Why do so many christian religions make up their own rules?

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

These are rules. They are not doctrine.

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols

Dont know about this one.

- engage in preaching

Jesus preached.

- wear certain types of clothing

This is so priests and religious people can be recognized.

- confess to priests

Its part of the Catholic religion. I dont remember where in the bible, but someone that practices should be able to tell you.

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Doctrine and rules are different. There was a time in the Catholic church that priests were allowed to marry (if I remember correctly). It was decided this distracted the priest from his real duties or something, so it was stopped.


EDIT: Im an idiot.

 

[SagaLore]

Your comparison list is too narrow. It sounds like your comparing Catholic to Protestant.

"Religions" are man made. Every denominational doctrine is started by someone who focused on specific parts of the bible and had an opinion how your christian life should be. Churches do teach out of the bible, but for Pentetcostals they focus on Acts and the Pentecost, for Baptists they focus on John, for Catholics they focus on Peter, for Jehovah Witnesses they focus on Revelations...

That's why I go to a non-denominational church. When in doubt, focus on Jesus. We don't follow man-made traditions, like praying with beads or running around the pews.

 

[zayened]

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: zayened

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Doctrine and rules are different. There was a time in the Catholic church that priests were allowed to remember (if I remember correctly). It was decided this distracted the priest from his real duties or something, so it was stopped.

i'm allowed to remember...sometimes...when my brain lets me...

Thanks! Fixed.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: BDawg

Originally posted by: deftron

Whose rules are they supposed to follow ?

Jesus turning water into wine always made me wonder about the baptists (and such) who say alcohol is eeeevvviiilll.

Right. In fact, in those days they drank wine with every meal. And research has shown that moderate amounts of wine and beer are good for the heart.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols
- engage in preaching
- wear certain types of clothing
- confess to priests

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Why do you think they should all have the same rules?

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols
- engage in preaching
- wear certain types of clothing
- confess to priests

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Why do you think they should all have the same rules?

wow I posted this before I left for work and its up to 30 replies already

but to answer your question, they should all have the same rules if they all are following the same book. If I remember correctly I don't remember the bible giving multiple options on how to follow certain rules, its religions who come in change things as they see fit. The bible clearly is against homosexuality but there are some religions who will swear up and down that its nothing wrong with it based on the bible.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols
- engage in preaching
- wear certain types of clothing
- confess to priests

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Why do you think they should all have the same rules?

wow I posted this before I left for work and its up to 30 replies already

but to answer your question, they should all have the same rules if they all are following the same book. If I remember correctly I don't remember the bible giving multiple options on how to follow certain rules, its religions who come in change things as they see fit. The bible clearly is against homosexuality but there are some religions who will swear up and down that its nothing wrong with it based on the bible.

Rules or doctrine? There are rules that can be placed on the clergy that are not doctrine. Much like the laws of the state and the rules of your employer.

 

[Quixfire]

Why do so many christian religions make up their own rules?

Because Man, who is imperfect, translates the bible's teaching.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols
- engage in preaching
- wear certain types of clothing
- confess to priests

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Why do you think they should all have the same rules?

wow I posted this before I left for work and its up to 30 replies already

but to answer your question, they should all have the same rules if they all are following the same book. If I remember correctly I don't remember the bible giving multiple options on how to follow certain rules, its religions who come in change things as they see fit. The bible clearly is against homosexuality but there are some religions who will swear up and down that its nothing wrong with it based on the bible.

Rules or doctrine? There are rules that can be placed on the clergy that are not doctrine. Much like the laws of the state and the rules of your employer.

Both. One of the reasons I left the religion I was affiliated with was because of the many rules that they made up which was considered to be doctrine in their eyes. If I wanted to wear a beard then I would be considered as a sinful person in the eyes of the church. If did'nt preach "x" amount of hours and report that time to the church I would be considered sinful. And the list goes on and on, I got sick of it because basically they could make up a rule at any given time and if the members of the church don'nt follow that rule they could be criticized and even ex-communicated. It defeats the entire purpose of using the bible if people are just going to add and take away whatever they want to.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols
- engage in preaching
- wear certain types of clothing
- confess to priests

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Why do you think they should all have the same rules?

wow I posted this before I left for work and its up to 30 replies already

but to answer your question, they should all have the same rules if they all are following the same book. If I remember correctly I don't remember the bible giving multiple options on how to follow certain rules, its religions who come in change things as they see fit. The bible clearly is against homosexuality but there are some religions who will swear up and down that its nothing wrong with it based on the bible.

