Is it true that in order to be a true Christian one would have to attend church every Sunday? You don't have to be a zealous in order to be Christian. A zealous Christian is one who is "extremely devoted to their faith and have intense enthusiasm in working for a cause." This is not necessary for one to be a Christian, because Christianity is about personal relationships: one with God and others with other people. I want to make sure that I emphasize that it is a personal relationship, not necessarily a public or group relationship. There are more ways to show your belief then to be in church every Sunday. It is also important to note that Christian's are not supposed to judge people based on their belief and how and/or when they practice their belief. Belief is ones' own personal relationship with God, no outsider should be able to say whether you truly are a believer or not. You can still be a Christian and not have to be a zealous Christian and push your belief of what Christianity is onto others.
Work Cited
"Zealous" Webster's New World Dictionary. Third Edition. 1988.
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I do see where you are coming from about not going to church every Sunday because I also don't attend church every Sunday, but I do go every once and a while. However, the Eucharist, receiving of Christ, is an extremely important part of Christianity. This is important because this was the last supper before Jesus was crucified. You cannot receive the Eucharist if you do not attend church.
ReplyDeleteThis type of discussion is the why church and independent study become so important. It is impossible to live life biblically if we don’t know what the bible says. John 2:17 (NIV) shows the disciples recalling something written about Jesus, generations prior to His birth. “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This makes clear that Christ was zealous for the church. It is important to note that the “church” is described as the body of Christians, not a building. To build on this, Christian means “Christlike.” We can, therefore, connect the dots to see that the Christian must be zealous. This is not a bad thing. Isn’t the desire of all humanity to live out this life with purpose? If we believe that Jesus was willing to pay an ultimate price for our salvation, it makes perfect sense to live life devoted to His cause. Also you state the Christianity is about relationships, but you fail to address what these relationships will look like. We clearly agree that our relationship with Christ is key to salvation; however, knowledge is critical to this relationship. I go to church because I want to know as much about God as I can, not because I am required to.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Zondervan NIV The Quest Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. Print.
"christian." The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. 07 Feb. 2010. Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/christian.