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Do you think that still qualifies you to be a Christian?

2007-07-17 12:50:38 · 24 answers · asked by Sweet n Sour 4 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

Well homosexuals say we can be Christians because we ignore the part that talks against homosexuality in the Bible

Thieves can be Christians because they ignore the part that talks about stealing in the Bible

Sinners can be Christians because they can ignore the part that talks about sin in the Bible

Now that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? You either believe it all or you don't believe any of it. You're either a Christian or you're not. I think it's pretty simple don't you?

2007-07-17 13:00:20 · update #1

24 answers

Quakers would fit that mark. They believe that the light of christ is in everyone, and that to be Christian is to follow that light. They respect the bible as a testimony of believers, but deny that it is the word of God. Because, as John 1 says, Christ is the Word of God, and it lightens every man who comes into this world. If you speak words which do not come directly from the inner light they are not the word of God. Any religious conviction arrives from the inner light, not the bible. After all they say, look at Paul when he was Saul. He read the Scriptures, he studied them hard, and yet he persecuted Christians, while the scriptures he read foretold Christ. Was the scripture wrong? Was he stupid or lazy? No, but he did not listen to the inner light and therefore was incapable of recognizing the message. I say "recognizing" not "understanding", because the Quakers essentially believe that you cannot understand in the world outside you what you don't already know from deep within.

edit: yes, and rich people believe we can be Christians and rich by ignoring the parts about being rich in the Bible. Funny that you leave that one out I have to say.

2007-07-17 13:04:27 · answer #1 · answered by Ray Patterson - The dude abides 6 · 0 1

There's belief and then there's belief...

Some people think that Real True Christians should believe every word of the Bible literally. Others think the truth of the Bible can only be understood by seeing it as partially history, partially myth, partially metaphor, and trying to understand the meaning behind the literal words. You could conceivably toss out every book but the Gospels and still call yourself a Christian, since those are the books that contain the actual teachings of Christ - and even then, it's open to debate how much of the Gospels are to be taken literally.

I can't really see how you could be a Christian without having at least some belief in at least one of the Gospels, though. And really, that's more logistics than dogma. Christianity, at its core, is based on the story of Christ and His teachings, and if you completely disbelieve the Gospels, where are you going to find that? (Well, I suppose you could get it from the Gospel of Thomas, which is not in the Bible - but it's apocryphal, and really, it just seems like a roundabout way to go.) You could go the gnosis route, but that's pretty iffy.

So who do you know who's claiming to be a Christian but not believe the Bible? Check them on their definition of both "Christian" and "believe;" more misunderstandings are caused by people not speaking the same language when it comes to things like this.

2007-07-17 13:09:22 · answer #2 · answered by Kristy 4 · 1 1

Perhaps you have Christian and Christendom confused. You can be a part of Christendom and not believe in the bible.

The religions of Christendom generally claim to believe the Bible. However, they fail to agree on what it teaches. Even members of the same religious group often differ in their views of what the Scriptures really teach.

Many mainstream churches of Christendom still baptize newborn babies. Moreover, throughout history, compulsory baptism of conquered “pagans” was practiced by rulers and religious leaders of so-called Christian nations. But infant baptism and forced baptisms of adults have no foundation in the Bible.

If you are shocked at the conduct of some churches of Christendom, know that Almighty God is greatly displeased with them. Christendom claims to have made a pact with God; ancient Israel made a similar claim. Both have proved unfaithful.

Today, terrorism has put the whole world on alert, and many terrorist groups claim to have religious ties. Religion is not viewed as a promoter of unity. Instead, it is often associated with violence and disunity. Small wonder, therefore, that the German newsmagazine FOCUS compared the world’s major religions—Buddhism, Christendom, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism—to gunpowder.

While some religions are at war with one another, others are beset by internal squabbles. For instance, in recent years the churches of Christendom have been split by ongoing debates on matters of doctrine. Clergy and laity alike ask: Is birth control permitted? What about abortion? Should women be ordained as priests? How ought the church to view homosexuality? Should a religion sanction war? In view of such disunity, many wonder, ‘How can a religion unite mankind if it cannot unite even its own members?’

Jesus quoted from Isaiah and Psalm and many other books of the bible showing he believed in the authenticity of the Scriptures. Jesus said knowledge would lead to everlasting life. John 17:3. The scriptures is the source of that knowledge.
***

2007-07-17 14:23:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

If you choose to call yourself a follower of Christ (Christian) then you should take the entire Bible in context and believe it all. You cannot be a follower of Christ and say the Bible is not accurate. Jesus believed the old testament, He believed in creation, He believed in Satan, He believed in sin and redemption. If you say you are a Christian then you must say the Bible is the word of God.

2007-07-17 14:09:40 · answer #4 · answered by CaTcHmEiFuCaN 4 · 1 0

Absolutely! Jesus didn't write the Bible, and it wasn't collated until the 4th Century. There's still debate about which books are genuine and which are not. I believe that everything that Jesus Christ said was absolutely true, but the Bible is a book written by others about Jesus Christ; a biography of sorts. Its provenance is extremely dubious, so I would find it an indefensible position to treat the Bible as literal truth, unless all of the (unknown) authors, and all those who passed on their texts in the 3-400 years between Christ's words and the compilation of the Bible, are also considered infallible beings. Of course there are some themes that recur and it's reasonable to assume that there are certain things that Jesus Christ definitely said and taught; but single references should be treated with extreme caution.

2007-07-17 13:07:14 · answer #5 · answered by ozperp 4 · 1 2

If you don't believe in the Bible, how can you be a Christian? That doesn't qualify you in being Christian if you do not follow the word.

2007-07-17 12:59:03 · answer #6 · answered by i♥hawaii808 1 · 2 0

I believe you can be a Christian and do your own research and make your own theories about the Bible and stories of the religion. If people took the Bible and didn't use it literally (and many I've come across do!) and use it as a mythology of Christianity, there wouldn't be arguments of this one trying to prove this from the bible while the opposite is also true in the bible. All religions are based on a collection of stories, but many do not take these stories literally. Christianity, I think, limits itself when they use the bible as the direct word of God.

2007-07-17 12:57:50 · answer #7 · answered by Heathen Mage 3 · 1 2

Yes.

Being a Christian means following the teachings of Jesus. And one can follow the teachings of Jesus without believing in the story of Jonah or Noah.

Additionally, being a Christian has a cultural value as well. Most Americans and Europeans are pretty steeped in Christianity. They might not be observant Christians, but they still are Christians.

2007-07-17 13:01:08 · answer #8 · answered by Mr. Bad Day 7 · 0 2

I can understand a Christian having some doubts, but that is where faith, prayer, Bible study will help. How can you believe in Jesus but not care about the prophesies about Him (OT) and the history of the Jews? How can you believe in Jesus but not read and believe what He said and did in the NT? The Bible is important to our faith.

God Bless.

2007-07-17 12:58:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

Considering the Old testament is not actually Christian but Jewish/Hebrew in origin, and it's a spiritual guidebook, meaning we should not take it literally but draw the moral and spiritual lessons to be learnt from it, then yes, from a certain point of view you can not believe in the Bible and still be a Christian. Technically a Christian is simply someone who follows the teachings of Christ, not all of which is necessarily in the bible.

2007-07-17 12:55:51 · answer #10 · answered by Taliesin Pen Beirdd 5 · 0 2

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