Easter/Orthodox Easter/Civil Rights Day/Cheese Fondue Day/Easter Parade (New York)/Merrie Monarch Festival (Hawaii)
2004-04-11 @ 10:31 p.m.

Yet another Easter has come and gone. I didn't even attend the Easter service today, because we had a meeting after YE, and the service was halfway through by the time we'd finished. I did partake of the refreshments though! Raveloe, remember that. Speaking of varieties of faith, let's be provocative today. Are Catholics really Christians too? What about the charismatic and evangelical movements? I've wondered about this ever since I read a lesson plan that basically slammed Roman Catholicism. Granted, it was written by a Baptist, and some Baptists declare their denomination to be the "one true Church". What exactly makes a Christian? The most simplistic answer - a belief in God, that Jesus died for our sins and rose again after the third day. Is that really all there is to it though? What happens when there is a common thread of belief, but plenty of other things contradict each other? For example, where in the Bible is Purgatory mentioned? There's Heaven, and there's Hell. Period. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm not. How about transubstantiation, the belief that the wafer and wine and transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus? That would make for a rather interesting Communion. Isn't that cannibalism? In case you think I'm being unfair to Roman Catholics, I don't see the necessity of confirmation, which only Roman Catholics and Anglicans practise, since it isn't a sacrament like Holy Communion and baptism.

After thinking long and hard about this whole confounded thing, I've reached a conclusion. Being a Christian isn't defined solely by belief, but also by the practice of your faith. If it were, at least half of the supposed Christians in the whole are damned, because they've got some grave doctrinal error. There are certain beliefs which are central to Christianity, and there are things which pretty much don't matter because only the theologians would want to argue about them. Like predestination. If God is omniscient, does he already know who's damned eternally? If so, isn't that rather unfair? I should ask my godfater about that, he might even be impressed! Back to the question on Roman Catholics, etc. I am personally inclined to exclude the Roman Catholic Church from the ranks of Christianity. That is not to say that all Roman Catholics, evangelicals, charismatics, etc. are not regenerate Christians. I can quite safely say that many Roman Catholics themselves aren't fully aware of Roman Catholic doctrine, nor how it compares to Biblical doctrine. If they were (thinking), they would see the contradictions that sometimes arise, which lead me to question the status of this church. Then again, I'm a confirmed Anglican, and the Anglican Church's official position is that the Roman Catholics are brethren. Personally, I would prefer to be non-denominational. Far less controversial that way. One day, I will study theology, and I'll make up my mind about this issue, and I might just decide to leave the Anglican Church. Not a very reassuring thought for Easter Sunday, is it?

This week:

Garden Week