Things I want to know in Christianity.

enyaj · Post by **enyaj** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 11:26 am

Hana wrote:hi all

I rly missed being here in i-church...it has been a while

can someone please tell me more about the “Great Disappointment" event that was on October 22, 1844?

Jesus warns us against false prophets and strngthens this with a warning that no one will be able to fortell the time of the second coming.

Through the centuries there ahve been a number of predictions for His second cpoming, one of the mor recent was a prediction that it would happen in 2000. I think there is one around at the moment giving some time in the 2020's.

Jayne (in Aroha, Hope, and Love. ) nz

. * . (\ *** /) * . You may be dissapointed
* . * ( \(_)/ ) * * if you fail, but you are
. . (_ /||\_) . * doomed if you don't try
* . /____\ *..*

Glo · Post by **Glo** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 7:40 pm

How interesting! I had never heard about 'The Great Disappointment' until now ...

I guess it is in the human nature to look for answers and clues. Strange, really, when even Jesus told us that even he himself did not know the hour of his return ...
We are called to be ready and expectant of his return all the time, not to try and figure out when it will be!

queermulla · Post by **queermulla** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:00 pm

1. What are the Most denominations followed in Christianity, Or let me say the most denominations that Christians are belong to?

2. What are the main differences between the Catholics and the Protestant?

3. Which denominations are considered as Unitarian and which are Trinitarian?

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well just my 2 cents worth and as u say time is short....

#1 - Catholicism [although Pentecostalism is fast overtaking it]
#2 - the Papacy, namely the proddies don't recognise the infallibility of the Pope
#3 - on the scheme of things unimportant.... the Nicene creed decreed that mainstream followers of Christ accept the trinitarian perspective invented by a Pauline schism in the early church and the Unitarians as such are what's left of a millennial argument over the divinity [so-called] of Jesus Christ - see Arianism

cheers

btw... just keep a healthy perspective on all this comrade - it's all just a social construct afterall

enyaj · Post by **enyaj** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:29 pm

queermulla wrote:btw... just keep a healthy perspective on all this comrade - it's all just a social construct afterall

Should we not differentiate between the construction of the church, and Christianity as a faith based on the teachings, life, death, and resurrection of one man?

To say that it is all just a social construct is, I think, being very simplistic.

Jayne( in aroha, hope and Faith ) nz

* . (\ *** /) * .* Look at the birds of the air
* . * ( \(_)/ ) * * they do not sow or reap
* * (_ /||\_) . * See how the lilies of the field grow
* *. /____\ * . they do not labour or spin
(Mat.6:25-34

Hana · Post by **Hana** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:38 pm

queermulla wrote: btw... just keep a healthy perspective on all this comrade - it's all just a social construct afterall

thanks for your answers, but do you mind telling me what you "exactly" mean by ur social construct that I saw in all of my threads here?

I am rly sad that my other thread was closed because it started to turn to a debate instead of a normal welcome thread!!!!

and since its closed, I wonder if I can reply to you queermulla here?......"plz, for any Mod, If its not okay to reply here you can remove it" and sorry for that in advance

as I said Muslims, Jews, Christians all believe in the same creator who is Allah who creates the heavens and the earth

but to go in more details in the same issue
Muslims and Jews believes in "one" God (Allah)

While Christians believes in God to be three persons in one(Father, Son, Spirit) and we muslims and Jews dont believe on Trinity

but at the end I think that we all believe the same "creator" who created the university -or what Christians called the father-
read the first chapters in the book of Genesis to know what I mean

Pam · Post by **Pam** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:13 pm

Hi Hana

The mods are here to make sure the boards are easy to use for everyone, including new members. So we do try to keep threads 'on topic', so that people know where to look to find the discussions they want to read and join in on. We also try to encourage people to start new threads for new topics, rather than add new topics onto existing threads. Otherwise there could be some really interesting discussions going on and people who came to see what we do wouldn't know about them.

If there are any questions you would like to discuss, please do put them on a suitable thread or start a new one.

