I have gotten to know Christ through Christianity for some time now. My friend asked me to take the plunge. He says I'll be a good Christian and a better person and be given salvation. I do believe with utmost sincerity that most "Christians" have no idea what it's meant to be a Christian. After listening to a lot of the problems people are going through or have been through, I have come to the conclusion that they are people just as lost as other people. They don't have magical powers. Nope, sorry.
I see through some of the masquerade and embellishing strategies the Church exercises. As such, I have lost faith in the system I wanted to believe. Good going, Church of 'Christ'.
He could be Almighty, but you are nothing in His comparison. Those that speak in the name of the Lord and Christ and the Holiness to do 'right' is wrong. It is wrong to tell people to "convert to Christianity or burn in hell for eternity", but it's 'right' to say "Christ gives you salvation (and love) and asks for nothing. But you need to believe in him." Problem?
I don't hate Christians. I hate the fact some people have no idea what they are talking about. I see the double edge sword, I do. By suggesting they know nothing, am I claiming to know everything? No, but please keep the teenager and his type away from me. What teenager? I'll tell you.
People are having a nice discussion and deciphering the meaning behind scripture. Bam! This guy jumps in and tells me everything I say is wrong.
Literally. His argument?
1. Because I'm not Christian.
2. I have not committed myself to Christ.
3. I lack faith.
4. I am a satanist (for 'undermining').
5. Scripture.
6. Scripture.
7. Scripture.
8. I don't know anything.
9. I am a non-believer.
10. Repeat.
First, this guy demonstrates how brainwashed he is about Christianity.
Second, he is ignorant, intolerable, and annoying and met only that day.
Third, he is not alone.
If you were to put Christian high up on a pedestal, no one is worthy. Assuming the former, then I think people like him make Christians look bad everywhere; hence, less people willing to be Christians (like me). What do you think (about everything)? Does he represent the majority?
In your opinion, what is a Christian? Are you one?A) Agree.
B) Disagree.
C) No idea.
D) Who cares.
Comments (96)
I have come to the conclusion that they are people just as lost as other people. They don't have magical powers.
So it's magic you seek? Maybe you should try the wiccans.
True Christians WERE lost...but now they are FOUND!
No we are not perfect, no one is, that is why Christ had to die for our sins. HE was sinless, but died for the sins of others.
I understand your dislike for the type of Christian you are speaking of. But, not all of us are like that. You said you lost faith in a "system"...well that is good because it is Christ you need to have faith in not a "system". Look to Christ, not to imperfect people who set up imperfect systems of religion.
Well, I think this post had some seriously true statements, it is also extremely judgmental.
See, I have a problem with statements that say 'real' Christianity says that all you have to do is profess and believe that Jesus is Lord. I hate to be classified as one of those guys who uses the Bible all the time... so I'll assume you know that Jesus himself said that not all who claim his name will be saved.
Being a Christian is actuall paralleled to two things in the scriptures; 1) be a slave to righteousness, 2) being a child of God (co-heirs with Christ).
There is a parallel of humble submission to the almighty creator and the "father/child" relationship that is present between us; this relationship includes both lavish love and strict discipline.
Anyway, while I know you have a general dislike of what you have experienced as Christianity, the label is very general and not representative of true Christianity.
When talking about the meaning of scripture and the guy jumped in with his retorts, what specific meaning was being discussed? I mean if I was in a conversation and I saw a severe misunderstanding of the text being displayed I would have to jump in and say something. I would be very soft about it at first and depending on where the conversation went an argument could possibly break out.
As for the question: What is a Christian? A person who is looking to the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross to save them from the wrath of God in the day of judgment. They not only know of Christ and His work on the cross but they also know Him as their Lord and Savior. They are not Christians because they have stopped a particular sin or have changed their lifestyle but because they have faith in Christ to save them.
What constitutes saving faith?
1. There are some absolute principals a person must have in order to be saved. You can't believe just anything about Christ to be saved.
2. You must believe those things are true. That they actually happened and ascent to those truths.
Now a person can have the two things above and still be in their sins. Although salvation is for mankind alone, I dare say that Satan can attest to the two notions above better than me.
3. Now this third one. "Trust". Is where the difference is made. A true believer is in a loving and trusting relationship where they (the sinner) are trusting that the finished work of Christ "is" going to save them from their sins.
Does this help?
There are so many problems with the title that it makes me want to scream. In case they ever correct it, it looks like this:
What is a ""Christian""? from a nonbeliever.
