I don't think judging Christianity based on the life of Jesus is smart or on solid foundations either. Jesus didn't found Christianity or write its books or develop its churches, sects, customs, traditions, etc. . . The Christians that did found it and the churches that have continued to form, develop, and evolve are all thoroughly, indisputably 100% human. The influence of Jesus' teachings may be present in the texts, liturgy, organizations and individuals, but if you are evaluating or judging "Christianity" you are absolutely judging humans and their organizations, and as we are inherently flawed people and as churches and Christians have done some really evil stuff, a fair, rational and objective person can look poorly upon Christians or the churches but still hold Jesus in the highest of high regards. The Church wants it to be one in the same for obvious reasons, but my belief is that the religion should be evaluated and judged separately from Jesus.
Evaluating Jesus and evaluating Christianity are two entirely different thing.
Don't quite understand your point. The Church and Christ go very much hand in hand and is the same relationship wise as marriage.
Christ is the bridegroom in the relationship to the Church as the bride. The Church being the followers of Christ. Paul speaks candidly on the subject in Corinthians, to the Corinthians about religion versus being a follower of Christ.
Many references in the Bible of Christ the bridegroom and the Church as the bride, in how a man and woman should treat each other and live. This is the big problem with same sex marriage and Biblical teachings. It bastardizes the type of marriage relationship deplicted in the Bible between a man and woman and the sanctity of it in how our relationship to Christ should be.
Of course, we, man, has bastardized the sexes into a mish mash of political correctness, taking away the very differences that God created and put in place to allow growth and understanding of each other. Now, we don't even know what sex we are.
The Church is called to follow Christ, support each other and spread the gospel of Christ. That is all the Church does, or is biblically called to do.
Yes, man makes religion, but man did not create the Word of God. While someone might have a problem with how a Bapt, Methodist or Episcopalian Church conducts their business, you can't argue with Paul or Words from Christ in how we should conduct our lives.
On the same note..... People will bash the Church for making it man's business, yet support those who do the same thing to fit their own lifestyles. Yes, man has spent his life trying to work God into what he wants.
You either except the Word of God or don't. Someone playing church doesn't affect my understanding of what Christ says or what Paul teaches.
Just saying.
