Does anyone else out there think like me? Does anyone else think that you can be a Christian and a good person, without having to be a church goer that reads and refers to and lives by the Bible? I think I am a Christian as per my testimony at age 14, however, I have also met so many people in this country alone that are incredible people - Muslims, Buddhists, and even Catholic Strippers! Why is it that I can't be open to their ideas and accepting of them and respect their opinions? Does that make me a bad person or a bad Christian? I will not judge others for their choices in life, its just not for me to say, but instead for me to be nice and open and kind to them, right?
OK, since you asked...
There's really no way to address this without bringing up one of the ugly truths about religion. Almost every religion believes that their way is the right way, and those who are not on board are going to Hell (or some reasonable facsimile). People don't like this. It's harsh. It's black-and-white. It doesn't leave a lot of room for "Gee, can't we all just get along?". I know many non-believers who are really offended by this. It's certainly not something we like to bring up as an icebreaker at parties.
However (and I'll speak from a Christian's point of view), this gets unfairly pinned on the believers. "You're being judgmental!" Well, no, actually. I'm not. I have no authority over where you spend the afterlife. Now, as far as I know, that's the rules, but they're not my rules. I didn't make them up. God did. It's all His, anyway, so...His rules. Would I like it if everyone got a Get Out Of Eternity In Fire card, just for smiling at others and not kicking puppies? Sure. But that's not how it works. The thing is, though. There is a big stack of those cards available. One for each person. The trick is that you have to take it. Faith in Christ is your free pass. You just have to come that far. The rest has been laid out for you.
Bit of a digression. Back to the question. "Can you be a Christian and a good person, without having to be a church goer that reads and refers to and lives by the Bible?" A good person? Sure, no problem. A Christian? Not so much. Without the Bible, what does it even mean to be a Christian? How do you know what Christianity is, or what it looks like? I suspect that you like to call yourself a Christian, but don't want to have to deal with any of those difficult parts of it, so you adopt the label and then live your life how you see fit. That way, when someone asks, you can say, "Yes, I am", but you're really not. When you create the religion to suit what you think God should be like, you're really worshipping yourself. If this is the case, and if you're really honest with yourself, you should probably stop calling yourself a Christian (unless your name is Chris or Christie - even then, it's unnecessarily misleading).
Self-identifying as a Christian because you said you were when you were 14, and then not doing anything since is like me saying, "I'm an airline pilot".
"You're not an airline pilot.", you say, "You've never even studied aviation, much less flown a plane".
"True", I reply, "But, when I was a five years old, I got to go in the cockpit and the pilot gave me pilot's wings. I'm totally an airline pilot".
Maybe I've got this all wrong. I just don't understand how you're calling yourself a thing that you are not, just because you were at one time. You are not an eighth-grader, are you? Even though you were one when you were 14? Why? Because you don't attend classes in a middle school anymore. Why don't you also call yourself an eighth-grader?
For the other part - can you be a Christian and not a church goer? Yes, but you're not going to be as effective and uplifted. The Bible tells us:
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
1 Corinthians 12:12
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
Now, can you be open to others' ideas and accepting of them and respect their opinions without judging them? Again, yes. Yes, you can. There is only one Judge, and you are not Him. But if you really are a Christian, that is, a follower of Christ, well:
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".
Take a moment and let that sink in. The Muslims and Buddhists and Atheists and Wiccans (etc.) are all going to be apart from God for eternity. Straight from Christ's mouth. Uncomfortable? You bet. If you care about these people, you should want them to be with you in Heaven. At the very least, pray for them, fervently, daily. Pray that they will accept Christ. Because saying, "Hey, your way is as good as my way", is a death sentence.
Again, that's only if you believe what you say you believe. If you don't, and you think everyone's just cool the way they are, you should probably look into Universalism.
To my friend who asked the question: We've been friends for a long time. You know we're still friends. I'm just concerned for you and really would like you to think about why you believe what you believe.
To my friend who asked the question: We've been friends for a long time. You know we're still friends. I'm just concerned for you and really would like you to think about why you believe what you believe.
