What Are The Requirements To Be A Christian?

[WinePusher]

In my book, I would say that a person is a christian if they accept Jesus Christ as the personal lord and savior.

I was debating the admin of CARM the other month, and he's very anti-catholic. So he told me the Church is heretical because of its teachings and practices, he went as far to suggest that they aren't Christian.

What Are The Requirements To Be A Christian?

[otseng]

In my book, I would say that a person is a christian if they accept Jesus Christ as the personal lord and savior.

I'd say that would be a Christian too.

[WinePusher]

In my book, I would say that a person is a christian if they accept Jesus Christ as the personal lord and savior.

I'd say that would be a Christian too.

Sorry, this is really off topic, but I've been meaning to ask. I've seen you argue in favor of a global flood, do you believe the literal flood story in Genesis? And if so, how would you account for the re-population after the flood with only Noah and his family around.

[otseng]

Sorry, this is really off topic, but I've been meaning to ask. I've seen you argue in favor of a global flood, do you believe the literal flood story in Genesis? And if so, how would you account for the re-population after the flood with only Noah and his family around.

Yes, it is really off topic. And yes, I believe in a literal flood story.

Using the population growth numbers, it certainly is reasonable. More details here.

[WinePusher]

Sorry, this is really off topic, but I've been meaning to ask. I've seen you argue in favor of a global flood, do you believe the literal flood story in Genesis? And if so, how would you account for the re-population after the flood with only Noah and his family around.

Yes, it is really off topic. And yes, I believe in a literal flood story.

Using the population growth numbers, it certainly is reasonable. More details here.

While I'm not capable of addressing the math, there are still several holes in this. Just so that I don't break the rules, I can create another thread on this if you'd like.

1) It would require incest between Noah's family
2) It would require that the two animals Noah took on his ship survived after they left, and had gave birth perfectly without any "miscarriages" or "defects"
3) It would assume Noah and his family were historical people (which I don't think they were)

And my opinion is that the biblical flood story was never meant to be interpreted literally. The Jews probably borrowed the story from other flood stories as they borrowed many parts of the creation story from the Hittite Creation myth.

[otseng]

I'll debate you head-to-head. Create the topic and post the link here and I'll join you over there.

[EduChris]

...It would require incest between Noah's family...It would assume Noah and his family were historical people...

Whether or not Noah was a real person or whether the story falls into the category of "historical narrative," the fact is that "Humans may have once been very rare, very close to extinction; perhaps we are lucky to be here at all" (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution, p. 283). "...This calculation suggests a severe bottleneck: say, six breeding individuals for 70 years..." (ibid, emphasis added).

Coincidentally enough, Noah's three sons and their wives would consitute six breeding individuals.

[WinePusher]

I'll debate you head-to-head. Create the topic and post the link here and I'll join you over there.

kk, it's created.

[Goose]

In my book, I would say that a person is a christian if they accept Jesus Christ as the personal lord and savior.

In my book I would say that would be eough to be saved.

What Are The Requirements To Be A Christian?

Be a follower of Jesus.

[Slopeshoulder]

Not sure what "accept" means.

Not sure what "personal" means.

Not sure what "Lord" means.

Several ideas of what Savior might mean.

I find that kind of litmus test to be troublesome and reductionistic. It's also a demand for notional assent to an incoherent or self-defeating or meaningless propositional truth claim.

I think one can be a Christian in many ways.

I think the minimum would be that the Christian tradition, the Jesus story, and the sum culture, symbols, language, community, concerns and themes of Christianity are defined as one's primary framework, orientation, identity, lens, involvement, and hope. AND to experience defining and lasting transformation as a result. For me that's also the maximum.

I can make no coherent sense of the "accept JC as personal Lord and savior" formula. I left it behind a quarter century ago, after BSing that I accepted it for a few years before that. Although take out "personal" and I think it's fine for kids. But I'd recommend we come up woth an alternative.