Openness of Christianity

A few questions about Christianity to think about:

What is required to become a Christian? Who can become a Christian? Do you have to have a lot of money? Do you have to undergo training on a mountain top? Does it require special training? Are there a lot of hoops to jump through?

As a way to look at Christianity, I'd like to contrast it with something else. It's a relatively new religion called Scientology.

- may not find it in the dictionary (not a real word) Spelled like "scientist" with "ology" tacked on the end.

• I've never met a scientologist have you?
  - church of scientology branch in Albuquerque
  - stars who are in it (John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Priscilla Presley)
  
  What is Scientology? You might have a hard tim even getting a straight answer out of a Scientologist. Scientology was created by L. Ron Hubbard in the 50's. Hubbard was a science fiction writer. You may have heard or seen a commercial at some point for his book, Dianetics. When you begin Scientology, you are audited. Auditing means you are tested with a machine called an E-meter that's kind of like a lie detector. As an "expert" works the machine, you grab two metal handles and have an interview where the person talks to you and asks questions. Apparently, the machine itself doesn't actually do anything and the person running it just sort of makes it up as they go along. Scientology says that people need to be continually audited to eventually achieve a state of what they call "clear." A lot of special terms here. Many other special terms I won't get into here. It involves a lot of mixed-up psychology. One big part of it all is that people have to pay a lot of money for the books and processes involved. The church of Scientology is very rich and is heavily based on conning unreasonable amounts of money out of the people who subscribe to it. It's not just voluntary contributions, but compulsory purchases that you have to make.

Now, in Christianity as in any religion, it takes money and time and labor of evangelists to teach people and increase our numbers. But the method is different. Contributions are voluntary. Sometimes, these contributions from Christians go toward helping brothers and sisters who are poor and in difficult times.

2 Corinthians 9
⁷   Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

A central idea of Christianity is generosity is emphasized but we don't buy our way to salvation. Salvation is a gift from God that we access through Jesus Christ.

Paul talked about contributions to support the work of the church in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 16
¹   Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
²   On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
³   Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.

The church of Christ does support itself through the contributions of its members as we see the example in the early churches.

This is a good thing. You can be a terribly poor person in a country in famine and still come to Christ. This is because God gives us a gift of mercy when we need it most.

^{Romans 5}

⁶   You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
⁷   Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
⁸   But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
⁹   Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

...

²⁰   The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

The more one has sinned in their past, the more forgiveness God offers to them as they come to Jesus. They don't earn their way through works or money.

Now...back to Scientology. Scientology has levels that the person advances in throughout the years. After they get up to what's called OT III, the real story is revealed. (Remember here that Hubbard was a science fiction writer.) Scientology says that an alien galactic ruler named Xenu was in charge of a bunch of overpopulated planets and had to do something about it. He put them on rocket planes and transported them to some volcanoes and used H-bombs to do away with them. Their spirits are still around today and inhabit all people and they need to get rid of them through auditing. This sounds crazy but you don't find out about it until you've already invested incredible amounts of money and time in scientology advancing through the different levels.

The church of scientology tries to protect this information as a secret through copyright and often sues people who publish information about it.

So, this is all very strange...to have a religion where you hide the main details and have people buy them. Christianity is quite different in that anyone whether rich or poor can come to Christ and be saved. You can find all of the details in the bible which is freely published around the world. In fact, the central idea of Christianity is that Jesus freely died for us.

Jesus talks about how he carries the burden of our sins

Matthew 11
²⁸   "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
²⁹   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
³⁰   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Christ is very open here. All who are having hard times in life can come to him. There are no secrets. You can read all about it in the bible. You believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and then are buried in baptism to symbolically die to the world and begin life in Christ. Then you continue to live in a way that glorifies Christ, studying God's word to be obedient to please him.

As we see in Scientology and many other religions that pop up, the ideas of men come and go. It can often take just one charismatic leader to start an entire movement of his own.

We are warned about this in

Colossians 2
⁶   So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
⁷   rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
⁸   See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Invitingness of Christianity

Revelation 22
¹⁷   The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

no matter what you've done in your past, you can be forgiven through Jesus Christ
Paul talks about the former lives of some who were in the church at that time.

1 Corinthians 6
⁹   Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
¹⁰   nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

[This sounds pretty bad. If you read this out of context, you might think that there are some sins so bad that you can't get to heaven...but look here in verse 11]
¹¹   And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Of course, we are expected to change our lives and turn away from evils after we become Christians. It is a change in our lives. But once you've begun in that new life, you are forgiven of whatever was in your past.

- there was the man in 1^st Corinthians had his father's wife and was forgiven later in 2^nd Corinthians.

- Of course, the greatest example of a turn-around...Paul's conversion.

Conclusion: I'm very happy that God has set up things the way he has. Anyone can come to Christ and become a new creature in him. We can become better people through him...more loving, more generous and more faithful, not depending on anything in this life for our fulfillment, but depending on God to provide what is needed. There are not multiple levels that you have to advance through for salvation. The bible can be obtained freely in many places throughout the world and there are many who will tell you all they know on the subject. It's all very open and available.