Originally posted by Nick Bourbaki
These axioms or beliefs form a theology, right?
Of course. You may nod your head and say "I agree" and decide you do not want to know the Person of Christ.
What have you proved by pointing this out ?
And they are based on specific literature, which contains the narrative that has established your belief in a divine authority and in Jesus.
Okay. And a person may decide to agree in some objective way or to disagree. But what is central is knowing the Person of Christ.
You may decide the resurrection is plausible and not come forward to receive the risen Christ.
Members of the Christian religion, to varying degrees, have in common their adherence to the tenets of faith that you espouse, and take the same literature as you as their authoritative text etc.
And members of you Christian religion may also not be members of Christ.
Did you ever read the parable of the wheat and the tares in
Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43 ? This was a parable and a prophecy predicting what would happen.
I'd like you to read it rather than just take my comment on it. But in essence Jesus is saying -
In the future there will be nominal followers of Jesus. They are represented by tares. The real believers are represented by wheat. The tares and the wheat can be so much alike in appearance that the disciples of Christ will not always be able to tell the difference.
The presence of tares among the wheat will be to the detriment of the wheat. The presence of false Christian, nominal Christians, will be a detriment to genuine Christians. But do not attempt to go throughout the world and police like eliminate false Christians from real Christians. You will not be able always to tell the difference and in so doing you will make mistakes and root up true Christians.
Leave it to the angels of God who will not make a mistake at the end of the age.
This instruction was not always heeded. The Roman Catholic Church actually attempted to do what Christ commanded not to be done. They went out throughout the world to try to eliminate what they thought were false Christians. And in DOING SO, they DID actually persecute and kill many true disciples of Christ.
Now, relevant to the point being discussed on this thread, I think most people look at the conglomerate of true Christians and nominal Christians as ALL under one category -
Christianity.
Christendom or Christianity may be the label that most of the world slaps on the entire mixed thing. "That is Christianity."
Please read the passage and the interpretation that Christ Himself gives to the parable.
The parable
Matthew 13:24-30
Christ's own interpretation of the parable
verses 36-43 .
So, I do not understand how the assertions you make can be used to justify saying "Christianity is not a religion".
I prefer just that you grasp that Jesus Christ is a living Person.
I'm happy if you can see that.