What is a Christian?

True, others define who we are in a sense.

One man can be a father, husband, accountant, teacher, student, lover, leader or follower to different people. Each one of those people will define him based on the role he plays in his or her life. Even your name was given to you by other people.

On the other hand, this isn't a case of defining someone's role in life, it is a case of attempting to dictate philosophical beliefs and judging others by determining if they are truly attempting to live up to those beliefs being dictated by others.
 
(Q) said:
Are so blind as to not see the obvious here?
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Believing is seeing.

one_raven said:
A Christian is one who follows Christ.
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Like lemmings.

one_raven said:
I disagree.
Who determines what a Christian is?
The Pope?
You?

No one can decide what a Christian is, but the one who claims to be Christian.

Of course, if someone claims to be a Christian and acts in a way which betrays what Christ taught, it would be fair to call that person a hypocrite.

What did Jesus teach?
Read his words.

People who say a Christian is this or that based on the words of anyone BUT Christ (whcih includes the apostles and church founders and leaders) is full of shit.
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No 1, not even the pope, can say what a christian is except each individual who claims to be christian but church leaders are a factor???
Anyone who claims to be a christian is a christian?

one_raven said:
Why?

It is not up to the outsider to judge at all.
Why must someone prove themselves to Christian?
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Yeah! Why must people prove themselves to be what they claim to be? It really bugs me that people question my claim to be Hera! Why can't they just take my word for it!?! And being unable to fix anything doesn't mean I'm not a mechanic.

“If a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.”
 
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Seems like Jesus said the ones who just say they are xtians, but fail to follow in his foot steps are not xtians after all. He seems more of an acts guy, not an empty belief type.
 
Betrayer0fHope said:
So must a Christian believe all of that is true?
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hmmm, I'd have to say no. The previously stated basic beliefs are the requirements. I personally believe in the trinity and the old testament God, but I can see where someone could not believe in either, but without the abrahmic God some leaps which appear awkward to me would have to be made.
 
one raven-It's pretty common knowledge that thosse who are not christians are the harshest judges of them. A christian states,"It's not raining that hard." Steps outside, then comes in, drenched. "I thought you were a christian" is almost guaranteed to be someone's comment. It sounds crazy, but it's true. It appears that a christian is expected to prove to the non-christian that he is one, when in truth, the proof is between him and God that matters. I am not expecting to have to face stranger in the final judgement, thus I'm not stressing his derision or silly put downs. I will probably pray for him, for I fear for his soul, but I try to keep that sort of thing private, posted here for example purposes.
 
Mr. Hamtastic
swarm, is someone who claims to be a republican, but toes the democrat party line, a republican?
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1)Some one who checks [] Republican on the party affiliation portion of their voter registration card, is a republican until they declare otherwise.

2)Some one who pays their dues to the republican party, is a member of the republican party, but not necessarily a republican.

3)Some one who runs on the republican ticket, is a republican until they declare otherwise.

Any one who fails to meet 1 or 3, is not a republican even if they are otherwise sufficiently idiotic enough to qualify.

A good example is Lieberman, who smells like a republican, but is still actually a democrat.
 
But really this isn't a political party. The theory is there really is a guy named JC and the bible really has some of his words. His words make it painfully clear who is a xtian and who is not...you will know the servant because he follows in his master's foot steps, pick up your cross, acts not words, know them by their love, easier to thread camel than get a rich man into heaven, and man do the false xtians squirm under those words!

It almost makes me want to believe so I can fantasize about the shocked look on the vast majority of american "christians'" faces when they are too fat to make the needle.

Who is a false xtian? Every one who says he isn't.
 
Betrayer0fHope said:
Well, this is a fairly simple question. Come on, tell me, what makes a Christian a Christian? And if someone says, We're all Christians, but some of us haven't accepted it, I'm gonna smack you.
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A Christian is someone who has been born again of the Holy Spirit and can then know that Jesus is who he says he is. Once he received the indwelling Holy Spirit, he has personal knowledge of Jesus himself. That doesn't mean that he is Jesus or knows everything about Jesus or God. It only means that he has met Jesus through the Holy Spirit. And since once we meet someone we can never then deny he exists, only born again Christians can never lose our salvation.

False "Christians", on the other hand, which comprise the vast majority of people who claim to be Christians, haven't been born again. They simply honor Jesus with their lips and hope and pray that he exists. These people think that faith comes from themselves instead of from God as Eph. 2:8-9 explains. These are the ones who fill our churches hoping that going to church will make then good people and thus enter heaven by their goodness. Jesus tells us the opposite because that's what the Pharisees thought. ;)
 
one_raven said:
I disagree.
Who determines what a Christian is?
The Pope?
You?

No one can decide what a Christian is, but the one who claims to be Christian.

Of course, if someone claims to be a Christian and acts in a way which betrays what Christ taught, it would be fair to call that person a hypocrite.

What did Jesus teach?
Read his words.

People who say a Christian is this or that based on the words of anyone BUT Christ (whcih includes the apostles and church founders and leaders) is full of shit.
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So, that's it then, anyone can stand up and state they are a Christian and are free to build churches which I have to pay the taxes? I then have to put up with whatever they deem reality, and then I am forced give their beliefs respect?

And what about when they do start waving the bible around whenever it suits their agenda?

Sorry, pal. I don't buy it. That is crock of shit, raven.
 
one_raven said:
Why?

It is not up to the outsider to judge at all.
Why must someone prove themselves to Christian?
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It isn't about proving anything, it's about following a religion based on the scriptures and the god who commands this obedience. Hence, a person who simply states they are Christian is a hypocrite if he doesn't obey the commands of his god. Simple, really.
 
(Q) said:
are free to build churches which I have to pay the taxes? I then have to put up with whatever they deem reality, and then I am forced give their beliefs respect?.
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Why do you live in a religious society? Why not live in an atheist society?
 
Mr. Hamtastic said:
swarm, is someone who claims to be a republican, but toes the democrat party line, a republican?
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There are no Republican scriptures, or Republican afterlife, or Republican eternal hellfire, ...etc. In other words, no gods are commanding strict obedience.

You're talking apples and oranges.
 
(Q) said:
That's the part I don't buy. If a god were in fact revealing a message to ALL mankind, he wouldn't do it knowing his message would be interpreted in so many ways. The message would be crystal clear and would be known by all.
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Sorry that I'm late on the reply, and this may have been addressed already, but here goes...the problem with any in writing is that it is never "crystal clear". Even our Constitution, which we all know is so great, is vague on many key issues.

You seem to want to get into a debate over whether or not the Bible is actually the word of a god...I'm not going there, because I don't believe it is. But that wasn't the question. The question was what defines a Christian, and I believe that it is up to them to decide for themselves, since the Bible is open to interpretation--which is evident by the many different sects within Christianity.


So, we are left with Christians defining themselves, whatever and whenever they feel the notion to do so. That would be hypocrisy at it's finest. And, the rest of us are left holding the bag.
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What's wrong with Christians defining themselves? What would you rather have? And how are we holding the bag?

I think you need to calm down on the anti-theism for a moment, and consider how ridiculous you sound right now.
 
Atheist society-you would have loved communist soviet union!!!!

Did Q say something useful yet? Or is he still rabidly foaming at the mouth. Don't worry Q, when you calm down we'll start a thread about the validity of the bible.
 
I guess no 2 people will agree 100% of the time.
If there exists an omnipotent, omniscient god who wants me to know something, it should tell me clearly. The Holy Babble does not do the job. The Holy Babble turns the water into sludge.
 
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