Typical theists versus typical atheists

[vorlon13]

Yes, and by me telling somebody I am an atheist it's often funny to see the many things they will then assume about me and my other beliefs. My atheism jut tells you I don't believe in gods, it doesn't tell you squat about anything else I believe, disbelieve or my worldview or any ideology I may or may not hold. That all requires a whole host of further discussion the is too often assumed.

But when somebody say, tells me they are  Christian, I am quite happy to take them at their word and discuss beliefs, the funny times is when you meet another one who tells you that what the first one had said means they are not a really a Christian. Does anybody have a reliable "Credible Member of their Faith" detector?

There is such a detector. It's called the NT. If it isn't in there, it is not important in the definition of a Christian.

We can also detect by observing results of their molesting dangerous serpents and swilling poison.

And even some of the other stuff that's in the NT that was important in the definition when I was a kid are emphatically not part of the definition today.


Conspicuous by their absence they are . . .

Of course, one needs to be pushing 60 and to have been paying attention all along to notice.