Originally Posted by Sylria

I think people have forgotten what Christianity really means. THe term is coined from believing that Jesus was the son of God and died for peoples sins. If you believe that, then you are a Christian. Who cares if you flip people off, lie, and whatnot. Isn't God supposed to forgive your sins? I mean, come on, you are human. You are supposed to fallable. Not perfect.

Most of the Bible was written to suit people's needs. I wouldn't say that anyone would go to Hell for breaking a commandment. Why would you even want to believe in a God that would do that to you? I think most of it is meant to give people guidelines, and to not take some of things portrayed too seriously.

I think that all that matters is that you have a personal relationship with God. Don't let anyone else try to define your religious beliefs, because no one has the exact same views.

I think that as long as you are a good person, it doesn't matter about all that other garbage. Just live a good life and don't be mean to people on purpose.

I don't define myself as any one religion. I like aspects of every religion and have formed my own belief based on my own experiences. I think that is what is most important.

You probably had the best point of everything I read so far, from that one single line.
I think most of it is meant to give people guidelines, and to not take some of things portrayed too seriously.
That makes so much sense, and makes everything I've ever heard become clearer to me. And yeah, I should decide for myself on what religon I'm in and what I believe in. This thread was just made for my curiousity to see the different ways people define me and Christianity itself. They're all so different. Trying to be a decent personally generally (with or without religon) is what truly defines you in the end, I think. My friend Liz is like that. She's sort of a sense of more than one and doesn't (and can't) classify herself under just one. She believes there's more than one God in the sky =3

Originally Posted by mocha_san

Well, I would go ask dear old Mr. Falwell, but I'm afraid he is busy being stuffed into an oven.

Wait, who's Mr.Falwell? o__O
Care to explain? I'm so confused...

Everyone falls short of the glory of God. Just because you do some things that are frowned upon does not mean that you're going to hell.

Jesus says, "The only way to the Father is through me."

However, just because we all are not 100% pure and unguilty, does not mean that it is okay to intentionally do things that are wrong. Or to do things that we know are wrong.

What you should do is pray, and ask the Lord for forgiveness, and do your best not to hurt people the way you do. If someone comes at you wanting to fight, or something, ignore them and walk away. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know. XD. But you have to do your best.

So, really, what's most important is that if you don't think you're a good person. Change it.

Oh, and I totally know what you mean by people thinking it's a joke when you tell them. It's that way for me too. I have tattoos, piercings, a pretty bad attitude, and when I tell people they don't believe me.
The only real difference between you and I is that I don't flip people off (anymore) and I rarely lie. XD. I supposed I'm considered brutally honest by many.

Anyways, you're not the only one who's not perfect in their walk with God. But you should still try on being better. If not for the sake of God, but those around you. I'm working on it too. :]

Oh, but you do not need to change you just to be Christian. The Lord loves us all, even if we hate him.

To believe, you don't have to follow any guidelines.

As long as you believe, there's nothing they can say or do against you.

if you didn't believe in a higher power, you're obviously not christian.

but that doesn't mean they can shove their religion down your throat either.

I do not believe that the bible is true, nor do I think jesus is a savior.

I do believe in a higher power, and that's all that matters to me.

Originally Posted by Kyon

Everyone falls short of the glory of God. Just because you do some things that are frowned upon does not mean that you're going to hell.

Jesus says, "The only way to the Father is through me."

However, just because we all are not 100% pure and unguilty, does not mean that it is okay to intentionally do things that are wrong. Or to do things that we know are wrong.

What you should do is pray, and ask the Lord for forgiveness, and do your best not to hurt people the way you do. If someone comes at you wanting to fight, or something, ignore them and walk away. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know. XD. But you have to do your best.

So, really, what's most important is that if you don't think you're a good person. Change it.

Oh, and I totally know what you mean by people thinking it's a joke when you tell them. It's that way for me too. I have tattoos, piercings, a pretty bad attitude, and when I tell people they don't believe me.
The only real difference between you and I is that I don't flip people off (anymore) and I rarely lie. XD. I supposed I'm considered brutally honest by many.

Anyways, you're not the only one who's not perfect in their walk with God. But you should still try on being better. If not for the sake of God, but those around you. I'm working on it too. :]

Oh, but you do not need to change you just to be Christian. The Lord loves us all, even if we hate him.

Yeah. No one's really perfect, especially not with all the terms of Christianity >__<. Heh. I learned to try to...

Not screw up in the first place.

