John of AllFaith's
Questions And Answers
(For more Click Here!)
Questions And Answers
(For more Click Here!)
From time to time I like to share my Q and A's here. Here's another one:
"S" writes:
Dear Rev. John of ALL Faith.
i am a gay Christian and was going through your column here and your website.
from what i gather from both, is that you are as much a hindu or a buddhist as much as a christian and personally i feel it is in truth impossible to be either a hindu and buddhist, a hindu and a christian, a hindu or buddhist simultaneously. while all religions have some good, and should be studied, i don't think its possible to be all and certainly not if one is a Christian.
i wish to know your comments on the same.
i am a gay Christian and was going through your column here and your website.
from what i gather from both, is that you are as much a hindu or a buddhist as much as a christian and personally i feel it is in truth impossible to be either a hindu and buddhist, a hindu and a christian, a hindu or buddhist simultaneously. while all religions have some good, and should be studied, i don't think its possible to be all and certainly not if one is a Christian.
i wish to know your comments on the same.
Hi "S,"
The question of being "a real Christian" is sort of like the question of being "a real American." You would need to define your terms as to what this means to you before I could answer either question in the context of your belief system.
Here at AllExperts I answer questions according to the category in which they are listed, so in the Christian categories I usually answer from a (Baptist) Christian perspective, in the Hindu section as a Hindu and so on. My name, John of AllFaith, and the direct links to my website makes my personal beliefs clear. I am completely upfront about my beliefs.
I am both (an American and a Christian) AND in both cases I celebrate my God given freedom AND responsibility to be so in terms of my understanding, and to reject what I deem to be incorrect and to embrace what I consider to be good.
When I was 12 years old (in 1969) I "accepted Jesus as my personal Savior" and dedicated my life to seeking God, God's will and the Truth, wherever it might lead.
This on-going quest for God, this devotion to Jesus, led me to seriously study Christendom (Christianity in all its aspects, historic, political, religious, textual, moral etc.) and countless other religions. My findings have convinced me that certain key elements of what we call Christian dogma are later Roman Pagan insertions not believed by Jesus, his followers or the Believers of the first two centuries of the Christian era nor of those who remained steadfast over the next several hundred years.
In other words, the Christianity of today is not the religion taught by Jesus. After the rise of the Universal (Catholic) Church many followers of Jesus' teachings continued steadfast and refused to accept the New Religion ordained by Emperor Constantine (ie the religion we call Christianity in its various forms today). These devout followers were slaughtered by the thousands and forced into hiding. In time their teachings were mainly destroyed and exist today largely in the lists of official "heresies".
Being convinced of this, am I more "Christian" to accept the teachings of Jesus or those of the later ecclesiastical manipulations? So again, what is Christianity? What is true Christian dogma? Does the question, am I a true Christian mean do I accept, for instance, the doctrinal proclamations made at Nicea or that I accept the teachings of Jesus?
My prayers and research have convinced me that the Counsel of Nicea and other official Roman boards deliberately altered the religion of Master Y'shua ben Miriam (Jesus, son of Mary) and replaced them with a largely different doctrinal belief system based on the Roman solar god Sol Invictus (who Constantine openly worshiped until the day he died) and other non-Jewish religions of the empire. This is why Christianity is so very not-Jewish when Master Y'shua and ALL of his followers were Jewish.
So, my devotion to HaShem (the God of Israel Whom Y'shua worshiped) inspires me to embrace his teachings rather than those of the Roman Pagans.
And what are those teachings?
Essentially, to love HaShem with all our hearts, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be devoted and committed to the Jewish people, Israel and the [soon coming of the] Messiah.
Upon this rests the entire Torah and the true teachings of our Master Y'shua.
This does NOT mean Christianity is without merit. Like other Pagan religions it has been a blessing to the earth in many many instances. It is not however the religion of Prophet Y'shua.
As for Hinduism and other religions, we have a similar question. What does it mean to be a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Sikh and so on and how does this impact the teachings of Master Y'shua?
Hinduism is actually known as the "Sanatana Dharma" or Universal Truth. One who is devoted to the One Truth is a Hindu on what we might call a deeper level. On a surface level no. The same can be said of most all religions. And so in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "I am a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you.
