THEOLOGY IN CHRISTIAN CONTEXT

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   Osa Osazuwa-Tosanposted 16 years ago

   Eager to learn the meaning of the word, "THEOLOGY" and its relationship to Christianity, I searched through the dictionary and got the following definition:
   
   "The study or a system of theistic (esp. Christian) religion" . I went on to look up the word, "THEISM" and it reads: "Belief in gods or a god, esp. a supernatural revealed god to man". SOURCE - THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF CURRENT ENGLISH, REVISED 2ND EDITION, EDITED BY DELLA THOMPSON.
   
   My point of interest is the word "theism" from where "theistic" derives. From the meanig of theism here, we have to contend with 'gods' or "a god", and not the Most Holy God of the Bible, to whom Christianity owes its origin and existence, of whom Christians are offsprings, and to whom they owe absolute reverential attention in obedience and adoration; or worship.
   
   It is this atheistic view that unsettles me, and I'm sure, all serious minded Christians. Christians do not believe in gods or for that matter a god. And Christianity is not, in the first instance, a study, but the acceptance of divine love through Christ, which brings about subsequent SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE FAITHFUL by divine providence.
   
   To this end, THEOLOGY in the Christian context, is THE ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIANITY AS A DISCIPLINE OF HUMAN STUDY, WITHOUT THE UNCONDITIONAL DESIRE TO LIVE PRACTICALLY BY ITS ESSENTIAL DIVINE DEMANDS.
   
   Christianity is not and cannot be reduced to a mere analysis (no matter how detailed and seemingly useful they may be) of intellectual and academic facts without the living experience of the "LIFE HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD". In other words, CHRISTIANITY IS NOT THE RULES, BUT THE EXPERIENCE; IT IS NOT THE THEORY, BUT THE PRACTICE OF THE OF CHRIST.

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   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   Why does the atheistic view "unsettle," you?

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      Osa Osazuwa-Tosanposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      The word atheistic unsettles me because the God I know and serve as a Christian is ONE GOD. And I'm speaking strictly in the Christian context as the title makes quite clear.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         But why would you be unsettled by this? The atheistic view is that there is NO GOD.
         
         We make no distinction between your little god and all the other gods.
         
         You and I are both atheists - I just believe in one less god than you do

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   kerrygposted 16 years ago

   Did you think that the English language sprang fully formed into existence like Athena from the head of Zeus?
   
   It's a mashup of two ancient Greek words: theos (god) and logos (study, study of). The Greeks were pagan, in case you didn't notice. The word theology was first used by Plato, hundreds of years before Christ's birth. The use of the word and others based on the root word "theos" is not specific to Christianity, so unless you want to make up your own special Christian language, I'm afraid you're just going to have to deal with the fact that Christianity is not, in fact, the only religion in the world, nor is it the only one to which the English language applies.
   
   The word God, by the way, comes from "gott," the word for God used by the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe. Who were also pagan, incidentally. And it is believed to be related to the Persian (pagan, then Muslim!) khoda and the Sanskrit (also pagan!) hu or gheu.

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      Osa Osazuwa-Tosanposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your indepth but concise analysis of the word and the history of religion(s).
      
      It is not out of place to have a language for Christianity because language is actually relative to culture. In any case Christianity already has its own language - the language of SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE. And of course language is not finite, so it can still be developed based of true knowledge.
      
      My concern is in not muddling Christianity up with the myriads of religions. Christianity is actually not within the realm of religion as men know it. This is what I tried to make clear in my presentation.

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   gamergirlposted 16 years ago

   Christianity, like every single other religion in the universe, is the creation of the hearts and minds of men.  No outside forces cause you to believe the way you do, there is only perception and interpretation.  I do wish you well on your spiritual path, but please realize that not everything relating to religion belongs to Christianity.  There were other religions before Christianity, and there will be other religions after it.

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      Osa Osazuwa-Tosanposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      That's precisely the point. Religions have been and will continue to come and go as you say. But Christianity, the REALITY OF THE LIFE OF GOD IN MAN THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF MEN BY THE LOVE OF GOD, will continue to be just that
      .
      GOD BLESS!

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