Why Has American Christianity Failed?

I don't know enough on the issue to say for sure but I would say from just my own observation that their are so many denominations and sects calling them selves Christian and they are all over the political and social spectrum that it is hard for me to understand when some one says they are Christian what that even means.
Naturally I want to ask them what their theological outlook is and the answers can be radically different depending on who I ask.

I like the mystical Christians that take the symbolism and experience to very deep levels. Figures such william blake and Saint Francis comes to mind.

I however do not like the Dogmatic Christians that blend the beliefs with some political ideology or use the label to justify their hate.

Maybe Christian is just a word a label and it really comes down to this statement.

"You Will Know Them by Their Fruits" -Matthew 7:15-20

My vote is on the basic human tendencies for power and greed along with our primal instincts to mate and be angry jerks.

You can promote good principles all you like, but look around at the world and our inhabitants. If people are offered power or shiny things, chances are, they're going to take them. While some people truly live as good people, it's not religion that brings them there and for those whose religion is what "keeps them moral", they need to do some serious introspection - and maybe some therapy.

Go look in any job structure, be it corporate, education, hospital, factory or the Burger King down the street and the people in there are clamoring for higher positions, sucking up to bosses, gossiping and kicking others down to advance themselves. I've had many jobs in my life and every, single one was gushing with this activity. It's our nature to be self-serving and no commandment is going to prevent that.

Couple all this with the fact that religion is based on lies and you've got no reason to firmly adhere to these good qualities.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yep

American Christians are just so damned aggressive too.

a reply to: Abysha

Just dropping this off for now and will come back and read the whole thread .IMO and others the reason for the dysfunctional aspect of Christianity would have its roots in Zionism

originally posted by: bender151
Unless you'd like to quantify the difference...

Sure. Too many, considering their supposed allegiance to the teachings of Jesus.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

As to add to my previous vid I want to share this as it really digs down to the heart of the matter . The presenter offers his sources , and if a Christian has a open mind to consider the evidence presented then you can find a way out of the mental trap of this time in our history .

Because Christendom is not Christianity, it's a rotten tree and they teach "commands of men as doctrines" (doctrine of the Trinity, doctrine of the immortal soul, literal hellfire, obscuring the identity and name of "the God ...of our Lord Jesus Christ", spreading and keeping people in the dark, darkness, foggy state of mind, making things less clear, a mystery, especially the identity of God, etc.).

Matthew 7:16-21 (Jesus teaching something important):

By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men. 21 “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.

Newton already figured this one out:
Isaac Newton's science/scientia/knowledge about reality

Has Christianity Failed? Awake!—2007

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Has Christianity Failed?

ABOUT a third of the earth’s population claim to be Christian. Yet, the world seems more politically divided and more violent than ever before. Does this mean that Christianity as Jesus taught it is somehow flawed? Or, rather, does the flaw exist in the way many people apply Christ’s teachings?

This article will examine what Christ actually taught and the example he set for his followers. It will also consider a common view among professed Christians, one that is actually in conflict with the true meaning of Christianity.

A Distorted Form of Christianity

Hundreds of years after Christ’s death, a distorted form of Christianity was made a favored religion in the Roman Empire. No longer unwelcome outsiders, members of this group of professed Christians soon found themselves at the center of the political and social mainstream of Roman society. Church leaders, such as Augustine, reacted to this change by teaching that the awaited Kingdom of God had now arrived. Such leaders taught that their newly acquired political and religious influence was the means of bringing about the will of God on earth. Thus the value of human effort in directing earth’s affairs was emphasized.

As a result, many have come to believe that a Christian has a role to play in the political fabric of society. To do that, most believe, a Christian must at times subordinate certain aspects of his beliefs to the will of the society in which he lives. For example, many people pay lip service to Christ’s teachings of love and peace, while at the same time supporting vicious wars. For the same reason, churches may encourage their followers to pray for the Kingdom of God but at the same time lend support to rulers who act oppressively.

This counterfeit form of Christianity is not the religion that Jesus established. Rather, it is a man-made version and is practiced by most professed Christians today. This version of Christianity has indeed failed, as evidenced by the widespread disregard for Bible principles in all of Christendom today.

What Did Jesus Actually Teach?

It may come as a surprise to some that Jesus actually said that his followers should be “no part of the world, just as [he was] no part of the world.” (John 17:15, 16) Why would Christ encourage his disciples to take such a stand? Jesus’ beloved disciple the apostle John provided an answer. He wrote: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”—1 John 5:19.

