Can a person be both an atheist and a Christian?

[Norah63]

Jesus built the only bridge an atheist can cross.

 

[leaniemeanie]

Wow this is a crazy question. Look at the word Christian do you see CHRIST in it? how can you then be a follower of Christ but deny Christ? not possible that man should not be sitting in the body of believers for the church he is attending is most likely a false church if he was under real preaching he would either be a believer now or took off for man with out God is at enmity with him. Either God breaks a soul or hardens it, without belief in God and Christ that mans heart is hardened and sitting under preaching that is sound and solid would either break that heart or harden it and he would not want to be there. He is most likely in a social club and not a church and the whole church is most likely full of atheists pretending to be Christians.

 

[pyramid33]

Can a person be both an atheist and a Christian?

No. It isn't possible.

 

[Worldslaziestbusker]

Thanks for all the responses. Near on two years after asking the question, I have just over one hundred answers, and they are all negative, so I don't even have to do the maths to work out that 100 % of moderate Christians using Christian Forums disagree with my acquaintance's contention that they are a Christian.

Now for the other half of the story.

The person in question claims to have been a paid member of the clergy in their church. I have followed this up with the leaders of their church, who assure me atheists cannot preach to their congregations, because a person must make a declaration of their adherence to the Nicene Creed before taking a professional role in the church, but my acquaintance tries their best, unconvincingly, in my eyes, to rationalise the discrepancy away. I think they acted fraudulently, in spite of their claims that the church leaders and their congregation knew of their atheism.

My second question is - how would you feel if you found out your preacher did not accept Christ's divinity?

 

[Ruthie24]

Hello everyone
I have a question about definitions. An acquaintance of mine does not believe in God, does not accept the divinity of Jesus Christ, and does not think of the crucifixion as his path to salvation. In short, he is an atheist, like me. We are different, however, in that he attends church and refers to himself as Christian, his argument for this being that he has respect for the cultural traditions, and enjoys the sense of community derived from being part of a congregation.
Is it possible to be an atheist Christian? Can you be Christian without Christ?
Regards
WLB

No they aren't. The one ,who is an atheist, just goes to church for the social part of it, but doesn't believe in Christ Jesus/God. The two are completely separate, like water and oil, they don't mix. But for him, he's able to make it work, though I'm not sure he feels comfortable with it except the communal feeling he gets. Imho, and I was almost an atheist, if you don't believe in Jesus Christ and his teachings, you don't believe in God, and you aren't a Christian. This is what the first century church was all about.

 

[hedrick]

My second question is - how would you feel if you found out your preacher did not accept Christ's divinity?

Most churches expect ministers to believe in God and the divinity of Christ. One who doesn't should resign.

However expressing theology is difficult. E.g. a pastor I know well has said at times that it's a mistake to say that God exists, because that places God as an object alongside other objects. He certainly believes there is a God who is active in the world. Similarly, there are people who object to the term "divinity of Christ" for theological reasons that probably go beyond what we should talk about here, but still are Christians.

But most congregations would not accept a minister who is genuinely an atheist. There are a few very liberal ones, however, who might, depending upon just what he actually believes.

 

[Mikaeri]

Most churches expect ministers to believe in God and the divinity of Christ. One who doesn't should resign.

However expressing theology is difficult. E.g. a pastor I know well has said at times that it's a mistake to say that God exists, because that places God as an object alongside other objects. He certainly believes there is a God who is active in the world. Similarly, there are people who object to the term "divinity of Christ" for theological reasons that probably go beyond what we should talk about here, but still are Christians.

But most congregations would not accept a minister who is genuinely an atheist. There are a few very liberal ones, however, who might, depending upon just what he actually believes.

The first and third paragraphs are correct, however your Pastor friend should not even be a Pastor if he rejects even the basics of Gods existance..what a joke, up the front encouraging the faithfull his love for God and scriptural passages from Gods word on faith and obediance to the Gospel yet doesn't believe in the creator.
So no your friend would be neither a true Pastor nor a CHristain.

 

[hedrick]

The first and third paragraphs are correct, however your Pastor friend should not even be a Pastor if he rejects even the basics of Gods existance..what a joke, up the front encouraging the faithfull his love for God and scriptural passages from Gods word on faith and obediance to the Gospel yet doesn't believe in the creator.
So no your friend would be neither a true Pastor nor a CHristain.

I thought I was clear that he beeves in God. He objects for philosophical reasons to saying that God exists, because he thinks existence means that he is an object in the universe like any other object. I gave it as an example of when someone objects to seemingly essential statements for technical reasons that don't actually make him a non-believer.