Ask for forgiveness

Repent (a lot!)

But yeah. I'm trying to just try to not mess up too dramatically too often :3. Oh man, I hear that so much xD. "Your so mean...Or maybe just too honest >.>" It's nice to know some people can relate ^__^. But yeah, perfection isn't just far away. It's nearly impossible. Because when you're born, you don't know God and his teachings and therefore you have sinned. So there's no way to go through life without sinning anyway x]. But I might as well try to turn down the bitchiness a tad bit =3...Okay, maybe a lot xD

I could still be me though. Even if I did follow God's word a bit more. I would just be a nicer version of me. And I think that way, I'm the same person but just a little better in general ;]

i think that if you accept you are a christian, then you are one.

and i totally agree with nightmare about the not forcing others into joining our religion part XD

I'm not a Christian, I don't believe in a higher power, but I don't think doing those things makes you a non-Christian. My best friend is a Christian, and she also hates her church. She also swears and lies and does crazy things-who nowadays doesn't? I can't think of a single Christian person I know who I can point to and say they are a perfect Christian. A missionary came to our door once and told my dad his soul wasn't good enough to go to heaven because he had obviously had impure thoughts-she cited me and my brother as evidence. I personally think religion is fine, but not for me. I think you're a Christian, so what if you swear or flip people off-as long as you believe in a higher power. *shrug*

Originally Posted by darkcheese

To believe, you don't have to follow any guidelines.

As long as you believe, there's nothing they can say or do against you.

if you didn't believe in a higher power, you're obviously not christian.

but that doesn't mean they can shove their religion down your throat either.

I do not believe that the bible is true, nor do I think jesus is a savior.

I do believe in a higher power, and that's all that matters to me.

Eh, true. To have faith is really different than to follow what's known as "a Christian lifestyle". I never really thought of it that way:

if you didn't believe in a higher power, you're obviously not christian.

That's completely true though and there's no way anyone would be able to argue against that statement =3. You can't really force someone into believing something, everyone has to make their own choices as a person at one point or another. Not everyone fits into a certain religon. Like you for example, and I respect that. What bothers me is when people are all like "BELIEVE IN CHRISTIANITY OR YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!!"

....

I just find those people a bit creepy and a little over the top scary >__>

Update! =O

Thanks to everyone who's been giving me their various opinions on this topic :3. I have a couple more to respond to but I'm seriously tired right now and I need to get up early tomorrow...

So, if you respond after this, you can still expect a response. Just not right away 'cause I'll be gone pretty much the whole day and morning. But I'll probably be back on tomorrow night :]

'Kay thanks everybody <3

Its just that in my opinion, if god is supposed to be so almighty and perfect, how could such a pure being create such impure beings as humans or even angels that get cast down from heaven? I'd rather love a perfect god than one who proves that in the end he can make just as many mistakes as his creations :P too late for him to take it back now methinks...

[We were 'supposedly' created in his image, no? And if a silly lil snake can make Adam and Eve eat forbidden fruit then damn... God must've messed up somewhere in the grand scheme of things. I know I would when it comes to really big projects xD Wouldnt it be funny if some-one travelled back in time and shot satan in snake form? x3 Random, unrealistic thought I know, I like to think alot, dont mind my mad ramblings]

Originally Posted by xX Nightmare Angel Xx

Eh, true. To have faith is really different than to follow what's known as "a Christian lifestyle". I never really thought of it that way:

if you didn't believe in a higher power, you're obviously not christian.

That's completely true though and there's no way anyone would be able to argue against that statement =3. You can't really force someone into believing something, everyone has to make their own choices as a person at one point or another. Not everyone fits into a certain religon. Like you for example, and I respect that. What bothers me is when people are all like "BELIEVE IN CHRISTIANITY OR YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!!"

....

I just find those people a bit creepy and a little over the top scary >__>

The Devil believes in, and knows God, yet he is not a Christian. Satanists believe in God, and they're not Christians either. XD

It's not so much "Do you believe in him?" but, "Do you love him?"

Originally Posted by yanyan13

i think that if you accept you are a christian, then you are one.

and i totally agree with nightmare about the not forcing others into joining our religion part XD

I like half accepted myself to be a Christian. So does that make me a half Christian xD?

