But who determines which group or individual are "really" Christian?

That is quite simple. The LRA claims to base their actions on the Ten Commandments. One of them is the directive not to kill. It is in the Bible they say they follow.

Furthermore, Christ communicated that when one stores up anger against another, then he himself is liable to judgment against this commandment, Mt 5:21-22.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is promulgated as a "sure norm for teaching the faith" by the teaching authority of the Church, states in paragraph 2258:

"Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a spec...

But who determines which group or individual are "really" Christian?

That is quite simple. The LRA claims to base their actions on the Ten Commandments. One of them is the directive not to kill. It is in the Bible they say they follow.

Furthermore, Christ communicated that when one stores up anger against another, then he himself is liable to judgment against this commandment, Mt 5:21-22.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is promulgated as a "sure norm for teaching the faith" by the teaching authority of the Church, states in paragraph 2258:

"Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."

The LRA are at odds with the teachings of Christ, Scripture and the Church.

Should I assume that when I look at the sordid history of slaughter committed by self declared Christians that they were all somehow not practicing Christians? And if not please tell me who are the "true" practicing Christians who have no atrocities in their history?

If one does not follow the teachings of Christ, then how can they be Christians? Christians are humans and far from perfect and all are guilty of evil at some point in our lives. An example comes to mind with Paul of Tarsus, who was committed to getting rid of the early Christians usually by force. He eventually lamented his behavior and became a great saint and practicing Christian far superseding his evil deeds ...

Should I assume that when I look at the sordid history of slaughter committed by self declared Christians that they were all somehow not practicing Christians? And if not please tell me who are the "true" practicing Christians who have no atrocities in their history?

If one does not follow the teachings of Christ, then how can they be Christians? Christians are humans and far from perfect and all are guilty of evil at some point in our lives. An example comes to mind with Paul of Tarsus, who was committed to getting rid of the early Christians usually by force. He eventually lamented his behavior and became a great saint and practicing Christian far superseding his evil deeds with Christ like ones.

Are we only to focus on the faults of others rather than their good acts? Obviously we can not ignore past evils of others but focusing on them entirely is unprofitable.

The LRA claims to base their actions on the Ten Commandments. One of
them is the directive not to kill. It is in the Bible they say they
follow.

The LRA are at odds with the teachings of Christ, Scripture and the Church.

Scripture says in Exodus 32:27
And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man
his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout
the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion,
and every man his neighbour.

And in Matthew 10:34 Jesus says-
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Christians are humans and far from perfect ...

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The LRA claims to base their actions on the Ten Commandments. One of
them is the directive not to kill. It is in the Bible they say they
follow.

The LRA are at odds with the teachings of Christ, Scripture and the Church.

Scripture says in Exodus 32:27
And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man
his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout
the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion,
and every man his neighbour.

And in Matthew 10:34 Jesus says-
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Christians are humans and far from perfect and all are guilty of evil at some point in our lives.

1 John 3:9 says
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Obviously we can not ignore past evils of others but focusing on them entirely is unprofitable.

Quite true, but part of the problem with using the Bible as a guide for actions today is that one is forced to look at a source that deals with old past evils as well as good. I understand you may not want to focus on past evils but if you use the Bible as a guide for today should you ignore what is in it and how it has been interpreted and "used" from the time of it's writing till now?

Scripture says in Exodus 32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

Was Moses talking to the Levites or the LRA?

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Absolutely. Paul found that out firsthand. Instead of him retracting his trust and believe in Jesus as ordered by Roman officials, he freely chose the better, to die by decapitation. The first 300 years of Christianity gave their lives as witnesses to this very ...

Scripture says in Exodus 32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

Was Moses talking to the Levites or the LRA?

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Absolutely. Paul found that out firsthand. Instead of him retracting his trust and believe in Jesus as ordered by Roman officials, he freely chose the better, to die by decapitation. The first 300 years of Christianity gave their lives as witnesses to this very statement of Christ Jesus.

