[tbontob]

Originally posted by Krsqk:
Jesus said that His church was not a building, but the people. The church is comprised of the people who believe in Jesus as the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic law, and the earlier Messianic promises, and follow his commands and teachings. However, there is a practical need for a meeting place. In the early church days, people met in the homes of fellow believers. Roman persecution drove the church underground (often literally). After the legalization of Christianity, churches once again met in the open. When Constantine married the church and the Roman state, Christianity became somewhat of a fad among the Roman elite, who had previously been steeped in pagan tradition. They saw ornate buildings as a vital part of worship. The tradition of large, ornate church buildings can be traced back to this time. Modern churches generally fall into one of two camps: 1) Size and opulence are the way to go; or 2) Spend enough to get the building you need, and do it well, but not to excess. [edit] I guess there is a third group, the "whatever we can come up with is good enough for God."

A Christian cannot be defined as one who goes to church or one who prays (although a Christian will do these things). A Christian is one who 1) accepts that Jesus died for the sins of the world, fulfilling the law, and for his own sins, individually. They should 2) accept the authority of the Bible over man's word and tradition, and they should 3) try to conform their life to the principles found in the Bible. Many who believe 1) don't accept 2) and live in direct contradiction to 3); according to the Bible, they are still technically Christians, but they don't live out their faith.

Krsqk

What is a little known fact is that the early Christians did their own share of persecuting. Only, it was against their own kind.

When Constantine "married" the Christian church and the state in the early 4th century, he wanted a unified religion under which he could govern his empire.

So, he convened the Council of Nicea and the debate started on whether Jesus was:
1) totally divine
2) totally humane
3) part divine, part human.

Basically, there were 2 major camps, totally divine and totally humane. With some in between.

Eventually, they decided he was totally humane and totally divine. IMHO, this was a political decision. Everybody got what they supposedly wanted.

But one sect of Christianity, the Nestorians who lived in Asia, didn't accept the Nicene Creed. They believed Jesus was human and not divine.

This sect was persecuted and eventually went underground. With varying degrees of persecution, they lived this way down through the centuries.

Then Mohammed came onto the scene. I suspect many Nestorians joined Mohammed along with the tribes of the area who had a wide range of tribal gods.

Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet and not divine.

Main stream Muslims have a high regard for Christ, Mary and other Biblical figures. More to the point, they claim they were derived from Abraham as do the Jews and Christians.

There are some interesting stats which gives one pause to think. For example, the Koran mentions Jesus's mother, "Mary", more often than the Bible does.

But, of course, the question of Christ's divinity divides our religions.