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Christian Atheism

Neo Deist

Th.D. & D.Div. h.c.
Yep, I'm happy enough with all that. I just don't think many Christians would actually consider you a Christian.
You're effectively using the Christian method as a form of philosophy.

This is what I have been saying for the longest time. There is a difference between being religious and living according to a philosophy.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
nope, it's simply a mind, body, and action for some. the idea is not unique to christianity. the gnostic had a place in the early group of jesus' followers. the nag hammadi library being apparent, irenaus trying to quash it, and the syrian malabar nasrani being a remnant of it.

your's is one interpretation
Are you sure you replied to the right thread? Your post doesn't seem to have anything to do with the one you quoted.
 

Kemosloby

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
No, because to be a Christian you believe Jesus is the Son of God, therefore you must also believe in God, which disqualifies you from being an atheist.
 

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
Christianity has no place for Atheism as it is founded upon various form of superstition and very formalized and systematic ones at that.
You must have a belief in miracles, deities, and magic. The issue with all this is that all these things revert back to a god of some sort although an atheist can technically believe in magic. Christianity does not permit one to disbelieve in its superstitions and practice it. It is a faith not a practice.

Ancient Polytheism when in urbanized areas was only about ritual and practice, not faith. So doubt of the gods was permissible unlike doubt of the ritualism.

Abrahamic religions like Islam and Christianity do not permit this.
 

Neo Deist

Th.D. & D.Div. h.c.
No, because to be a Christian you believe Jesus is the Son of God, therefore you must also believe in God, which disqualifies you from being an atheist.

Actually to be a Christian means you follow the teachings of Jesus, in order to be Christlike. It has nothing to do with the Trinity, original sin, heaven, hell, the devil, etc. All of that is denominational specific stuff that came later.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
So is a practicing christian, who doesn't believe Jesus is God an atheist?
If he does not believe in deities, then he is an atheist.

Not sure how he could be a practicing Christian in that case, though.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
what is she/he then? buddhism can be considered an atheistic belief system.

Buddhist Gods & Deities - ReligionFacts
A religion can easily be atheistic - and arguably, should be - but that is an entirely different thing than atheist (organized or otherwise) being a religion.

As a comparison example: it is generally accepted that religion involves communication among humans. It does not follow that such communication is necessarily religious.
 

Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
So is a practicing christian, who doesn't believe Jesus is God an atheist?

You certainly aren't a Christian. Not since the 3rd century, and the First Council of Nicaea. Christianity drew a line in the sand about the trinity and other basic beliefs, and was one of the issues that had been settled. Anyone that believes the notion you contend is a heretic by all definitions of any Christian church on the planet.

Denying Jesus doesn't mean you are denying God though, but you certainly wouldn't be compatible with Christianity at all. You're basically a Jew dressed up in Christian clothes at that point.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
You certainly aren't a Christian. Not since the 3rd century, and the First Council of Nicaea. Christianity drew a line in the sand about the trinity and other basic beliefs, and was one of the issues that had been settled. Anyone that believes the notion you contend is a heretic by all definitions of any Christian church on the planet.

Denying Jesus doesn't mean you are denying God though, but you certainly wouldn't be compatible with Christianity at all. You're basically a Jew dressed up in Christian clothes at that point.

Christian heretics are still christians. They just won't have the agreement of orthodoxy. And they do exist, always have.

Gnostic christianity also exists, although I don't know whether they qualify as heretics.
 

Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Christian heretics are still christians. They just won't have the agreement of orthodoxy. And they do exist, always have.

Gnostic christianity also exists, although I don't know whether they qualify as heretics.

Denial of the trinity basically puts you at odds with the fundamental pillars of Christianity. Why not just come up with your own religion at that point?
 

Jedster

Flying through space
No, you don't have to believe Jesus is God to be a Christian, you only need to understand the stories of Jesus and what they point to.
You mean, like this guy who was a speaker in London's speakers corner some decades ago
2015-12-23-1450847295-3926141-christianatheism.jpg
 

Kemosloby

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Actually to be a Christian means you follow the teachings of Jesus, in order to be Christlike. It has nothing to do with the Trinity, original sin, heaven, hell, the devil, etc. All of that is denominational specific stuff that came later.
No, that's not true. To be a Christian you must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, otherwise you're not Christian.

John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

And there are many other places saying basically the same thing in various ways.
 

Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
No, that's not true. To be a Christian you must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, otherwise you're not Christian.

John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

And there are many other places saying basically the same thing in various ways.

In fairness, the modern bibles were rewritten to cater to the ideas of the Council of Nicaea long after the fact and before that there really wasn't much consensus on these things. Some people believed in them and some didn't, etc.

However, my commentary still stands -- you cannot be a Christian and not accept Jesus as the way to God. There is no variant of Christianity which accepts that this point is debatable.
 

Kemosloby

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
In fairness, the modern bibles were rewritten to cater to the ideas of the Council of Nicaea long after the fact and before that there really wasn't much consensus on these things. Some people believed in them and some didn't, etc.

However, my commentary still stands -- you cannot be a Christian and not accept Jesus as the way to God. There is no variant of Christianity which accepts that this point is debatable.
You say that but it does not hold water. Obviously the Catholics would have left out many things from the bible were they ever able to. You must accept Jesus is the Son of God to be Christian. But what would a Satanist know...
 

Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
You say that but it does not hold water. Obviously the Catholics would have left out many things from the bible were they ever able to. You must accept Jesus is the Son of God to be Christian. But what would a Satanist know...

That's called a genetic fallacy, and a weak ad hominem attack. Attack my points, but not me, it's against the rules. I assure you most Satanists know more about the Bible than the average Christian because we like trash talking it, lol.

Anyway, the council wasn't Catholics -- at that time all Christians were one thing, pretty much, just Christians.
 

Kemosloby

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
That's called a genetic fallacy, and a weak ad hominem attack. Attack my points, but not me, it's against the rules. I assure you most Satanists know more about the Bible than the average Christian because we like trash talking it, lol.

Anyway, the council wasn't Catholics -- at that time all Christians were one thing, pretty much, just Christians.

Yeah and that's all you're trying to do now, trash it with lies.
 
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