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I am 24 years old, and have gone through my whole life being a christian.. I was just told that since I DO NOT push my religion on other people, and I allow people to believe what they want without my ' condemnation ' of their respective faiths... that I am NOT A CHRISTIAN.... Do you really have to try to 'save' people and force them to believe in Jesus in order to 'really' be a christian???

2006-08-28 03:38:52 · 43 answers · asked by Imani 5 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

43 answers

Wow. You are totally a Christian, and probably more Christ-like than others. Not judging and persecuting others is the way Christ lived. He dined with sinners and tax collectors, and healed those that were believed to be unclean. Go you!

2006-08-28 03:42:12 · answer #1 · answered by GLSigma3 6 · 4 1

There is the whole "Great Commission" thing, Jesus did make a pretty big deal about that.....

Can you be a Christian without witnessing? I don't really think so. Here's the deal, do your co-workers know you're a Christian? Do you have friends that are not Christians who know you are a Christian? If you answered yes to either, you are a witness. You are showing those people every time you talk to them (or when you don't), what a Christian is. You're still witnessing.

I don't think that's what Jesus had in mind, though. We are supposed to tell people about our beliefs. Even being on here is a form of witnessing. Think about the thousands of people on this site every day.... We are called to share the gospel with all the nations. Does your church have any outreach? A band that performs in town, a youth group that has several unchurched kids involved? Anything like that could be considered outreach. Get involved as deeply as you feel God leading you. You are still a Christian, God looks at the heart. He's not going to say "Julie, you didn't lead ANYONE to me! GO away!" Just keep doing the best you can. God bless!

2006-08-28 03:47:23 · answer #2 · answered by teeney1116 5 · 0 1

You are a Christian if you accepted Christ as your Saviour and believe He died on the cross for your sins and rose the next day and that he was the perfect sacrifice. What you do with Salvation later has nothign to do with whether you accepted Him in the first place. You are SEALED until the day of redemption. PERIOD.

I do however, feel that if you truly love Jesus and know your Bible, you will see that our jobs as Christians is to spread the Word. "Go ye into all the nations and preach the Gospel". Not that everyone has to be a missionary. I think that just means sharing your experience and His love to people in your life. But that NEVER invovles PUSHING your beliefs. I believe that pushing usually pushed people away! Good Luck and don't let anyone tell you what you are or are not! Only you and God know for sure! :)

2006-08-28 03:47:27 · answer #3 · answered by Carrie 4 · 0 0

If that's what it means to be a Christian (or any religion); I'd want no part of it. It seems like most religions have a pretty easy going, "live and let live" mainstream. If it were up to them the world would be a peaceful place.

Then there are the fringe elements who want to push their beliefs on others, have no regard for any other perspectives, and live in a world of absolutes. Sounds like the people who are advising you about your faith fall into this camp. People like this ultimately fuel the fires of dissent and hatred. They are extremely defensive, highly judgmental, hypocritical and frankly dangerous. In fact, in any other faith, except ones own, we call them extremists. They have been the cause of countless conflicts throughout the world; from the crusades all the way to modern day Africa. Rest assured if there is a hell, they will have a prime seat at the table.

Live a principled life, respect others and follow your beliefs in your own personal way; you will live well and set a good example.

2006-08-28 04:06:44 · answer #4 · answered by travelerNY 2 · 3 0

Relax. Your faith is not based on what someone else says to you. Let's get back to the basics for a moment. Do you believe:

. Jesus is God's only son?
. Do you believe he came to earth to free mankind, i.e. he came here to die for YOUR sins?
. Have you accepted him as YOUR personal savior?

Is so, don't worry about what others say and stay focused on Jesus.

That said, let's talk about Faith and Works.

Both Faith and Works are important for your spiritual life. Faith without works is dead and Works without Faith is just.... well, good deeds. We are ALL called to evangelize, i.e. to stand up for our faith and relate to others the good news of Jesus.

How that is done can be very different for many people. FWIW, It is almost always a complete waste of time to "push" your beliefs on anyone. Think about how you came to the Lord? Maybe it was just being raised. I'll bet, however, there was a time when you still had to come face to face and decide if you would believe?

WE, as Christians, DO NOT JUDGE OR CONDEMN OR SAVE anyone. The Holy Spirit convicts and Jesus Saves. Our role is to be a conduit. So:

. Do you have people in your life that you know do NOT know Jesus? If you do, it is appropriate to have a burden for them. Pray for them and their salvation. Pray for an opportunity to be an example for them. Pray for an opportunity to share your faith and explain to them why Jesus is important to you. Then let God open the doors.

But most of all, look inside yourself and make a decision on how you will live your life and how you will prepare yourself to share your salvation when God opens the doors.

Bless You.

