Why do people not understand that if you believe in Christ you are Christian?

Question

I have seen people saying Mormons and JW are not Christian or asking the difference between Protestant and Christians, Baptists and Christians and so forth.
You believe in Christ, you are Christian. There are tewo types of Christian:
Catholic
Non-Catholic (all others who believe in Christ but are not Catholic, including Protestants, Mormons, Baptists, JW, etc.)

Believe in Christ as in a religious figure to worship, not that he was a person.

Answer 1

the answer to that question can be found with the answer to this question:

why are ppl flagrently ignorant?

same concept


also, when a religon is created, to garner followers the leader of this religon has to make all the other religons look bad and theres look better.
an example of this is the protestant reformation, Luter says the catholic church is bad and his church is the only way; this cycle continues whenever a protestant offshoot would come in (baptist, fundimentalist,etc)

EDIT-

kimc- are you saying you dont follow the holy spirit, or God the father? Christian=follower of christ. get over yourself.

Answer 2

There is a translational problem in your idea. Note always after believe scripture says trust and obey. I believe the Sun will come up in the east. That is abstract and has little to do with the act of faith required by Jesus. If you think you have believed and then find it difficult to trust and obey then the relationship is not yet cemented but Jesus will help you with that if you have been called.

There are two types of people in the world. There are those who divide us all into two groups and those who do not. Which are you.

There are 3 levels of belief, level 1 is the abstract, yes I was told the Sun is fire and it rises in the east each morning, add to that that you observe fire feel its warmth and are told it is very hot, thats level 2

Then there is that point that you actually stick your hand into the fire and create an experience, which changes the way you think about fire forever in a way no one will ever talk you out of. This is the third level of knowledge

Peoples knowledge of God falls into the 3 levels and sometimes in between but be assured those who have reached level 3 are the ones who will for sure enter the kingdom of heaven when they die and who experience conviction if they do wrong and who if you lose contact with them for a few years when you meet them will think oh my how that person has grown.

Not everyone who says or even some who think they are Christians have even reached level 1, and this is because we no longer exercise the doctrines of accountability taught in Mat 18 and the letters to TIM.

If you do not love to read your Bible then be suspect of the level of belief you are on.

Answer 3

I believe in Christ but not as an figure to worship, but as a spirit that lives in me. I don't believe that the historical Jesus is an object of worship let alone the Christ any more than I am.

But if I tell someone that I am a Christian they would most likely think that I believe that a historical torcher sacrifice of some human could save me. I don't believe this, so I am opt to say I am not Christian such not to give anyone the wrong impression.

What do you think.

Answer 4

Your right to a certain point, but then the wrong direction. There are two types of religion, Catholic and None Catholic which as a whole list under it.

The People before Jesus came into the world were covered under the Mosaic law. A Priest could go in their behalf to God for forgiveness and such. After Jesus, the Temple was opened to all mankind.

Once this happened, man was responsible for whether he was save or not. Man is the only animal that can tell right from wrong, good from bad, and its his choice if he accepts Jesus as his Savior. Don't matter who sends him into battle, if he dies and has Jesus as his Savior, he is saved.

While many sects advertise that they are Christian, their Church doctrine and their basic beliefs say they are not. I have believed that the Bible, which has withstood the test of time and man with all his fancy computers, is Gods word. Man has not been able to disprove this even though he has tried for well over 2000 years.

If a group strays from Gods word, then they are not Christian, and nothing more than a cult.

Answer 5

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you. According to your definition a Muslim who believes that Jesus was a great prophet of God would be a Christian. Jehovah's witnesses claim that Jesus is really the arch-angel Michael and Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and that God chose to follow Jesus' plan for salvation instead of Satan's plan.

There are Catholics and there are Protestants who have many denominations. In every congregation there are people who have been born again by the Holy Spirit and are truly Christians. Then there are people who may have given an intellectual consent to the gospel message but who have never received the Holy Spirit. The Bible says...."You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Romans 8:9

So according to the Bible a true Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit. Not someone who belongs to a church that claims to teach about Jesus.

Answer 6

It is not a matter of "if you believe in Christ" it is also your view of God and the Bible. It is not "vanity" it is theology (the study of God).

JW have their own distorted Bible where they have changed or added some words that are not meant to be their in the original Greek and Hebrew which therefore distorts Biblical Theology and creates something that is impure and incorrect
Mormons have the Book of Mormon and several other writings, which in their eyes override the Bible, which therefore distorts correct Biblical Theology turning it into an impure incorrect theology.
Roman Catholics have the words of the Popes, which in their eyes override the Bible, which therefore distorts correct Biblical Theology creating an impure incorrect theology.
Baptists and many other Protestant Christians who believe in Sola Scriptura (only scripture) have pure Biblical Theology.
Study the Bible purely.
The followers of Chrst were called Christians several hundred years before the Roman Catholic church was ever formed.
I agree with Calvin S as to who would be a Christian.
There are only 2 ways to live.

Answer 7

No. The word "Christian" mean follower of Christ. Believing isn't enough, you have to follow Him. The demons 'believe' in Christ, are they Christians? They even tremble in fear before Him. And neither can you simply follow a 'Christ' that you have made up to suit your own needs or desires. You must follow Jesus Christ from the Holy Bible.

I'm willing to bet also that most 'protestants' aren't true Christians either, not in the true sense of the word.

Answer 8

I beg your pardon, but there is only one type of Christian; and that type is the ones who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ; those who have asked Him to forgive them for their sins, and invited Him into their heart by faith, and then continue to live by faith in Him every day of their life. A person cannot become a Christian by becoming a Mormon, a Jehovah Witness, a Baptist, a Catholic, or by joining any other denomination. It does not make a hill of beans whether you are a Catholic, or an Non-Catholic. No one will become a Christian until they truly allow Christ to come into their heart by faith, and wash them clean from their sins in his precious blood. Sorry to burst your balloon.

Answer 9

Sorry bones simply believing in the name Christ does not make someone a Christian ie Muslims.Catholics are not protistant and JW's and LDS are cults.Christians believe in the Gospel. God gave us the law we fell in to sin and the wages of sin is death. God provided the way by coming to the world in the form of man Jesus to atone for sin for all who accept his atonement. If you believe anything different you have missed salvation which Christ provided therefore can not be a Christian. Christians follow the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Answer 10

Actually, the Creeds of the Ancient Church know of only ONE Church...

The "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church"

Thereby, there is only ONE type of Christian....

The "kind" of Christian that is a part of that ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC Church.

And since there is only ONE Church....(this is simple logic...)

Then all Baptized (in water, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit - the irreducible minimum according to Scripture, Tradition and Reason) people are the member of that Church.

Now - as for Mormons and JW's - they have a different Jesus (just ask one!! If they're honest they'll tell you how we differ!) and deny the Trinity. They cannot be members by definition.

The opposite of "catholic" (KATH = "according to"...HOLOS = "the whole") is not "protestant". Rightly...it's "heretic".