i've often heard, here and elsewhere, that most "Christians" call themselves this simply because it's how they are raised
i can attest to this as i know people who say they are Christians but beyond "Jesus Christ was crucified" they don't know much else
apart from this there are also several factions and sects of Christianity each believing they alone are right about the word of Christ
so while it seems according to most polls most of the world is Christian the state of the faith seems rather...poor
Most people of any religion are only believers because they were raised with that particular belief system, 123Kid. It's not a new revelation....just an obvious commentary on societal inheritance.
Gender: Male Location: Southern Oregon,
Looking at you.
Most people will not change to another religion from the one they were born in not because of how they believe, but because of family pressure. I know for a fact; when I became a Buddhist, I got a lot of grief from my family about it.
__________________ I play guitar, sing & write songs. Listen to my music HERE.
Right (my condolences, btw, for your family's reaction)...that's why I feel like those census numbers are a bit skewed. If you eliminated the number of people who are actually kind of a murky agnostic, you'd likely dock at least a few percentage points off of every major religion in the world. But "tacit" Christians who never bother formally leave will always be counted as adherents.
An excellent article. It was posted sometime before and I happened to read it. My post was likely partly inspired by what I remembered from it.
So like I said, there's a lot to be said for census results, but only to a point. And my guess, both intuitively and from that article, is that the biggest gap from the poll to the truth is in agnostics.
I agree 100 percent; I have an account with MySpace, and I often reference independent labels and local bands to experiment with other forms of music. While sifting through profiles, I happen to notice and young male "so-called" Hip-Hop artist. I viewed the profile, and to my dismay, his entire profile was plastered with distasteful, pornographic imaging; images of gang violence were also present. And his music--which I sampled--contained lyrics about gang violence, drugs, sex, and money. If someone wishes to live their lives--and present themselves--in this fashion, more power to them; but what really grabbed my attention, was the fact that he claimed to be Christian. I wrote him a message stating, "Your not Christian," to provoke a response. The same evening, I got a reply. And this "so-called" Hip-Hop artist stated, "Only God can judge me. I've been baptized yo." Realizing that he didn't have the foggiest idea of what being Christian entails--or even stands for--I responded exposing his error in thought; I wanted to help. I sent a brief message about "repentance" and being "born-again" in the Holy Spirit. Surely, this young man showed zero signs of either; but I never heard from him again. This is an extreme example, but people do claim to be Christian (when in fact, they are not). Christianity is not a social club; but many people treat it that way. Yes, polls do indicate that 30 percent of the world population is Christian. But I would argue that the percentage is less; by how much, only God Himself knows. The state of the Christian Church is poor. The majority of "so-called" Christian Churches are "apostate," meaning, they do not teach the Gospel as it was intended to. Instead, alternate--more appealing--versions of the Gospel are preached, and this produces "false converts." In the world today, especially in the United States, you've got "so-called" Christians aborting babies to ensure they can continue their life of partying (or whatever). Christian cults are at an all time high; it's just plan nuts. But the Bible states--I believe in the book of Daniel and Revelation?--that the Christian Church will suffer these conditions. In fact, it's a sign of the End Times!
ok seriously, get the **** off your high horse you are not better than everyone.
now in the christian religion, all you have to do is repent your sins to god and accept jesus as your lord and savior right? so you murder 5000 people and repent and your good. dont preach on what it is to be a christian its that friggin simple
I tend to stop attacking the religion, because my mom is Christian, and as hypocritical as it sounds, every time I critisize Christianity, I feel like I am attacking my mother. I hate that feeling.
I am not Christian, but that doesn't mean I don't beleive in the spiritual. I have my own ideas about what God is or isn't, and I respect her ideas, even though I don't fully agree.
I see it like this: When she eventually finds out that I am Gay, she won't like it. She will be against it, etc. But eventually, the more she attacks homosexuality and gay people, the more she will feel that she is actually attacking me.
Her identity as a Mother will override her identity as a Christian, and she will feel bad for having those kind of critical thoughts. She will eventually come around and accept it.
As of now, I accept her being Christian. Not only do I accept it, I encourage it. I love her
KMC Community Forums
Jan 9th, 2008 03:32 PM
I play guitar, sing & write songs. Listen to my music 