Rules or doctrine? There are rules that can be placed on the clergy that are not doctrine. Much like the laws of the state and the rules of your employer.

Both. One of the reasons I left the religion I was affiliated with was because of the many rules that they made up which was considered to be doctrine in their eyes. If I wanted to wear a beard then I would be considered as a sinful person in the eyes of the church. If did'nt preach "x" amount of hours and report that time to the church I would be considered sinful. And the list goes on and on, I got sick of it because basically they could make up a rule at any given time and if the members of the church don'nt follow that rule they could be criticized and even ex-communicated. It defeats the entire purpose of using the bible if people are just going to add and take away whatever they want to.

what denomination/sect/cult was this?

 

[Feanor727]

Originally posted by: przero
Skyclad1uhm1 - (Thou shalt not kill -> murder).

Thou shalt not murder has always been the correct form. I don't know what groups/ changes you are talking about. I use the KJV Bible. It has been the same for hundreds of years.

Um.... no it hasn't. I don't know what you're reading, but I have 4 different KJV bibles here and they all say "Thou shalt not kill"

I even took it a step further and looked up the hebrew word that they translated kill, and it literally means to dash in pieces and was used by the authors of the time figuratively to refer to the act of killing a human being.

Oh yeah, you're also wrong about the KJV not changing. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 different KJV versions that have been made over the years. Granted, they've changed only in minor ways, but they've changed nonetheless. The only company that publishes a word-for-word exact KJV (as the translators published it in 1611) is Cambridge Bible.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: przero
Skyclad1uhm1 - (Thou shalt not kill -> murder).

Thou shalt not murder has always been the correct form. I don't know what groups/ changes you are talking about. I use the KJV Bible. It has been the same for hundreds of years.

Oh hundreds of year! Wow!

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Arkitech

Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I've always found it strange how every christian religion has their own unique set of rules despite the fact they're supposed to be following the bible. For example some religions won't allow:

- their priests to marry
- the male members to wear beards
- drinking of any alcohol
- the listening of secular music (non-christian)

Then some religions insist their members:

- worship idols
- engage in preaching
- wear certain types of clothing
- confess to priests

You would think that all christian religions would have the same set of beliefs since they all use the bible as a basis but there are so many differences that its mind boggling. I'm not knocking any particular religion but I just think its strange that they all make up rules to fit their agenda.

Why do you think they should all have the same rules?

wow I posted this before I left for work and its up to 30 replies already

but to answer your question, they should all have the same rules if they all are following the same book. If I remember correctly I don't remember the bible giving multiple options on how to follow certain rules, its religions who come in change things as they see fit. The bible clearly is against homosexuality but there are some religions who will swear up and down that its nothing wrong with it based on the bible.

Rules or doctrine? There are rules that can be placed on the clergy that are not doctrine. Much like the laws of the state and the rules of your employer.

Both. One of the reasons I left the religion I was affiliated with was because of the many rules that they made up which was considered to be doctrine in their eyes. If I wanted to wear a beard then I would be considered as a sinful person in the eyes of the church. If did'nt preach "x" amount of hours and report that time to the church I would be considered sinful. And the list goes on and on, I got sick of it because basically they could make up a rule at any given time and if the members of the church don'nt follow that rule they could be criticized and even ex-communicated. It defeats the entire purpose of using the bible if people are just going to add and take away whatever they want to.

Then go with the religion that follows the bible (catholicism) or one of the protestant religions you agree with more. Rules and doctrine are different. This religion appears to make doctrine out of stupid rules. Follow a religion that can tell the difference.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: przero
Skyclad1uhm1 - (Thou shalt not kill -> murder).

Thou shalt not murder has always been the correct form. I don't know what groups/ changes you are talking about. I use the KJV Bible. It has been the same for hundreds of years.

There are two different meanings in what you're saying. The original text referred to the act of taking a person's life without the authority to do so. Things like hunting fall under the "killing" catagory and have never been against God's wishes.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: zayened
the muslim religion/qoran has not changed in over 1400 years...