 

[0ptimus]

Hello everyone
I have a question about definitions. An acquaintance of mine does not believe in God, does not accept the divinity of Jesus Christ, and does not think of the crucifixion as his path to salvation. In short, he is an atheist, like me. We are different, however, in that he attends church and refers to himself as Christian, his argument for this being that he has respect for the cultural traditions, and enjoys the sense of community derived from being part of a congregation.
Is it possible to be an atheist Christian? Can you be Christian without Christ?
Regards
WLB

Yes i believe some seeds when planted take longer to grow than others.

I would even say that those who believe in Jesus 100 percent and do not follow his ways 100 percent have atheists ways about them.

I would even say that atheists who claim they are 100 percent atheist, are not being completely honest with them selves, like if an atheist had not one ounce of Goodness in him he would have no conscious, probably go out murdering stealing, you name it, when God said i will write my laws on there hearts and minds.
I think that applied to everyone unless someone could tell me different.

 

[Worldslaziestbusker]

Yes i believe some seeds when planted take longer to grow than others.

I would even say that those who believe in Jesus 100 percent and do not follow his ways 100 percent have atheists ways about them.

I would even say that atheists who claim they are 100 percent atheist, are not being completely honest with them selves, like if an atheist had not one ounce of Goodness in him he would have no conscious, probably go out murdering stealing, you name it, when God said i will write my laws on there hearts and minds.
I think that applied to everyone unless someone could tell me different.

My acquaintance is certain that they are not a seed awaiting germination. They were an atheist when they preached, and they are an atheist now they no longer attend the church that once paid them.
What they assert is that they were a Christian when they were getting paid to preach, despite not believing in the deity they preached about.

I also take issue with your assertion that Goodness (TM) is impossible without your God. I don't believe in your deity, but don't fall into murder and theft. Indeed, I spent my evening narrating a talking book as a volunteer in a programme to benefit the vision impaired. Is that good?

You can, and others have, argued that that goodness is a spark of the divine in me that I don't acknowledge, but this is just an assertion on top of an assertion, and until evidence for the larger assertion (that God exists) and the smaller assertion (that that God is the source of any goodness in me) is supplied, I remain unconvinced.

Two years ago two fellow atheists and I engaged some theologians on the topic "Can you be good without God." The video footage is available if you would like to see the topic addressed more thoroughly than I feel this thread warrants. Just ask, and I'll supply a link.

 

[Ruthie24]

My acquaintance is certain that they are not a seed awaiting germination. They were an atheist when they preached, and they are an atheist now they no longer attend the church that once paid them.
What they assert is that they were a Christian when they were getting paid to preach, despite not believing in the deity they preached about.

I also take issue with your assertion that Goodness (TM) is impossible without your God. I don't believe in your deity, but don't fall into murder and theft. Indeed, I spent my evening narrating a talking book as a volunteer in a programme to benefit the vision impaired. Is that good?

You can, and others have, argued that that goodness is a spark of the divine in me that I don't acknowledge, but this is just an assertion on top of an assertion, and until evidence for the larger assertion (that God exists) and the smaller assertion (that that God is the source of any goodness in me) is supplied, I remain unconvinced.

Two years ago two fellow atheists and I engaged some theologians on the topic "Can you be good without God." The video footage is available if you would like to see the topic addressed more thoroughly than I feel this thread warrants. Just ask, and I'll supply a link.

It doesn't make sense. How can they say they were a Christian if they don't believe in Christ or God, ie Christ said I and the Father are one. So even if he says he's a Christian, he's not because he doesn't believe in Christ. It just doesn't add up.

 

[hedrick]

There are people who use "Christian" to include someone who follows Jesus' ethical teachings, but don't necessarily believe in God. I understand that there are agnostics and atheists who admire some aspects of Jesus' teachings, but I oppose separating his ethics from the understanding of God as Father. and Jesus' mission to establish the Kingdom of God, on which the ethics are based. Perhaps that's what the OP's friend means. But I'd say even moderate Christians wouldn't consider that incomplete kind of Christianity to be enough for a minister (or even a member).

The PCUSA (which is a typical mainline, i.e. moderate to liberal church) actually had an internal court case over an issue like this. One of our most liberal congregations had admitted a member who was an atheist. They said that although they were an atheist, they wanted to be part of the Christian community. it was justified because of some technical issues about exactly how members are admitted. He had been confirmed as a youth. The constitution distinguishes between admitted someone new and allowing an existing member to transfer or be reactivated. The claim was that as an existing confirmed member he didn't need to reaffirm his faith. The ruling was that this was a silly interpretation, and that atheists are not eligible to be members of the PCUSA. In fact people who are readmitted or who transfer are still asked to take the vows, and I believe that was the case even at the time. (I hope I'm remembering this correctly. It may have been dealt with by the General Assembly by adjusting the rules rather than as a judicial case.)