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Can You - 9/17/2008 6:56:41 PM
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SpiritualPowers
Posts: 44
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Can you be a Christian and not believe in religous Doctrine.
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RE: Can You - 9/17/2008 7:02:03 PM
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Conundrum
Posts: 106
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"Doctrine" means "teaching" or "instruction." If you don't believe in ANY doctrine, then you don't believe in anything and no, you can't be a Christian.
There may be specific doctrines you don't agree with - some are debatable, others you must believe to be Christian (that Jesus died and rose again, for example).
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RE: Can You - 9/17/2008 7:45:44 PM
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PastorPatricia
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As Conundrum said doctrine is teaching. Some are debatable, infant baptism, women pastors - others like the Trinity, the deity of Christ are not up for debate. The creeds teach the doctrine of the church and most churches respect the truths found in them.
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RE: Can You - 9/17/2008 8:57:23 PM
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SpiritualPowers
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I am really looking for Biblical answers , and Religous Doctrine (Denomination) type infromation. thankyou for the answers so far .
Example#1
Worldwide, Christians are divided, often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority. Issues such as the nature of Jesus, the authority of apostolic succession, and papal primacy separate one denomination from another.
Example #2
Catholicism is the largest denomination, comprising just over half of Christians worldwide. Protestant denominations comprise about 40% of Christians worldwide, and together the Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans, and closely related denominations compose Western Christianity. Eastern Orthodoxy, largely Greek and Russian, and the much smaller Oriental Orthodoxy are considered Eastern Christianity. Western Christian denominations prevail in Europe and its former colonies. Eastern Christian denominations are represented mostly in Eastern Europe (including all of Russia), and the Near East.
Christians have various doctrines about the Church, the body of faithful that they believe was established by Jesus Christ, and how the divine church corresponds to Christian denominations. Together both the Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox consider themselves to faithfully represent the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Protestants exist, historically, due to several perceived Catholic Church theologies and practices that they consider unorthodox, corrupt or anti-Biblical. Generally, members of the various denominations acknowledge each other as Christians, at least to the extent that they acknowledge historically orthodox views including the deity of Jesus and doctrines of sin and salvation, even though some obstacles hinder full communion between churches.
Since the reforms surrounding Vatican II, the Catholic Church has referred to Protestant churches as denominations, while reserving the term "church" for apostolic churches, including the Eastern Orthodox.
I have always Known of God But have just recently begun a relationship with him and it is far greater than i could of ever expected. I have found Religous Doctrine really clouds the word of God (Bible) and puts man made rules and regultions on Gods word (Bible) . I have enjoyed the fourms and the openmindness of the people here .I am sure Our God is here.
Gods word says :
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
So if we go back to Basic Christianity ,what would our Doctrine be ??.
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RE: Can You - 9/17/2008 9:02:35 PM
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LivingParadox
Posts: 804
Joined: 2/28/2007
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We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy *catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*catholic in meaning the universal church
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RE: Can You - 9/17/2008 10:02:22 PM
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Walker311
Posts: 1464
Joined: 4/11/2005
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quote:
Can you be a Christian and not believe in religous Doctrine.
Luke 23 speaks of the thief... "remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom". He had no doctrine.
Jesus said... "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
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RE: Can You - 9/17/2008 10:19:42 PM
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OneJohn410
Posts: 1168
Joined: 6/1/2008
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SpiritualPowers
Can you be a Christian and not believe in religous Doctrine.
You are looking at a lot of separations here and pondering what if they were all done away with?
You know about the statements of faith of a church denomination.
What is your source for all this information you've floored me with, and why do you link belief with teachings? I have always considered it belief in God's Word and following Christ's teachings. Religious doctrine exists to bring worldly clarification to Christ's teachings, right? I think having a perspective like this is a healthy one for a Christian to have, and not believing in subject matter being taught. That type of learning should be compared to God's Word before being accepted.
OneJohn410
_____________________________
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 12:02:15 AM
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URForgiven
Posts: 1076
Joined: 3/22/2008
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SpiritualPowers
Can you be a Christian and not believe in religous Doctrine.
Jesus Christ is not a doctrine, He is our living Lord God and Savior, and it is because our belief is in Him that we are called Christians.
Peace
_____________________________
"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3:3
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 12:28:35 AM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1827
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YES! In fact if you listen to Jesus, you will find that it was 'religious doctrine' that kept people from Him. It's not about knowing the teachings. It's all about knowing the Teacher. And His name is Jesus.
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 2:24:30 AM
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KnowJesus
Posts: 262
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quote:
UrForgiven: Jesus Christ is not a doctrine, He is our living Lord God and Savior, and it is because our belief is in Him that we are called Christians.
quote:
Liveloved: YES! In fact if you listen to Jesus, you will find that it was 'religious doctrine' that kept people from Him. It's not about knowing the teachings. It's all about knowing the Teacher. And His name is Jesus.
AMEN!!!!
When I accepted Christ, I knew nothing of doctrine. I didn't even know what baptism meant! I didn't walk down an isle, I didn't know anything of how the church ran, or even what a "doctrine" was!
Jesus drew ignorant me, by his saving grace. To say I wasn't saved because I never new doctrine is ridiculous! It's not about religion or knowledge of doctrine, or rituals, or memorizing doctrine, even the entire Bible for that matter.
The first prayer you ever pray to God, accepting Jesus and his gift of salvation by his death on the cross for your sin and mine, is the only prayer you ever need to pray to be born again believer (a Christian), saved by His grace. I accepted Christ at home. If I had died after I received Christ as Lord and Savior, and had never put a foot in a church, or had knowledge of a doctrine...I would still go to live with our Lord.
