How Christian are you?

I'm of Christian background. Grew up in a Christian home. Was once a Christian myself. Now, I'm not anything. I do own a Bible and go to church every so often. But, those things don't make you a Christian.

Of a Christian background. I was baptized into the Lutheran Church. Never went to church regularly, except when I went with my grandmother. I myself am not Christian. I do have Bibles that I actually use mostly for reference.

I had one Christian grandparent. She converted to Judaism, but not until after my mother was born. I personally think I am pretty much zero Christian, but I guess there's that little bit of it in there.

So what's your other three quarters?

If you pick 'very Christian" then you've picked "I am brainwashed and can't think for myself".

Christian background is the most recent one -- but my parents were nonpracticing (were Methodists). We were not at all a religious family. When I became an adult, I started practicing another religion (Buddhism). This is a well-thought-out survey.

I picked ...I am Christian. (Something a bit stronger than 'non-practicing Christian' and less than 'Christian' outlined in the option below). I kind of wanted to pick...I am a non-practicing Christian. (You believe and that's what's important. You may go to church occasionally, you own a Bible, maybe wear a cross.) But I do believe that it is important to do more than just believe and wearing a cross means nothing. If I am going to be a true Christian I would have to pick...I am very Christian (I do everything that I am supposed to do, whatever is right for my denomination, I follow it letter of the law.) but I have never been able to achieve that level of Christianity. I find it hard to believe anyone can. In my believe we are all sinners and we are very imperfect so that statement seem wrong for anyone to be able to say honestly. I could actually nick pick on all the answers. Your faith can not be passed down, you either have faith or you don't. Christianity is not just what you do, it is what you have in your heart. The answer that would best suit me is; I believe that Jesus is God’s son and he was sent to die to save us from our sins. Yet I do not associate myself with any denomination.

Jewish.

I guess I'll go with Christian background. My father's parent's were Catholics..... although they were 'living in sin'.... My grandfather left his wife for my grandmother, and because they were all catholic.... they weren't able to divorce and marry properly.

I don't know much about the history on my mom's side... except that some of me is Jewish.... since other ancestors come from mostly Germany... I'm guessing there was some religion there as well.

I'm an atheist. My parents don't practice any religion but my dad... having been raised Catholic... is more of an agnostic.... My mom has never told me what she believes.

I am a Christian by birth, not by choice. I don't believe, I don't practice, I want out. Does anybody know how to get out of the Christian Club?

Well, explains why you're so good in Hebrew

Genetic predisposition to learn Hebrew?
Although that doesn't explain why some of the greatest Hebrew linguists have been Christians.

I'm in between I am a Christian, I guess, and I am a Christian. I don't read the scriptures on my own time and I TRY to behave like a "good Christian should" I do go to church every week. :3

I was raised Catholic, most relatives are Catholic. But, I'm an atheist now.

I am of Christian background. My parents are practicing, church-going members of the United Church of Canada. As were my ancestors before them, although not necessarily of that church. I think some of them were Anglicans, Presbyterians, Baptists...

I wouldn't describe myself as a Christian, but I don't think there is significant conflict between my beliefs and theirs. I go to church occasionally with my family or to weddings and funerals, I own (and read) a Bible and a Koran and a Book of Mormon and a Bhagavad Gita and a few cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bardo Thodal and ...

I have never worn a cross.

I think my behavior is pretty darn similar to what I would expect a "good Christian's" behavior is like...apart from the dragging trees into the house and hiding eggs and such...

Based on my beliefs, I am an agnostic and I don't exactly know what I believe in. Though I am predijuice in favor of Western thinking over Eastern thinking if I had more faith, so yes, I guess you could say I am.

Based on my actions, I am somewheres in the middle. I do things like have premarital sex and drink, but I don't use illegal drugs and almost never steal, cheat, or lie.

So overall, its a toss up between a yes and a no.

> I want out. Does anybody
> know how to get out of the Christian Club?

I think it involves making some kind of animal sacrifice...at the altar of Baphomet or something...might be Baal...

My parents were Christian. Fortunately, I was adopted.

> I think it involves making some kind of animal sacrifice...at the altar of Baphomet or something...might be Baal...


Tuesday June 6th is a good day for it, too.

Were they?

But then again, when I was young I couldn't understand how Christians are Christian and not Jewish, or maybe a Jewish denomination. After all, Jesus himself was a Jew.

I am either "I guess" ...or..I am a Christian..Not sure..
I go to church every other week..and I believe..
I'm Methodist..
But I am happy I didn't go yesterday when 23 kids were being confirmed AND they had communion..

