What exactly am I?

[MuteReality]

K so here it goes.

I have been a believer in God and a follower of Christianity for several years now, but I do not believe in the standard definition of Christianity in being that Jesus Christ was the true son of god and he was created in order to live on earth and perform miracles before being sacrificed in a disturbing ritual all for our sins.

So here's what I believe in a nutshell...

I believe God is the creator of the universe. However, I believe god is genderless and non-corporeal, meaning its not an individual existing entity by any means. I think that god is the center or "source" of the entire universe. In other words I believe god is literally inside all of us, and all non-living things as well. Or from a scientific perspective, god is the singularity of all matter in one point super concentrated and infinitely voluminous, that understand everything and exists in perfect harmony with all of its other parts.

Now this is where my beliefs seriously conflict with Christianity, I believe that God was ready to experience life from a multiplicity of perspectives, in order to learn and become more whole through understanding of gods own self.

So God "became" the big bang, exploding with such tremendous force that the universe was created in its earliest form in nearly an instant. And that was the first day.

Then God created the stars, the second day.

Then God created the planets, the third day.

etc, etc.

What we see today in existence is a manifestation of many different perspectives and personalities of the same consciousness.

Now as for Christ, I honestly think he was a messenger of God. However, I believe he was simply an incredibly enlightened and centered individual, who was able to communicate with the full consciousness of the Source (God). God told him the ideal way that life should be undertaken and acted upon, and so Christ being a man of virtue and perseverance, told the people he met of this communication even though he understood quite well he would be persecuted for revealing such information.

Christ was sacrificed because he knew the truth of our existence and how amazing we can be as human beings, a martyr to underline and highlight the truth of his teachings.

So my real question is, am I Christian? And if not, how would you define me?

Also thanks for your time, I know this is a ton of information!

 

[ForceofTime]

You certainly are not a Christian since you deny Christ. In fact, I don't how can you even think that you are to any degree.

As to what you really are; well, I'd say lost.

 

[AvgJoe]

So my real question is, am I Christian? And if not, how would you define me?

Based on your description, no, you're not a Christian. The Bible reveals 5 doctrines that are essential to the Christian faith. They are 1) the Deity of Christ, 2) Salvation by Grace, 3) Resurrection of Christ, 4) the gospel, and 5) monotheism. These are the doctrines the Bible says are necessary. Though there are many other important doctrines, these five are the ones that are declared by Scripture to be essential.

What you have described, especially this part of your statement;

I believe God is the creator of the universe. However, I believe god is genderless and non-corporeal, meaning its not an individual existing entity by any means. I think that god is the center or "source" of the entire universe. In other words I believe god is literally inside all of us, and all non-living things as well. Or from a scientific perspective, god is the singularity of all matter in one point super concentrated and infinitely voluminous, that understand everything and exists in perfect harmony with all of its other parts.

Now this is where my beliefs seriously conflict with Christianity, I believe that God was ready to experience life from a multiplicity of perspectives, in order to learn and become more whole through understanding of gods own self.

is pantheism, in a nutshell. Here is the definition of pantheism~~~> Pantheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Episcoboi]

K so here it goes.

I have been a believer in God and a follower of Christianity for several years now, but I do not believe in the standard definition of Christianity in being that Jesus Christ was the true son of god and he was created in order to live on earth and perform miracles before being sacrificed in a disturbing ritual all for our sins.

So here's what I believe in a nutshell...

I believe God is the creator of the universe. However, I believe god is genderless and non-corporeal, meaning its not an individual existing entity by any means. I think that god is the center or "source" of the entire universe. In other words I believe god is literally inside all of us, and all non-living things as well. Or from a scientific perspective, god is the singularity of all matter in one point super concentrated and infinitely voluminous, that understand everything and exists in perfect harmony with all of its other parts.

Now this is where my beliefs seriously conflict with Christianity, I believe that God was ready to experience life from a multiplicity of perspectives, in order to learn and become more whole through understanding of gods own self.

So God "became" the big bang, exploding with such tremendous force that the universe was created in its earliest form in nearly an instant. And that was the first day.

Then God created the stars, the second day.

Then God created the planets, the third day.

etc, etc.

What we see today in existence is a manifestation of many different perspectives and personalities of the same consciousness.

Now as for Christ, I honestly think he was a messenger of God. However, I believe he was simply an incredibly enlightened and centered individual, who was able to communicate with the full consciousness of the Source (God). God told him the ideal way that life should be undertaken and acted upon, and so Christ being a man of virtue and perseverance, told the people he met of this communication even though he understood quite well he would be persecuted for revealing such information.