It looks like it could go two ways: 1) Asking what the differences between a Christian and a nonbeliever are, and 2) what a Christian is according to a nonbeliever. That doesn't even account for the other errors.
Please, people, edit before posting. I don't know if it's the original poster's fault or the editor's, but it should be obvious enough to catch.
Many thanks for fixing the title! :D
"Christ gives you salvation (and love) and asks for nothing." - this is wrong, He asks for EVERYTHING. Becoming a Christian is not just taking on a label and wearing the right clothes for social acceptance in some sub-culture, it as a new birth, a move from enemy of God to royal adoption.
Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.
Being a Christian is a way of life, a way of seeing the world. To be a true Christian means you look for Christ in everyone, and treat them accordingly. I know that you are in doubt of this concept because you were jumped (verbally) by someone who was trying to "convert" you to Christianity and you were totally turned off. I am sorry this happened to you.
Too many Christians believe that they are most effective when beating people over the head with their beliefs. They post their beliefs all over their blogs, wear T-shirts, quote the Bible and THEN contradict all of this by HOW they live and TREAT others. Don't get me wrong. Everyone should be able to demonstrate their faith. What goes wrong is when this happens and it's not backed up by Christ's wish: that we look for HIM in the faces of those we meet every day and respond accordingly.
If you meet a Christian who inspires you by the way he/she lives their lives, treats their fellow man, and inspires you to do the same, you have met a Christian. Look deeper, friend. We are all on a journey as Christians to grow in our faith. I wish you the same in your own personal growth.
Many Christians are right for the wrong reasons. To many, the conventional means of evangelizing that you describe is all they know. They are like a mutant virus strain that eventually will die out because it can't replicate itself successfully. However, you cannot fault people for being harnessed to the same culture you yourself are. You have to fight in this world very hard to find anything pure and untainted.
Even if Man's version of Christ and His message of salvation is flawed doesn't mean the Word of God is flawed or for that matter untrue. There is a reality beyond your mind that God occupies. It's very tough in this culture to find it. And many otherwise well intentioned Christians think they have it but they don't. God is not some fixed point above that can be located and analyzed like some star using NASA's equipment.
I was once a highly educated BA Rutgers & JD Seton Hall School of Law non-believer and was put off by the same people you described until I dug in myself and found what God wanted me to find.
Here's a few verses that eventually put me over the edge:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and few actually find it. Matthew 7:13
A simple man believes anything but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. Proverbs 14:15
The prudent sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12
Be careful then how you live not as unwise people but as wise making most of the time because the days are Evil. So do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15
God wants you to engage and wrestle with Him not some nerd in a suit handing out tracts telling people to covert or burn. Find Him on your own. Good luck.
A Christian is one who has admitted they are a sinner and accepted Jesus into their heart, who confesses Jesus is Lord and believes God raised Jesus from the dead, who has accepted Jesus' shed blood and death on the cross as full payment for their sins; past, present and future, who has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. A Christian is one who has been born again, who trys to follow Jesus' teachings. Yes I am a Christian.
By the same token, atheists like Richard Dawkins make Christians not want to be atheists. The smug, arrogant, "I know more than you attitude" has the same affect. I've met atheists who can't discuss the concept of God outside of telling me ,"you believe in magic fairies." It's really no different than what you've experienced.
There are people of every belief system that aren't very gracious, don't know what they're talking about, and don't know how to have effective communication. That's why it's important to judge a worldview on its merits, not on the people that practice it.
I think I get what you mean.
I'm sick of cliche's and overused understandings and points of Christianity.
I believe that Christians are just as lost as everybody else.
Salvation and 'winning heaven' should not even be part of the discussion when going through a conversion.
This type of Christianity ends up being some type of reward system and doing good only for the sake of the good itself, according to Plato's 'Symposium' is one of the lowest forms of 'love', (one of the lowest stages in the Theory of Forms, next to Eros).
But then again.. one can argue, that this could simply be a starting point, as in the Confucianism tradition, where faith and love can be taught, starting from the lowest simplest stage of Love, which is the Libido and move its way up, in which Plato did not agree with or mention at all.
But anyway, I am just talking about Sincerity..
Learning to look beyond the Secondary Displays of Commitment and really get to the heart of the matter of the true Sincerity of a person (the primary norms).
I agree with sugartomyhoney
To me, a Christian, in its most simple definition, is one who tries to live his life like Christ.
i think the bare minimum requirement to be Christian is the belief that Jesus dying on the cross somehow made you worthy of going to Heaven after death, and that all you have to do is acknowledge it to benefit.
