But I didn't bring up wolves in sheeps clothing, did I? I merely said that you will know who people are by the fruit they bear, something Christ pointed out numerous times with all the parables about good vs corrupt fruit.
I understand why you like those passages better than the sermon on the mount
Some passages will delight the heart of an atheist while others, such as the sermon on the mount, will not serve an atheist's purposes if his/her purposes are to ridicule the faith.
Your post's argument is irrelevant to the question in the thread's original post. It really doesn't matter that some interpret a passage one way and others see it differently. Nor does it matter that there are many denominations in existence and that those denominations may have arisen because of differences in opinion about the meaning of passages in holy scripture. What does matter is that there are clear and specific requirements of christian conduct, morals, and doctrine in the holy scriptures and in the teaching of the Christian faith and those specifics can be rightly used to call the faithful to live a life that conforms to them. Your post is mere smoke blowing as far as the topic of this thread is concerned.
How does the existence of denominations justify somebody saying "You're not a 'real christian' ..." unless that somebody thinks that membership in their particular denomination is an absolute necessity for genuine christianity. Aside from a select few groups - groups that are in fact rather limited in size, influence, and rationality - no denominations make such claims and the Catholic Church most certainly does not make such a claim.
I don't think you've really been focusing on the comments made. When I talked about the different denominations, it was to explain how one denomination can believe something entirely different to another, and can call another denomination non-Christian because they don't believe the same thing. This is how the Bible can be used by one group against another. It's all about personal or institutional interpretation and definition.
I reckon that I replied to somebody else and not to your posts. That's not to say that I didn't read your posts. It is just an observation pointing out that my reply was to comments made by bhsmte rather than to your posted remarks. Nevertheless I repeat my comment that no significant denominations claim that unless one is joins them one cannot be a christian and the Catholic Church most certainly does not make such a claim so the contention in your post that "one denomination can believe something entirely different to another, and can call another denomination non-Christian because they don't believe the same thing" is not borne out by the facts, only fringe christian denominations would be likely to engage in the kind of thing you've mentioned.
I never called out the Catholic church, other than at one point to say that some Catholics and some Protestants believe that each other are not Christians. If you really believe that only fringe denoms do this, I'm sorry, but I don't think you've been paying much attention, either in your own community or on CF, because I have seen and heard it for years and years. It is one of the reasons I have backed away from church membership - and these were not fringe denoms - from hearing that "we" have the answer and "they" are in the dark, and therefore "we" go to heaven and "they" do not.
I'm specifically talking about denominations, not individuals. But if you think that individuals say things in a vacuum, I'd refer you to their churches, because usually they are repeating what they have learned at church.
That may be true. But as MC has said repeatedly, in most cases those churches are on the fringe.
And I'll repeat that I've never belonged to a fringe denom in my life, and I don't know anyone who does, and yet we have all heard these kind of comments and have experienced churches with this outlook. I don't feel the need to continue repeating this fact post after post.
I've never personally heard these types of comments. And ice never experienced these types of churches. But I have been in churches where people overreact when the pastors call sin sin.
Out of curiosity, what types of doctrines did you reject that got you labeled as a false Christian?
I honestly don't know. I'm not Catholic and never have been.