Hence, Christ’s teachings direct people, not to human entities, but to the heavenly Kingdom of God as the agency that will create a just and righteous world here on earth. (Matthew 6:10) Jesus himself did not show the slightest inclination to interfere with the social structure of his day. He rejected political office outright. (John 6:15) He also rejected violence as a way of settling disputes. (Matthew 26:50-53; John 18:36) Jesus left behind no constitution or canon of civil laws. He took no political stand on the issues of his day. For instance, he did not become an activist for the rights of slaves, nor did he involve himself in the struggle of the Jewish people against Rome.

This does not mean, however, that Jesus was unconcerned about people and their problems. Jesus taught a great deal about an individual’s responsibility toward his fellow man. He encouraged honesty in the payment of taxes and stressed the need to be submissive to those in legitimate positions of authority. (Matthew 22:17-21) He taught how to show an active interest in the welfare of those in need. He also taught how to show respect for the dignity of others and how to be empathetic, forgiving, and merciful. (Matthew, chapters 5-7) It is a well-known fact that the focus of Christ’s teachings is love of God and of neighbor.—Mark 12:30, 31.

True Christianity Today

How, then, would a true follower of Christ conduct himself? He would do as Jesus did. While faithfully obeying the laws of the land, he would remain strictly neutral regarding political affairs. (John 12:47, 48) He would not compromise Christian principles, even when under great pressure. (1 Peter 2:21-23) At the same time, he could not be just a disinterested observer. A true Christian would take an active interest in the welfare of those around him, as Jesus did. (Mark 6:34) He would also expend himself in helping others to lead happier lives by helping them understand and live by Christ’s teachings.—John 13:17.

Accordingly, Jehovah’s Witnesses today strive to imitate Christ in their relationship with the world around them. While being peaceful law-abiding citizens, they are no part of the world. As Jesus did, they refuse to be part of the violence and political wrangling so common today. Their hope is firmly fixed on the Kingdom of God as the solution to the problems facing the world. True Christianity results in a happier life and harmony among its members. (John 13:34, 35) It certainly has not failed.

HAVE YOU WONDERED?

▪ Should Christians involve themselves in politics?—John 6:15.

▪ Did Christ recommend violence as a way to settle disputes?—Matthew 26:50-53.

▪ What is the identifying mark of true Christians?—John 13:34, 35.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: Abysha

Just dropping this off for now and will come back and read the whole thread .IMO and others the reason for the dysfunctional aspect of Christianity would have its roots in Zionism

I wish I had a couple of hours to sink into that video (I really do) but, just taking your suggestion under surface consideration, it made me wonder why you wouldn't look closer to home for an answer. Christianity has their own brand of Zionism called "Dominionism".

Are they different in your eyes? Are you connecting Zionism in ways that Dominionism can't be?

a reply to: whereislogic

In consideration to the 10 identifying marks 10 your word is truth John 17:17 . question ...did JW originally use the KJ version ? Did they also make a redacted version as well ? Do they now have a version that is not a KJV . Did the JW religion begin with a erroneous version of Gods word ?

# 9 not a large religion ...Daniels interpretation of the King of Babylons dream or vision of the stone not cut with human hands striking the image ...""Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."… The picture is one that is not of a small religion ...

# 8 not a sect or a cult but is a world wide religion ...Does JW start out as a world wide religion ? Did NT Christianity start out as a world wide religion ? When did JW become a world wide religion ?

# 7 hated by the world . That is a lot of hate right there . I don't hate JW , I just done agree with their religion .A lot of none believers are drawn into the faith by the love shown by the followers of Jesus no matter which denomination or none denomination God has placed them in. It is after all a personal relationship with Christ that matters and not how big a congregation should or could be .

#6 Mystery Babylon is called a mystery for a reason .Who is Mystery Babylon ? If Babylon embraces all religions and JW is a religion then Babylon would embrace them too .Religion being a man made construct is also a group think .Not saying there are no people inside JW that don't get saved but they usually come out of her and expose the untruths , just like many of the Christian denominations .

#5 Places of worship treated with respect .True Christians worship God 24/7 no matter where they might be .Paul and others did it from prison cells .

#4 Unity .By properly addressing Jehovah as father ....Jesus said that He and the Father were one .Thomas called Jesus his Lord God and Savior . New Living Translation
But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God's approval will be recognized!...... divisions among unity within a body ..

