This is something I've been tossing about in my mind for a while, even exploring in my writing. I'll preface with the fact that I am a nonbeliever. Atheist for as long as I knew what the word meant. But I find religion to be a fascinating thing, and while certain sects of it are not my cup of tea, I find followers of most religions to be amiable enough. But I don't have any particularly close friends who are religious, so I'll ask here where there are probably a few more people of faith.
Is religion just about belief? It is the word we use most in religious debates. Do you believe in God? Do you believe that Christ is the savior? But I can't help but think that there is more to it than just belief. I toy with the thought of meeting God, or some other deity, and I ask myself "if it wasn't an issue of belief, would I be religious?" That is, if I knew Jesus Christ was our savior (just as an example), would I become a Christian? My answer is no. Even if I believed in everything he did, even if this hypothetical version of Christ was near identical to me in ever way, I would not follow him, worship him, revere him, pray to him... I just couldn't. I think about how people say "serial killer X/dictator Y isn't a real Christian, because he doesn't follow the teachings of Christ", which is something I get. Because, really, they aren't.
So, here's the question. If you wholeheartedly believe in Christ, but do not follow his teachings, perhaps even actively hate him, are you still a Christian? I would say no, but I am an outsider looking in. This applies to any religion, by the way, I'm just using Christianity as the easy example.
Is religion just about belief? It is the word we use most in religious debates. Do you believe in God? Do you believe that Christ is the savior? But I can't help but think that there is more to it than just belief. I toy with the thought of meeting God, or some other deity, and I ask myself "if it wasn't an issue of belief, would I be religious?" That is, if I knew Jesus Christ was our savior (just as an example), would I become a Christian? My answer is no. Even if I believed in everything he did, even if this hypothetical version of Christ was near identical to me in ever way, I would not follow him, worship him, revere him, pray to him... I just couldn't. I think about how people say "serial killer X/dictator Y isn't a real Christian, because he doesn't follow the teachings of Christ", which is something I get. Because, really, they aren't.
So, here's the question. If you wholeheartedly believe in Christ, but do not follow his teachings, perhaps even actively hate him, are you still a Christian? I would say no, but I am an outsider looking in. This applies to any religion, by the way, I'm just using Christianity as the easy example.