicate the good news. Being committed to the church involves being committed to each other and sharing the good news with others. 1 Cor 12:27 When a person has truly put their trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation, they then become a member of the body of Christ. 1 Cor 12:14-20 For a church body to function properly, it needs all of the body parts.1 Cor 12:21-26 A believer will never reach full spiritual maturity without the accountability and encouragement of Christ's Church. The Bible does not demand those who are saved to attend church. It is through recognising that once you are saved you become a part of Christ's Church, that the desire to worship God, study His Word and join in fellowship with other believers comes. Someone can accept whole heartedly the gift of eternal life with out going to church. Church is not necessary for a person to be saved. The Holy Spirit can work in peoples lives to reveal the gospel to them outside of the church. Let me know what you think guys, I think it's pretty straight forward. You don't have to go to church to be a Christian. But if you are a Christian that is not attending church you need to look at how much Jesus loves the Church! God Bless Nell Side: No
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It all depends on how diligent you are at trying to be with God because if you are christened but don't bother trying to worshipp at all then you're not a true Christian however if you do not go to church but still strongly believe in God and Jesus as his son then yes I suppose in God's eyes you would be Christian. It all depends on what God really thinks is in your heart isn't it? Side: No
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5) And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Side: No
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