I'm agnostic.

The early critical study of the Hebrew Bible, in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, was conducted almost exclusively by German Protestants. Now there are quite a number of Jewish scholars, but the early ones weren't generally Jewish, despite a long tradition of rabbinic interpretation that was often fairly critical. In fact, many of the early scholars were fairly anti-Semitic. One of the most important ones, Julius Wellhausen, was largely interested in showing that while Judaism had devolved into empty legal observance, Christianity was the true heir of Old Testament religion epitomized by the early Israelite prophets. Despite this bias, though, Wellhausen's work is incredibly important and insightful. I'm a big fan.

Early followers of Jesus considered themselves Jewish; there was a debate among the early followers about whether they should only try to "convert" other Jews or whether they should approach non-Jews as well. (Obviously the latter won out; I don't think it took long.) At some point, doctrinal differences, especially the sticky issue of whether the Messiah had or had not in fact just visited, caused Christianity to truly separate itself from Judaism. And the rest, as they say, is history. (I suppose technically it's all history.)

You should be telling hypersky.

I have started going back to church. Evangelical, biblical-based church.

I am a Christian and I believe the Bible and Jesus died for me and you, and this is all we need and nothing more when we die, and treating others with respect and kindness in our hearts and accepting people for who they are?

> I am a Christian by birth, not by choice. I don't believe, I don't
> practice, I want out. Does anybody know how to get out of the Christian
> Club?

If you want out of the Christian Club go to your favorite' Church and just start yelling" and screaming" as soon as the service begins and start taking off your clothes in the middle of a sermon and then sit back and see what they do to to??? he he he he he and tell me what happens I want to hear ok?

> |> I think it involves making some kind of animal sacrifice...at
> the altar of Baphomet or something...might be Baal...
>
>
> Tuesday June 6th is a good day for it, too.
>

It is a good day because the number 6 6 6 in the Bible 06/06/2006?

I am sort of from Christian background. The only reason any of my family went to church when I was a child was to go to a wedding or a funeral.

And people were spouting off about my loaded-question surveys!

Yes! At 6:66PM!

> Yes! At 6:66PM!

Yes I see how very cool' I just heard this tonight on the News and mothers inducing labor to have their babies tomorrow a 6 6 6 baby would be so neat to have, I would name my baby Six Six Sixty strange name for a baby??

I am not Christian at all... thank God

My grandma's three sisters are Jehovah's Witnesses, there's a lot of messed up relationships there... my parents and their parents weren't raised into any faith, so far as I am aware. Me and my brothers are atheists... I've never bothered to ask my parents

I am Christian. I believe. (As a consequence, I go to church). I am rather sure I do not behave like Non-Christians think a good Christian should. To be a serious Christian does not exclude appalling behaviour - on the contrary. Weren't the circumstances of Jesus' birth just highly embarrassing? Right from the very beginning, Christianity did hardly have any connection with limited human morality. It is not possible to recognize a Christian by his "behaviour on Sundays" which seems to be one of the underlying ideas of this survey (?).

The combination of "I am a non-practicing Christian" and "You believe and that's what's important" is a mere joke... How can one say "I believe" and be a "non-practicing Christian" at the same time?? (What on earth is believed then? Certainly not what Jesus Christ taught.) Or, "practicing" refers to certain rites or rituals which, compared to the essence of being a Christian, are rather unimportant.

I'm somewhere in between "I am a Christian. I guess." and "I am Christian.".

I am of a Christian background.

In my experience, going to church, reading the scriptures and believing rarely, if ever, goes hand in hand with "behaving like a good Christian should".

"there was a debate among the early followers about whether they should only try to "convert" other Jews or whether they should approach non-Jews as well."

And then Jews were pissed at them because they were letting everyone in, while Jews themselves were extremely inclusive (you can just make someone a God's chosen person after all). Am I correct?

> I would name my baby Six Six Sixty strange name for a baby??

Yes, but maybe not as bad as "Moon Unit", "Apple", "Shiloh Nouvel" or "Moxie Crimefighter"!

> And then Jews were pissed at them because they were letting everyone
> in, while Jews themselves were extremely inclusive (you can just make
> someone a God's chosen person after all). Am I correct?

You know, I'm not sure. I'm not sure at what point Judaism started being particularly stringent about allowing people to convert. In the Bible, there's no rule about making someone who wants to convert ask three times; that comes later, with the rabbis. The Bible does exclude a couple of groups of people from ever becoming members of the Israelite congregation (it wasn't technically "Judaism" at that point), but those probably wouldn't have been the people the early Christians were converting. I'm not sure the Jews really got pissed at the Christians in the early period; I think they just thought they were wrong about the messiah having come. I'm sure they got pissed a few centuries later, though, when the Christians decided to hate them for killing that messiah.

