Opinions

All Christians are free to express their opinions, but do not always feel free to. In Romans 14:1 we are encouraged to accept others "without passing judgment on disputable matters." So what happened? Starting at Nicea, the Church began to pass judgments on disputable matters. Rather than teaching people to be non-judgmental in non-essentials, thereby creating unity in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3), unity in doctrinal minutiae became the new standard. Later in history some were even burned at the stake by overzealous civil bodies with Church complicity. Church oppression and financial corruption caused the Protestant Reformation. So have we Protestants learned, or do we continue to detract from freedom in Christ? Most of what divides us are non-essentials, and in those non-essentials we are all entitled to our own opinion. How then can we be united? Would a non-judgmental attitude in non-essentials and the bond of peace help?