Two Branches of Christianity?

So Eileen and I were waiting at the ferry pier in Danshui the other day. Some friends had taken our kids across the river for a biking expedition, and we were waiting to join them on a sunset visit to Fisherman's Wharf. We were too late to get on the same ferry so we had to wait a few minutes for the next one.

While waiting, we got talking with the young attendant at the gate. After some small talk, he asked us what we do in Taiwan. When we told him, we were Christian (evangelical) missionaries, he asked us what "branch" of Christianity that was? We thought he was referring to whether we were Catholic or Protestant. "Actually", he said, "I was wondering if you were with those guys that ride bikes and wear white shirts". Oh, you mean the Mormons! We clarified for him that we were not with the Mormons. "What's the difference?", he asked. We told him that our faith was based on Jesus Christ, while the Mormons follow the teachings of some whacked-out, long dead, magic glasses-wearing American who thought up a bunch of stuff himself and has unfortunately led a lot of people astray. Okay, we didn't exactly word it like that, but we did make it clear that Mormonism is not based on Christ, but is basically just another religion that does no one any good.

It seems that's what it always comes down to. You can believe in Christ (who is God), or you can believe in religion, which is nothing but man's attempt to reach God. It's no good saying you are an atheist, because that's just saying that you really only believe in yourself, and follow the "religion of me". I've always had a problem with labeling the Christian faith as "Christianity" because that sort of conveys it is just another religion, among many, in the world.

A lot of people have a problem with Jesus Christ being as exclusive as he is, but he doesn't need to apologize for that. When you are God, the Creator of the universe, that does kind of put you in a category all by yourself. The question isn't why is Jesus Christ so "exclusive" of other faiths, rather it is, "how can we fathom a love so great that God offers us a free gift that we don't deserve?", that being, the promise of gaining victory over death and spending life eternal in praise and worship of Him who gave us life in the first place!