What Makes a Christian a Christian?

[sojourner]

Someone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian, to my mind. They're certainly not a homogenous group, and there is wide variance in their beliefs.
I see no reason to go further than that. Particular denominations can quibble about membership as they see fit.

Who decides who is a Christian? Is it the authorities of the church, which is the repository and curator of the Faith, and traditionally through which one comes to faith? Or can anyone just dub her or himself “Christian?” Who holds the keys to the kingdom?

 

[ppp]

Who decides who is a Christian? Is it the authorities of the church, which is the repository and curator of the Faith, and traditionally through which one comes to faith? Or can anyone just dub her or himself “Christian?” Who holds the keys to the kingdom?

There has to be come sort of boundary, but the boundaries on Christianity are so very mushy and wide:

• Was Jesus divine or not? And if he was divine, in what way?
• What are the requirements of Salvation? Narrow faith or universalism?
• Are human born sinful or with perfect souls?
• Do humans have free will or not? And what type of free will do they have?
• Do other gods exist? Are they aspects of the Christian god, demons, human creations, misinterpretation of angels, ascended humans...?
• Is the Bible literal, figurative, or some combination? Which verses are which?
• Etcetera

 

[capumetu]

Even if God exists, which is far from surety, there is no reason to believe that anyone existing is his people. You could all be reading the Bible and floundering about.

That is certainly a possibility. May I ask what God requires of you that you think it is so disgusting that you are willing to sacrifice your everlasting life for it?

I personally think that following God's regulations is the best life available.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

That is certainly a possibility. May I ask what God requires of you that you think it is so disgusting that you are willing to sacrifice your everlasting life for it?

I personally think that following God's regulations is the best life available.

What do you mean by "God's regulations?"

There are plenty of religious scriptures of various religions that make themselves out to be commands from one deity or another, but I've never found any reason to take any of them as genuine.

 

[capumetu]

What do you mean by "God's regulations?"

There are plenty of religious scriptures of various religions that make themselves out to be commands from one deity or another, but I've never found any reason to take any of them as genuine.

I am speaking of the God Jehovah sir. He has always had rules and regulations given to His people.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I am speaking of the God Jehovah sir.

Ah - okay. That narrows it down to a few religions. Thank you.

He has always had rules and regulations given to His people.

There have certainly been people purporting to speak for God for a few thousand years.

 

[ppp]

That is certainly a possibility. May I ask what God requires of you that you think it is so disgusting that you are willing to sacrifice your everlasting life for it?

I don't know of any actual god that exists, let alone requires anything of me. What I know is that a bunch of people, like yourself, claim that their particular god(s) demands whatever their particular tradition says he, she or they demand. And, like yourself, those people are unable to demonstrate that they know, or are capable of knowing, that any such beings exist.

 

[capumetu]

Ah - okay. That narrows it down to a few religions. Thank you.


There have certainly been people purporting to speak for God for a few thousand years.

You are very welcome, glad I could help

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You are very welcome, glad I could help

You didn't help at all, actually.

 

[capumetu]

You didn't help at all, actually.

Would you like to narrow it down further sir

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Would you like to narrow it down further sir

I mean that you didn't answer my question and you took several posts to do it.

 

[capumetu]

I mean that you didn't answer my question and you took several posts to do it.

You asked me about God's regulations, and I have told you quite clearly I mean Jehovah's regulations, my God's regulations. Do you have another question/

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You asked me about God's regulations, and I have told you quite clearly I mean Jehovah's regulations, my God's regulations. Do you have another question/

Read your post over again: you say that you told me that by "God's regulations," you meant God's regulations. Do you think this was a meaningful answer?

You mentioned the name "Jehovah," so I could infer that you weren't talking about the Qur'an or the Guru Granth Sahib, since Muslims and Sikhs generally don't call their God "Jehovah." Your answer shedded no light on whether you meant the whole Bible, the New Testament only, "Holy Tradition," the Pearl of Great Price, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, what the voices in your head were telling you, or something else entirely.

I gather from your other thread that you're a Jehovah's Witness, but you didn't even tell me that much when I asked you.