The Qur'an has not changed, just all the hadiths that they added that make them want to kill infidels. Islamic religion would be so cool if they did not have priests spouting off rhetorics and falsehoods as well as following the practices of someone who married a 12 y/o, had 14 wives and killed everyone who did not convert.

 

[zayened]

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: zayened
the muslim religion/qoran has not changed in over 1400 years...

The Qur'an has not changed, just all the hadiths that they added that make them want to kill infidels. Islamic religion would be so cool if they did not have priests spouting off rhetorics and falsehoods as well as following the practices of someone who married a 12 y/o, had 14 wives and killed everyone who did not convert.

you should watch a movie, it's called "The Message", its setting is in the 500 AD time and basically talks about the life of the prophet and has quite a bit of action in it too

 

[drewshin]

afaic, no one goes to hell. if i read the bible correctly, god is love, and is all forgiving. he would never send anyone to suffer for eternity.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Rules in my religion:
Thou shalt game on the sabbath. The sabbath is defined as any day that has a night following it.

Thou shalt not get your opponent in a corner and just pin him the entire round. If you do, your pennance will be a dead arm.

Thou shalt not scratch disk surfaces. Someone, somewhere probably wants to play that game. Work out a trade.

Go ahead and worship many idols. Harems own.

Thou shalt save often. Redoing 4 hours of play due to a mishap is a drag.

Thou shalt not cheat against your opponent. Your Diablo character does not have 2000 legit hit points. Give it up.




Hey, my religion hasn't started wars!

Edit: okay, so it starts wars quite often. But atleast we're still around to give it another go.

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: BDawg

Originally posted by: deftron

Whose rules are they supposed to follow ?

Jesus turning water into wine always made me wonder about the baptists (and such) who say alcohol is eeeevvviiilll.

Right. In fact, in those days they drank wine with every meal. And research has shown that moderate amounts of wine and beer are good for the heart.

you do realize that back then "wine" was essentially grape juice right? it wasn't alcohol...

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: BDawg

Originally posted by: deftron

Whose rules are they supposed to follow ?

Jesus turning water into wine always made me wonder about the baptists (and such) who say alcohol is eeeevvviiilll.

Right. In fact, in those days they drank wine with every meal. And research has shown that moderate amounts of wine and beer are good for the heart.

you do realize that back then "wine" was essentially grape juice right? it wasn't alcohol...

It was a lot stronger than grape juice, they had advanced fermentation processes even back then

 

[Feanor727]

Originally posted by: hdeck

you do realize that back then "wine" was essentially grape juice right? it wasn't alcohol...

You are incorrect sir. To quote the bible itself (Acts 2:13) "Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine" and Acts 2:15 "...these men are not drunken as you suppose." Now if wine back then was essentially grape juice, tell me, when was the last time you got a buzz and acted drunk after downing a quart of Welches?

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: BDawg

Originally posted by: deftron

Whose rules are they supposed to follow ?

Jesus turning water into wine always made me wonder about the baptists (and such) who say alcohol is eeeevvviiilll.

Right. In fact, in those days they drank wine with every meal. And research has shown that moderate amounts of wine and beer are good for the heart.

you do realize that back then "wine" was essentially grape juice right? it wasn't alcohol...

I've never bought into this "interpretation", it just doesn't make any sense. Beer and wine were very common then, it was a method of food preservation. Even way back in the time of King Solomon, the sedative benefits of alcohol were recognized as being beneficial(read last chapter of Proverbs) and not to be denied to those who "needed" it. When the Bible talks about the "evils of alcohol", it is always in the realm of excessive consumption, not in any consumption.

 

[Spyro]

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Why do so many christian religions make up their own rules?

Because Man, who is imperfect, translates the bible's teaching.

Bingo! I couldn't have put it better myself.

 

[ILikeStuff]

Originally posted by: drewshin
afaic, no one goes to hell. if i read the bible correctly, god is love, and is all forgiving. he would never send anyone to suffer for eternity.

Well, let me correct you... you read wrong, or at least your view of God is imcomplete. Yes, he is Love and is merciful, but he is also just and holy(people always conviently forget those two), and we, as sinful humans, do NOT deserve the be with God in Heaven forever. God is fully just in excluding us rebellious humans from eternal fellowship with him in heaven, AKA hell