#3 Holy sound doctrines ....happy is he who agrees within himself .Its the Holy Spirit that both convicts and convinces the believer with the word of God .apostles creed ie. The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers ....

2 Sanctifying Gods name .Thomas once again calls Jesus his God . Jesus is a name above all names named in the Bible .

#1 Christians pray in the name of Jesus .It is one of the most recognizable aspects of the faith in NT and secular history and does not require the JW religion to instruct them

a reply to: Abysha

The vid is well worth digging into and it can be shown that Darby's doctrine of dispensation has its backing in Zionism .I used to be a big Darby fan but his future end time narrative causes or did cause me some real stumbling blocks .The Scofield reference bible and Scofield himself has a very unsavory history that is very questionable and can also be linked to Zionism .

To really get a great picture of what we see and understand or misunderstand I think you might have to start with the second vid first . It is much shorter but would seem to be better as a first things first ,in unraveling the confusion

I don't know where to start. But you're not going to like it.
IMO your whole concept of salvation is off. How many times did Jesus refer in parables about planting.. watering.. coming back later.. then reaping, gathering, .. When He came the first time, it was for the Jews in particular but He was more about how we are to live. But salvation won't be until He returns. But the church, largely because of Paul, decided to take matters into their own hands and create a finished product that you had to acquire. To do that, they along the way ditched some of Jesus's teachings and intents. So this monstrosity we see today has been sucking people dry as they try to pay off and maintain their salvation, which technically no one has yet. But on the plus side, I do think He's coming back and only then can they say it's only through Jesus.
But can you see my point that what Jesus intended is no where near what we see? If their religion worked, and it truly does for many, then they would be more like Jesus himself. But when it got packaged and then the churches sprouted that packaged their own brand, and everybody is threatening hell fire if you don't. Then when you do sign up it's the old bait and switch. They said it was free but they never told you about the tithes, peer pressure, constant guilt... He didn't really pay for it, He just co-signed. This whole picture is flawed because He only came to end the Jewish law and give us a way of life that would comfort us until that time. The dead in Christ are reincarnated and have been all along. There is a seal but they aren't in any one religion but they will be easy to spot.
Christianity doesn't work because it was never finished as they presumed. They skip the teachings of Jesus because why should they. Their salvation is already gift wrapped and they will be carried off to watch from heaven as the rest of us fry. It will be like that parable about the landowner coming back and seeing how the managers were abusing the servants. I think that's prophetic of the church and how they've been treating them. Don't even get me started on Islam either. But if I had to guess, I'd bet the true bride of Christ has a lot of Buddhists and Atheist in it.

a reply to: the2ofusr1
Irrelevant. Your rhetorical questions do not change the fact that the AV/KJV still talks about "the God ...of our Lord Jesus Christ" "whose name alone is Jehovah" (Ephesians 1:3+Psalms 83:18). It is crystal clear in its identification of Jehovah and Jesus as 2 distinct individuals all throughout Genesis to Revelation. Some people have more respect for the AV than those claiming it's the only preserved Word of God or implying that you can't get an accurate knowledge about God and His teachings from it (or other bible translations) in their rhetorical questions and commentary (and focussing on ad hominems towards a specific group of people; cherrypicking bible verses to distract from the bible teachings and quotations in the video as if those somehow negate what's quoted in the video and the usual paint job and psychological projection, 'pot calling the kettle black'-routine), creating doubt, confusion and obscuring clarity, causing darkness, foggyness, a veil over what's clear and unambiguous: God's name is still Jehovah and he is the Most High over all the earth as well as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, clearly and unambiguously identifying him as someone else (or them as 2 distinct individuals). That is what the bible (including the AV/KJV) teaches but it's not what people in Christendom teach. If they teach anything about it at all they'll include contradictions in their teachings. Jesus is not Jehovah (unlike the many videos posted by Trinitarians online claiming that he is in the title, just noticed another one from "Trinity Apologetics").

True Christians Respect God’s Word

Period.

They also ‘Handle God’s Word Aright’ instead of cherrypicking to distract and confuse. Here's how that looks like (all quotations are from the KJV or AV):

Trinity Doctrine, A False Teaching Of Man, Council of Nicaea

And here's one example how respect for God's Word can be demonstrated (which follows the video in the playlist above; mind you, the real demonstration of respect for God's Word comes from following its instructions as mentioned in my previous commentary and the article above, but that is exactly what the people talking in the video below are doing, following those instructions, especially those instructions in the bible related to declaring and making known God's name, both the name itself as well as what it stands for, including everything about the individual behind the name):

Here's another example not in the playlist:

a reply to: the2ofusr1

So without looking for excuses to dismiss and distract (yourself or others; the bible also uses the phrase "deceiving yourselves with false reasoning" at James 1:22 and "misleading and being misled" at 2 Timothy 3:13) from what is described at 2 Timothy 4:3,4 as "beneficial teaching", checkout the beneficial teachings in the songs below which are all based on the Scriptures including Psalms 15, which starts with the questions:

O Jehovah, who may be a guest in your tent?

