Christian Atheists

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Fine, go with that. A follower of Christ would also believe in God, like Christ did.

A perfect follower of Christ, who follows the Christ typically portrayed by mainstream churches would do that. I don't think it's reasonable to require people to be perfect or mainstream in order to be considered Christian.

I try to stay out of the business of judging who is more of a Christian than someone else.

Except that's what you just did!

For me, it's a digital question; 1 = yes, you're a Christian, 0 = no, you're not (and God assigns the quantum state).

And ONLY belief in God matters? That's the only necessary part of "seeking to be like Christ?"

 

[Axe Elf]

A perfect follower of Christ, who follows the Christ typically portrayed by mainstream churches would do that. I don't think it's reasonable to require people to be perfect or mainstream in order to be considered Christian.

LOL

That's like saying that well, yes, a perfect football player would indeed play football, but I don't think it's reasonable to require someone to be perfect in order to be considered a football player. So even people who don't play football can be considered football players.

Except that's what you just did!

Au contraire, mon frer.

I asserted that one either is a Christian, or one is not; there are no degrees of being more of a Christian or less of a Christian.

And ONLY belief in God matters? That's the only necessary part of "seeking to be like Christ?"

Either Jesus is one's personal savior, or He is not. That is the only thing that determines whether one is a Christian or one is not. I cannot imagine how one might consider Jesus to be their personal savior without a belief in God.

I suppose the criteria for "what makes one a Christian" (in terms of accepting Jesus as a personal savior) has been conflated with "what Christians do" (in terms of following or emulating Christ) in my posts, and I can see where that might have caused some confusion. Let me clear that up by agreeing that yes, an atheist could indeed act like a Christian, but I don't believe that an atheist could actually BE a Christian--so to that extent, an "atheist Christian" is an oxymoron.

 

[Baladas]

This comes down to the importance of faith vs deeds.
Jesus himself seems to have valued both a great deal, going so far in Matthew 25 as saying that those who are not good to their fellow human beings will be damned, whereas those we are will be saved:

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ - Matthew 25:34-36

"41‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’" - Matthew 25:41-43

 

[sealchan]

Do you know any christian atheists?


in fact i'm an atheist of many belief systems

i'm one basically. i follow the ethic of reciprocity; which obviously is found in many belief systems.

Does having an angel of belief on one shoulder and an atheist on the other filling my head full of conflicting thoughts count?

 

[Fool]

Are you actually atheist? Or agnostic?

atheist. i don't "believe". i know.

Christian atheism takes many forms: some Christian atheists take a theological position in which the belief in the transcendent or interventionist God is rejected or absent in favor of finding God totally in the world (Thomas J. J. Altizer)

 

[Fool]

This comes down to the importance of faith vs deeds.
Jesus himself seems to have valued both a great deal, going so far in Matthew 25 as saying that those who are not good to their fellow human beings will be damned, whereas those we are will be saved:

pretty is as pretty does.

 

[Father Heathen]

"Christian atheist" seems like an oxymoron to me.

An atheist doesn't believe in God. A "Christian" seeks to be Christ-like. Christ obviously believed in God. Hard to be Christ-like if you don't believe in God.

So theism is required to be selflessly compassionate, generous, and forgiving?

Also, very few Christians actually follow Christ's teachings and example.

 

[InChrist]

So theism is required to be selflessly compassionate, generous, and forgiving?

Also, very few Christians actually follow Christ's teachings and example.

Like Jesus said, " But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:14

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

"Christian atheist" seems like an oxymoron to me.

An atheist doesn't believe in God. A "Christian" seeks to be Christ-like. Christ obviously believed in God. Hard to be Christ-like if you don't believe in God.

Do you believe that "believing in God" was Christ's most definitive characteristic? Are there other ways a person could "be like Christ"?

My ultimate point is this: if we're to say that differing on one single attribute makes one unable to be "Christ-like", then you may as well say that a person not having a beard (if Christ indeed did have a beard) makes them unable to be Christ-like. "Hard to be Christ-like if you don't have a beard."

And I honestly believe that someone having or not having a beard is just as important as believing or not believing in God. That is to say, it isn't at all important.

 

[Baladas]

So theism is required to be selflessly compassionate, generous, and forgiving?