I asked you what you meant by "God's regulations" and pointed out that just because someone presumes to speak for God doesn't make what they say or write "God's regulations."

You didn't tell me what you referred to with "God's regulations" or why you considered them that instead of just human writings purporting to speak for God.

So no: you didn't answer my question.

 

[capumetu]

Read your post over again: you say that you told me that by "God's regulations," you meant God's regulations. Do you think this was a meaningful answer?

You mentioned the name "Jehovah," so I could infer that you weren't talking about the Qur'an or the Guru Granth Sahib, since Muslims and Sikhs generally don't call their God "Jehovah." Your answer shedded no light on whether you meant the whole Bible, the New Testament only, "Holy Tradition," the Pearl of Great Price, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, what the voices in your head were telling you, or something else entirely.

I gather from your other thread that you're a Jehovah's Witness, but you didn't even tell me that much when I asked you.

I asked you what you meant by "God's regulations" and pointed out that just because someone presumes to speak for God doesn't make what they say or write "God's regulations."

You didn't tell me what you referred to with "God's regulations" or why you considered them that instead of just human writings purporting to speak for God.

So no: you didn't answer my question.

I am one of Jehovah's witnesses sir, a regulation is a law, a commandment. For instance, meeting attendance Heb 10:24,25

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I am one of Jehovah's witnesses sir, a regulation is a law, a commandment. For instance, meeting attendance Heb 10:24,25

Well, if you're calling the JW interpretation of the Bible to be "God's regulations," then:

- it has quite a bit of harm associated with it, so I certainly don't agree that following it is "the best life available."
- I see no reason to believe that the Bible is from God.
- I especially see no reason to consider any of the JW interpretations of the Bible, including the current one, as "God's regulations."

 

[capumetu]

Well, if you're calling the JW interpretation of the Bible to be "God's regulations," then:

- it has quite a bit of harm associated with it, so I certainly don't agree that following it is "the best life available."
- I see no reason to believe that the Bible is from God.
- I especially see no reason to consider any of the JW interpretations of the Bible, including the current one, as "God's regulations."

I can address your first concern, I see how the world could be if all was Jehovah's witnesses, you obviously think it would be different than what I envision, may I ask what do we practice that you believe would be a negative?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I can address your first concern, I see how the world could be if all was Jehovah's witnesses, you obviously think it would be different than what I envision, may I ask what do we practice that you believe would be a negative?

Off the top of my head:

- refusing blood transfusions for yourselves and your children.

- protecting child abusers with the "two witness" rule.

- disenfranchising yourselves from the political process (e.g. voting and running for office).

- excluding your kids from celebrations that are a source of joy for others (e.g. birthday parties, Halloween).

- shunning ("disfellowshipping") members from their community and support network for not toeing the line doctrinally.

- discouraging close relationships with non-JWs (which makes disfellowshipping especially heinous when it happens).

Like I said: quite a bit of harm.

 

[capumetu]

Off the top of my head:

- refusing blood transfusions for yourselves and your children.
Acts 15:29

- protecting child abusers with the "two witness" rule.
Mat 18:16

- disenfranchising yourselves from the political process (e.g. voting and running for office).
Ps 146:3; Mat 6:33; Jn 17:16

- excluding your kids from celebrations that are a source of joy for others (e.g. birthday parties, Halloween). We do not participate in satanist holy days: Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year. . . .After one's own birthday, the two major satanic holidays are walpurgisnacht and hallowwen (or all hallows' eve). (The satanic bible anton szandor lavey p 96

- shunning ("disfellowshipping") members from their community and support network for not toeing the line doctrinally. 1 Cor 6:9-13; 2 Jn 9-11

- discouraging close relationships with non-JWs (which makes disfellowshipping especially heinous when it happens). 1 Cor 15:33

Like I said: quite a bit of harm.

Thank you for allowing others to see our obedience in living the Bible in our lives sir

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year. . . .After one's own birthday, the two major satanic holidays are walpurgisnacht and hallowwen (or all hallows' eve). (The satanic bible anton szandor lavey p 96

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?

Thank you for allowing others to see our obedience in living the Bible in our lives sir

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.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Thank you for allowing others to see our obedience in living the Bible in our lives sir

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