Christian atheist?

[sandandfoam]

Do they necessarily?

Ask any ten random Christians what "the doctrines of Christianity" are and you'll probably get eleven different answers.


How do you know? Unless you're saying that Biblical literalism is a required tenet of Christianity (which would need a pretty good argument on your part), I don't see how an atheist interpretation of Jesus' teachings is really that different in approach from other interpretations: take this, leave out that, interpret the other in terms of what you think the overall message is, etc.

Also, an atheist can include God... just as long as it's "God the metaphor", "God the laws of the natural universe", "God the collective ideals of humanity", "God the standard of perfection", or some other non-literal perspective on God.


I can imagine the exact same argument being made by a Catholic against Protestantism ("without apostolic succession, the magisterium, and the sacraments, how can it be Christianity? They're throwing out the majority of Christian doctrine!"). Why does it work in your case but not in theirs?

Well slap my thigh. I agree with every single word you posted!!

 

[Gloone]

The only way a person could be an Atheist and a Christ-follower is if they strictly followed only the ethical teachings of Christ and nothing else.

However, it would be difficult to call such a person a "Christian" if that person largely discards the majority of Christian doctrine, save for a few ethical teachings of Christ.

That is what Christians are suppose to do, but tend to fail on an astronomical level.

 

[Penumbra]

I don't understand how someone can call themself a christian atheist. The Abrahamic god is one of the central figures of christianity. How can one not believe in this god and consider themself to be christian?

I suppose there are a variety of reasons due to the variety of people that hold such views. The two main ones I can think of would be:

-Some of them probably transitioned from Christianity to atheism but have trouble letting some of it go. Religion is a fairly strong aspect of culture in some places, so completely disregarding the whole concept may be difficult for some people.

-Some people may find the teachings of Jesus to be respectable but do not believe in deities or want much to do with the rest of the Bible. So Christian for them may be a somewhat misleading shortened way of saying that they are a follower of the character of Jesus.

 

[Blackheart]

I suppose there are a variety of reasons due to the variety of people that hold such views. The two main ones I can think of would be:

-Some of them probably transitioned from Christianity to atheism but have trouble letting some of it go. Religion is a fairly strong aspect of culture in some places, so completely disregarding the whole concept may be difficult for some people.

-Some people may find the teachings of Jesus to be respectable but do not believe in deities or want much to do with the rest of the Bible. So Christian for them may be a somewhat misleading shortened way of saying that they are a follower of the character of Jesus.

I agree with both of your points but this athiest christian thing sounds like something that most christians would call blasphemy. A christian is someone who believes that Jesus is the son of god. You cant have it both ways. Does a man buy an umbrella when he doesnt believe in rain???

 

[Penumbra]

I agree with both of your points but this athiest christian thing sounds like something that most christians would call blasphemy. A christian is someone who believes that Jesus is the son of god. You cant have it both ways. Does a man buy an umbrella when he doesnt believe in rain???

Who gets the authority to define what a Christian is or is not?

There are common definitions, like adherence to the Nicene Creed, but really, people can use whatever terminology they want to describe themselves. I think it's better for people to use terminology that has low changes of misleading people but it's not that big of a deal.

 

[Blackheart]

Who gets the authority to define what a Christian is or is not?

There are common definitions, like adherence to the Nicene Creed, but really, people can use whatever terminology they want to describe themselves. I think it's better for people to use terminology that has low changes of misleading people but it's not that big of a deal.

No one has the authority but it is the general gist of how christianity is defined. Im guessing if you looked in the dictionary you would read something similar.

 

[linwood]

I dunno, Christ seemed to be a decent enough guy who went around educating the ignorant masses to the best of his ability fairly successfully.

I can see how an atheist could get behind that without believing in all the woo commonly associated with it.

Edit:
They could pretty much call Jeffersons Bible their sacred text and avoid all of the woo while having the scriptural evidence to back it up.

Yep, I can see it happening.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I agree with both of your points but this athiest christian thing sounds like something that most christians would call blasphemy.

Most Christians would call Pentecostalism, the JWs, Mormonism, and Quakerism blasphemy too. Are they not Christian?

A christian is someone who believes that Jesus is the son of god.

I don't think that's the only definition. The one I think makes the most sense is that a Christian is a "follower of Christ"... although there can be quite a wide spectrum of ideas about what "follow" and "Christ" mean in that.

You cant have it both ways. Does a man buy an umbrella when he doesnt believe in rain???

Sure he might - is a parasol not an umbrella?

 

[gnomon]

I think many people should check up on the mythology behind the term Christ and what it actually means.

Following the tenets of Jesus and believing Jesus is the Christ, aka - being a Christian, are two separate things.

Failing to understand that distinction we might as well call all of evolutionary theory Darwinism. In other words, words no longer have any value.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

I don't understand how someone can call themself a christian atheist. The Abrahamic god is one of the central figures of christianity. How can one not believe in this god and consider themself to be christian?

I do it all the time.

 

[fantome profane]

I just thought I would share this article. Because I know that Richard Dawkins is every body’s favourite person around here.

Atheists for Jesus - A Richard Dawkins Essay

(snip)Of course Jesus was a theist, but that is the least interesting thing about him. He was a theist because, in his time, everybody was. Atheism was not an option, even for so radical a thinker as Jesus. What was interesting and remarkable about Jesus was not the obvious fact that he believed in the God of his Jewish religion, but that he rebelled against many aspects of Yahweh's vengeful nastiness. At least in the teachings that are attributed to him, he publicly advocated niceness and was one of the first to do so. To those steeped in the Sharia-like cruelties of Leviticus and Deuteronomy; to those brought up to fear the vindictive, Ayatollah-like God of Abraham and Isaac, a charismatic young preacher who advocated generous forgiveness must have seemed radical to the point of subversion. No wonder they nailed him.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."(snip)