Thanks to you, Zang, I'm on the right path to escape from Christianity. Any idea if the animal in question has to be a virgin too? I'm not good with sacrificial rituals.

How about a white bunny rabbit?

"...when the Christians decided to hate them for killing that messiah" : To be a Christian means to follow Jesus Christ, and this is not compatible with hating Jews for killing the messiah. Therefore it is not true that "the Christians decided to hate them". Whoever did so, this very decision separated him from Jesus Christ's spirit. The (human) history of Christianity has always been subject to fatal errors when it did not stay under Jesus Christ's word. These are deviations from Jesus Christ, not to be mixed up with what Jesus Christ really taught. It is easy to criticise "Christianity" where it ceased to follow him.

Who gets to decide what constitutes "following Jesus Christ"? It's a matter of interpretation. You're separating the history of individual Christians from the history of the Christian Church, which is fair to an extent but also an oversimplification of the problem. Your definition of Christianity also excludes the majority of Christians in history, ever, since the Catholic Church was virulently anti-Semitic through most of its history, including the part where they were the only church.

Everyone knows a goat is the best sacrificial animal!

My guess is that you'll want pictures too, eh?

Now, is this the kind of white rabbit that I have to take a truckload of hallucinogenics to see? Flashback to 1967, when I was all of 3 years old.

> |> I would name my baby Six Six Sixty strange name for a baby??
>
> Yes, but maybe not as bad as "Moon Unit", "Apple", "Shiloh Nouvel"
> or "Moxie Crimefighter"!

Moon Unit would be a cute name for a baby and to get some people talking' it does not take long for gossip to spread in a small town of 1500, did you hear what they named their baby????

> My guess is that you'll want pictures too, eh?

Send me some pictures please' this will be so funny' to see what churchy people do to you taking off your clothes in church you sinner????

You are such a naughty girl!

"Who gets to decide what constitutes 'following Jesus Christ'?" It seems that you want a (scientific) definition for this which is impossible. [But this would also be impossible if you replaced the name Jesus Christ by another name!] The question is: Do I seek the answer of what I have to decide (or: seem to have to decide) in the New Testament, or do I just use the latter to justify what would please me? As a Christian, I must accept biblical answers which I do not like personally. Do I reject them because I do not find them reasonable, or do I reconsider my own line of reasoning, ready to correct myself? This is where I have to decide if Jesus Christ has the priority in my life or not. A 100% honesty against myself is required and to be striven for throughout my life, and even working consciously for this I can't guarantee that I am on the right path all the time. What I can do is to pray for it and to work for it. Personally I can only say: It is (HIGHLY) worth the effort! - There is no human being of course (different from myself) who gets to decide what constitutes "following Jesus Christ". Would anybody ask "who gets to decide what constitutes being in love with some person"? It is not the same question but may (by analogy) explain why I find it inadequate.

"an oversimplification of the problem" : No. It is the separation of the essence from what people have made of it. This separation is of central importance.

"Your definition of Christianity also excludes the majority of Christians in history" : Yes, more precisely the majority of those so-called "Christians" who were immortalized by their inclusion in history books. (The current President of the United States will be another example.)

Jesus Christ taught: Love your enemies. And what did the Catholic Church do during the Nazi times in this country?? And who played Beethoven's violin concerto with Nazi conductor Furtwängler in 1947 in public? The jew Yehudi Menuhin! God bless him. He did so much for us. To me, that is true history. As a Christian, do I have to defend what Christian Churches officially did during those terrible years? Why did they leave behind what Jesus Christ unmistakably taught??? And still there were those Christians who did the utmost for their conviction, lived for it and had to die for it. Nobody had to decide what constituted "following Jesus Christ" for them, but they did. They kept that spirit alive in our country - and they saved many Jewish lives... Christians rarely sit on a mundane throne. Their king was born in absolute poverty.

I am neither a christian, nor of any other faith.

Partial Christian background. My parents were christened but more because that was the done thing when they were born. I had a great-grandmother in the Salvation Army but other than that I believe that my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all unmoved by religion, if not out and out atheists (like me).

