from Dictionary.com Chris·tian Pronunciation Key (krschn) adj. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents. Showing a loving concern for others; humane. n. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus. christian the name given by the Greeks or Romans, probably in reproach, to the followers of Jesus. It was first used at Antioch. The names by which the disciples were known among themselves were "brethren," "the faithful," "elect," "saints," "believers." But as distinguishing them from the multitude without, the name "Christian" came into use, and was universally accepted. This name occurs but three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16).
email me your address. Next time a Jehovah's Witness person knocks on my door, I'll send them to your house.
I'm not really sure what you are looking for here. Are you looking for a base definition, or was the question brought to you in a certain context?
I think that the 'Webster's' definition provided by Sonny above is probably enough (when squared with heypartners). I ask the question because the term has become such an important word in my life recently, although I am not a 'Christian', that I am just trying to get some perspective. I know there are alot of 'Christians' on this board, and since I have come to respect and enjoy the variety of opinion here, I figured I would ask the question.
A Christian is some one who believes that they are a sinner (All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God). That we cannot save ourselves (Our works are as filthy rags). And that Jesus is Lord and He died as a perfect sacrifice (He knew no sin) for all of us and whoever believes and accepts this as the truth, will be saved (For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life). To summerize - a believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah (Savior). If your interesting in doing your own reading - read the book of John, Romans and Galatians. Not to discount the other books of the bible, but those 3 books are packed with answers to your question.
I dont think they necessarily are. I dont doubt that some of them have true faith in the Trinity. But there is a lot of misinterpretation of the Bible from them. To me, a Christian is someone who believes in these things: 1. God loves me and created me with a purpose in mind. 2. I am sinful and therefore seperated from God. I cannot know and experience God's love and plan for my life because of this sin. 3. God sent Jesus Christ to bridge that gap between me and God. He paid for our sins by dying on the cross for us. 4.I believe that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior and Lord; Only then can I experience God's love and plan for my life. Of course this is very simply put. I myself am a Christian. I invite you or anyone who would like to talk about Christianity or anything spiritual to email me at nutcracker22@yahoo.com
I didn't say they were. But they'll certainly explain it too you, in fact, they claim their interpretation of the Bible is the only true one.
If you're interested in religion in general, here's an interesting website: http://www.beliefnet.com Have you tried searching the bazillion threads in the Hangout forum that either were about or became discussions on Christianity? A lot of the posts are very heated, but there are more than a few gems that present very eloquently what some people feel Christianity is all about. If you want to start with individual posters' views, try Grizzled.
When was the last time a Jehovah's Witness knocked on your door? I don't think they come to my neighborhood anymore. When they did, I would open the door at 9 am or 10 am or whenever it was and my hair was in a wakeup afro. I remember this one time, this Asian lady was knocking on the door, if she knew any Cambodian people. My mom was in the living room watching/listening to this sing along kareoke video thing crap. Some people will know what I mean. I just said uh, no. She kept staring at me, and behind me.
The Jehova's Witnesses that I have personally known haven't been intrusive at all. The group that has been have been the fundamentalist Baptists. The following exchange took place at an acquaintance's front door: Baptist: Hi I'm from the Baptist church down the street and I'd like to invite you to our church. Friend: Thank you. I really appreciate it but we are devout Catholics. Baptist: You know all Catholics are going to hell. That's just inflammatory and crazy. Forget about the fact that it's not a very Christian thing to say.
Lol, many many Baptists don't think Catholics are Christians. You have to love that skewed logic. I had two Baptist teenagers come to my door a few months ago, trying to get me to their church. I told them I knew more than they did about what they were trying to "sell" (Baptist church, Christianity in general) and gave them recruiting tips - since they were doing it all wrong. Pretty funny to see their faces. They ended up just saying, "Uh, do you want one of our pamplets?" I took one - it was hilarious. It literally explained Christianity by having an illustration of the world, an arrow pointing up from it, and a "Heaven" icon above...then some caption about Jesus being the arrow.
The definition about belief in Jesus Christ is correct. Other people depending on their own personal belief or their denomination will add various amounts to that.
This is pretty much what I knew. But why not Mathew, Mark, and Luke? Why John? John is very different from the others and it seems to me that John not only has the least in common with the others but also serves to be the most exclusive (if you're a humanist). Speaking of in your face baptist behavior. You have got to check out landoverbaptist.org, very funny. Are there any Christians out there who think landoverbaptist.org is funny?
Matthew gives a chronological view, Mark gives emphasis on the actions and emotions, Dr. Luke gives better details, while John gives theological explanations. If you read John and then go back and read the other three gospels, you'll see that they all agree that God excludes humanists from His free gift of salvation. (As in you have to denounce your humanism and agree to God's sovereignty over your life)
This is an example of perhaps where Christians disagree. If I'm wrong in saying Mr. Gootan is a Christian then I apologize. Christians often disagree on who gets salvation and who doesn't. It's my belief that only God can decide such things, and nobody else knows for sure.
My impression is that if you believe in the teachings of Bible, and you love Jesus Christ more than his virgin mother St Maria, then you are a Christian. Otherwise you'll end up being St Maria's followers, the Catholics. I guess the reason for promotion on celibacy before marriage in Catholic practice stems from the very fact that st Maria gave birth to Jesus being a virgin. She's viewed as being pure for her virginality. Just my speculation but I find that interesting.
panda, No offesne, but you are way off in regards to Jesus vs Mary. Don't believe the rhetoric. Catholics are Christians and place Jesus above Mary in terms of divine hierarchy.
While we may be able to give you a perspective on what Christianity means to us you will have to come up with the answer that is right for you. There are good suggestions given but I encourage you to study the Bible. My personal favorite is the Book of Acts, the beginning of the Church and in particular Acts 2:38...........Good Luck in your endevour
