Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Am I a Christian?


Hm. Define "Christian." I like the Bible, and I strive to live like Jesus. Is that enough? I get a lot of questions from Christians in my life about my beliefs. Some think I'm corrupting God's truth, others think I am merely not yet a higher level Christian (but they have faith I will get there), and a few think I am experiencing God in my own way. I don't put too much value on doctrine, I just don't see the point. Doctrine does not comfort me, it does not make me feel close to God. I don't really ponder the existence of Heaven or Hell too much. Why would I dwell on these things? I can't really understand them now anyways.

I identify as a Christian because I like Jesus, but that's not enough for many. For many, being a Christian means believing in the trinity, believing the Bible to be the inspired word of God, and believing that God is constantly interacting with my life, whether that be through blessings or the Holy Spirit. For a long time I avoided the Christian label for fear of the ignorant associations that came with it. Then I decided I would identify as a Christian, to pursue a religion the way I thought it ought to be pursued. But now I just don't care. I am not going to change who I am by what people think. I don't fit nicely into a religious label, and I like to think most others don't either. But for any readers who care, this is a list of things I believe so you can decide for yourself:

I don’t believe God interacts with us much directly.

I don’t believe the Bible is divinely inspired.

I believe in God: a creator, a divine being with a general plan or intention for mankind.  

I believe that showing selfless love for others is doing the will of God.

I believe God’s will on earth is a choice we as people can make.

I do believe that Jesus did something to mankind that is irreversible, he changed the way we view God, religion, and sin.

I don’t believe in a trinity working together as three separate persons to be one God.

I don’t believe in demons or Satan, mankind is evil by choosing to follow self interest.

I believe the world is corrupt and needs fixing.

I believe that doctrine and tradition can be important for others to justify living their loving lifestyle, but it usually doesn’t contain much value apart from that.

I believe that investigating our religious roots is important, such as studying the Bible.

I believe that following Jesus means being willing to let go of our previous lives and tradition if it is necessary to help us live with genuine love.

I believe in the real possibility that this list isn't completely correct.

Am I a Christian?

No comments:

Post a Comment