Identity answers the question: “Who am I?” Community answers the question “Where do I belong?” If we look back to the very beginning of the human race, the fist community or group was the family. Adam and Eve had children. Their children had children and generational families were created. Today, one might say that the basic community building block is still the family. Until a person goes off to school, at least in the West, the family is the basic group or community. In places where there is close village life or tribal life, the tribe is the earliest group of community. Once a person goes off to school, the divisions and groups form and some of them become communities.
Not all groups are communities. Groups are either forced or voluntary divisions of people based on some common attribute. I, for example, am an American. I would not say that I am in the American community, however. A community it tighter than a group. A community tends to be voluntary. For a family, participation in the community can be voluntary, I suppose. Our church is a community. It is voluntary and based on the Christian belief system and location of common worship.
The progressive left desires to destroy all community in the world. They do not want people to join together under any agreement or purpose, other than the political left. Therefore the government will group people by race and ethnicity, by income level and education and neighborhood for their own political purposes. Voluntary community formation is then disallowed in the world of the socialist left.
Of all the communities that the world offers people, the religious community of Christianity is the most profound. It is important and valuable for the primary reason that it is eternal. Christians that are known here on earth will be known for all eternity. Christianity is subdivided into church communities. The worldwide church will be in heaven with Christ, but on earth we meet with local, smaller groups. This association is voluntary and with all saved people having the indwelled Holy Spirit, we all serve the basic purpose of worship and love. Also, in a Christianity community, people have the same basic rules governing behavior. People are usually nice and pleasant and church services can be a very good experience to enhance the community.
The world offers clubs and political parties and recovery groups and housing groups and all sorts of groups that will not last. I was in the Boy Scouts, but have lost contact with all those boys, for example. Facebook is trying to build another sort of community, but at the present time, it is not a replacement for true community. There is not a common belief system or a common purpose, just a public bulletin board for posts.
Eventually, all who accepted Christ will join the heavenly community and all who rejected Christ will know the isolation of the Lake of fire. The universe will be eternally divided into a community and isolation. This is because Christianity community is forever.
Not all groups are communities. Groups are either forced or voluntary divisions of people based on some common attribute. I, for example, am an American. I would not say that I am in the American community, however. A community it tighter than a group. A community tends to be voluntary. For a family, participation in the community can be voluntary, I suppose. Our church is a community. It is voluntary and based on the Christian belief system and location of common worship.
The progressive left desires to destroy all community in the world. They do not want people to join together under any agreement or purpose, other than the political left. Therefore the government will group people by race and ethnicity, by income level and education and neighborhood for their own political purposes. Voluntary community formation is then disallowed in the world of the socialist left.Of all the communities that the world offers people, the religious community of Christianity is the most profound. It is important and valuable for the primary reason that it is eternal. Christians that are known here on earth will be known for all eternity. Christianity is subdivided into church communities. The worldwide church will be in heaven with Christ, but on earth we meet with local, smaller groups. This association is voluntary and with all saved people having the indwelled Holy Spirit, we all serve the basic purpose of worship and love. Also, in a Christianity community, people have the same basic rules governing behavior. People are usually nice and pleasant and church services can be a very good experience to enhance the community.
The world offers clubs and political parties and recovery groups and housing groups and all sorts of groups that will not last. I was in the Boy Scouts, but have lost contact with all those boys, for example. Facebook is trying to build another sort of community, but at the present time, it is not a replacement for true community. There is not a common belief system or a common purpose, just a public bulletin board for posts.
Eventually, all who accepted Christ will join the heavenly community and all who rejected Christ will know the isolation of the Lake of fire. The universe will be eternally divided into a community and isolation. This is because Christianity community is forever.
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