Quote (BardOfXiix @ Jan 28 2016 03:09pm)

The point is not their church attendance. The point is that many people do not actively pursue faith or a relationship with God on a regular basis, yet still identify as Christian because of cultural values or because it's "how they were raised" without actually dedicating the time to foster a relationship in Christ. I've spoken with multiple pastors who bring this up as a concern for the faith going forward.

Of course it is impossible to know the hearts and minds of the public, since I'm not a triple-O being, but from those whom I have spoken with, that seems to be the consensus about many who identify as Christian when we're talking about large-scale polling of the American population. There is, of course, a healthy population that also very much lives a life that is guided by their faith every day, and I'm not trying to diminish those people or deny that they exist. But a very large chunk of Americans who do call themselves Christians are really Christians in name only.

Quote (WidowMaKer_MK @ Jan 28 2016 01:20pm)

...again , you are still confused about what it actually means to be a Christian , judging them in a way that even God does not . As long as you continue to gauge Christians by their works you will never grasp what it means to be saved by grace through faith in the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus .

Quote (BardOfXiix @ Jan 28 2016 03:27pm)

I don't believe that being a Christian is something you think about once a month or less frequently. I'm not advocating for a works-based salvation, but I am claiming that you need to do more than check the occasional box on a survey. I think that cultivating a relationship with Christ is essential in terms of identifying as Christian, and I don't believe that most people who identify as Christian on a poll are actively seeking to know and love God. It's grace alone, faith alone, but do you really have faith if it's never exercised, even in your own mind?
/e
We're getting into baseless speculation and True Scotsman territory at this point, so I'll leave it at that.

Quote (0rb @ Jan 28 2016 04:08pm)

Heaven is the creation of the human brain.

Why would you believe in it?

Quote (Nathan @ Jan 24 2016 09:40pm)

there's no such thing, and this is a great example: people can just call each other with different religious/supernatural or otherwise unreasonable beliefs "mentally ill" and nobody would actually be describing anything physically wrong with someone's mind

Quote (Saucisson6000 @ Jan 24 2016 08:45pm)

sounds more like a mental disease

Quote (xfrodobagginsx @ Jan 28 2016 04:53pm)

Ro 3:4 Let it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar; as it is written, "That You might be justified in Your sayings, and will overcome when You are judged."

Quote (lodd222 @ Jan 28 2016 10:27pm)

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preachthe gospel to every creature" -Mark 16:15 KJV

Followers of "god" preach in the world, not the internet. You also have to preach to underground ants since they are creatures.

Please stop using advances in modern computer science (coding) like this message board to post iron age poetry.

Quote (WidowMaKer_MK @ Jan 28 2016 10:33pm)

...what an odd thing to say in the electronic age .