Christ was sacrificed because he knew the truth of our existence and how amazing we can be as human beings, a martyr to underline and highlight the truth of his teachings.

So my real question is, am I Christian? And if not, how would you define me?

Also thanks for your time, I know this is a ton of information!

I think you are definitely a Christian. Christianity is about following Christ. It is not about believing a set of propositions. You are a Christian if your life is Christ-like. You are a Christian if you embody God's vision of Shalom (Peace), healing love, and justice for the world. This is the Kingdom of God (or, the Commonwealth of God). This is what it means to be a Christian. So, if you do and live this, you are a Christian. Much love, man.

 

[hedrick]

I tend to be flexible on theology, but to me a Christian is someone specifically follows Christ. Seeing him as one of many ways God is present in the world doesn't seem to make you Christian. Hindus sometimes accept him as one incarnation of God, and Muslims also see him as enlightened.

There are agnostics / atheists who follow Jesus' ethical teachings. They may be in some sense fellow travelers, but I wouldn't quite call them Christians.

 

[drich0150]

K so here it goes. So my real question is, am I Christian?

By what you have proclaimed, no.
There are minimum requirements to Christ-ianity The most important is that you believe/accept Christ as the only Son of God.

And if not, how would you define me?

'Spiritual' if you have no other religious affiliations, otherwise you seem to lean towards Judaism.

 

[Dan61861]

No, you are not a Christian according to your words. I would agree, you sound like a pantheist.

However, if you would like to learn more about Jesus. I am sure there are several of us that would be overjoyed to walk with you.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I understand the desire to avoid anthropomorphizing God. The flip side, however, is that we should also avoid identifying God as though God is merely cosmic force (e.g. monism or pantheism).

God in the Abrahamic tradition is simultaneously transcendent and immanent. This means that we cannot, by definition, even say what God is. God is God, and so radically and wholly other that we would not even know anything about Him unless He revealed it to us. And yet, God is so radically near, that it can be said, "In Him we move, breathe, and have our being."

The Psalmist speaks of it being unavoidable to be in God's presence, we cannot escape Him. He is nearer than breath.

In all of this we are also confessing Him to be transcendentally personal. He is intimately concerned with us, things matter to Him. He isn't simply causative force, He is Original Love, the Wellspring of Good, the Originator of Existence. And in the creative work He imbues all things with this love, He has made all things and the cosmos is His good work.

Jesus cannot, in the Christian schema, simply be an enlightened person. If only because we call ourselves Christians, the Christ-people. If we cannot confess Jesus as the Christ--the promised Messiah of God--then we ought not identify ourselves by this term. It would be like a Buddhist saying that Siddhartha wasn't the Buddha, it is an intrinsic contradiction of terminology.

Even beyond this, however, the Christian confession as it has received it from the first is that Jesus is the Christ--the Messiah. And this itself makes no sense unless there is confession that His Messianic mission was real and true. That Messianic mission is only sensible if Jesus actually accomplished something substantially messianic, otherwise He is simply in the same category of every other failed messiah (and thus not the Messiah) and again it is in error that we call ourselves Christians. But we confess that His mission bore fruit and substance, the Divine and Messianic kingdom He preached was true, and the validation is in His dying and rising from the dead. It is principally that He rose from the dead--bodily--that Christians can and do confess that He is the Christ. If He simply died, and His body still lay in the earth rotting, then He was not the Messiah and we ought not call ourselves Christians.

But because we confess Him as risen from the dead, we can confess that the kingdom of God is truly present, in part, through the redemption of the world that is preached in Jesus' name to all nations; and in full when He comes again and the dead are raised up (bodily) and both the living and the dead are judged. The restoration of all creation, the setting to right all that is wrong, the coming refreshment that has long been promised for the entire world. That is our confession. If these things are not true, then again, Jesus is not the Messiah, and therefore we ought not call ourselves Christians.

This isn't about trying to create an exclusive club; it's about understanding that this Christianity thing involves a solid declaration concerning Jesus from within the context of His Messiah-hood. One most certainly can believe anything concerning Jesus, but it would be disingenuous to call oneself a Christian if they do not believe Jesus is the Christ, and embracing the full weight of what that confession entails.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[If Not For Grace]

MuteReality: It sounds to me as though you have more of an eastern "flavor" in view.

are you familiar with the term Karma? Both Hindu and Buddhist and others have a Karma view in their traditional views. Karma seems to be in line with the views you voiced. It is not as far removed from christianity as some think. Karma says you put out energy and get that energy back. Christianity says you reap what you sow. Jesus is the big difference.

