(April 6, 2017 at 3:41 pm)SteveII Wrote:(April 6, 2017 at 3:03 pm)Mister Agenda Wrote: A quarter of the US population is Evangelical Protestant, and that Catholics (and Orthodox) aren't actually Christians is a common belief among those 80 or so million people. It was certainly what I was raised to believe. Distinguishing mainline Protestants as believing Catholics (and Orthodox) are Christians is basically saying Protestants believe Catholics (and Orthodox) are Christians except for the tens of millions who don't.
I agree, many protestants do not think that Catholics are Christians. I also think that tens of millions of people who claim to be protestant Christians are not either. But I think it comes back to my distinction earlier between nominal Christians and practicing NT Christians.
Knock it off. Now pay attention and watch, here is something I can do that you refuse to do.
Me, "I am a liberal Obama voting atheist"
Other atheists, " I love Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged"
Both of us are still sharing the "off " positions on god claims regardless.
You are now merely playing word games with words like "nominal" and "practicing".
Christians regardless of political or economic views still have the same core position that the characters of the God of the bible and he/himself/Jesus, how the fuck does that work anyway, but every sect of Christianity shares that same core position.
When anyone of any religion, WORLDWIDE starts using the word "practice" what they are really arguing is "if you would just buy first and not question you would find the root of empathy in my sect".
There is no "practice" in any religion. You practice playing music. You practice law. You practice a sport. You follow a religion, you hold a position.
I have no problem saying an Ayn Rand atheist is an atheist just like me. I have no problem saying a Che supporting atheist is an atheist just like me. "Atheist" merely means off. Outside that we don't "practice" holding that position, we hold that position. And even with my fellow atheists, again, we DONT always agree on all things all the time.
