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To paraphrase someone else "to the extent that their beliefs and actions differ from the words and deeds of Christ they are not Christians". Remember there hav
by sgt101 7y ago
To paraphrase someone else "to the extent that their beliefs and actions differ from the words and deeds of Christ they are not Christians".
Remember there have been 1000's of people practicing grotesque child abuse while professing Christianity, and yet one of the most frank and flat statements of Christ is "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
- ben_w 7y agoIck factor aside, that sounds like a “No True Scotsman” argument to me. Be aware that if I, as a lapsed neopagan, am asked to judge which Christians are acting in accordance with the deeds and words of an entity that I regard as fictional as my own pantheon, there might not be any “True Christians” left. To focus on the point, how about a biblical example: Parable of the Sower, specifically that sown on the path and in the thorns.
- int_19h 7y agoIf that approach is followed consistently, we'd likely have to conclude that "real Christians" were largely wiped out in the early persecutions. The modern Christian tradition is firmly rooted in the government-mandated imperial cult that was established by the Edict of Thessalonica.