2006-08-28 03:50:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3 0

Do you believe that Jesus is your saviour? Have you accepted Christ into your life? Then you are Christian. Its pretty much that simple.
As for pushing your views on other people, in the Bible it says to spread the word which is why so many people use the Bible to push their beliefs, which can at times be very contradictory to other Bible teachings (such as treating people with respect and not judging others) but because it gives the individuals a sense of power they go on to do this. Talking openly about your religion and faith is quite different than pushing your faith onto someone. I am fortunate to have freinds from a varity of differning religions (from HIndi, B'Hai and Muslim to different Christian Sects) and some of the deepest understanding of what it means to be Christian have actually come through conversations with my Hindi and Muslim friends. Because we all feel comfortable with each other we are able to discuss and share our beliefs without a feeling that someone is trying to convert us. The choice to take Christ into your life is an individual one. I believe also that when you lead a good moral life and feel open about discussing your religion with people who ask about it does much more for spreading the gospel than does pushing your religion on someone. People will be more intierested in your religion if you are happy and secure within it and don't feel the need to push it onto them. Many people feel that a person is trying to fix them if you insist upon pushing your beliefs upon them.
The thing is, there is much more in the Bible than just 'pushing' your beliefs on others. While Jesus said that the way to his father was through him, Jesus himself also said "In my father's house their are many mansions". This has always meant to me that I should be respecting other religions and viewpoints because there is room for all humainty, regardless of religion in the father's house.
Jesus's biggest teaching though is perhaps the golden rule "Do unto others as you would have done onto you." This is the best advice for determining what you should and should not do. Not only that, but it also shows how these people who are telling you that you are NOT CHRISTIAN because you are not pushing your religion on other people are truly the ones who may be wrong. Remember these same people would be extremely offended if you tried to push your views onto them.
I know this is a long answer to your question, but overall I think if you believe in Jesus and if youlead a moral life, then you are Christian. Besides, not condemming and being respectful, that is right there wtih how Jesus lived his life.

2006-08-28 04:00:33 · answer #6 · answered by Blah Blah Blah 3 · 3 0

I am in your same situation. From what I know, Jesus taught love and tolerance, not hate and condemnation. I will share the good news with anyone who sincerely asks me about it, but I don't preach to those who don't. I do on Yahoo Answers on some of the more ignorant questions, or if it's obvious the asker is just looking to bash believers, but otherwise I try to ignore the trolls. I think you and I have the right idea - it's too bad others don't think the same as we do.

2006-08-28 03:43:50 · answer #7 · answered by They call me ... Trixie. 7 · 2 0

I don't know why anyone would use the word "save" and "force" in the same sentence because its not true for some christians nor those who just believe in God. I don't undersatnd how someone will tell you that you are not a christian if you believe in Jesus and live ur life not outside ur beliefs. The great comission and dogmatic conversion are two different things. The Great Comission is telling others about salvation and how Jesus died on the cross for sins to those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness,to those who are open minded and know that their is a god and that he truly exists and want to know the next steps to fulfilling their new lives with his guidance. A christian shares his views to those who searching and they also live by example which to me is the ultimate witness to those who don't know Jesus by just living a chist-like life! Dogmatic conversion to me is when someone is consistently telling you that you are wrong for believing this and that, regardless of what religion and whether they respect your views or not. People who are extremist and fantacials not only tell others that they are going to Hell but perist on telling you that your religion is incorrect and ur beliefs are null and void. Every religon and non religion does this and no one is exempt! This is not just bias in religion or non religion but in very lifestyle of an individual. I don't need to save anyone only Jesus does that when someone is open to receive. I tell others who want to know what my views are nd I leve it up to them if they rejectthen the bible says "to dust ur feet off" and "not throw ur pearls to swine." I wish people would inderstand that not all christians do this an if they have just say No. It's just as simple as that and if that person persists than we do have laws in this country and free to use them if necessary to get the point across to back off! I don't believe that anyone is making someone believe in anything or forcing because it is an excuse to bash christianity and its followers to accuse them of being dogmatic. Unbelievers get offended over stupid things such as saying "God bless you" even in when you sneeze and that's just plain immature on their part and very childish. Some are just offended because you pray over you food and that's going too far to be upset over what someone does. Unbelievers are senstive over anything that a christian does because of the convictions of the heart. Not all do this and I am a believer!
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2006-08-28 04:11:54 · answer #8 · answered by Pashur 7 · 1 0

That is a crock of Crap You of all people should know that you should not could not loose your faith just because you are expected to spread the word. I don't force my views, but I'll be damned if the conversations comes up and i let someone waiver my beliefs.

All of the Atheist that say Christians force religion on them are only trying to justify their own actions. Spreading the word is not threatening anyone. For Pete's sake they are only words and it is up the the individual to be influenced by them! Hell i don't want to go to heaven if there is going to be a bunch of Liberals there anyway!!!

God has an amazing way of helping people that want to be helped. No-one says that you have to go door to door. Just don't back down or satan has won you. That is what he does is question your faith.

2006-08-28 03:52:44 · answer #9 · answered by ? 2 · 3 1

Although it is true that the bible commands us to share our christian faith with others, no where does it say that you have force people into believeing in order to be a a christian.

The book of Romans simply says that you confess him as Lord and believe it with your heart, then you are a christian. It never said, "If you preach sermons on the street and force-feed your rhetoric down the throats of everyone else then you are a christian."

Spirituality is a personal thing. It is not something that is to be judged or scrutinized by others.

2006-08-28 03:48:47 · answer #10 · answered by Joe K 6 · 2 1

It's not about what you say to a person, it's how you say it. I never try to force my beliefs on anyone else, but it is not wrong to express them. If someone is not interested I leave them alone about it. If you are a Christian it is your duty to spread the gospel according to Matthew 28 where Jesus gives The Great Commission. However, you're not suppossed to force anyone to do anyhting because everyone has their own free will.

2006-08-28 03:45:16 · answer #11 · answered by resilience 6 · 3 0

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