Yeah, I can't stand people who are shoving random people into their church screaming "Cleanse your sins!". Man those people scare me >___<

Originally Posted by Dangerous Tinfoil Shoes

I'm not a Christian, I don't believe in a higher power, but I don't think doing those things makes you a non-Christian. My best friend is a Christian, and she also hates her church. She also swears and lies and does crazy things-who nowadays doesn't? I can't think of a single Christian person I know who I can point to and say they are a perfect Christian. A missionary came to our door once and told my dad his soul wasn't good enough to go to heaven because he had obviously had impure thoughts-she cited me and my brother as evidence. I personally think religion is fine, but not for me. I think you're a Christian, so what if you swear or flip people off-as long as you believe in a higher power. *shrug*

Yeah, no one is that perfect image of a Christian. Because from the second you're born, you have commited sin. You have commited sin because you did not yet know of the Lord Jesus Christ. (So your basically screwed from point one anyway). That's what they told me at my church years ago. I found it a bit unfair but whatever.

A lot of those door-to-door missionaries are a bit bizzare. I remember one was trying to hand me a bible once and I said "No thanks" (since we had some alreadY) and he was so damn persistent. He stood there for so long until he grabbed my hand, shoved the bible in it, and then said "God bless" or something like that and then walked off. Okay wait, now that I think of it better, I think he was actually under the religon of Jehovah Witness. But that's a completely different story altogether >__>.

That missionary you were talking about seems a bit bizzare. I mean I really think he has no right to be telling your dad he's going to hell o___O. That's just a random but biased thing to tell someone. 'Impure thoughts', I happen to get a lot of those x]

Originally Posted by Kyon

The Devil believes in, and knows God, yet he is not a Christian. Satanists believe in God, and they're not Christians either. XD

It's not so much "Do you believe in him?" but, "Do you love him?"

I'm not sure if loving God should be the difference between Christians and non Christians. After all, the Jews love God, but they're definitely not Christians.

I think the deciding factor is based more on belief in and/or love of Jesus. The Jews generally believe he existed but do not believe he was the messiah or son of God.

From what I've seen in my Christian friends, as long as you believe in Jesus as the son of God and the messiah, you accept him in your heart, and you love him unconditionally, that's the deciding factor that makes you Christian. All those other things you do might be considered "sins" by more conservative Christians, but they wouldn't automatically boot you out of the club or anything. ;)

Originally Posted by Sinspiration

Its just that in my opinion, if god is supposed to be so almighty and perfect, how could such a pure being create such impure beings as humans or even angels that get cast down from heaven? I'd rather love a perfect god than one who proves that in the end he can make just as many mistakes as his creations :P too late for him to take it back now methinks...

[We were 'supposedly' created in his image, no? And if a silly lil snake can make Adam and Eve eat forbidden fruit then damn... God must've messed up somewhere in the grand scheme of things. I know I would when it comes to really big projects xD Wouldnt it be funny if some-one travelled back in time and shot satan in snake form? x3 Random, unrealistic thought I know, I like to think alot, dont mind my mad ramblings]

Eh, that can be true. But it's also the person's/angel's choice on how they want to act. He creates us and from then on, it's our decision on how holy or pure we want to be. Same for angels too. That's what I think anyway =3

Hahaha. Man, that'd be so funny =P

"BANG! BANG! YOU'RE DEADDD!"

To see that would probably be the coolest and funnies thing of my life. Especially if I got to do that. It'd be highlight of my life to pass on to generations 8D

Originally Posted by Kyon

The Devil believes in, and knows God, yet he is not a Christian. Satanists believe in God, and they're not Christians either. XD

It's not so much "Do you believe in him?" but, "Do you love him?"

Oh right >__<. I saw a wax figurine of the guy who originally started the Church of Satan. There was a lot of irony in that for me xD. But yes, I do...Although his lifestyle is indeed a pain in the ass >__>

Originally Posted by Masquerade

I'm not sure if loving God should be the difference between Christians and non Christians. After all, the Jews love God, but they're definitely not Christians.

I think the deciding factor is based more on belief in and/or love of Jesus. The Jews generally believe he existed but do not believe he was the messiah or son of God.

From what I've seen in my Christian friends, as long as you believe in Jesus as the son of God and the messiah, you accept him in your heart, and you love him unconditionally, that's the deciding factor that makes you Christian. All those other things you do might be considered "sins" by more conservative Christians, but they wouldn't automatically boot you out of the club or anything. ;)

So many different ways to decipher if someone is Christian or not...Makes my head hurt x___x. So I guess it's loving God, believing in his existence, and believing that he's the ruler of everything. Ehh, sounds right anyway.