Also, very few Christians actually follow Christ's teachings and example.

Right? The verses that I posted seem to paint a picture of a Jesus that is definitely at least as concerned with what people actually do as what they believe.

 

[Sleeppy]

atheist. i don't "believe". i know.

Christian atheism takes many forms: some Christian atheists take a theological position in which the belief in the transcendent or interventionist God is rejected or absent in favor of finding God totally in the world (Thomas J. J. Altizer)

So for you, Jesus himself is considered an atheist. I think that's an important detail missing from your OP.

 

[Kapalika]

following the law of reciprocity, or golden rule, is found in many systems


http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc2.htm

I wasn't even talking about that part, but even this is a non sequitur from "Christian atheists". I give up.

 

[Cacotopia]

You can say a lot of atheist follow christian ideals in how to treat people, but I wouldn't call it that since many other religions and nonreligious philosophies teach that. Living in a synergistic community. Stuff like respect, helping people in need. yada yada yada. Parents upbringing and the society you live in has much to do with that. I don't think one religion can take the sole credit for such behavior.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Secular Humanists are basically post-Christian atheists.

Yeah, but Christians are basically post-crucifiction Jews.
(Said with my tongue in my cheek)

 

[lukethethird]

Do you know any christian atheists?


in fact i'm an atheist of many belief systems

i'm one basically. i follow the ethic of reciprocity; which obviously is found in many belief systems.

It's hard to know Christian atheists, they're incredibly wry shape shifters it would appear.

 

[Fool]

You can say a lot of atheist follow christian ideals in how to treat people, but I wouldn't call it that since many other religions and nonreligious philosophies teach that. Living in a synergistic community. Stuff like respect, helping people in need. yada yada yada. Parents upbringing and the society you live in has much to do with that. I don't think one religion can take the sole credit for such behavior.

so now you understand why the clothes one wears, sheeps in woolen costumes, don't qualify. jesus said it wasn't about what we wore. it was how someone behaves.

i also qualify as a moslem.


In fact, reciting the Shahada, a short oral declaration of faith is the minimum requirement to be a Muslim. The words of the Shahada are "La ilaha illallah, Muhammadun rasulullah " This translates to "I testify that there is no other god but Allah, and Muhammad is God's messenger (prophet)."


How to Convert to Islam - The Testimony of Faith (Shahada)
Becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process. All that a person has to do is to say a sentence called the Testimony of Faith (Shahada), which is pronounced as:

 

[Fool]

It's hard to know Christian atheists, they're incredibly wry shape shifters it would appear.

jesus wasn't called the king of thieves for nothing.

 

[Axe Elf]

So theism is required to be selflessly compassionate, generous, and forgiving?

Also, very few Christians actually follow Christ's teachings and example.

Do you believe that "believing in God" was Christ's most definitive characteristic? Are there other ways a person could "be like Christ"?

My ultimate point is this: if we're to say that differing on one single attribute makes one unable to be "Christ-like", then you may as well say that a person not having a beard (if Christ indeed did have a beard) makes them unable to be Christ-like. "Hard to be Christ-like if you don't have a beard."

And I honestly believe that someone having or not having a beard is just as important as believing or not believing in God. That is to say, it isn't at all important.

I think maybe you guys missed my previous post in which I attempted to clear up the confusion generated by the conflation of what makes one a Christian, and what Christians do. These posts still seem to be suffering from that confusion, so let me repeat myself:

Either Jesus is one's personal savior, or He is not. That is the only thing that determines whether one is a Christian or one is not. I cannot imagine how one might consider Jesus to be their personal savior without a belief in God.

I suppose the criteria for "what makes one a Christian" (in terms of accepting Jesus as a personal savior) has been conflated with "what Christians do" (in terms of following or emulating Christ) in my posts, and I can see where that might have caused some confusion. Let me clear that up by agreeing that yes, an atheist could indeed act like a Christian, but I don't believe that an atheist could actually BE a Christian--so to that extent, an "atheist Christian" is an oxymoron.

 

[Cacotopia]

If you don't believe in a god I don't think you qualify.

 

[Augustus]

Yeah, but Christians are basically post-crucifiction Jews.
(Said with my tongue in my cheek)

Given the role of the resurrection in the deification of Jesus, that's actually pretty accurate