When Christianity becomes Churchianity

As the Apostles preached Jesus Christ, communities were formed in various parts of Asia Minor. Even in cosmopolitan cities, they established churches which included all groups of people. Churches were not formed according to ethnic identities. All were one in Christ. (Gal 3,28). They stuck to the essentials of Christian faith, i.e., they shared their God experience at the breaking of the Word of God and the Bread of life (Eucharist) (Acts, 2,42;Acts 20,7;1Cor 11,26; 16,2) and lived in brotherly communion(Acts 2,44; 4, 32). Christianity is all about sharing, compassion, kindness, love, forgiveness, patience, meekness, humility and simplicity of life.

The essentials of Christianity, for that matter of any Religion, has nothing or very little to do with the externals or accidentals to which religious people give so much importance today, i.e., rituals, practices, codes, dress, fast, prayer, preaching (often violent), uniformity, observances of Sabbath etc. These belong to the realm of religiosity and an overstress of it can lead to fundamentalism. Religiosity divides us but religion unites us.

Christianity is not a set of doctrines and dogmas but Christianity is Jesus Christ and it believes in the Fatherhood of God proclaimed by Jesus. Under God's fatherhood we are all Brothers and Sisters (Cf. Mt.5,44-48) and as such there is no difference based on caste, creed, colour, race or gender among Christians (Gal.3, 28). Brotherliness is the first cult in Christian worship and a heart harried by hatred and revenge can not offer fitting worship (Cf. Mt 5,23-24). Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, forgive your brother from your heart (Mt 5,44). Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul...and your neighbour as you love yourself (Lk 10,27). The essence of Christianity is to be found in the Beatitudes and in the Sermon on the Mount. 

Source: Morung Express