Blurring the lines.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I don't think any of us really care.

If someone wants to call themselves a Christian I don't see what business it is of mine to doubt or question them.

Really? You doubt and question everything else, why stop there?
As Sionnach so eloquently stated..

An individual's word is always mere hearsay without the evidence to back up those words.

I don't have a horse in the race. Theists however do. As far as I'm concerned there are as many types of Christianity as there are christians (this goes for religious adherence in general). Every Christian has their own beliefs, their own wishes, their own desires, their own version of their specific version of their god. Calling one person out and saying "that's not what a christian is" is silly from this perspective because what on earth is a christian? If we reduce it to the common denominator, someone who espouses (at least) the new testament and follows the word of Jésus.

Ok. Got it. It's when you guys come in and start saying "PUT PAUL DOESN'T MEAN THAT!" or "BUT THIS WAS WRITTEN IN THAT CONTEXT! IT CAN'T BE READ LIKE THAT NOW" that the lines become blurred, not when we call out those beliefs as absurd.

As Tonus says above, there is no authority on the planet that I know of (or that is evidenced) that has a legitimate right to tell people whether they're true christians or not.

I don't think any of us really care.

If someone wants to call themselves a Christian I don't see what business it is of mine to doubt or question them.

You're right, however it's the business of the church and when someone who calls them self a Christian and we call them out, why is it you all jump on the bandwagon and question what we have to say?

GC

Because your justification for calling someone not a christian is the exact same reason why they can call you not a christian. Better to accept that there are a myriad of christians out there, each with a myriad of beliefs.

In effect, you guys are happy with other people calling themselves a Christian just so long as it's the type of Christian you want them to be. But if you guys want to have theological fisty-cuffs don't stop on my account.