Pam

Jae · Post by **Jae** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:24 pm

Just to try and answer your question Hana without getting into whether or not religion or faith or denominations are social constructs ....my understanding of social construct is that it can be used to challenge the inevitableness of or acceptance of something as a naturally or normally occuring thing rather than something which has been engineered or 'socially constructed' especially in terms of how society works.

That's not a very good explanation so I'll try an example.

when we are born we are normally given a 'sex' determined by physiological factors such as chromosones and genitalia ..... certain behaviors are then attributed to that sex ....most commonly known as gender ....but gender and the associated behaviors can also be described as being socially constructed ....who says pink for girls, blue for boys women are weak, men are strong ? etc...this is very important sociologically and psychologically because it affects behavoir and expectations and people who are able to influence social construction are often seen as holding a great deal of power .... it is one of the central themes of the feminist movement and is a useful tool in challenging 'norms' ... another example is disability ....people who are less abled physically can find life quite difficult say in terms of getting around ... society caters for the 'able bodied' ...we have had steps into buildings more commonly than ramps .... so you have a medical model of disability which treats people with disabilities as outside what is considered the 'norm' and then you have the social model of disability which challenges the 'norm' and says that people with disabilities are only 'disabled' by the way that society is arranged around the needs of the able bodied ..... if things were arranged differently to meet the needs of 'disabled' people there would be no disability ....only difference.

I hope that clumsy explanation helps ...I'm sure there are much better explanations online somewhere

queermulla · Post by **queermulla** » Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:25 am

a good technique to engage your questions would be a cultural historical analysis of the various religious movements of today... whether it be Islam, Christianity or Judaism

why did they come into being... what were the constructs or influencing determinants of the time of their origins, did they have metamorphosing events taking place throughout their evolution... what were they and why did they occur

in short - look at the longitudinal events and not the micro

in Christianity's evolutionism... we are intricately connected to the Hebrew nation and Israels journey of survival

what systemic events occurred to instill mass migration from ur... how did that influence the Abraham epic/saga

how did the 'sea people' influence the collective solidarity of those labeled Israel, what influence did their settlement in largely undefended plain lands contribute to the formation of a monotheism and later monarchy style of government

how did the early people of Israel relationships with others contribute to their formation... Persians/Greeks/Romans

what were the significant events of the fall of Jerusalem and the collapse of a temple sacrifice elite have on an emerging reform movement and the rise of synagogues

it also helps by placing yourself in the perspective of a pre-historic man, sitting on the edge of the flickering flames of the camp fire trying to stay warm and jnr asks him a question... 'Dad, what do the shadows mean?'

the rest is history

Isobel · Post by **Isobel** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:04 am

I agree that the historical and geographical setting around Israel in old testament times were important in shaping the story of Judaism. For example, the difficulty finding water in the desert wouldn't have happened if they had been in Scotland instead. However perhaps they would have had a problem finding shelter from the cold instead.
The question is whether we see the effects of these historical and geographical events as entirely due to chance and human psychology or whether we see God's hand in using them for his purposes, and the resulting story of the relationship between God and a particular group of people from which we can learn many useful things.

enyaj · Post by **enyaj** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:36 am

IMR wrote:I agree that the historical and geographical setting around Israel in old testament times were important in shaping the story of Judaism. For example, the difficulty finding water in the desert wouldn't have happened if they had been in Scotland instead. However perhaps they would have had a problem finding shelter from the cold instead.
The question is whether we see the effects of these historical and geographical events as entirely due to chance and human psychology or whether we see God's hand in using them for his purposes, and the resulting story of the relationship between God and a particular group of people from which we can learn many useful things.

It is a metter of faith, surely? And faith is what Christianity is all about. It is not about Ancient Israel, but about a man who appeared amongst the Jews of Palestine 2000 years ago. Do we believe He is the Son of God or not? If not then it would appear that we are not Christians.

