Being religious and doing good things won't get a person into heaven...Some Protestant churches (Christians) believe the Bible when it says that salvation is thru Faith (that Jesus is your savior) without works, lest any man should boast...And-That no one can come to the Father but by Me (Jesus)
Be difficut to covey that message when standing arm in arm with muzlims, hindus, etc...
I concur with the sentiments of the 'renegade' church...
Yeah, thats the way to convert people. Shun them.
'Being religious and doing good things won't get a person into heaven..."
Would Jesus have refused charitable works to the needy?
It's people like this that make me laugh at the claims of being 'Saved', with no offense intended towards you personally (as I have no idea of the life you lead!!).
I mean, really. WWJD?
There are many sects of the Church of God:
http://www.biblefacts.org/history/denom/chog.html
Honestly, I had never heard of it before this article.
"Be difficut to covey that message when standing arm in arm with muzlims, hindus, etc... "
Really? How about conveying Christianity's message to those folks? Pretty hard to do unless you communicate with them. What better way than to cooperate in helping others.
How do you feel about their refusing to donate to an organization because of the Catholics in it? Aren't Catholics Christians?
Actually, the parable of the Good Samaritan seems to fit this case perfectly!
We are expected to take care of all of God's people no matter who they are.
Uh......so, how do you expect to bring them to Christ if you don't interact with them?
The Epistle of James starting in Chapter 1:
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Chapter 2:
13 For he shall have judgment without bmercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
These are the foundation stones of my religion: Faith in Jesus Christ and whatever works I am capable of doing as an offering unto Him.
Paul was speaking of Rabbinical traditions. Oh, and Jesus set down a whole bunch of things a person had to do to prove they had "come unto Him."
Faith and works are two sides of the same coin. You won't do the works without the faith, and without the faith, the works are meaningless, but to say that Christ requires nothing but a verbal profession (and why isn't that a work?) shows a very sloppy reading of scripture.