I would like to have a serious discussion as to why Christians choose Church doctrine over the Scriptures. I've said may times that when Scripture runs up against Church doctrine, Church doctrine always wins. This should not be. The Scriptures should "ALWAYS" trump Church doctrine. So, I'd like to have a serious and honest conversation about this, and why it happens. We've discussed the Trinity doctrine so let's give that a break. Let's take the Heavenly Destiny doctrine. Christians claim that they go to Heaven when they die. That is stated "NOWHERE" in Scripture. On the contrary what is stated is Jesus telling the apostles that where He was going, they could not come. So, If Jesus explicitly told the disciples that they could not go to Heaven. Why do Christians believe and teach that people go to Heaven when they die?
We have had three threads in the last month discussing this, why do you keep pushing this?
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Church doctrine alone is an interesting topic. The Catholic church for example has refined and tested its beliefs for over the last 1,500 years. Baptists churches, for 400 years. Methodists, 200 years. Modern Pentecostal, 120 years.
People always debate. These beliefs that have existed for so long have survived scrutiny. God has given each of us working brains and five senses. As such to claim that church doctrine is nowhere in scripture, is very naive. Cultish beliefs where followers at large are sheep, don't usually last long.
Church doctrine today is a rather more complex topic as we are living in the last days. Almost anything goes. You can find a 'church' to attend even if you are actively homosexual or are removing the sexual parts of your seven year old child.
What you find when you interrogate the older more refined Christian 'church' doctrines is that they agree on the material matters and only really disagree on immaterial matters and perhaps certain practises. Like for example how a church meeting is run.
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As to your OP insinuation. ''
Nobody goes to heaven because no scripture says they do''.
It is not in any well established church doctrines because it is a very silly theory.
1. It is illogical
Worse than a flat earth belief.
A - Does the fact that today we have people flying to the moon, creating space stations there and planning to fly to mars go against scripture stating that God placed us on earth?
B - We have managed to fly to the moon in 6k years alive, imagine what we could achieve in a centillion years. If anything we should be more restricted right now being in a sinful state.
C - Imagine a husband telling His wife that she is not allowed in his house after their honeymoon. Christians are the bride of Christ.
2. It is evil as it stumbles young believers
Telling young Christians that they must give their lives 100% to Jesus and then telling them that that is still not enough for them to be welcomed into His home.
3. It is most certainly not what scripture teaches
A. 2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Where does God live? A - Shanghai? B - New York? C- Heaven?
B. Rev 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
The altar mentioned in verse 9 is in heaven. Here is a link explaining this -
The Altar in Revelation (see paragraph 4).
C. Phil 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
What does citizenship mean? A - Illegal alien with no passport, B - resident with a passport who can come and go as they please?
D. 1 Thess 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The Lord comes down from heaven, and He says we will
be with Him forever, when He raptures us. Does that mean we are taken with Him at the moment to: A - Mars, B - Pluto or C - Heaven?
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The more one interrogates this belief, the more you find it is part and parcel of two other heresies. 1. No trinity and 2. Annihilationism.
Jesus is not God, so He cannot take you to heaven. Right?
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Extremely illogical, irrational but at least cute dance performance around scripture incoming, need to get my popcorn!