You obviously believe in a very personal version of Christianity. (And so you are obviously not Catholic; I'd say you're true to your German theological heritage; just don't go nailing any sheets of paper on any doors.). Don't get me wrong; I think that's great. But my question is a hermeneutical one, not a scientific one. Deciding what the Bible says is a very difficult question; it's written in a couple of dialects of languages that no one speaks anymore, first of all. And it stems from a historical context that is very remote from our own. (Of course, if you think the Bible is timeless or living and has no need for historical context, then you don't have this problem.) And then there are all those contradictions, and you have to decide what things deserve more emphasis than others. Do you stick more closely to the Gospels, or do you prefer Paul's letters? Do you think Old Testament law is still important and relevant? There are many possible versions of Christianity. You have yours, but other people have their own, and they are all "based on what the Bible says." Now, from what little I know about Jesus' teachings, I'm much more inclined to agree with your interpretation. But from what I know about interpretation, I can't say that other people are necessarily wrong. If, for instance, they choose to think that gay people will burn in hell, I can't really offer them any evidence for why they should abandon their beliefs. The Bible says homosexuality is wrong. That doesn't mean they have to right to treat gay people badly, but they have the right to believe that homosexuality is wrong. All I'm saying is that religion is a difficult and complicated question. It may be that persecuting Jews because you believe they killed your messiah is unchristian in the extreme. But defining what it is to be Christian--and how a Christian should behave--is not so easy as you make it seem.

Also, you ask "As a Christian, do I have to defend what Christian Churches officially did during those terrible years?" No, you don't, and yet you seem to be doing so anyway. Do the Catholic Church's actions during WWII erase their history? What about the fact that John Paul II apologized because he felt the Church did not do enough? What about the Inquisition? Are you really willing to say that the Catholic Church is not a truly Christian institution? Perhaps you will say that this is an instance in which they did the unchristian thing; but it's a pretty big instance.

You should know that I am not anti-Christian or anti-German; anti-semitism is what it is, and I don't blame Christians or Germans for it. While I think it's important for the world to learn from its mistakes, I think it's also important for it to move on from them. I am only trying to engage you in a theological discussion.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've missed you so!

DAMN I'm a card carrying Christian!

> My guess is that you'll want pictures too, eh?

Of course I do

> You are such a naughty girl!

I have been a bad bad little girl

> DAMN I'm a card carrying Christian!

What does that mean??

I am Christian; to me that is the only way to define it?

"So, how should we remedy your bad behaviour?", he asks, not quite sure he's prepared to hear sweetly's answer...

I am agnostic.

it isn't about my denomination.. I have a personal relationship with God and I have come to realize that life is going to have its ups and downs. But no matter what i do.. My life really isn't about me. Its all about God and what he is going to use it for. So take it a day at a time. And good or bad, embrace the ride and learn from it.

I was raised a Christian and therefor will have some values which are considered Christian. I do not now follow any religious creed as I like to think for myself without being told what I must believe and practice by any religious leaders. I think tremendous attrocities have been committed on behalf of many religions including Christianity.

Other - I'm a doubting Chirstian.

>
> I wouldn't describe myself as a Christian, but I don't think there
> is significant conflict between my beliefs and theirs. I go to church
> occasionally with my family or to weddings and funerals, I own (and
> read) a Bible and a Koran and a Book of Mormon and a Bhagavad Gita
> and a few cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bardo Thodal and
> ...
>
We don't even use the church anymore for weddings nor funerals. The trends are changing - just this past week I had to modify the text on a box that we've been printing for many years. It's for the candle used at baptisms which is given to the parents as a souvenir. I had to change the word "priest" to "celebrant".... That made me smile!

I also have many versions of the Bible - I have the Moron one; the Baptist's version, a Catholic one and a Jehovah one... The one thing they have in common is that they interpret, omit or add words where convenient.

> I have never worn a cross.

Nor I...

I am of a Christian background.

I only use the King James version. I learned that all the other ones are satanic from reading this Chick Comic:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0031/0031_01.a...

Time for a beer!

I am a born again Pagan so definitely not Christian... I found I dislike the narrow minds that most Christians have and the way they look down on those who do not believe as they do.

*up chucking sounds* *wipes mouth* Sniff...
You trying to tell me something Zang??

> "So, how should we remedy your bad behaviour?", he asks, not quite
> sure he's prepared to hear sweetly's answer...

Go and tell my Teacher' what I have done and she will understand, or my Therapist, or my Doctor??? eeek help me

Or just call 911 and report me that I am a mental case of a woman he he he

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0063/0063_01.a...

Hmm???

Fudge this crap! I'm going on Iwantu.com...
Wanna join me?

No thanks. You go ahead.

In between non-practicing and the others

Have a Christey day

Hello! How are you? Are you still teaching?

