posted July 16, 2013 12:48 PM            

The bible warns against superstition, worshipping objects (idolatry), saying things in repetition, and believing that even if we do nothing, god will save us. God performs miracles, but they're called miracles dor a reason. Bc they happen rarely. Also, transferring of the holy spirirt by the hands is never mentioned in the bible, and it is possible it is not from god at all. The bible says not to pray to a priest bc only god has the power to forgive, never mentions purgatory. The church was only meant as a place to commemorate god. But all these other things people do are absurd and have nothing to do with the bible.

The bible even says not to pray in public but if you must to do so very humbly, and it says to not worship temples bc god does not reside in a house. It says to meet with family to not isolate yourself, meet with each other as friends...but nothing about going to a required service and then going home and doing nothing. It also condemns collecting money in temples. Nothing about nuns either....nothing about the pope or hierarchies. It says to not pass judgment, which all churches obviously do. It encourages men and women to have a family and have children (but says to not have sex often) and encourages priests to make a family.

All taken from c-n-c.org:

What is superstition?

A superstition is an irrational belief which originates from ignorance or fear. We usually associate superstitions with religions which are based on fear of the unknown and man’s attempts to appease supernatural powers. We also think of superstitions in terms of belief in omens, rituals to ward off evil or to bring blessings, magic charms, special arrangements of rooms and buildings to bring luck, etc. What we may not realise is that many Christians including the evangelical ones also have their superstitions! Let us look at some of them.

The New Testament, which is the revelation of God as spirit and truth in contrast to the Old Testament which operated in forms and rituals, shows us the true meaning of God’s laws and acts. Now it is not places and things that are to be kept holy, but our spirit, and our relationship with God is in spirit and truth and not in external forms and rituals. Let us not, as the apostle Paul warns us, get caught again in ritualistic practices even if they are done using New Testament words (Col.2:20-23).

The New Testament has shifted from things and places to the heart. It is not places that are to be kept holy now but our heart. There is no special power or magic we can get by blessing oil, handkerchiefs, prayer shawls, water from the Jordan, soil from Israel, models of the tabernacle or the lamp stand with seven spouts, or even wedding rings. Why do we still go for such things instead of taking heed to our hearts? Yes, God does some extraordinary miracles at certain times, such as when handkerchiefs from Paul were used to heal people at a distance. But that is not for us to form doctrines with or to imitate, especially to make money from gullible people.

Nothing that I have written here is meant to hurt anyone except the money changers and the false prophets. All I want to do is to help us to realise that our focus should be on our heart attitudes and relationships with God and man, and not on objects, forms or rituals. It is also possible that sometimes God honours such external acts, when they come from sincere hearts of faith, in just the way as parents accept crude acts of creativity or demonstration of love from their small children. But He certainly does not want mature believers to behave like that.

Jesus said that the time had come when God would not be in buildings or places but in the hearts of those who worshipped Him in spirit and truth (Jn.4:21-24).

There is virtue in avoiding words of unbelief and speaking out words of faith. There is authority in confessing with our mouth what we believe in our heart (Rom.10:10). But it is superstition to believe that our words have power in themselves to make things happen. This is becoming very common among believers. When we speak things according to the will of God, He makes things happen. But even if we quote words of Scripture, nothing will happen if God is not the One who prompted us to speak.

posted July 20, 2013 11:27 AM            

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Originally posted by RunAroundScreaming:
I agree.
But I do think the church tends to bring more problems than solutions. The hierarchy, the judgment, the hypocrisy, the sense that you have done your part just by going to church on sunday, and the sense of isolation, when you don't communicate with the people next to you forced to listen to an entertainer/preacher.

The church turns religion into a cult.
A pastor has no power.
There is no purgatory in the bible.
The church creates a sense of guilt and a fear of going to hell-----these are cult tactics. Who is to say hell exists and the bible is not being symbolic when it uses the word hell. We should be worrying about not living THIS life in hell (and i think this is symbolically what the bible always means). Not about doing things that may not make sense or speak to our heart for fear of going to hell. Absurd.

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posted July 21, 2013 07:12 PM            

Great distinction to make. Important one.

posted July 28, 2013 09:54 AM            

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Originally posted by geea:
because since constantine, they started using it as a political weapon.
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20
The Church is the vessel of God, and it is necessary for believers, because its that place that it can be kept purified, unlike our own homes or other places.

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This is true, when one looks at the early Church, the State HATED it, and persecuted it.

In perhaps the second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled, the State simply co-opted the Church Hierarchy via offering official recognition and making it the only "legal" religion of the Empire.

At which point they used the State to pay back everyone from the Jews to divergent semi Christian sects like Gnosticism and some Charismatic sects.

Upshot is when the Empire collapsed in the West, the Church became the only local Govt and managed to keep Europe from being completely overrun. Downside is the Roman Church is stuck forever longing for the days when they were the only game in town.