Read what Jesus said...(the Bible is not the only source for that) and then a decision has to be made-...For me it hinged on the resurrection. If I believed that, then i had to believe the rest...Was it true or was it not--I decided it was..but you do your research and try to disprove it..if you can you will uncover the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the human race.

Love-Grace

 

[GrayAngel]

K so here it goes.

I have been a believer in God and a follower of Christianity for several years now, but I do not believe in the standard definition of Christianity in being that Jesus Christ was the true son of god and he was created in order to live on earth and perform miracles before being sacrificed in a disturbing ritual all for our sins.

You've already disqualified yourself as a Christian. The belief that Jesus was the Son of God who died for the sins of His followers is the very heart of the Gospel. It cannot be removed.

So here's what I believe in a nutshell...

I believe God is the creator of the universe. However, I believe god is genderless and non-corporeal, meaning its not an individual existing entity by any means. I think that god is the center or "source" of the entire universe. In other words I believe god is literally inside all of us, and all non-living things as well. Or from a scientific perspective, god is the singularity of all matter in one point super concentrated and infinitely voluminous, that understand everything and exists in perfect harmony with all of its other parts.

What you're describing sounds like pantheism, the belief that God = the universe, and that the two cannot be separated.

Christians believe that God is genderless (with the exception of Jesus' earthly body) and that He is spirit, not an old man in the sky with a long white beard.

Now this is where my beliefs seriously conflict with Christianity, I believe that God was ready to experience life from a multiplicity of perspectives, in order to learn and become more whole through understanding of gods own self.

To learn? About what? The universe that He had designed from scratch Himself?

So God "became" the big bang, exploding with such tremendous force that the universe was created in its earliest form in nearly an instant. And that was the first day.

Then God created the stars, the second day.

Then God created the planets, the third day.

etc, etc.

What we see today in existence is a manifestation of many different perspectives and personalities of the same consciousness.

Again, this is sounding like pantheism to me.

Now as for Christ, I honestly think he was a messenger of God. However, I believe he was simply an incredibly enlightened and centered individual, who was able to communicate with the full consciousness of the Source (God). God told him the ideal way that life should be undertaken and acted upon, and so Christ being a man of virtue and perseverance, told the people he met of this communication even though he understood quite well he would be persecuted for revealing such information.

Christ was sacrificed because he knew the truth of our existence and how amazing we can be as human beings, a martyr to underline and highlight the truth of his teachings.

So my real question is, am I Christian? And if not, how would you define me?

Also thanks for your time, I know this is a ton of information!

No, you're not. You don't believe in the Christian Gospel, but you believe in something else. Muslims believe in God too, as well as Jesus. But like you, they don't accept Jesus as the Son of God, or as the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus was very clear when He said what He had come to do. He was the promised Messiah, prophesied long before His birth. Not just a piece of God, but completely God in the flesh, even claiming that He existed before Abraham (John 8:58). Hundreds of Old Testament verses describe Jesus' life, and none of them coincide with your view.

Isaiah 53:4-12 - He suffered the things we should have suffered.
He took on himself the pain that should have been ours.
But we thought God was punishing him.
We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.
But the servant was pierced because we had sinned.
He was crushed because we had done what was evil.
He was punished to make us whole again.
His wounds have healed us.
All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God.
All of us have turned to our own way.
And the Lord has placed on his servant
the sins of all of us.

He was beaten down and made to suffer.
But he didn’t open his mouth.
He was led away like a sheep to be killed.
Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off.
In the same way, he didn’t open his mouth.
He was arrested and sentenced to death.
Then he was taken away.
He was cut off from this life.
He was punished for the sins of my people.
Who among those who were living at that time
could have understood those things?
He was given a grave with those who were evil.
But his body was buried in the tomb of a rich man.
He was killed even though he hadn’t harmed anyone.
And he had never lied to anyone.

The Lord says, “It was my plan to crush him
and cause him to suffer.
I made his life a guilt offering to pay for sin.
But he will see all of his children after him.
In fact, he will continue to live.
My plan will be brought about through him.
After he suffers, he will see the light that leads to life.
And he will be satisfied.
My godly servant will make many people godly
because of what he will accomplish.
He will be punished for their sins.
So I will give him a place of honor among those who are great.
He will be rewarded just like others who win the battle.
That is because he was willing to give his life as a sacrifice.
He was counted among those who had committed crimes.
He took the sins of many people on himself.
And he gave his life for those who had done what is wrong.”

