Not a Christian?

[nazz]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

As far as I'm concerned a Christian is somebody who tries to follow the teachings of Christ as per the New Testament. I know a couple of non-theist Christians by the way.

 

[nazz]

As far as I'm concerned a Christian is somebody who tries to follow the teachings of Christ as per the New Testament. I know a couple of non-theist Christians by the way.

That would certainly apply to me. But what if a person said they were doing that but believed the teachings of Jesus were found in some other book?

 

[jreedmx]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

Group dynamics are very interesting aren't they? Either they embrace you or they cast you out. It's been going on since Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden of eden and it's everywhere. The thing I like about Jesus and the way of Jesus (christ) - whether true or idealized - is the empathy and inclusion, the embracing into the group (the communion) no matter how wicked you have been. It's a reflection of the love of God. There is also a method of goodness/wholeness; brokeness/separation; recognition; and reorientation - creation, sin, judgement, repentance - to change the heart of the individual to something better.

Also, it sounds like a group of people trying to define another group and then turning around and defining others based upon their own perspective. Are you going to stop calling me John because I don't conform to someones definition of what John should be?

John

 

[YmirGF]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

I don't think it would actually occur to me to say that about a given Christian. There are so many flavors how can anyone say that one particular flavor is not valid?

 

[Nietzsche]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

I feel that, generally speaking, unless someone says something that is demonstrably false/impossible("I am a space-ferret") that you should take them on their word, no matter how much it conflicts with what you think that particular thing means.

 

[bobhikes]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

Some atheists(I said some) like to make as many people as they can non-religious. The reality is whatever you want it to be. If you want to be Christian then you are Christian, if you want a label other people believe you will always be disappointed.

 

[Skwim]

Considering the immense variations in Christian belief everything appears to be fair game. So, believe whatever you want and feel free call yourself Christian. Of course believing that Jesus is one's savior does seems kind of basic, but then who am I to judge.

 

[Bunyip]

I would simply look to how people identify themselves. A Christian is a person who identifies as Christian.

 

[Laika]

That would certainly apply to me. But what if a person said they were doing that but believed the teachings of Jesus were found in some other book?

If I assumed it was something like the Qur'an, I'd say that depends on where you think the true source of you're faith is. If it is a literal adherence to scripture as the source of Christ's teachings or the a specific person professing these teachings (such as a priest), reading another holy text may cause problems because it's about the 'politics' of religion and which power you subscribe to. If you think Christ comes from within and scripture is a means to interpret it, you're ok- as you're still being true to Christ. The reality is probably a mixture of the two. But, If a Christian Scholar visited a predominantly Muslim country and picked up a lot of influences, he or she would still be a Christian until they said they weren't as they are the only ones who could know what they feel. Ultimately, I still think it's up to you because I take the latter view that religion is an inner experience.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

Generally, I take anyone who calls themselves Christian and is a "follower of Christ" in some way to be Christian.

There's room in my perspective even for atheist Christians (e.g. someone who doesn't believe in a literal god, but sees Jesus as an example to follow).

 

[Unveiled Artist]

As far as I'm concerned a Christian is somebody who tries to follow the teachings of Christ as per the New Testament. I know a couple of non-theist Christians by the way.

No. As long as you believe Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, believe in the Father, and believe in the Holy Spirit and have scripture as your guide to them, then that's all you need. As far as telling someone they are not Christian, I accept people for who they say they are not how I want them to be. It's hard to do since we want people to agree with us or at least understand us and/or visa versa. I guess that's not reality; we differ... just hope we can respect each others differences.

 

[Jumi]

Not all Christians believe in all of those.

 

[Burdened]

I don't call myself Christian, but I would think that anyone who believes in, and is actively trying to follow Christ and his teachings, can call themselves Christian. Whether they actually know who Christ is or have a personal relationship with Christ is another story.

 

[gnomon]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

Do you or do you not accept that Joshua was the Son of God sent to us to forgive us all our sins and that through this belief lies human salvation?

 

[LuisDantas]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

Under the right circunstances, I certainly would.

 

[nazz]

Do you or do you not accept that Joshua was the Son of God sent to us to forgive us all our sins and that through this belief lies human salvation?

are you an atheist?

 

[nazz]

Under the right circunstances, I certainly would.

what circumstances would those be?

 

[Sapiens]

In another forum I have been told recently by two atheists that I am not a Christian. Now I am used to hearing such from Christian fundamentalists who do not recognize others as Christians unless they agree with them. But this is the first time I have ever heard this said by atheists. Admittedly my views are quite outside those of mainstream Christianity but there is still much I hold in common with other Christians. My question is this. As an atheist would you judge some self-professed Christians as not making a valid claim? Would you tell them they are not really Christians because they do not subscribe to certain mainstream views?

As an atheist 'm likely a better evaluator of this issue than some fundamentalist christian with an ax to grind.

 

[LuisDantas]

what circumstances would those be?

The most significant ones would be those that involving giving me a reason to express an opinion on the matter.

If the person emphasizes his or her self-perception as a Christian while also using it to justify morally questionable paths such as anti-Evolutionism or discrimination against LGBT, odds greatly improve.

Christianity is IMO remarkably ill-defined, but that doesn't always mean that it is better to allow self-classification to go unchallenged.