h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Adelaide,
It's nice to meet you too

Zapha

Az,

You were asking what a Christian is defined as and as far as I was aware it is someone who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God. That is the only requirement to be called a Christian, after that you can start to separate different Christian Churches based on their other beliefs. Though having searched on the internet dictionary a Christian is now defined as someone who follows the teachings of Christ.

Mel

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Fair enough, Mel, though it seems a rather loose definition. As far as I know Christ didn't teach evolution or reincarnation (for example). So the cherry pickers and add-on types would be Christian/whatevers in almost infinite varieties? Except they all tend to call themselves simply 'Christian', so that when someone says they are Christian it doesn't end up meaning much to non-Christians. Hence my continuing confusion as to what a Christian actually is.

It *is* quite clear what is meant if a Christian says they are Roman Catholic, Opus Dei, High Anglican, Morman or Born-again. I guess it's all the 'muddier' versions of Christianity that confuse me as there seem to be so many of them and they don't make their position clear by simply calling themselves Christian.


az

So what is it that makes solitaire, poker and games, but excludes horseracing and synchronised swimming?

Much the same seems to go for Christianity; there isn't any *one* thing that seems to constitute a definition, but rather a set of themes that guide the decision as to whether someone should be called, or call themselves, a Christian.

By and large there is a fair measure of agreement about the core beliefs (though a few groups are much more exclusivist in their usage of the term - anyone remember JtP?) and there are disagreements on the periphery (Do Mormons count as Christian?)

I don't myself have too much of a problem with this (it's often the way language actually works) - *provided* that people calling themselves Christian recognise that the word has this sort of nebulous usage, and give reasons for their own preferred usage if this is challenged.

Noggin

seems to me you get the same thing with quite a few other things
just try getting a group of socialists to agree on what that means

ok, first of all to everyone who has said they don't believe in god but worship satan are pretty odd in the head. you can't believe there is dark but no light because if there was no light then dark would be normal and wouldn't be dark just...normal, if that makes sense. also it seems odd to me that everything is just one big coincidence. no one's arguments for the non-existance of god is based on anything other than trying to contradict the word OF god... meaning that the only way you can prove god doesn't exist is by his existence...and another thing if god doesn't exist then how do people get healed when people say "in the name of Jesus, be healed", or something along the lines of praying for people for healing, what is the cause if not god? surely science says that this is impossible.

ok, first of all to everyone who has said they don't believe in god but worship satan are pretty odd in the head. you can't believe there is dark but no light because if there was no light then dark would be normal and wouldn't be dark just...normal, if that makes sense. also it seems odd to me that everything is just one big coincidence. no one's arguments for the non-existance of god is based on anything other than trying to contradict the word OF god... meaning that the only way you can prove god doesn't exist is by his existence...and another thing if god doesn't exist then how do people get healed when people say "in the name of Jesus, be healed", or something along the lines of praying for people for healing, what is the cause if not god? surely science says that this is impossible. and a christian is someone who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of gos and died to save your sins.

-or maybe "jeasus" (not trying to be rude... or by the misspellings) was just some cracpot who died for no reason and made everyone belive that there is an afterlife!

Well, there you are az... I am a Christian, I "believe in evolution" (though Hoo would get me for saying that, and rightly, inasmuch as I might as well say I "believe in gravity" - and I also (reluctantly) believe in reincarnation as a necessity for some.
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Let's see what I'd call myself (from your list - High Anglican, Born Again, maybe bits of others.) You call that "cherry picking" but then you and others on the mass debate thread seem able to tell Christians what they are and are not *allowed* to believe - often not on the basis of Christians actually do believe, but what you think they should... Hoo and one or two others for instance are adamant that no Christian or Muslim is allowed to be a scientist or anything other than a creationist, no matter how often Toxxin for one, mentions the Anglican priest who is a working scientist...
The Bible, yes, but read with sanctified common sense. So much of the OT is clearly metaphor, and it's almost funny that it is the a-Christian or anti-Christian who insists on the kind of literalism that few if any Christian groups practise now.
As for Mormons, they have at least two other scriptures, and like many Muslims believe that their church exists to, among other things, correct the mistakes of Christianity. That's why I don't accept them as Christians...

<< "jeasus" (not trying to be rude... or by the misspellings) was just some cracpot who died for no reason and made everyone belive that there is an afterlife!>>

Oh, I think you've proved you *are* trying to be rude!

im not TRYING! seriously! i dont want to make fun of deeply held beliefs but my beliefe is that he just WANTED people to belive hes "immortal"

so if he was just some crackpot then how did he do miracles and still is doing them today? that sounds like a mighty fine crackpot to me

Firstly, let me state that I am a non-practicing atheist.
Having said that, I must say that I believe in things which I cannot prove. In the movie version of the Carl Sagan book, "Contact", one character tries to explain to another the problem with looking for proof in matters of faith;
Q - "Do you love your father
A - "Yes. Of course."
R - "Prove it."

I loved my father but I can no more prove it to you than I could prove (or disprove) the existence of God. It is by this reasoning that I discourage the usual response of, "prove it", when someone is faced with a question of God's existence. Instead, I choose to make a leap of faith in myself rather than any outside entity. I choose to live my life by guidelines I have chosen, been taught or adhere to through social considerations.
I believe that caring for those in need, respecting those who have earned respect, treating people as I would chose to be treated (and expecting such in return) are ways in which I can live a good and worthy life. I don't need an organisation, religion or "teachings" to know how I should act nor dictate what should give me pleasure or pain.
The existence of (a) God(s) has no bearing on my life. I live my life by what I feel to be good, fair and proper morals and I am happy doing so.

"so if he was just some crackpot then how did he do miracles and still is doing them today?"

What miricles?

presume he means faith healing and the like
trouble is miracles are in the eye of the beholder
what he sees as a miracle I probably wouldn't

probably, but you know that theres an explanation for everything right? People just use religion as a skape goat for the unknown!
I.E.... the tribes that sacraficed a person for the volcano gods.... a volcano erupted, they dont understand how this happened so they imideatly assume that someone is doing it!
another example?....
the farmers of olde... they thought a god was responsible for a good harvest, and not good soil and water!...
got a thousand more!

oh, I agree
trouble is we have a need to understand why something happened and a tendency to just make something up if we can't explain

... Pathetic humans!

i dont understand religion... is it supposed to make you feel better or something? or because i dont understand it, i should worship the religion god!
cheers
ford