Just as described here by Isaiah hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, Christ was a blameless man given the cruel punishment of a criminal. This was done for our sake, taking our sins on Himself. He did not defend Himself by giving a defense, but He knew His fate and wanted to do His Father's will. He was killed, but a wealthy man purchased His body and gave Him a rich man's tomb. Later, He saw life again, and was risen as a victor, like one who had won a great battle.

He was not just an enlightened man. He was our sacrifice. And He was God in the flesh, not just a piece of God along with everyone else.

Isaiah 9:6 - For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

[rgoldb02]

Well I would put you under the idealist cat mixed with that thing scientific religion most actors follow.....Big bang support evolution and evolution doesn't mix with creation so you aren't a Christian. I hope you find God, learn about God, and build a personal relationship withi him. KJV < that will be the best place to start....trust in his word and stop using earthly things and science and you will find who God really is.

 

[talitha]

Church of Oprah, perhaps, but not Christian.

But seriously now, you are always free and welcome to become a Christian. I think it's odd how many people today seem to see "who they are" or "what they are" as something static, a world to be discovered, something that they do not have the power to change. The truth is that within certain parameters we decide who and what we are, and we have the ability to change it. That's what this life is all about.

 

[TheyCallMeDave]

K so here it goes.

I have been a believer in God and a follower of Christianity for several years now, but I do not believe in the standard definition of Christianity in being that Jesus Christ was the true son of god and he was created in order to live on earth and perform miracles before being sacrificed in a disturbing ritual all for our sins.

So here's what I believe in a nutshell...

I believe God is the creator of the universe. However, I believe god is genderless and non-corporeal, meaning its not an individual existing entity by any means. I think that god is the center or "source" of the entire universe. In other words I believe god is literally inside all of us, and all non-living things as well. Or from a scientific perspective, god is the singularity of all matter in one point super concentrated and infinitely voluminous, that understand everything and exists in perfect harmony with all of its other parts.

Now this is where my beliefs seriously conflict with Christianity, I believe that God was ready to experience life from a multiplicity of perspectives, in order to learn and become more whole through understanding of gods own self.

So God "became" the big bang, exploding with such tremendous force that the universe was created in its earliest form in nearly an instant. And that was the first day.

Then God created the stars, the second day.

Then God created the planets, the third day.

etc, etc.

What we see today in existence is a manifestation of many different perspectives and personalities of the same consciousness.

Now as for Christ, I honestly think he was a messenger of God. However, I believe he was simply an incredibly enlightened and centered individual, who was able to communicate with the full consciousness of the Source (God). God told him the ideal way that life should be undertaken and acted upon, and so Christ being a man of virtue and perseverance, told the people he met of this communication even though he understood quite well he would be persecuted for revealing such information.

Christ was sacrificed because he knew the truth of our existence and how amazing we can be as human beings, a martyr to underline and highlight the truth of his teachings.

So my real question is, am I Christian? And if not, how would you define me?

Also thanks for your time, I know this is a ton of information!

Based on your assertions...you would be a : Quasi-Pantheist who believes in some Christian Theology ...but not the most vital one to be saved of your many accumulated sins , that being, that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh whom he claimed and proved to be . Therefore, you call Jesus Christ a Liar essentially , and have disqualified yourself from having your sins forgiven and erased so you can enter Heaven when you die.

The scriptures backing this up are :

1. Romans 10:8-14 for becoming a real Christian
2. Ephesians 2:8-10 for same , with the required evidence that it was a genuine conversion .
3. John 8:58-59 which you deny about CHrist being God himself.
4. John 1 / Colossians 1 / Hebrews 1 which you deny about CHrist being the actual Creator of the Universe.

I hope you will not adopt a hybrid of religions , and instead, focus your energies on a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Christ as your Lord, King, Creator, and Savior. It starts by recieving him as your sin Bearer on the cross by faith alone that it was sufficient, then turning from your sinfilled lifestyle(s) and walking in Gods power which he freely gives you for the asking so you can live a changed life that includes serving God, Others, and living for the Kingdom of God down here on earth where it will continue in Heaven.

Do you know HOW to 'recieve' Christ into your life , if you want to ? Regards.

 

[MuteReality]

MuteReality: It sounds to me as though you have more of an eastern "flavor" in view.

are you familiar with the term Karma? Both Hindu and Buddhist and others have a Karma view in their traditional views. Karma seems to be in line with the views you voiced. It is not as far removed from christianity as some think. Karma says you put out energy and get that energy back. Christianity says you reap what you sow. Jesus is the big difference.

