Can I honestly call myself a Christian

[ZackT]

I'm agnostic these days, but I was raised Baptist. Trying to have a debate with a religious person is pretty circular usually, involving your own lack of faith versus their total faith and what's been written. It's hard, because they don't usually come to any answer on their own, they just repeat what they've been told.

With the really...absurd things that can come out of religious people's mouths, I'm done with it. I believe there's something greater out there, but I don't think anyone alive understands it or knows it really. We all are just gonna have to believe what we want. But personally, I think as long as you stay true to the way you feel, what makes you happy, then you're on the right track.

[Gabbyboy]

I'm Christian and i believe in God, but for the "rules" or "gay is wrong" stuff that i dont believe.. I choose what to believe and not make a big deal out of it.

[posterpicture]

I was baptized a Catholic, but I can feel myself growing distant from that church because of their views of gays and all the homophobes. I think that, although I myself am not gay, a gay couple have a complete right to be married. I also know that I believe in Jesus Christ and God and Satan and Heaven and Hell and all those other things that go along with Christianity, but apparently, according to my strict Catholic friend, being pro-gay and pro-choice makes me unqualified to be a Catholic…I'm really confused over this and everywhere I seek advice I get all this "you think god's word is less important that yours" BS instead of actual answers... What do you guys think?

As a Christian, you may have already understood that only God can give you a judgment.
Ask yourself the question who your friends are to decide that you are qualify or not?

[Merging]

Well I can't say if it makes you christian or not for I am an athiest but I would recommend getting to know the people here for a bit I have been here for 3 days and I can say they quite wonderful people and any person or religion thats says these good people here can't get married to the ones they love is just absurd and ludacris and please note I am straight but at the end of the day no matter what color your skin or your sexual orientation I still love you as a fellow human being moral of the story is if you feel in your heart you are christian then you are and no one can tell you otherwise

[Gabbyboy]

i always imagine going to church with my boyfriend and make a huge scene.. like kiss infront of the altar LOL

[dfiant]

I am not a religious person, but when it comes to 'God's word' it all comes down to several hundred million interpretations over 2011 years.

God's word has become so corrupt through the generations that you have to go back to the dawn of religion for an unpolluted view of God's word.

I don't see why you can't be homosexual and catholic...just as long as you don't wear cotton and wool at the same time.

[marshlander]

... according to my strict Catholic friend, being pro-gay and pro-choice makes me unqualified to be a Catholic…I'm really confused over this and everywhere I seek advice I get all this "you think god's word is less important that yours" BS instead of actual answers...

Welcome and thanks for bringing your questions here. I think you have almost answered your own enquiry. Nowhere will any of your church friends be able to point to where "God's word" has been recorded. What they call, "God's word" are the ideas of men and the transcriptions, translations and retellings of those ideas. The big churches, the organised ones, are there to help maintain a stable power base and for that they need a flow of money. Religion (as opposed to faith or belief) is a means of maintaining power and extorting money. If you believe in a god, surely you do him more service if you believe him to be your creator, by exercising the intelligence with which you were imbued, than by blindly and without thought doing what others tell you to do? Never be afraid to ask questions

[fenris]

I don´t know why it is important to call yourself a christian... but if a christian religion is the only religion you can identify with, you can surely call you a christian. Believe in the words of Jesus... in Love, community, tolerance, care for other people and so on... and forget all bible-updates after the church starts with popes and this stuff. The christian religion is corrupted by their own members ... or did you really want to identify yourself with inquisition, witches-burning, promotion of overpopulation, prevention of prevention of diseases and sex forbiding and all this things wich are created to hold people down and for the assurance of the churches power.
The Basic is OK..... only the results are bad..