Asking questions and gaining an understanding of the history behind the coming of the Christ is fine, but it is the man himself that has given His status as Messiah to be the name of the religion we belong to, Christianity.[/Justify]

Jayne( in aroha, hope and Faith ) nz

* . (\ *** /) * .* Be beautiful inside, in your hearts,
* . * ( \(_)/ ) * * with the lasting charm of a gentle
* * (_ /||\_) . * And quiet spirit, that is
* *. /____\ * . so precious to God
(1 Peter 3:4 TLB)

Isobel · Post by **Isobel** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:52 pm

Yes, that's what I was getting at: you can't prove or disprove God's influence in events, and it's almost always possible to come up with an alternative explanation that doesn't involve God if you try hard enough, so it's a personal decision as to which explanation to believe.

queermulla · Post by **queermulla** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:53 am

why does the nonsensical require proving or disproving

it seems to me... the point should be - what effect is the simple parish having on the community around it!

in terms of -

adolescent suicide rates
homophobic violence
immigrant/foreign xenophobia
urban renewal
community development
provision of affordable housing
community safety
amenities
public transport
etc

Pam · Post by **Pam** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:13 pm

queermulla wrote:why does the nonsensical require proving or disproving

Mod comment

queermulla

when you joined these boards you agreed to the forum rules, which can be found at the top of each forum.

It appears from many of your posts that you don't like Christianity, and are fairly fixed in that view.

Rule 6 says

Respect the Christian ethos of the site

Members of all faiths and those with no faith are all welcome here, but remember we are a Christian site. If you don't want to read about Christianity or to hear how Christians think and feel, perhaps i-church is not for you.

If you have anything that you genuinely want to discuss, and on which you would genuinely welcome dialogue, please do post it.

However, if you genuinely and unwaveringly believe that the Christian faith is 'nonsensical' there seems to be little basis for dialogue, and therefore little point in you posting here.

David C · Post by **David C** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:30 am

Hi queermulla

I find that these below are far more open and friendly sites, if you want to try them:

Ship-of-Fools

http://shipoffools.com/index.html

StPixels

http://www.stpixels.com/view_releases.cgi

I hope that this is helpful.

Pam · Post by **Pam** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:29 pm

Thanks David, I happened to notice that Queermulla registered on Ship of Fools when I suggested it about a month ago, and he will have seen a link to St Pixels there, so I think your advice has probably already been taken.

Tulip · Post by **Tulip** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:43 pm

I don't know if this is in the right place, What is meant by Discernment Team

Ann

Ernest · Post by **Ernest** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:51 pm

Tulip,

I understand that in a Christian Context, a Discernment Team is the group of individuals who are formed up to 'Discern' a call or inquiry for some form of ministry in a Christian Church.

For example within the CofE, if you feel a call to ordained or lay ministry, you are advised to speak to your Parish Priest (or someone may recognise it in you) and if so, you enter a process of 'discernment' by your Parish and Diocese to see if the call is genuine and what form of ministry it might be towards.

The term is also used in commercial business for similar purposes, but it could be for a project, new product, a candidate for a promotion or key post etc.

I am sure that there are probably other answers, and you might find Pam, Karen or Caroline can provide a more accurate answer.

Regards

Ernest

Karen · Post by **Karen** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:33 am

What is the context Tulip? I've not come across discernment teams but the word discernment as I've come across it means listening to God, usually in the context of a decision. So you might have a PCC (church board of governors) meeting to discern whether the vision of the parish might include building a new community centre where outreach projects might meet. As Ernest says it is often used in working out whether someone has a calling to ministry and that can be lay or ordained.

Can you give me some more info?

Caroline · Post by **Caroline** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:39 pm

The only other place I've come across the term is in a charismatic church where some people were deemed to have the gift of discernment, which was a fairly hazy concept but, I think, referred to 1 Corinthians 12:10, 'distinguishing between spirits', meaning the ability to evaluate teaching and understand what comes from God, and what doesn't.

It is possible that a church might have a team of people with this responsibility, but I'd be inclined to think that Ernest's answer is likely to be the right one. Certainly the concept of such a gift is very relevant to the team as described by Ernest.

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