So are all who seek the One without a second according to the Light thus far given.
Master Y'shua said, "I have other sheep who are not of this fold..." And again,
Mat 12:48 But he [Y'shua] answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Likewise Prophet Micah explains:
Micah 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before HaShem, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will HaShem be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth HaShem require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
So again, the question remains. What does it mean to be a Christian? Am I a real Christian? Absolutely!
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: HaShem, HaShem is our Elohim [God], HaShem, HaShem is one!
May the One God bless and keep you my friend,
Pastor John
~John of AllFaith
The question of being "a real Christian" is sort of like the question of being "a real American." You would need to define your terms as to what this means to you before I could answer either question in the context of your belief system.
Here at AllExperts I answer questions according to the category in which they are listed, so in the Christian categories I usually answer from a (Baptist) Christian perspective, in the Hindu section as a Hindu and so on. My name, John of AllFaith, and the direct links to my website makes my personal beliefs clear. I am completely upfront about my beliefs.
I am both (an American and a Christian) AND in both cases I celebrate my God given freedom AND responsibility to be so in terms of my understanding, and to reject what I deem to be incorrect and to embrace what I consider to be good.
When I was 12 years old (in 1969) I "accepted Jesus as my personal Savior" and dedicated my life to seeking God, God's will and the Truth, wherever it might lead.
This on-going quest for God, this devotion to Jesus, led me to seriously study Christendom (Christianity in all its aspects, historic, political, religious, textual, moral etc.) and countless other religions. My findings have convinced me that certain key elements of what we call Christian dogma are later Roman Pagan insertions not believed by Jesus, his followers or the Believers of the first two centuries of the Christian era nor of those who remained steadfast over the next several hundred years.
In other words, the Christianity of today is not the religion taught by Jesus. After the rise of the Universal (Catholic) Church many followers of Jesus' teachings continued steadfast and refused to accept the New Religion ordained by Emperor Constantine (ie the religion we call Christianity in its various forms today). These devout followers were slaughtered by the thousands and forced into hiding. In time their teachings were mainly destroyed and exist today largely in the lists of official "heresies".
Being convinced of this, am I more "Christian" to accept the teachings of Jesus or those of the later ecclesiastical manipulations? So again, what is Christianity? What is true Christian dogma? Does the question, am I a true Christian mean do I accept, for instance, the doctrinal proclamations made at Nicea or that I accept the teachings of Jesus?
My prayers and research have convinced me that the Counsel of Nicea and other official Roman boards deliberately altered the religion of Master Y'shua ben Miriam (Jesus, son of Mary) and replaced them with a largely different doctrinal belief system based on the Roman solar god Sol Invictus (who Constantine openly worshiped until the day he died) and other non-Jewish religions of the empire. This is why Christianity is so very not-Jewish when Master Y'shua and ALL of his followers were Jewish.
So, my devotion to HaShem (the God of Israel Whom Y'shua worshiped) inspires me to embrace his teachings rather than those of the Roman Pagans.
And what are those teachings?
Essentially, to love HaShem with all our hearts, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be devoted and committed to the Jewish people, Israel and the [soon coming of the] Messiah.
Upon this rests the entire Torah and the true teachings of our Master Y'shua.
This does NOT mean Christianity is without merit. Like other Pagan religions it has been a blessing to the earth in many many instances. It is not however the religion of Prophet Y'shua.
As for Hinduism and other religions, we have a similar question. What does it mean to be a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Sikh and so on and how does this impact the teachings of Master Y'shua?
Hinduism is actually known as the "Sanatana Dharma" or Universal Truth. One who is devoted to the One Truth is a Hindu on what we might call a deeper level. On a surface level no. The same can be said of most all religions. And so in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "I am a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you.
So are all who seek the One without a second according to the Light thus far given.
Master Y'shua said, "I have other sheep who are not of this fold..." And again,
Mat 12:48 But he [Y'shua] answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Likewise Prophet Micah explains:
Micah 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before HaShem, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will HaShem be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth HaShem require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
So again, the question remains. What does it mean to be a Christian? Am I a real Christian? Absolutely!
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: HaShem, HaShem is our Elohim [God], HaShem, HaShem is one!
May the One God bless and keep you my friend,
Pastor John
~John of AllFaith
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