Who is a Christian?? !!

[oldbadger]

Before Covid I used to cycle around my local area and would visit chapels and churches which held tea'n'chat meetings. On one occasion I passed a Christian hall and saw a poster which read something like 'soup and chat', and I walked inside just as the event was commencing. A long table was set and many mid-aged and elderly folks sat around; I was guided to a place.

A very stern lady across the table fixed me in her gaze and an interrogation began:-
Who are you?
Hello I'm oldbadger.
Why have you come here?
I wanted to meet you, and the soup is interesting.
How did you know about this meeting?
I saw a big poster outside.
Do you walk in to any place because of posters?
Yes..... I often do.
Where else have you just walked in to?
Oh, lots of places. The Methodist church holds tea/biscuit meets on Saturday mornings.
She grunted what sounded like disapproval. I mentioned a few other meetings and then the room erupted.
I said....
Oh, and the Christian Spiritualists in T--------- offering healing and tea on Mondays at 1.30pm.

This stern lady exploded.
They are not Christians! They worship the Devil! All these evil people who pretend to be Christians...... Jesus warned us about you all! And that disgusting Halloween...... ............ well this carried on for minutes until she could be calmed down.

This has happened many times....... I once mentioned that we have JW Christian friends and we are pleased to let them park on our driveway when visiting homes in the area, and several Christians immediately pointed out that JWs are different, or not proper Christians......

There are many many differing churches and creeds, and so I wonder....... who is a proper Christian?

[oldbadger]

Oldbager, I hope you are seeing what is happening here. Do you see the push back when a person uses the Bible? Do you see how they are trying to justify not following it? Do you see how things start so that a person can push their own agenda their own lists as to what a Christian is? While I try to stick to the Bible, they go beyond what is in the Bible. Many people thrive on speculation, mistrust and imagination. I hope I have shown that I do none of that.

I asked the question in the OP without agenda, Timothy. I just wanted to read what Christians think, any Christians. Where any others might heckle or kick back on the side..these I can ignore because they cannot help me with any answers in connection with my question.

[oldbadger]

It sounds like tam is "speculating" that the Bible means what it says.

Do you agree with that....... 'the Bible means what it says'....??
I only ask because I notice so many differences in the gospel accounts. For instance, G-John tells of a totally different pre Passover week to, say, G-Mark.

Which do you agree with ?...
For example, what do you think that Jesus and his did in Jerusalem and the Temple on that 'Palm' Sunday?
I think he went (what we call today) sightseeing around the Temple, but I could be wrong.

[William]

The kettle said to the pot.
You're speculating that something was said that wasn't in the Bible.

It sounds like tam is "speculating" that the Bible means what it says.

Yes - I noticed this as well. Tam is just saying that the bible also says that - for example - Jesus said and did many things which are not actually recorded in the bible, so the accusation that Tam is speculating that something was said that wasn't in the Bible is misrepresenting what Tam actually did, which was to point out that the bible itself says that not all information Jesus and God and perhaps even other biblical characters put out into the world, has been recorded in the bible.

[Difflugia]

Do you agree with that....... 'the Bible means what it says'....??

There are a number of ways to interpret that question, but my personal answer to most of them is "no."

The conversation at hand, though, is between two people that consider Scripture to be authoritative in at least some sense in a subforum that requires Scripture to be treated as authoritative.

[oldbadger]

Do you agree with that....... 'the Bible means what it says'....??

There are a number of ways to interpret that question, but my personal answer to most of them is "no."

And so it seems that you have doubts ..... fair enough. I think that the bible does mean what it says, but I prefer some of the books to others because some can offer more direct depositions than others, that's all.

The conversation at hand, though, is between two people that consider Scripture to be authoritative in at least some sense in a subforum that requires Scripture to be treated as authoritative.

That's good then........

[oldbadger]

Yes - I noticed this as well. Tam is just saying that the bible also says that - for example - Jesus said and did many things which are not actually recorded in the bible, so the accusation that Tam is speculating that something was said that wasn't in the Bible is misrepresenting what Tam actually did, which was to point out that the bible itself says that not all information Jesus and God and perhaps even other biblical characters put out into the world, has been recorded in the bible.

Tam is right.
Jesus is reported to have done many things not actually recorded in the bible. True.
I didn't know that the bible actually agrees with this fact (as quoted), so that's really interesting.
Even enemies of Christianity reported things that Jesus did, although I cannot recall that his words were reported.
And the Oral Traditions of some countries both near and far record 'things that Jesus did'.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to oldbadger in post #1]

A proper Christian is one who listens to Jesus' teachings and follows them, which 99% of the world's self-proclaimed Christians do not.

[2timothy316]

Oldbager, I hope you are seeing what is happening here. Do you see the push back when a person uses the Bible? Do you see how they are trying to justify not following it? Do you see how things start so that a person can push their own agenda their own lists as to what a Christian is? While I try to stick to the Bible, they go beyond what is in the Bible. Many people thrive on speculation, mistrust and imagination. I hope I have shown that I do none of that.

I asked the question in the OP without agenda, Timothy. I just wanted to read what Christians think, any Christians. Where any others might heckle or kick back on the side..these I can ignore because they cannot help me with any answers in connection with my question.

What I hope you're seeing is why there is such a problem with finding who a Christian is, its because there are huge swings in what a Christian is.

Should a person just makeup their own criteria as to what a Christian is?
Should a religion determine the criteria for what a Christian is?

What or who should tell us what a Christian is? Once that is agreed on then we can determine WHO is a Christian.

I personally turn to the Bible for determining that criteria. What I was pointing out to you in that previous post is just how unpopular that is with some people. How much push back the Bible gets when it virtually contains everything we know about what the Christian religion was based on, Christ Jesus.

[oldbadger]

A proper Christian is one who listens to Jesus' teachings and follows them, which 99% of the world's self-proclaimed Christians do not.

Thank you for your post, onewithhim.
Now I think that is very interesting because you have told that a proper Christian listens, and so .........hears what Jesus teaches..... Yes?

Does this mean that a Christian can follow Jesus's guidance without anything, not church, priests or Bible?

[2timothy316]

A proper Christian is one who listens to Jesus' teachings and follows them, which 99% of the world's self-proclaimed Christians do not.

Thank you for your post, onewithhim.
Now I think that is very interesting because you have told that a proper Christian listens, and so .........hears what Jesus teaches..... Yes?

Does this mean that a Christian can follow Jesus's guidance without anything, not church, priests or Bible?

Good question.

So if we are to be following Jesus example, what did he do? Was Jesus part of a church or did he go it alone? No Bible, no priests and no church.