Hmmmmm....Did Jesus say to the thief on the cross, "Oh, wait, you need to know your doctrine...before you can meet me in Paradise"? And he wasn't even baptized, who would have thought?
24 years saved...and it wasn't by being religious. It was Jesus.
Great topic...Thanks 
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 6:51:59 AM
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mvic
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I suppose the question could be asked differently: what must you believe to be a Christian?
The answer is provided in the Creed as posted by LivingParadox.
Those people who first sat down and wrote it knew what they were talking about. Of course, since then, there have been many differences of opinions between denominations. But strictly speaking, in my view, if they wander away from the Creed they can no longer call themselves Christian.
For example, not so long ago a senior cleric in the UK suggested that we shouldn't take the Virgin Birth or the Resurrection as being literal. Is that Christian teaching? I think not.
Of course, to be a Christian is more than just belief. The way we conduct ourselves and the way we live has a lot to do with it too.
_____________________________
Christian words of comfort at http://www.holyvisions.co.uk
Welcome to my Blog
MEI VITA INDICO CHRISTUS
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 7:45:32 AM
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SonInMe1
Posts: 3438
Joined: 4/16/2005
From: my mom by God
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Too many churches believe that if you don't believe the way they believe you are not saved.
That...is baloney.
You don't need a church or a pastor or a building, or an alter, or say some formulaic prayer to be saved.
I am not sure you even need to know who Jesus is to be saved. I am sure lotsa people have bent the knee before God, asking Him to be their Lord without even knowing Jesus is God.
We ARE called to fellowship. Some fellowship in different ways and essentially that is the differences in churches. Then its pride....my way...this is the only way....my church....my pastor...my interpretation. Then comes tradition...this is the way we have always done it.
Men try to put a lot of junk between us and God. Doctrines are supposed to bring us closer to one another and God and often they do the opposite. Thing is...NONE of us have it all down pat and none of our doctrines are perfect.
If you think your doctrine is perfect....please find the nearest christian councilor.
_____________________________
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
James 4:4
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 10:55:11 AM
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deermousie
Posts: 1857
Joined: 9/26/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: LivingParadox
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy *catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*catholic in meaning the universal church
Bull's eye, LivingParadox!
Doctrine means teaching, as Conundrum ponted out. We believe that Jesus is both God and Man. That's a doctrine. We believe His death and resurrection paid the price for our sins. That's a doctrine. Jesus said He would reprove the world of sin because they didn't believe that He is "I am" (John 16:8,9) thus God Almighty. That's a doctrine, and the key to salvation. A person might not believe that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and it won't keep them out of heaven. But if they don't believe that Jesus is God Almighty, it will. Doctrine is truth, and you have to know what is true to believe it.
There's a lot of history of the Early Church (that's Church, not church. The first is all the people of history that believe in Jesus is God. The second is a denomination or a building). The creed mentioned above was written by the Church Fathers in response to untruths, so Christians would know what was true. It's 1600 years old and still true. 16,000 years from now, if Jesus hasn't come back by then, it will still be true. It's totally based on the Bible, and that never changes.
So can a person be a Christian and not believe in doctrine/teaching? No. I think you can see that God has things He wants us to know, and He tells us them in the Bible. You can miss the little points, but the main points are critical to know and believe.
Jesus' death and resurrection from the dead to pay for your sins is one big "I love you!" from God. Rejoice! 
_____________________________
Want to know where a certain word or phrase in the Bible is found? www.biblegateway.com Yay!
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 11:02:14 AM
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TorchHeart
Posts: 1493
Joined: 6/4/2008
From: One of the coldest places on Earth
Status: online
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quote:
I am not sure you even need to know who Jesus is to be saved. I am sure lotsa people have bent the knee before God, asking Him to be their Lord without even knowing Jesus is God.
I don't know if I buy that. Jesus says in John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
Now, I might be mistaken, but I've always taken that to mean that knowing and accepting Christ as your savior is essential to being a Christian and thus being saved.
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 12:39:46 PM
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SpiritualPowers
Posts: 44
Joined: 9/9/2008
Status: offline
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If you look at The Old Test, you will find how it was in the begining you could not talk to God now Through Jesus Christ we now can.
SonInMe1 You need Jesus for Salvation becouse he is Salvation with out Jesus there would be no Salvation , we would prob not be in existence. An becouse Jesus died for us , God forgave us as long as we accept him as the son of God.
Idid not think this way untail i read the Old Testament and was able to understand who God was befor Jesus so i could understand who god is now Through Jesus. Hope this is some help:)
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 1:57:44 PM
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deermousie
Posts: 1857
Joined: 9/26/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
I am not sure you even need to know who Jesus is to be saved. I am sure lotsa people have bent the knee before God, asking Him to be their Lord without even knowing Jesus is God.
And then you have demons who believe but obviously aren't saved.
_____________________________
Want to know where a certain word or phrase in the Bible is found? www.biblegateway.com Yay!
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 2:26:35 PM
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mvic
Posts: 1540
Joined: 1/17/2008
Status: offline
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SoninMe,
What do you mean by: "I am not sure you even need to know who Jesus is to be saved."
Thanx.
_____________________________
Christian words of comfort at http://www.holyvisions.co.uk
Welcome to my Blog
MEI VITA INDICO CHRISTUS
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RE: Can You - 9/18/2008 11:44:31 PM
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URForgiven
Posts: 1076
Joined: 3/22/2008
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: deermousie
So can a person be a Christian and not believe in doctrine/teaching? No. I think you can see that God has things He wants us to know, and He tells us them in the Bible. You can miss the little points, but the main points are critical to know and believe.
Is what makes us a Christian knowing stuff about God? Or is what makes us a Christian knowing Jesus Christ, who is our God?
Peace
_____________________________
"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3:3
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