Father help us to understand your word. Help us to do what pleases you.
Why does Christianity have so many differences of opinion?
The answer lies in how our culture and beliefs were influenced by the religious rituals that preceded the adoption of Christianity. Many Christian sects have simply overlaid Christianity over their existing beliefs like a veneer. In a lot of ways they are similar to the Samaritans of the Assyrian Empire (II Kings 17:28-41). For example substitute Yahweh for Oden or Zeus and the stories which surround them and you've got your explanation of heaven, hell, forces of good verses evil, creation, in fact the whole works. The reason is that this is easier to 'sell' on the mass market, a bit of re-branding and the job is complete.
However this brings to light certain problems which verge on the blasphemous and irreverent.
Here is where my faith differs. If we look back at Christianity it started as a logical extension to the Jewish faith. It was instituted because the Jews had become introspective and elitist. Instead of being a nation of kings and priest to the world as God intended, they had become self-centred, looking at the temple and law as a means to an end. In short, they weren't doing the job God had given them. But it is important that we look to Jewish doctrine and belief as the foundation for ours. After all, it is still the same God, and he hasn't changed.
Unfortunately the world tends to hold the Jews in derision. God said that would happen (Deut 28:37, I Kings 9:7, II Chron 7:20). So instead of accepting the Jewish faith as a foundation, Christianity built upon the pagan beliefs that were found in northern and western Europe. From these beliefs they substitute Heaven for Valhalla or Mt. Olympus, and the idea of conflict between good and evil comes in almost every pagan myth, where gods and goddesses abound. Even the very days of the week are named after the Norse gods (and the sun and moon). If you've read about the Norse Christianization and the subsequent spread of Christianity through Ireland, Scotland then England, the lives of Bede and other early Christian monks then you'll understand perfectly just how intermingled paganism and Christianity has become.
However the Jews, and fundamentalist Christians have a much simpler religion. Their beliefs are very different from those of the religions around them. This may go a long way to explain the animosity that some 'Christians' feel against them.
So I'm going to explain what I believe.
I believe that God is the only God. He is omnipotent. No one or anything can go against him. However other faiths follow the pagan belief that there are forces of evil that can not only ignore God but can thwart or fight against him. To me this reduces the power of God.
But what has that got to do with how we live our lives? Well for as start, it means we accept responsibility for our actions and don't point the finger at an invisible something, blaming it. So we can be repentant when we come before God, not looking to blame someone else. To believe that we are nothing more than pawns in a game of divine conquest is to make life meaningless. If we're not responsible for our actions, good or bad, what is the reward likely to be? God is good, and we are not, but we can try - fits in a nutshell the battle between good and evil.
I believe Jesus is the son of God, born of Mary by the Holy Spirit. He was human in all aspects that we are. He was tempted as we are. And he died. And he was raised by God on the third day. As the promised descendent of David, he will receive the right to the throne of David, in Jerusalem at a time appointed by God.
What has this got to do with us? Jesus understands our hopes, our fears and our failures. His death showed God that someone could love God to the point of the grave, and his resurrection shows us the reward that can be available to those who try to do God's will.