I am a Christian, and a Christian is one who follows Jesus Christ. Who learns and tries to understand His teachings, who has faith in Him, who believes that He came and went but will come again, who believes that He is the Son of God, who believes that He performed all the miracles and said all the parables as the Bible mentioned, who believes that He and the Father are one as He Himself said. Ultimately, a Christian is one who lives out a Christ-like life, who obtained His courage, righteousness, heart of love and charity. He showed love to aliens and was among sinners, the weak, the poor and the minorities. He was an admirable hero, a true warrior in my opinion. He stood up against evil and encouraged us to do this as well through actions. He is an example, the Wayshower. We should learn from Him. Even though He is seen as a rebel against earthly authorities and the Pharisees, in fact, He was just totally submissive to the Father and did as He was told.
@spidergrass@xanga - I agree
And most importantly, a true Christian believes that Jesus died for our sins and was being raised from the dead exactly as the Bible stated. A true Christian will avoid Fundamentalism, avoid being judgemental towards people around him and even himself. At the same time, a true Christian will avoid being overly liberal, accepting everything thrown in our way without much thought. In the Bible, words of encouragement were written to those who are more mature in faith and those who are less mature in faith. That means God has a maturity metre, which is different from the world's maturity metre. It was written that those who are more mature in faith tend to lean slightly towards the liberal side, but we are told not to exploit our God-given freedom and learn to separate light from the darkness with wisdom. It was written that those who are less mature in faith tend to lean towards the literalistic conservative side. They were told not to force the others to see and do things their way.
@spidergrass@xanga - Well, yes, you can put it that way, how simple; unlike mine. But actually, I wanted to say the same thing, but I am accustomed to write more lol~
@Theophilus166@xanga - Agreed, I have had similar encounters and experiences...
The problem exists because people blindly follow doctrine and dogma, assuming the teachings of Christ are absolutely true, but never asking themselves why it is true. In order to be a true christian, you have to be able to look outside yourself and your faith and determine what makes the Bible the word of God. Most so called Christians don't even read their Bibles or try to create a relationship with Christ, they just say they are Christian when, at best, they're probably just theistic. People need to learn to think outside of broad catagories. Just because you believe in a God doesn't make you Christian, just as it doesn't make you a satanist for not believing in God, although theologically you might as well be.
Most people have no idea what it means to be a real Christian, and the numbers that do are always dropping. I think that, if I'm fortunate enough to enter heaven, it will be a pretty uncrowded place.
@LoBornlite@xanga - You missed the whole point of the entry. Did you stop reading after that ? You even missed the point of the sentence you quoted! She is saying that we are all human and we all make mistakes and we are all lost and looking for the same common goal. Not that she is looking for magic. And just so you know, Wicca isn't based on "magic". It is nature based and based on the belief that everything has a spirit.
I agree with the people who say that it goes both ways. I am not quite sure where I stand on the issue. I've been to church, I've looked in to other religions, I've kept an open mind (still do) about the whole thing and I think that we all have the same goals. We are all searching for a meaning to how and why we got here. I know some Christians who are truly good people, while some others are just down right nasty, and the same goes for some non-believers I know.
Most of what Jesus teaches is about how we are to live our lives. How we are to love and give and care for and nurture. Please, read His words for yourself? He says time and again, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" And they are? To love God and to love your neighbour. It is hard to hear and read so much talk re "salvation" and so very little about loving others in deed and fact. Love Him! Love Jesus! He will show the rest to you then. Trust Him, not man's ideas. Blessings this night from Ireland
@XDaemonessX@xanga - You missed the whole point of the entry. Did you stop reading after that ? You even missed the point of the sentence you quoted!
I'm sorry to have to bring this up but words mean things. When one uses the word "magic" and then degrades the people of an entire religion because they have none, the word "magic" then becomes significant.
And in fact, Christians do have magic. It's just not the kind that non-believers understand or know anything about. Because the OP's life experience is so limited that she hasn't yet encountered Christians who've discovered the "magic" that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Christians should not put themselves on a high pedestal. We should humble ourselves before our Lord. In fact, we all believe we are all sinners; we're all equal. Just because we believe in Christ doesn't mean we've been to Heaven and back and seen it all. Bottom line: Christian or non-believer, we were all created the same. I'm sorry you had to experience that, but keep an open mind..
A Christian is someone who lives (or, tries to) like Jesus Christ lived.