I'm good. I'm not teaching any college courses these days; since I moved to San Francisco I'm too far from my university, which was the source of my previous teaching jobs. Although I do teach third-graders at a Hebrew school on Sunday mornings. I'm still working on my dissertation--I'm on the last chapter, though! So I should be done pretty soon.

How have you been? And where have you been?

Hooray on the dissertation front! Will it be painful to finally finish it, or will you be singing from the rooftops?

My brother was in San Francisco for a couple of weeks late last year - he had a great time there and said people were really friendly, especially when they heard his accent. He's wanted to visit since he was little because he used to fly under the Golden Gate bridge on his flight simulators.

I spent a couple of weeks in India last September with Habitat for Humanity. My first time abroad, so it was very exciting, and it was so nice to be there doing something rather than just sightseeing because we got to know the workers on the building site as well as our laughable Tamil (I can mispronounce concrete, "too much!!!" and "keep your pants on") and their non-existent English allowed. We got to go in a Hindus only area of a Hindu temple, and I got blessed by an elephant (ie I got elephant snot on my head). It was fantastic

Apart from that, I was in Oxford for a while, helping with a summer school for japanese students learning English. Then a long time in Sheffield after India being sick while taking my anti-malarials before looking for a job so that I could move out. I've been working now since teh beginning of March on a hospital ward, basically as a personal care assistant. It's a great job, and hopefully a good preparation for studying medicine (if I can get a place somewhere).

There will definitely be rooftop-singing. I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear it across the pond. The search for a job, on the other hand, will probably involve gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. I am not looking forward to that part.

You've certainly had quite a year! India sounds like it was great, elephant snot and all. And I'm sure you will find a spot in a medical school. They'd be crazy not to take you! And I'd think the job experience will help. Do people tend to take time off from school to work before going to medical school in the UK? In the US I don't think it's very common, and I bet it helps the people who do it. Having some practical experience, and some concept of what a bedside manner is, must help you stand out among the huge numbers of applicants.

Most people here go to medical school at 18, straight from school, so I'm taking an unusual route being a graduate. The working is partly to gain experience, and partly because I hadn't made my mind up to apply by the deadline last October.

I think I'm a pretty good candidate - but whether I'll stand out against the other mature applicants I will be competing with (who may have been nurses, have PhDs, been top-flying businessmen, etc.) I just don't know. I shall wait and see (and hope).

Do you have ideas about jobs as yet?

Well, good luck in the application process!

I have plenty of ideas about jobs; I'd like to get a job as a professor, but they're competitive. I had a few preliminary interviews last fall that didn't lead anywhere. We'll see how it goes once I'm actually done with my degree. I'm told that will help. Other than academic faculty jobs, I'll also look at academic administration and editorial positions with publishers. There's also a Jewish high school here that I'll send my CV to, in case they're hiring. And I'll poke around and see what else is out there. If I had computer-programming experience, I might be able to find a job with a company that does Bible-related software. I'll also keep an eye out for jobs at theological or Judaica libraries, although those tend to require a Masters in Library Science. Once I really start looking, I'm sure I'll also find all kinds of random jobs that aren't related to my field; I'd prefer to stay in my field or at least in an academic environment, but if I can't, I'm sure I'll find something.

Other. Recovering catholic.

In the UK, there's a website that lists academic jobs of all levels from most of the universities (and associated companies) in the country: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/

Do you have anything like that there? (Although, skimming through the UK one, it is very science heavy)

If there's something like that here, I've never found it. It would be great if we did have one, though. There are a couple of sites that list academic job openings, but they're not always comprehensive. One of them is specific to my field, though. But since it's specific to religious studies, it doesn't list general administrative positions.

I am of a Christian background.

It's annoying when you have to really dig to find anything - a bit here, a bit there. Before I got my current job, I applied for about 30 other similar posts. Luckily I could find and apply for them all through the NHS website - it even saved my personal statement and contact details. I like applying for things online

I would love it if there were something like that that I could use! I guess we're just not socialist enough in the US. The closest I've ever come to it is applying to the University of California system when I was in high school; it's one application, and you just check boxes next to the schools you want your application to go to. One form, one fee, and, more importantly, one essay. Very nice.

University applications here are like that too. There's a central body, UCAS and you send them a form that includes the list of up to 6 universities (and courses) you are applying to, your academic achievements, your personal statement and a reference. Then acceptances and rejections are handled officially by them as well. A lot of universities send out their own responses too, but it is the little slip from UCAS that really counts.

That seems such much easier and more sensible!