What Makes a Christian a Christian?

[capumetu]

Celebrating birthdays and Halloween doesn't make a person a Satanist.

I thought your Bible has a commandment forbidding the bearing of false witness, no?


I don't see much obedience to the Bible in JW doctrine.

I'm also not exactly "allowing" your religion to follow its ideas of what God's commands are. If it were up to me, every JW elder who protected a predator would be in prison, and refusing a medically indicated blood transfusion for your child would be grounds to take custody of your child away and appoint a competent guardian instead.

Extremely few people know that halloween is not satanic. If you do not know, it is easy to find out, I quoted it from the satanic bible but of course you could google it.

And I showed you scriptural reasons to every one of your supposed scriptural accusations. Do you have any other places where you feel we fall short sir?

 

[capumetu]

The examples given were scandalous. They don't exactly make people warm to JW's.

No matter Maam, we each choose whom we will obey. The point for all to see is that if the Bible teaches it, we live it. Each and every individual has to choose for themselves whether to obey or not. Me, I have chosen to obey. You have to decide for yourself.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Extremely few people know that halloween is not satanic. If you do not know, it is easy to find out, I quoted it from the satanic bible but of course you could google it.

Nonsense.

And I showed you scriptural reasons to every one of your supposed scriptural accusations.

No, you didn't.

Do you have any other places where you feel we fall short sir?

It's not so much "falling short" as it is all the ways that the Watchtower Society facilitates and encourages harm.

 

[paarsurrey]

What Makes a Christian a Christian?

I understand, if one leaves the bad teachings of sinful Paul and follows the good teaching of innocent Jesus, only then a wrong Christian becomes the truthful follower of innocent Jesus Christ and hence becomes the true Christian. Right friends, please?

Regards

 

[Marcion]

A Christian is anyone who follows Catholicism, Orthodoxy and any of the billions of Protestant denominations.

Contrary to what Christians themselves believe though, a Christian is not a follower of what Jesus himself and the twelve disciples followed (of which was Torah-observing apocalyptic/messianic ascetic Judaism and not a new religion).

A Christian is a follower of the aforementioned, which is later traditions built out of the stream that grew from the Peterian/Paulian sects (which was incorporated Marcionite and Johannine streams into their literature) in combination with gradual systematic canonization of texts and evolving dogmas and doctrines.

I think that's largely true. Although I don't believe the bit where you wrote 'of which was Torah-observing apocalyptic/messianic ascetic Judaism and not a new religion'.
Jesus, if there was a historical Jesus, did not start a new religion, but I doubt if he himself taught anything about apocalypse or himself being a/the messiah', those ideas seem to have been invented by early christians as they don't fit well with or even distort his original teachings.

 

[paarsurrey]

I think that's largely true. Although I don't believe the bit where you wrote 'of which was Torah-observing apocalyptic/messianic ascetic Judaism and not a new religion'.
Jesus, if there was a historical Jesus, did not start a new religion, but I doubt if he himself taught anything about apocalypse or himself being a/the messiah', those ideas seem to have been invented by early christians as they don't fit well with or even distort his original teachings.

Marcion " Jesus, if there was a historical Jesus, did not start a new religion"

I agree with one that Jesus did not start a new religion.

Regards

 

[Moses_UK]

We know that a true Scotsman doesn't put sugar on his porridge. So we have a test for true Scotsmanship.

But what is the test for a Christian? Do we have inclusive and exclusive criteria?

According to Wikipedia there are 2.4 billion Christians on earth. What do they have in common?
What do the other 5.4 billion not have?

Would your answer significantly change that number of 2.4 billion?

I believe that 98% of Christians don't actually believe in the Christian doctrines anymore but are cultural Christians. the most educated Christians cant believe the Bible to be actually from God due to the errors and they are able to read the bible for themselves, unlike the past.

 

[ppp]

I believe that 98% of Christians don't actually believe in the Christian doctrines anymore but are cultural Christians. the most educated Christians cant believe the Bible to be actually from God due to the errors and they are able to read the bible for themselves, unlike the past.

