Quote:
Originally posted by NY Madman:
Quote:
Originally posted by TravelingFool:

[b]Madman, I understand what you're saying. I don't believe that attending a Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, etc, church all of your life makes you a "Christian" any more than having season tickets makes you a ball-player. I believe those are "Mainstream Churchgoers" and not necessarily "Mainstream Christians."

It is my opinion that becoming a Christian is a very personal decision that's between you and Jesus Christ. Its not up to a preacher, priest, or evangelist to pronounce, confirm, or baptize you into Christianity.

Moreover, I believe what makes a Church a "Christian" church is its foundation in biblical truth (vs. the book of Mormon, or any book by L. Ron Hubbard, etc).

I just know that 1/2 the people on this board think I'm a "kook" now.
I disagree with some of what you said.

Catholics and other "church goers" that you refer to ARE Christians. Few people who don't believe in Jesus waste their time just attending church. I'm sure all faiths have a certain number of "church goers" as you claim, that go just to be seen by others.

I consider myself a Christian. I don't feel I have to go to church either.

Am I starting to unearth some of the aforementioned arrogance regarding born-again Christians and some evangelicals?

Biblical truth is also a debatable subject. Many seem to have their own versions of the bible and everyone claims theirs is the "true version".[/b]
Madman you keep using the word "arrogance". Why is it that a Christian holding an opinion and attesting that it is correct amounts to arrogance, but you making proclamations about what does and does not constitute a Christian is not arrogance but fact that we all must swallow as truth? Sounds like arrogance to me.

Also, since this thread has taken this turn, you need to define for the crowd here what your definition of a Christian is. Then you need to tell us all how you came to that definition.