What do Christians Believe?

Hi,

I am searching for answers from open minded Christians and I'm sure there are many other points that could be included for discussion.

Must I believe in the Christ as the "only" son of God?

Must I believe that Christ died for my sins?

Must I believe in an afterlife?

Can Christ's life and teachings can be the basis for a spiritually enlightened and fullfilling life?

Please discuss with open mindset.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/christianity/648-what-do-christians-believe.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648

Best Regards
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Yes. Is the simple answer to your questions. There are some, but only some, who would have a more relaxed view on this. But as I am no longer a Christian it is perhaps best stay out of this and allow those who follow this Path to explain. Just bear in mind that there are many, many different churches and views under the umbrella of Christianity. The "Our way is the only way" brigade are usually the most vocal.

I'm not Christian either, but I agree with Still_Searching that the answer your questions would all be YES from most Christians. However some are more open than others. Most use the Nicene Creed a comprehensive statement of their faith. It goes as follows:
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

I am a Christian and I believe you must beleive as Christ as the only son of God, and only worship one God and put no other Gods before him, and in order to recieve Gods forgiveness and except in into your heart you must WANT to believe that Christ gave up his life for you. Jesus's life and teachings could be a spiritually fulfilling life if that is who you choose to be like....

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh!

I am not a Christian, as many of you already kno, but i do go to a catholic skool and have studied it for quiet a while now. So ya i mean Jesus lived a great life , he preached from the age of like 12 and spread the word of God. Although he spoke mostly in Parables ( stories with a moral kind of idea) he lead by example and showed the world that everyone was equal, and no one deserved more than another. He spent alot of time with prostitutes, tax collecters, and outcastes which i personally find amazing. So in this sense YES i think that Jesus' teachings can be the basis of a fullfilling life. He taught everyong how to live a decent life and how to become closer to GOD and his Kingdom. ISnt that what we all strive for anyway??

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh!

i am a christian. i believe all of the things that you listed. actually, your questions are interesting, because personally i am still searching for the distinction between someone who isn't a christian and someone who is. my dad believes that their are five keys to being a christian.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648

Believing that- Jesus Christ is God as one of the trinity
- Jesus was born of a virgin
- Jesus was with God and was God from the beginning of time
- Jesus gave his life up, on his own free will, for our sins
- Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his death, and ascended to Heaven

this is my personal belief. there are christians who believe that there are more than those five things that are vitally important to being a christian, but i disagree. how you live the rest of your life based on the Bible is based on your own personal interpretation of it. not that i'm saying that there isn't one correct interpretation, but what that is is easily disputed.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648
yes, i believe that living out Jesus' teaching can lead to a more spiritual life. if you read his teachings, you can see that most of them are teaching the two most important commandments of the Bible "Love the Lord your God with all of your soul, mind, and strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself"

Dear Aman Ji,
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648

I am of the opinion that discussion are good among the members, but they should not be initiated by those who are managing the site.

Very little is known about the historic Jesus. The Gospels which we read today were written much after the crucification of Jesus. The Gospels were finalised during the time of King Contestine, who funded the work and was not a Christin at that time, be joined this faith when he was on his death bed.

The life and teachings of Jesus can be the basis if we know enough about them. Today we have to depend mostly on Gospels. The life of Jesus between 12 to 30 years of age is not known. These 18 years are important. During this period he became what he was. The details of environment in which this transformation occured are not known. If I am not wrong, Jesus was crucified when he was 33 years old.

We still know very little about the historic Jesus and what he preached. What we know is from Gospels and now from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Computers and specially developed software are being used to discover if there is hidden meanings in the text coming from the time of Jesus.The research is continuing.

One has to be follower of her or his chosen faith from the depths of heart and soul.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648
As you all know, I am not a christian

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal Singh

**Off-Topic**

Respected Amarpal Ji,

I fully agree with your viewpoint. Actually, if we look at the creation date of this thread, we will realise that it is dated back to 08-31-2004. This thread was created during that period in which we were trying to establish SPN and it was the requirement of that time to introduce some new topics, which may be helpful in initiating a healthy dialogue... and with the blessings of patrons like yourself and many others, SPN seems to be establishing itself as a responsible representative of sikh philosophy. You would also notice that we, the sewadaars part, have somewhat become dormant and are involved in only backdoor activities like monitoring the discussions for profanity etc., promoting the website throughout the internet and regularly introducing new content by way of new articles, news and also new sections etc.

i personally think that initiating new topics becomes necessary for a novice like me to raise a issue which may be helpful to us in evolving.

We will keep your kind advice in mind for sure.

With warm regards
Aman Singh

Dear Aman Ji,

I agree with you. Thanks for prompt response.

Now I have realised that have dual responsibilities.

As administrator, you have to take care of us and also keep us on track. As an individual you have every right to participate in discussion.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=648

You can come into the discussions as Aman Singh 'Sewadaar'.

When you enter as the one managing the site you are Aman Singh 'Administrator'.

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal Singh

Amarpal Singh