unum

"Earth is to be one race, one nation of believers. Earth as a whole is meant to be like this, not just bits and pieces of it, one village here, one town there, one country here, one denomination there. Christ's resurrection has created the possibility of a redeemed global humanity and despite all our diversity, it is unity and equality that are to be paramount." -Murray Andrew Pura

Ecumenism (oecumenism): a movement promoting unity among Christian churches or denominations.
touchy subject for some folks, mostly because they sometimes confuse it with the contrasting term-
Interfaith: a movement promoting worldwide unity among religions though greater cooperation and improved understanding.
Basically, all of this is somewhat controversial, depending on who you talk to about it.

I'm a fan of both Ecumenism and Interfaith...to a certain extent. You could probably say that I have conservative views on them. Yeah, I know...conservative...scary.

Here is what most people think the pattern of religious unity consists of:
1. A tolerant perspective of other denominations in Chrisitianity (Ecumenism).
2. Acceptance of cults.
3. Desire for unity within all religions (Interfaith).

Do you seriously think I will I ever accept a cult? No. And that is where I draw the line. Now people, unity is important. You know that, I know that. But, I know what the foundation of my faith is though, and I won't compromise that. In Christianity, I do think that each denomination should live in harmony with others. Despite all of our differences, regarding worship styles, practices, and the way we interpret the Scriptures, we should be united in by one thing- our faith in Jesus Christ. A single Christian church? I don't know how I feel about that. That is one of the literal meaning of Ecumenism though. I believe that God gives us unique personalities and the ability to worship and serve in whatever context necessary.


On the subject of Interfaith, I think that we should indeed coexist with one another. I believe that everyone has a right to be a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist, or whatever he or she chooses to be. And while I believe this, I do believe that everyone should hear about Jesus Christ though. This should be done by persuasion of the power of the Holy Spirit, not by force or coercion of any kind. I will never, ever force my beliefs upon someone and that is something I feel strongly about. I think all Christians should respect other believers of other worldly religions, not condemning them with hate, but expressing love, to create a certain amount of unity among everyone.

I guess I'm done with ranting...for tonight.