AAAAHHH... It is good to be at a place where people think. Even if they oppose each other. I work at a Christian ministry, but I tire quickly of listening to their dogmatics. I only wish I had found this Forum more quickly.

This has officially become another god is god isnt debate with no end . I could come up with some answers for your questions , but then it will lead to more questions .

And their is no church of Xenojjin , I am stating the beliefs of foursquare mainstream christianity ( also just known as "christianity" without the catholic influence or other sects ) If you do not believe the christian religion teaches the same thing I do , then you dont know what they teach .

As for christianity and catholicism , you need to read into them both . They are truly differant and if you actually took time to research it yourself you would know what I mean .

some examples

Catholics pray to the virgin mary as if she was another god . Christians do not . This differance of diety alone is more then enough to nullify any claims the two are the same

Catholics have an extended set of rules that were added on by England . These rules do not apply to christians in any way ( For instance , flogging yourself when you do something wrong is not christian )

Catholicism allows killing people / threatenin them with death as means of conversion , christianity does not

Catholics preach that disobeying your goverment will immediatly send you into the pits of hell . Christians do not .

Sex is holy in christianity , but not in catholicism .

Catholics have a much stricter line of punishments .

Another big one ---> Catholics believe that you must confess all of your sins or else you will be purged into hell . They have this odd rating system that defines what you have done that you have not confessed . If you have done "little" sins all of your life you are then sent to "Limbo" to do some sort of spiritual community service for god . Christianity simply asks you believe jesus die for your sins and you automatically are placed on the list for heaven , no limbo . And in christianity , sin is sin . No rating system .

Christians believe in hell . Catholics believe in 9 layers of hell as defined by dante's inferno .

Catholics teach that christians are sent to some weird little island when they die
... whatever...

But beyond that they are about 60 % the same . but still differant .

Much of what Catholics believe is tradition, not any thing taught by the Bible. Maybe much of it is not true. But does it affect their salvation? I don't think so.

If you were to go by the christian faith , christians say catholics still go to heaven since they fullfill the one requirement of believing in jesus . As I said , 60% of the stuff is the same .

on a lighter note , I recently heard something like this .

I thought Christianity was the teaching of Jesus Christ. What is your Christianity?
The Bible says whosoever believes on Jesus Christ shall be saved. That is it's way of salvation. Much of the other stuff does not matter

Christianity is the teaching of jesus christ and catholisim also does the same thing , but the other little stuff does matter in the fact that they are differant . Athiests often argue that the persecution of those for not being protestant over time is proof against god being good . In catholicism you may kill people to convert them while in christianity you can not .

Their would be no differance in my salvation if was catholic , but I am christian anyways out of self respect .

oi ! *smacks self on forehead*

Moe hereby declares this thread "yet another for or against Christianity thread." Why does every topic in skeptics corner end up as the same type of organized despair involving the same culprits?
Moe belives this phenomenon belongs at Unexplained Mysteries .com because it is very much an unexplained mystery.
Is it caused by the Aliens? El-Chupacabra? I have it- the MIBs!!
Yes! Moe is on to you all. Trying to distract us from discussing govt. conspiracies by using the debater's favorite topic . " Religion VS. Science. "
But we are on to you MIBs!! Oh yes!! Let the veil be taken off of our eyes!!

I'm agreein with moe. This threads pretty much ran the full gambit. We all now what each other believes, and we're gonna keep on believing it regardless. Unless anyone got something new I'm posting the White Flag.