[TolkienGurl]

First of all, I am Christian. I was baptized by a Lutheran church but I do not like the use of denominations to describe one's faith. What I mean by Christian is this:

ONE WHO IS CHRISTIAN...
believes in the Trinity - Father Son and Holy Ghost - Three persons in One God
believes that Jesus Christ is true God and true man.
believes the only way to heaven is by believing in Christ and his death on the cross - not by anything man has ever done. Ephesians 2:8-9
believes the Holy Bible is the true and infalliable Word of God and everything in it is absolutely true.

I am not trying to set myself apart from others by stating the fact that I am Christian, but I do believe that true Christianity as defined above is the true way to glorify God and attain heaven through faith. Denominations such as Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, etc are not needed. It should just be Christian, used as a collective term for those who fill the definition.

Christianity is not a denomination. Denominations are sections of the church that have modified (extensively or minimally) the true Bible and teach certain aspects of it (and ignore others) whether actually contained in the Bible or not.

If you disagree, please do not take offense. None was meant.

I am Christian (by the above definition) and when I say that Tolkien and Lewis do include Biblical principles and ideas from the Holy Bible I am not being critical of other religions. On the other hand, I do not have to say "Well, if Tolkien and Lewis have Christian principles in their works then they also contain principles from other religions because if they don't then that's not fair." Just because a famous writer decides to use a Christian source as an inspiration for their works doesn't mean that he has to "be fair" to other religions. If he doesn't believe in Buddhism, for example, does he have to teach/imply priniples of Buddhism through his writings? No! Saying something is Christian is not being unfair to other religions or detrimental in any way. Saying something is Christian does not say "Ha ha I am right and all other beliefs are wrong." What Christianity is is a person's belief in the Bible unmodified by denominations. It is essentially truth.

Thanks for reading my long winded explanation. If I was too harsh, I apologize. No offense was meant.

[ September 21, 2002: Message edited by: TolkienGurl ]