News-Record.com

I wonder if the e-mail writer has mistaken her father's insistence on certain beliefs for his insistence on attending a church of a particular denomination. The two can easily be confused, but have radically different consequences. One says that truth can only be found in a given church. The other says truth exists, but there are nonessential beliefs that churches can disagree over.

It's an interesting, if esoteric question. The fact is that from the very beginning, Christianity has been a movement fragmented and squabbling over who's a "True Christian (tm)."

If you read the New Testament, you'll find that the first use of the term "Antichrist" was applied by one fation against another. The bottom line is that one of the oldest traditions in Christianity is the demonization of others, and the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy that he came to bring strife and hatred between family members.

@Eric: I'm curious. Where does Jesus prophecy that he came to bring strife and hatred between family members?

Here's one verion:

Matt 10:34-36 - Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household.

I believe this is echoed in at least one other Gospel, though I haven't looked.

When pulled out of the greater context of the entire Bible, those three verses can certainly be interpreted the way you have. But when they are examined in light of Jesus' other statements about his mission, I think they are more accurately interpreted as being natural results of the preaching of the Gospel. Even in a given family, some will believe and some won't, and that discrepancy will cause trouble.

To interpret that passage as proof of division within Christendom ignores the larger context.

I didn't use them as "proof of division within Christendom." Daily news reports do that well enough, don't you think? I merely stated that this passage does indeed reflect the sort of strife that Nancy's post described.

Get back on the subject guys. The orginal writer was commenting about her father being a member of a church that taught fire and brimstone. ( Yes, it is true that being a follower of Jesus will sometimes cause problems in your own family. I live in a divided house. My relationship with Jesus comes first and should. Christ is the giver and my family is the gift.) If you have a personal relationship with Jesus you will know that He is love. He can remove the fear of death. But there is the judgment, to those that don't accept the plan of salvation. A closer walk with the Lord will reveil that we all deserve death because we are sinners, but Christ paid the penalty. God gave us a choice to serve. But we should be motivated to serve Him out of love and not fear, because perfect love cast out fear.

Patti, with respect, I contend that the point of the original letter was not simply "fire and brimstone" preaching. It was also a lack of acceptance by a father for the choice of Christian denomination by his child.

Why should a house be divided when both sides are Christian? That's a problem that has faced Christianity from the very beginning. It's simply one of the most revolting features of the religion.