On what is a Christian... and the extreme RIGHT

[nadinbrzezinski]

For most of us regular folks a Christian is anybody who follows Christ... it does not matter, at least to me, if they are Catholic, Unitarian, Southern Baptist, et al.

But... and Keith reminded me of this... when he replayed Billo saying that neither Mussolini (Catholic) or this boy scout in Norway (Self identified Christian) are because they are not following Christ's message. Now... I will avoid saying what I think of Billo, but this is a HUGE whistle to the far right. THe Far right is not just a persecuted minority (self image) but they are the last remnants of true Christianity, a more militant form, still fighting the Reformation.

Saying that a Catholic is not Christian goes to that era.

So realize when you hear any of these bloviators say this... you really need to think dominionism and the Reformation... and yes they mean it. The rest are not Christian... which leads to the next part of it... they are less than human.

Oh and Billo it is exactly this language and schotastic terror that leads to events like last week in Oslo... and all the distancing in the world does not stop that fact.

[Angry Dragon]

1. There is a good thread in R/T on this topic

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. Merriam-Webster definition:

"one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ"

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christian

So half the problem with the definition is the lack of requirement to walk the talk...a person just needs to talk the talk and they're a "member."

I can tell you from personal experience that "walking the talk" is often no picnic.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I know and I understand this

walking the walk in any moral code is no picnic. But when you have Billo telling us that a catholic is not christian, this goes a long time back.

This is elininiationist talk. I might add... it is not christian.

:hi:

[TexasProgresive]

4. Isn't billo Catholic?n/t

[trotsky]

5. The basic problem comes down to this:

"because they are not following Christ's message"

WHAT IS CHRIST'S MESSAGE?

The existence of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of Christian sects, cults, and groups points to the fact that there is mass confusion about what that message exactly is. Now one of the favorite responses is the "two great commandments" - love god, and love your neighbor. This solves nothing, because now you've got the can of worms about what does it mean to "love" in those contexts, and who exactly is one's neighbor?

When you only have one book as your source (that's been translated, re-translated, compiled and re-compiled, edited, and rewritten), and heck, there are Christians who use different versions of that book, and even some who add another whole book, how is it surprising that there are literally millions of different takes on what it means to be a Christian?