That may (or may not) be true in the UK, but here in the US, the majority of Christians certainly do believe in the Christian doctrines. Yes, they do cherry pick the Bible.

 

[Moses_UK]

That may (or may not) be true in the UK, but here in the US, the majority of Christians certainly do believe in the Christian doctrines. Yes, they do cherry pick the Bible.

How can an educated man/women believe in a book that has thousands of contradictions? it's all financial. Pastors in the US get paid big bucks to sway people into blind faith. it's better to have a Christian population than a thinking population for the government.

The doctrines were later interpolations to suite the Romans leaderships.

 

[ppp]

How can an educated man/women believe in a book that has thousands of contradictions? it's all financial. Pastors in the US get paid big bucks to sway people into blind faith. it's better to have a Christian population than a thinking population for the government.

That's an adorable story. Wrong, but adorable. Pastors make decent bucks on average, and they do so because people believe.

The doctrines were later interpolations to suite the Romans leaderships.

Even if that were true, it would be irrelevant to the fact that people actually believe the doctrins.

 

[Moses_UK]

That's an adorable story. Wrong, but adorable. Pastors make decent bucks on average, and they do so because people believe.


Even if that were true, it would be irrelevant to the fact that people actually believe the doctrins.

Only recently (protestant reformation) did Europeans translate the Bible text into their own languages e.g. Martin Luther and King James. The priest only gave basic information about doctrines which couldn't be analysed by the masses.

I would be extremely surprised if Christians understood and still believed due to:

1. Texts of the Bible being deleted, omitted and added by scribes
2. Gospel writers not being actual eyewitnesses
3. Trinity later added in the 4th century
4. Accounts of the resurrection and crucifixion contradicted in the 4 canonical gospels
5. Paul who wrote the majority of the Bible hated Christians (killed them) and claimed to have seen God and was an apostle (by the way did not meet Jesus)
6. Numerical and textual contradictions throughout the Gospels
7. The current bible is not the actual text and was a copy of a copy and only discovered 100s of years after the death of Jesus

The list goes on.....

if they still believe knowing this, I would be extremely surprised

 

[ppp]

if they still believe knowing this, I would be extremely surprised

Surprise!

 

[Moses_UK]

Surprise!

Then let me ask you a question?

 

[ppp]

Then let me ask you a question?

You can ask.

 

[Moses_UK]

Ok,

so the question is why don't you become a Muslim?

 

[ppp]

Ok,

so the question is why don't you become a Muslim?

What an odd question. Is your question loaded with the assumption that I am a Christian?

 

[Moses_UK]

No, I read your description on religion and saw none and understood you were the more clever cultural Christian. Not trying to be offensive.

When I have conversations with westerners they have a perceived misconception about Islam and rarely investigate to find out if there's truth in it. let me invite you to Islam?

 

[Cooky]

We know that a true Scotsman doesn't put sugar on his porridge. So we have a test for true Scotsmanship.

But what is the test for a Christian? Do we have inclusive and exclusive criteria?

According to Wikipedia there are 2.4 billion Christians on earth. What do they have in common?
What do the other 5.4 billion not have?

Would your answer significantly change that number of 2.4 billion?

You must believe in the Trinity to be a Christian, and be baptized in the (Trinity) name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

...Anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God, is not a Christian.

 

[ppp]

No, I read your description on religion and saw none and understood you were the more clever cultural Christian. ]Not trying to be offensive.

Of course you are. A thin cover for a facile assumption. Don't worry. It's okay. Do what you feel you need to do.

When I have conversations with westerners they have a perceived misconception about Islam and rarely investigate to find out if there's truth in it. let me invite you to Islam?

I've been invited to Islam before. Several times. They all failed to demonstrate their foundational claim. That Allah exists.

 

[ppp]

You must believe in the Trinity to be a Christian, and be baptized in the (Trinity) name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

...Anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God, is not a Christian.

Just another instance of the ongoing, centuries-long of Christians denominations pointing at one another and yelling, "Not a true Christian!"