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So obviously this question seems astounding to most at first glance. Of course one cannot be a good Christian and still maintain their Atheism, correct?
Well, maybe not.
I've been here quite awhile and have seen many of you define just what it means to be Christian. So lets think about that for a few moments. How do we define a Christian? The overwhelming answer that I have received here on this board and elsewhere is that if one believes in the teachings of Christ and makes a sincere effort to follow the path he set for us in the Bible, the rest is just semantics and that person by all means is Christian.
So as many if not most of you know, I am atheist. I do not believe in a literal God or even a literal Christ in the sense that he is the Son of God. However, when reading the Bible, it is obvious that many of the teachings of Christ are moral and just. I do believe that the fictional depiction of Christ is a hero to society, providing a true example of how to live a clean and moral life. I do follow the words of Christ to the best of my ability and with the utmost sincerety. Not because I am scared of the hell fire that will surely burn me for etetrnity if I don't, thats all fantasy, but because I, as a rational human being, want to do what is best for the well being of myself, my family, and my fellow humans.
So, I beg the question, even a proclaimed Atheist, could I still be considered Christian? i.e. an Atheist Christian?
Last edited by WhipperSnapper 88; 02-23-2012 at 12:30 PM..
I'd say no, because along with all the moral life lessons, a key component of Christ's message is supernatural/related to god.
All Christians would say that simple admiration of Christ isn't what makes one a Christian, but rather the acceptance of Christ as the savior.
It'd be like a Christian admiring, say, the teachings of Buddha. He may admire and respect him all day, but in the end, it is his belief in the divinity of Jesus that makes him what he is, in terms of religion.
So I'd say you're an atheist with a respect for (some) of the teachings of Christ, specifically the moral parables.
Why don't you just be Buddhist? That way you can still be atheist and follow good morals without having the nonsense that comes with Christianity. After all most of the teachings of BibleJesus were stolen from Buddhism anyway.
I'd say no, because along with all the moral life lessons, a key component of Christ's message is supernatural/related to god.
All Christians would say that simple admiration of Christ isn't what makes one a Christian, but rather the acceptance of Christ as the savior.
It'd be like a Christian admiring, say, the teachings of Buddha. He may admire and respect him all day, but in the end, it is his belief in the divinity of Jesus that makes him what he is, in terms of religion.
So I'd say you're an atheist with a respect for (some) of the teachings of Christ, specifically the moral parables.
In today's world, a greatly increasing number of people are questioning the existence of God and claims about God. However, people are not getting answers that are in accordance with reason, modern knowledge or anything that makes sense to them. Yet, at the same time, most of these people want to lead wholesome, moral lives and even have a sense of identity with the past.
So, I'd say an atheist "religion" or moral system is slowly emerging in the world from the remnants of the old religions.
The overwhelming answer that I have received here on this board and elsewhere is that if one believes in the teachings of Christ and makes a sincere effort to follow the path he set for us in the Bible, the rest is just semantics and that person by all means is Christian.
Believing in what Christ teaches and believing in Christ are not the same thing. I do not follow Jesus' teachings per se.....I follow His teaching by following Him.
Salvation is found in Christ and in Christ alone....and you are not a Christian outside abiding in Christ (incarnate) and Christ abiding in you (incarnate).
Doing what you think are "good" things or convincing yourself that you're a "good" person is meaningless. No one is innocent and no one deserves the free gift of salvation yet, there in the goodness of God, you can find it in the Risen King, Jesus Christ.
Another approach: could you be an honest, ethical & morally upright individual by following basic common-sense rules of behavior, bur supplemented with references to some other book? I mean one that can be easily digested without the need of a trained decipherist, who will tend to add in his or her own biases? The difficult books would include, for example the Qu'Ran, and to a lesser degree, the bible.
How's about whatever reference materials the Scientologistsâ„¢ use? (avoid hooking yourself up to a big ol' electric meter though, n'kay? Your existing mind is "clear" enough! And don't pay for this sort of thing either!) But.... L. Ron was, after all, a fairly good writer just from a grammatical sense, else his other "Sic-Fi" books would not have sold.
Or???? some guide book from the more moderate Eastern religions? Buddhism, etc.
If you need or might just appreciate an advanced guide-book for more in-depth personal philosophy studies, perhaps there are some good alternatives to having to also swallow or search out and skip over beliefs in the implausible, such as the bible presents as regards "IP" Genesis, the curious Great Flood, etc, yes?
I do know there's literally aisles full of secular self-help philosophy books down at Barnes & Noble, or the like, or now, available from Amazon, etc, for example, directly into/onto your nice über-lightweight Kindle, whatever book you could ever imagine owning!
I do believe that the fictional depiction of Christ is a hero to society, providing a true example of how to live a clean and moral life. I do follow the words of Christ to the best of my ability and with the utmost sincerety.
If you follow everything attributed to Jesus in the Bible, then I'm pretty sure you can kiss your atheist beliefs good-bye.
As an atheist, I could never get on board with passages such as these:
Luke 14
26 "If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 5
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 10
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
35 For I have come to set a man ‘against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
No, you're an atheist whose personal morality matches closely with the basic morality taught in the New Testament, which is not in any way unique to that particular book. Those values are much older than the Bible.
Believing in what Christ teaches and believing in Christ are not the same thing. I do not follow Jesus' teachings per se.....I follow His teaching by following Him.
Salvation is found in Christ and in Christ alone....and you are not a Christian outside abiding in Christ (incarnate) and Christ abiding in you (incarnate).
Doing what you think are "good" things or convincing yourself that you're a "good" person is meaningless. No one is innocent and no one deserves the free gift of salvation yet, there in the goodness of God, you can find it in the Risen King, Jesus Christ.
Hey Alpha! Haven't seen you in years, since I first started here on C-D! Been good?
I used to argue with you a lot! Tried logic, but that didn't work with you so much, as I recall! Still, looking back, it was lotsa phun!
Your post here is part answer but also part proselytizing, huh? Any opportunity to put in a good word for The Lord, yep.
Anyhow, be good, or I'll have to come after you and straighten you out! I duhn larn't quite a lot since them ol' dayz about debating you lovable Christians!
Take care!
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Some light reading options!
some guide book from the more moderate Eastern religions? Buddhism, etc.
Greetings from another dimension!
I duhn larn't quite a lot since them ol' dayz about debating you lovable Christians! 
