Copyright https://www.christianity.com 2025, Christianity.com Mon, 27 Jan 2025 02:20:04 -0500 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-the-elks-lodge-and-is-it-a-religious-group.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-the-elks-lodge-and-is-it-a-religious-group.html Justin Wiggins https://www.christianity.com/author/justin-wiggins/ Though the Elks Lodge is not exclusively a Christian organization, it does believe in a higher power. However, the organization is open to people from different spiritual worldviews, whether Pagan, Muslim, Jew, Unitarian, Sikh, or Hindu. Mon, 20 Jan 2025 07:35:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-the-christadelphian-church-and-their-beliefs.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-the-christadelphian-church-and-their-beliefs.html Justin Wiggins https://www.christianity.com/author/justin-wiggins/ Christadelphians are a small Protestant sect of Christianity that was founded in the19th century by John Thomas. Thomas was born in England and eventually emigrated to America in 1832. After Thomas questioned the authenticity of the Anglican church, he came to the conclusion that there was no need for any priests, liturgy, or communion. During his time in America, Thomas became part of a religious community and began to develop his own theology based on his study of Scripture. He wrote a book called Elpis Israel, published in 1849. This theological work provides context on what Christadelphians believe. Thomas believed many modern churches had departed from the early church communities of the first century. Through his writings, publications, and speaking tours, Thomas came to influence thousands of people. This community of his followers became known as “Christadelphians” and was officially founded in 1848. The name of the religious community means "brothers and sisters in Christ" in the original Greek. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/dbvirago Mon, 20 Jan 2025 05:25:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-henotheism-and-how-is-it-different-from-christianity.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-henotheism-and-how-is-it-different-from-christianity.html Justin Wiggins https://www.christianity.com/author/justin-wiggins/ The philologist and Oxford professor, Max Muller, popularized the term henotheism. In contrast to biblical trinitarian monotheism, Henotheism is the belief in one supreme god amongst many other deities. In this context, although henotheism is theistic in its belief about there being a divine source for all creation and humanity, it rejects the view that there is only one true God to be believed in. The roots of henotheism can be traced back to ancient Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and other religions of the ancient world such as Egyptian, Greek, and Roman religions. Though there are many gods in these different religions, the common thread amongst them is that there is one supreme god that is greater than all the other deities in the pantheon.Christianity is a trinitarian monotheistic faith, and although Christians have different theological and political views since the Body of Christ is quite diverse, it rejects the view of there being many other gods. Throughout the biblical narrative, Christ is described as existing before the world began, and being a good and loving God that gives his life as a ransom for many. It is through this message of hope that people can experience true freedom and redemption in the present and hope for what is to come in eternity. The significant difference between polytheism and henotheism is that polytheism is a spiritual view that allows someone to believe in many different gods. In contrast, henotheism does not since it espouses belief in one god among many, while acknowledging that there are other gods. A good example of this is from the ancient Hindu religion. Although there are thousands of different deities within the religion, the Brahma is the one that is above all the other deities such as Krishna and Vishnu.             Photo credit: ©GettyImages/phototechno Fri, 03 Jan 2025 11:50:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-collectivism-and-is-it-biblical.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-collectivism-and-is-it-biblical.html Justin Wiggins https://www.christianity.com/author/justin-wiggins/ Distinct differences between certain philosophical views have been debated and argued over for thousands of years throughout human history. One particular view, called collectivism, was first written about by the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, but officially introduced by the Dutch social psychologist Gert Hofstede. This branch of philosophy emphasizes the ultimate good of the community over the needs of the individual. Collectivism is very important in countries such as India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Guatemala, and others. Positive aspects of how collectivism has influenced these cultures are strong family bonds, a deep understanding of community, and keeping its own unique culture, language, and art alive despite how much technology changes culture. A negative aspect of how collectivism influences these cultures is the pressure on an individual to conform to a certain group expectation, no matter what they themselves desire for their own life path. For example, if a young man or woman desires to become a musician, writer, or teacher when their parents are expecting them to become doctors or engineers, there will be a conflict that could cause family ties to be broken. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Rawpixel Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:50:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/do-mormons-celebrate-christmas.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/do-mormons-celebrate-christmas.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ Christmas dominates secular and religious culture. But do Mormons celebrate it? And if so, do they have different practices? Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:40:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-the-order-of-the-eastern-star-and-what-do-they-believe.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-the-order-of-the-eastern-star-and-what-do-they-believe.html Tammy Kennington https://www.christianity.com/author/tammy-kennington/ More than 500,000 men and women belong to the Order of the Eastern Star in the United States. What are this organization's beliefs? Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-manichaeism-beliefs-history-and-difference-from-christianity.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-manichaeism-beliefs-history-and-difference-from-christianity.html G. Connor Salter https://www.christianity.com/author/connor-salter/ Manichaeism is a worldview that has many things in common with Christianity and even mentions Jesus but offers a very different view of Jesus and salvation. Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:55:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-utilitarianism-and-is-it-compatible-with-christianity.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-utilitarianism-and-is-it-compatible-with-christianity.html Meghan Trapp https://www.christianity.com/author/meghan-trapp/ The tenets of utilitarianism dictate that the best moral decision is the one that produces the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:20:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-sikhism-and-what-do-sikhs-believe.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-is-sikhism-and-what-do-sikhs-believe.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ Sikhism remains a mystery to many, but exploring its beliefs can help Christians today better engage with those who follow the religion in love and respect.   Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-should-christians-know-about-stoicism.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-should-christians-know-about-stoicism.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ It's important to know that the New Testament church rose and developed in a culture dominated by philosophies like Stoicism. Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:10:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:20:04-05:00