Let me begin by saying I not only believe in God but I am a Christian, specifically a Catholic. There was a time when that was enough of a description, but things have changed. If you are truly a Christian (Many folks that claim the title of Christian do not even understand what it means to be a Christian) that all began to change when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church.
For 1000 years all Christians were Catholic, around the 10th century a split took place between East & West..... but then Martin Luther felt a need for change when he disagreed with the Pope and created the Lutheran Church in the early 1500's.
Since Luther banged a nail heard round the world Christianity has been split into roughly 45,000 to 49,000 different denominations all claiming to be Christians (Nearly 50,000 different belief systems have develop...with many pointing fingers claiming they are the only ones that know the truth) Hint: they can't all be right........
Here are when the major Christian denominations came about:
Catholic AD 33
Lutheran 1517
Epispocal 1534
Presbyterian 1560
Baptist 1606
Methodist 1784
Pentecostal 1906
It is important to note these denominations have split many many times themselves....the level of disagreement is slight to massive gaps in doctrine.
One of my favorite arguments is when preachers argue what Bible you must use to worship their God. We all probably grew up with a King James Bible in the house.... Some preachers insist you can only use a King James Bible...... Why? Jesus did not speak the English language....in fact, English did not come along until 500 years after Jesus walked the earth. And even then English had over 1,000 years of change and evolution before the King James Bible was written.......
Why was the King James Bible written.....? Well, a clue is in the name - King James who was really the King of England, known as James VI of Scotland. Originally the Bible did not look kindly upon royal families.... King James wanted parts of the Bible that could be used against him removed. So a team of 54 trusted advisors created the Bible most of you all know today (sort of)
Initially the church in England split from the Catholic church because a king wanted to get a divorce. (Catholics frown on divorce - even today) If you are willing to leave the Catholic church... writing your own Bible isn't that big of a step..... And so a Bible was created that did not go after the royal family.
We should not be surprised, it happens in every aspect of our lives. If you have children that play sports you can see an example at every ball park across the nation. Parents run from team to team, league to league, town to town looking for something better.....
What might surprise you is the initial King James Bible contained all the books now seen in the Catholic Bible..... They were removed a decade or so after it was first released..... Yes, it is true if you are one of those King James Bible only people....you are making a decision to not read/share/learn the entire Bible.
Some arguments inside of Christianity really make me shake my head in wonder, one such example is the Cross at Calvary. Catholics use the crucifix, which of course displays Jesus hanging on the cross...... I have heard Baptist preachers lose their minds over this..... jumping up and down shouting that Jesus isn't on the cross anymore!!!!!
Those Baptist preachers are right,.....Jesus isn't on the cross anymore.... BUT ---- baby Jesus isn't in a manager anymore either and you put him in one every Christmas season.....
If you want to debate religion....we can and we can continue for days. But if you insist on making the most important decisions regarding religion trivial matters the real loser is the world and those that could have been blessed by your belief system..... instead they may have been turned off to salvation because your ego blocked their path.
The picture with this post shows my most important concealed carry item, my rosary and it's case. I carry my rosary everyday, it lives in my left pocket, I bump it and my 40 to make sure both are with me.
I was not raised Catholic, our family was Baptist, we attended the Brownwood General Baptist church every Sunday, our family was in the same pew each week. Surrounded by familiar friends and families that had worshipped together for years.
The day always began with breakfast as a family, then a drive on which my folks pondered what topic of a sermon we would hear. But first Sunday school in the basement, then a couple hymns upstairs before Brother Payne thundering the word of God until it touched your soul. That small family church provided a tremendous foundation in my spiritual knowledge.
However, it wasn't until I became a Catholic that I felt a deep full connection with God. The Saints are real, the power of prayer is incredible and the tent is large enough for everyone to come in out of the rain. You don't have to be a Catholic to go to heaven, and dinner tonight can be a juicy steak.....or a hotdog. The value of your experience is up to you..... give me the steak please, you know the meal that also comes with A-1, a loaded baked potato and side salad. Oh, oh.......and some of that butter and another order of bread and hit me again with a glass of wine....... what? uh? Oh, only grape juice for you.....that's ok to, but you're the one missing out.
