Who is a christian and what does that mean

[retailguy]

You can make a case for just about anything in the Bible, which is a strong case for not believing in the god it describes.

This.

If you continually take things out of context and don't understand the meaning of Jewish society in the time of Jesus, then, yes, you can arrive at this conclusion.

However, if you follow the most recognized theological interpretations that take these things into account, you will not arrive at these conclusions.

Quite honestly, there isn't another book on the face of the earth that has been scrutinized more than the Bible. There are literally thousands of scholars that have spent their lives interpreting and analyzing what the Bible says. The majority have come to a consensus on "most" issues.

If all the scholars agree so much, then why are there so many different Christian denominations, preaching different things, all of which they defend using the bible?

If I had a dollar for every questionable defense of the Bible I've heard I'd be Bill Gates weathly and I'm nowhere near a scholar.

Scholar's disagree about things. There is little doubt about that. But truthfully, when you look at the differences between denominations they are frequently "minor". Christian denominations don't typically disagree on the "big stuff". They do on the "little stuff". Baptism is a perfect example. Christian denominations typically don't disagree about the "need" for baptism, however, they do disagree about "when" that baptism should occur.

When I talked about scholarly agreement, I was refering to larger issues, such as those that athiests and agnostics point towards to question the very existence of God.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Question posed to the panel.

There are two men.

One donates heavily to charity, is involved in his community, always helps others, and lives a good and moral life. He does not identify Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

The other man is, more or less, a bum. He is really only concerned about himself and how his life is going. He could care less about other peoples' lives. He goes to church every Sunday and strongly identifies Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Which man is more deserving of a place in heaven?

Heaven is a place on earth. That's what i learned from Belinda Carlisle.

[MJZiggy]

This made me think of something I saw recently... (not language for work)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o&feature=related

[hoosier]

why would God give a flying fuck if you believed in him?

and in particular, why would God make non-believers burn in hell for eternity. That seems awfully small of Him.

I'll answer this one: because God's a jealous god.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Yep, belief is the key. Not by works but by faith alone.

Evangelicals think this way. But other Christians, especially Catholics, believe that your acts here on earth very much count. They divide sin into categories: mortal sins, venial sins, plus one other category that escapes me. Confession takes care of any priors, so you have a better argument to make before St. Peter when your case goes to trial.

I don't mean to make fun of either way of thinking, just pointing out that there is no agreement among Christians about getting into heaven, Cheesehead's view is held by just a portion of all Christians.

No offense taken Harlan. I was pointing out my beliefs and my agreement with Harvey.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Question #2 posed to the panel.

There are two men.

One donates heavily to charity, is involved in his community, always helps others, and lives a good and moral life. He does not identify Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

The other also donates heavily to charity, is involved in his community, always helps others, and lives a good and moral life. He is a true believer that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior.

Is one man more deserving of a place in heaven than the other?

I'll go with my earlier statement. You have to believe that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ and that he has saved you from your sins. Just being a definition of a good person through human terms is not enough. That said, it's not my call who gets into Heaven.

[MJZiggy]

Those poor Japanese, Chinese, Africans, Persians, Jewish and Indians....All those billions of people with little opportunity to be saved.

[HowardRoark]

Those poor Japanese, Chinese, Africans, Persians, Jewish and Indians....All those billions of people with little opportunity to be saved.

The hardest place to be a Christian these days is the U.S.A.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country

I know in the echo chamber it sounds good to talk about color of skin for everything, but it really doesn't matter. Carry on.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I know in the echo chamber it sounds good to talk about color of skin for everything, but it really doesn't matter. Carry on.

78% of Kenyans. The same as the USA. I have a lot of Kenyan friends. Kind of funny to find out their real names... years after meeting them. They take Christian names as youngsters. Most use that name when they come over to the USA.

[retailguy]

Those poor Japanese, Chinese, Africans, Persians, Jewish and Indians....All those billions of people with little opportunity to be saved.

I used to wonder the same thing. Definitively I guess we won't find out until "judgment day". But the scholars that I've read tend to believe that they'll be judged differently than those that knew and rejected God.

I found this paragraph that summed it up fairly well (at least from my perspective). You can draw your own conclusions.

Summary

Only God knows how individuals will fare on the day of Judgment. Such matters are no proper concern of ours. 'Vengeance is mine, ' says the Lord, 'I will repay' (Rom 12:19). Yet we have every reason to believe that God will do what is right. Everyone has enough knowledge of God in order to seek after him but the general situation is that men do not, even though their consciences condemn them. Hence we are called to proclaim the Gospel and urge that men and women be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20). Certainly, those who have heard the Gospel and rejected God's offer of forgiveness will be judged on a totally different basis from those who while remaining in substantial darkness earnestly seek the truth, confess their sins and cast themselves on the mercy of God.

You can read the rest of the article here if you have any interest:

http://www.cmf.org.uk/outreach/content.asp?context=article&id=1302

[Iron Mike]

why would God give a flying fuck if you believed in him?

and in particular, why would God make non-believers burn in hell for eternity. That seems awfully small of Him.

I'll answer this one: because God's a jealous god.

Exodus 34:14 God's name is Jealous.

[Iron Mike]

Re: Who is a christian and what does that mean

What does God say in Ecclesiastes 6:2?

Solomon is speaking is Ecclesiastes.

[mraynrand]

Re: Who is a christian and what does that mean

What does God say in Ecclesiastes 6:2?

Solomon is speaking is Ecclesiastes.

It was a trick question. You win the prize.

[Iron Mike]

Re: Who is a christian and what does that mean

What does God say in Ecclesiastes 6:2?

Solomon is speaking is Ecclesiastes.

It was a trick question. You win the prize.

Can I have my screen name changed to "bible-thumping rat?"

[mraynrand]

Re: Who is a christian and what does that mean

dp