1 John 3:9 says Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

John also states in 1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Back up three verses in 1Jn 3:6 and the key to understanding 1 Jn 3:9 is to remain in Christ. If we follow Christ in righteousness and love our neighbor (1 Jn 3:10) then we act sinlessly. The times we do not, we belong to the enemy (1 Jn 3:8).

As John states in chapter 1, we all have sinned, including the beloved disciple. Thanks be to God, it need not be a permanent state, which is why we should remain in Him (1 Jn 3:9).

Bible as a guide for today should you ignore what is in it and how it has been interpreted and "used" from the time of it's writing till now?

We should never ignore what is written but we should be able to understand the difference between the relating of an event and the exhortation to live Christlike.

Was Moses talking to the Levites or the LRA?

Are you saying that Exodus 32:27 is only applicable to Levites?

By that argument I assume that much of Paul's letters in the new testament are totally irrelevant.
In Romans,Corinthians,Galatians etc. he is addressing very specific groups. If the LRA can't justify their actions because Moses was talking to the Levites and not to them then why are Paul's words to the Romans relevant to me today as a non ancient era Roman?

You say the LRA are not really Christian because they break the commandment against killing. But how do explain seemingly "true" Christians (both Catholic and non-Catholic military chaplins) who work with the a...

Was Moses talking to the Levites or the LRA?

Are you saying that Exodus 32:27 is only applicable to Levites?

By that argument I assume that much of Paul's letters in the new testament are totally irrelevant.
In Romans,Corinthians,Galatians etc. he is addressing very specific groups. If the LRA can't justify their actions because Moses was talking to the Levites and not to them then why are Paul's words to the Romans relevant to me today as a non ancient era Roman?

You say the LRA are not really Christian because they break the commandment against killing. But how do explain seemingly "true" Christians (both Catholic and non-Catholic military chaplins) who work with the army blessing the troops before they go off to kill this years enemies? Are they not really Christians either?

Are you saying that Exodus 32:27 is only applicable to Levites?

By that argument I assume that much of Paul's letters in the new testament are totally irrelevant.

It was only applicable to the Levites who happened to be present at the moment, since it was them to whom Moses was speaking to, Ex 32:26. I find it hard to believe that you would not be able to differentiate the retelling of an event within a specific situation and a general letter written to instruct a group of people who held the same belief.

In Romans,Corinthians,Galatians etc. he is addressing very specific groups.

True. Paul addresses varying circumstances at different geographic...

Are you saying that Exodus 32:27 is only applicable to Levites?

By that argument I assume that much of Paul's letters in the new testament are totally irrelevant.

It was only applicable to the Levites who happened to be present at the moment, since it was them to whom Moses was speaking to, Ex 32:26. I find it hard to believe that you would not be able to differentiate the retelling of an event within a specific situation and a general letter written to instruct a group of people who held the same belief.

In Romans,Corinthians,Galatians etc. he is addressing very specific groups.

True. Paul addresses varying circumstances at different geographical locations but his message was the same. Regardless of which specific location a certain epistle was intended for, all believers were called to the same mind, Ephesians 4:4-6,12-13.

You say the LRA are not really Christian because they break the commandment against killing.

They truly act un-Christianlike. The LRA would prefer to follow their leader who calls himself the spokesman of God, rather than the teachings of Christ. This varies from the mission of military chaplains who desire the spiritual and bodily goodwill of the soldiers they serve.

atrocities in the name of Christianity.

http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/2EA69ADE-A619-41CA-8BC6-2133A52A0AFF/

"Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."

But we can bypass the "sacredness" and create life via IVF. So the *no-one but God* rule is only valid when destroying and not creating life? When people are childless, is that not God's decision? Is it okay to...

atrocities in the name of Christianity.

http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/2EA69ADE-A619-41CA-8BC6-2133A52A0AFF/

"Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."

But we can bypass the "sacredness" and create life via IVF. So the *no-one but God* rule is only valid when destroying and not creating life? When people are childless, is that not God's decision? Is it okay to question his authority and make babies ourselves anyway? Nice

They truly act un-Christianlike. The LRA would prefer to follow their
leader who calls himself the spokesman of God, rather than the
teachings of Christ.