Who may reside in your holy mountain?

James 1:22
However, become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning.

The third question in our consideration deserves our most careful attention. It is,
How can we walk with God? We find the answer at Isaiah 30:20, 21: “Your Grand Instructor will no longer hide himself, and your eyes must become eyes seeing your Grand Instructor. And your own ears will hear a word behind you saying: ‘This is the way. Walk in it, you people,’ in case you people should go to the right or in case you should go to the left.”

Will You Walk With God?

In what sense may you “hear a word behind you” from your Grand Instructor?

In Isa 30 verse 21, a different word picture is painted. Jehovah is depicted as walking behind his people, issuing directions on the right way to walk. Bible scholars have noted that this expression might be based on the way a shepherd sometimes follows his sheep, calling out to guide them and to keep them from going the wrong way. How does this word picture apply to us? Well, when we turn to God’s Word for guidance, we are reading words that were recorded thousands of years ago. They are coming from behind us, as it were, in the stream of time. Yet, they are just as relevant today as they were the day they were written. Bible counsel can guide us in our day-to-day decisions, and it can help us to map out the course of our life over the years to come. (Psalm 119:105) When we earnestly seek out such counsel and apply it, then Jehovah is our Guide. We are walking with God.

Psalms 23:1,3:

Jehovah is my Shepherd.

I will lack nothing.

3 He refreshes me.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name.+

a reply to: the2ofusr1
More examples:

a reply to: Abysha

Nothing is failing. Everything is going as planned. God weeding out those who truly do love him with all of their hearts, souls and minds versus those who are more concerned with the worldly. If everyone put God first, the rest would take care of itself.

originally posted by: Deetermined
a reply to: Abysha

Nothing is failing. Everything is going as planned. God weeding out those who truly do love him with all of their hearts, souls and minds versus those who are more concerned with the worldly. If everyone put God first, the rest would take care of itself.

Which is why you should have read the actual article. It's about Christians in America not putting their gods first and, instead, putting money, politics, and prejudice ahead of spirituality. The article is on a Christian site so please read it with an open mind; it's not anti-Christian.

a reply to: Abysha

I did read it, but I didn't think it was entirely realistic when it talked about refugees.

originally posted by: Deetermined
a reply to: Abysha

I did read it, but I didn't think it was entirely realistic when it talked about refugees.

Not realistic? How? Are you even a Christian?

originally posted by: whereislogic
a reply to: the2ofusr1

...
How can we walk with God? We find the answer at Isaiah 30:20, 21: “Your Grand Instructor will no longer hide himself, and your eyes must become eyes seeing your Grand Instructor. And your own ears will hear a word behind you saying: ‘This is the way. Walk in it, you people,’ in case you people should go to the right or in case you should go to the left.”
...
Jehovah is depicted as walking behind his people, issuing directions on the right way to walk. Bible scholars have noted that this expression might be based on the way a shepherd sometimes follows his sheep, calling out to guide them and to keep them from going the wrong way. How does this word picture apply to us? Well, when we turn to God’s Word for guidance, we are reading words that were recorded thousands of years ago. They are coming from behind us, as it were, in the stream of time. Yet, they are just as relevant today as they were the day they were written. Bible counsel can guide us in our day-to-day decisions, and it can help us to map out the course of our life over the years to come. (Psalm 119:105) When we earnestly seek out such counsel and apply it, then Jehovah is our Guide. We are walking with God.

Psalms 23:1,3:

Jehovah is my Shepherd.

I will lack nothing.

3 He refreshes me.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name.+

At 1:44 (above)...Sheep with an attitude. Baaa!

Exodus 32:25,26
Moses saw that the people were unrestrained, for Aaron had let them go unrestrained, so that they were a disgrace before their opposers. 26 Then Moses took his position in the gate of the camp and said: “Who is on Jehovah’s side? Come to me!” And all the Levites gathered around him.
Song 27 - "Take Sides With Jehovah!" (English with lyrics)