Posted by Lou Pilder on December 14, 2013, at 12:30:00 [reposted on December 15, 2013, at 21:56:05 | original URL]
In reply to Psychology Posters - other ideas?, posted by Dinah on December 14, 2013, at 11:51:33
> What would you say, were you Jewish, to a poster who posted in a list of ten items of the worst reasons for a church "A church not centered in Christ".
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> I've heard that statement often enough, and always in context of Christian churches that were focused on money or prestige or whatever, to think it possible that it was meant in that context and not meant as a put-down of non-Christian religions, but I also recognize that it could be read as pertaining to non-Christian religions as well.
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> I think I'd say something like
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> "I understand the spirit of your list, and agree with many of the items. But the item about a church not being centered in Christ makes me, as Jew, feel like you are not respecting my faith. If you meant that Christian churches should center their churches around Christ, then could you clarify that? Or possibly substitute the word "God" or "Higher Power" so that the statement could be helpful to more of us?"
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> Any other ideas?
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> It seems like responding with one's personal feelings, when it is not likely that a put down was intended (more likely a narrow focus), is the best way to address the issue without accusation or bad feelings.
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> Were the original poster to respond negatively towards other religions, then notifications and accusations would be appropriate.Friends,
It is written above that there could be a post that has a list of ten items of the worst reasons for a church, " A church not centered in Christ".
Be advised that there is a post that I am objecting to here that puts down and insults Judaism and Islam and Hinduism and all other religions that do not have their agenda centered in Christ, and I would say those that are members of them, that is not the same as the one Dinah hypothetically presents to you here.
The post that is in question has the top ten worst reasons {for organized religion}, not for a church, which is different from what is proposed here for your discussion.
What a subset of readers could think is that the statement divides humanity that are in organized religions into two groups and only those religions that have their agenda centered in Christ are exempt from being in the list of organized religions that their agenda is the worst.
Be advised that I think that Dinah's hypothetical post does not belong in this discussion, but in a separate thread of her own unless the word {church} is understood by responders. This is all because, {church} does not mean only Christian groups. The word {church} can be found in Hebrew scripture and it means to be a group of {called out} people by the God that the Jews give service and worship to. The Hebrew word that {church} comes from is knesiyah. It means the community, or a gathering of the community, and is translated as {church} in the Hebrew scripture.
The Greek word for the Hebrew is taken from the word {Eklisia} or spelled in different ways. The word, Eklisia, in Greek means {belonging to the Lord} which came from the word {kurios} in Greek.
All of those words have even further back words from different extinct languages that I have not the time here to discuss.
The point here is that {church} does not always mean only Christian groups and if the understanding of that is known then that could go a long way to help in anyone's response to Dinah here.
Lou
poster:Lou Pilder
thread:1055291
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20130903/msgs/1056289.html