I agree that the LRA do not follow the teachings of Christ. However they have some things in common with some other religious groups or sects that refer to themselves as Christian.
The following is from a BBC article. I will put the link after the clips from the article.

His Lord's Resistance Army movement has been demanding that Uganda be ruled according to the Biblical 10 Commandments.

Young abductees, who have escaped from the LRA, say that Mr Kony would
tell them he got his instructions from the Holy Spirit and w...

They truly act un-Christianlike. The LRA would prefer to follow their
leader who calls himself the spokesman of God, rather than the
teachings of Christ.

I agree that the LRA do not follow the teachings of Christ. However they have some things in common with some other religious groups or sects that refer to themselves as Christian.
The following is from a BBC article. I will put the link after the clips from the article.

His Lord's Resistance Army movement has been demanding that Uganda be ruled according to the Biblical 10 Commandments.

Young abductees, who have escaped from the LRA, say that Mr Kony would
tell them he got his instructions from the Holy Spirit and would often
preach in tongues.


"When you go to fight you make the sign of the cross first. If you
fail to do this, you will be killed," one young fighter who escaped
from the LRA told Human Rights Watch.

"You must also take oil and draw a cross on your chest, your
forehead, and each shoulder, and you must make a cross in oil on your
gun. They say that the oil is the power of the Holy Spirit."

He uses biblical references to explain why it is necessary to
kill his own people, since they have - in his view - failed to support
his cause.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4320858.stm


My point is Kony and the LRA has the following things in common with some Christians.


They claim to be Christian.
They use the bible to justify what they do.
They use religious rituals.
Speaking in tongues.
Claim to act through the Holy Spirit.


Again it's easy to point out that Kony and his group are evil and NOT Christlike. But let me ask you the question again-

But who determines which group or individual are "really" Christian?

I imagine you believe the Catholic church are truly Christian. I'm guessing a Mormon would tell me that Mormons are the true Christians. Both can't be right given the differences between the

To an unbiased observer do they not all have an equal right to claim to be offering "true" Christianity?

A keen observation, if I may add. Many atheists/agnostics will group all Christians and assume they all believe the same doctrines.

Christ instituted a Church, an assembly gathered together to form the Body of Christ, Romans 12:5. This Church would have authority over the faithful and will preach the truth in season and out of season, Mt 18:15-17, 1 Tim 3:15. This Church is built on a foundation and is visible, Mt 16:18.

One should look into history for the answers as to why there are many denominations instead of just one, Jn 17:23. The first major schism was between ...

To an unbiased observer do they not all have an equal right to claim to be offering "true" Christianity?

A keen observation, if I may add. Many atheists/agnostics will group all Christians and assume they all believe the same doctrines.

Christ instituted a Church, an assembly gathered together to form the Body of Christ, Romans 12:5. This Church would have authority over the faithful and will preach the truth in season and out of season, Mt 18:15-17, 1 Tim 3:15. This Church is built on a foundation and is visible, Mt 16:18.

One should look into history for the answers as to why there are many denominations instead of just one, Jn 17:23. The first major schism was between the Catholic and Orthodox. Because of geographical, linguistic, political, and seemingly theological differences, The two churches split from one another after a culmination of various events.

The other main split in Christianity is due to the Reformation. Certain Protestant groups sought to reform the Church (rightly so) because of corruption within. Instead of reforming within, they protested against the doctrines which were used for gain by a few of the Catholic clergy. This protesting against the Church, lead to new doctrines to replace the old ones and basically tossed the Church along with them and from there was developed the doctrine of Sola Scriptura.

The Church was no longer needed, the Bible alone was the sole authority of faith and needless to say various interpretations of Scripture followed. Protestant argued against one another and developed their own traditions and other traditions from those.

A large majority of these denominations hold fast to the basic principles of Christianity ie. the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the salvific mission of Jesus, etc.