That sounds good, and yeah. Some of the 'hardcore' Christians would object to some of the stuff I do, but what are they gonna do about it? xD

Well, I am Christian as well. So what, I am not a churchgoer, the last time I was in a church was like last Summer, my cousin was getting married. You know, being a Christian doesn't immediately mean you have to be like those old puritan grannies or, like, Christ himself.

Well, If you are a Christian and believe in God and that Jesus died for us (and came back ^^) then you are. Doesn't matter what you do, if you are saved and believe in Him then nothing you can do will take take that away from you. :3 <3 God loves you no matter what you do. ^^
But those things that you do, everyone sins, but you should still try and fix what is wrong and make things right. :D I hope I wasn't to confusing on that, ^^;;

Oh, and you dont have to go to or like a Church to be a Christian, it's all faith and believing in Him. Going to church is only to worship the Lord with others, but you can do that at home as well. ^^ And It helps to be around others who are Christians like you, but it's not something you have to do.

O-O

Update!

Mmkay everyone, so I'll respond to the previous posts first thing when I get back on Menewsha. I could possibly be on tomorrow but I might not be able to due to my computer restriction issues x___x. We'll see...But anyways, I'll respond to posts made after this one as well but that'll be later on. If I had a Starbucks, I'd use it. But I don't so I'll have to go with sleep. G'night, I'll talk to you all later ;3

Thankies to everyone who's been posting n___n! You're all a great help =3

I come from a deeply religious family, but I listen to loads of metal, I'm friends with people from a wide range of religious beliefs, but my mother says it's "paramount to devil worship" and has blocked channels like Scuzz and kerrang. Personally, I don't feel it's evil or whatever. :/

I learned many things from my many boring theology classes that I will share with you. One is that if you believe in God and that Jesus Christ is your savior, then you will go to heaven. This is the basis of Christianity, so if you believe this, then you are a Christian. Secondly, I learned that faith without good works is dead. Now, this doesn't mean you are going to Hell and it doesn't mean you need to do good wroks to get to heaven. It is simply stating that God wants us to follow his commands as best we can and to show our faith here on earth. I don't mean to sound preachy because I sin too.
I swear, I lie sometimes, I flip people off, and I even went through an Aetheistic period in my life. I don't even attend church that often. I'm just stating what I learned. Hopefully this helps a bit.

Originally Posted by Katurine

Well, I am Christian as well. So what, I am not a churchgoer, the last time I was in a church was like last Summer, my cousin was getting married. You know, being a Christian doesn't immediately mean you have to be like those old puritan grannies or, like, Christ himself.

Lawl, yeah. Church can be boring sometimes anyway...

Mmm, true. No one's perfect in Christianity, and I'm certainly far from it >__>

Originally Posted by Aurora

Well, If you are a Christian and believe in God and that Jesus died for us (and came back ^^) then you are. Doesn't matter what you do, if you are saved and believe in Him then nothing you can do will take take that away from you. :3 <3 God loves you no matter what you do. ^^
But those things that you do, everyone sins, but you should still try and fix what is wrong and make things right. :D I hope I wasn't to confusing on that, ^^;;

Oh, and you dont have to go to or like a Church to be a Christian, it's all faith and believing in Him. Going to church is only to worship the Lord with others, but you can do that at home as well. ^^ And It helps to be around others who are Christians like you, but it's not something you have to do.

Yeah, that sounds correct. I guess believing, loving, God, etc. is what really makes someone a Christian no matter how much you screw up xD.

Yeah, I do stuff that's a little un-holy like I suppose. But I'm working on it as far as the swearing unless I'm really mad at someone >__<. And I haven't flipped anyone off in quite a while. It was mainly at school but now that I'm on summer break, it's easier to manage. Eh, I still love my semi-demonic metal though. But I'm not worshipping the devil or doing what they say so does it really matter? I've been doing a little better =3

I have some Christian friends and some non-Christian. The Christian ones usually don't care what I do though, they're just like "Okay, it's your deal :3". But I had this one super religous friend where if you even said
"Oh crap!" around her then she'll freak out and tell you to stop your foul language >__<. She was a tad bit too irritating...

lol, yea. XD That's the only thing I dislike about some Christian people, is that they go way OVERBOARD and dont even go by the book, I mean like those people yelling at the side of the street saying stuff if you do this and that, your going to blah blah blah. :roll: Not saying your friend is that way, did not mean to say that at all ^^;;;