Read what Jesus said...(the Bible is not the only source for that) and then a decision has to be made-...For me it hinged on the resurrection. If I believed that, then i had to believe the rest...Was it true or was it not--I decided it was..but you do your research and try to disprove it..if you can you will uncover the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the human race.

Love-Grace

Yeah I am familiar with Karma and I believe in reincarnation.

I need to read the bible again though.

 

[MuteReality]

1. Romans 10:8-14 for becoming a real Christian

K so I guess I'll get confusing now and clarify that I do believe Jesus was the embodiment of God. And I believe he died and was resurrected.

And I have already accepted him as my lord and savior...

The issue is I don't fall into line on many issues that Christians seem to be unanimous about.

Such as the world being ~6000 years old, The universe being created in 7 days, etc.

Also I have conflicts with Matthew Mark Luke and John which were all written long after those followers died and most likely created by the Roman Catholic church...

3. John 8:58-59 which you deny about CHrist being God himself.

Answer's the same as 1

4. John 1 / Colossians 1 / Hebrews 1 which you deny about Christ being the actual Creator of the Universe.

Christ being the embodiment of God would follow that he technically created the universe so no conflict there.

 

[MuteReality]

Now as for Christ, I honestly think he was a messenger of God. However, I believe he was simply an incredibly enlightened and centered individual, who was able to communicate with the full consciousness of the Source (God). God told him the ideal way that life should be undertaken and acted upon, and so Christ being a man of virtue and perseverance, told the people he met of this communication even though he understood quite well he would be persecuted for revealing such information.

Yeah my first post does make that incredibly confusing... What I don't believe, essentially, is the extreme miracles of the old testament mostly...

I got on a roll when I was writing and went on a weird tangent with the story of Jesus...

 

[Radagast]

The issue is I don't fall into line on many issues that Christians seem to be unanimous about.

Such as the world being ~6000 years old, The universe being created in 7 days, etc.

I wouldn't say unanimous; many Christians don't think the "days" were 24 hours.

Also I have conflicts with Matthew Mark Luke and John which were all written long after those followers died

Well, no. John, for example, died around the year 98. The oldest fragment of John's gospel (P52) dates from around 125, and scholarly consensus is that the gospel was written before John's death.

and most likely created by the Roman Catholic church...

There was no "Roman Catholic church" until much later.

3. John 8:58-59 which you deny about CHrist being God himself.

The divinity of Christ is certainly a core Christian belief.

I think you are definitely a Christian. Christianity is about following Christ. It is not about believing a set of propositions.

That's exactly wrong. Believing a set of propositions is a key part of Christianity, which is why we have creeds, and why accepting the Nicene Creed is required to be considered Christian here on CF.

 

[ebia]

K so here it goes.

I have been a believer in God and a follower of Christianity for several years now, but I do not believe in the standard definition of Christianity in being that Jesus Christ was the true son of god and he was created in order to live on earth and perform miracles before being sacrificed in a disturbing ritual all for our sins.

So here's what I believe in a nutshell...

I believe God is the creator of the universe. However, I believe god is genderless and non-corporeal, meaning its not an individual existing entity by any means. I think that god is the center or "source" of the entire universe. In other words I believe god is literally inside all of us, and all non-living things as well. Or from a scientific perspective, god is the singularity of all matter in one point super concentrated and infinitely voluminous, that understand everything and exists in perfect harmony with all of its other parts.

Now this is where my beliefs seriously conflict with Christianity, I believe that God was ready to experience life from a multiplicity of perspectives, in order to learn and become more whole through understanding of gods own self.

So God "became" the big bang, exploding with such tremendous force that the universe was created in its earliest form in nearly an instant. And that was the first day.

Then God created the stars, the second day.

Then God created the planets, the third day.

etc, etc.

What we see today in existence is a manifestation of many different perspectives and personalities of the same consciousness.

Now as for Christ, I honestly think he was a messenger of God. However, I believe he was simply an incredibly enlightened and centered individual, who was able to communicate with the full consciousness of the Source (God). God told him the ideal way that life should be undertaken and acted upon, and so Christ being a man of virtue and perseverance, told the people he met of this communication even though he understood quite well he would be persecuted for revealing such information.

Christ was sacrificed because he knew the truth of our existence and how amazing we can be as human beings, a martyr to underline and highlight the truth of his teachings.

So my real question is, am I Christian? And if not, how would you define me?

Also thanks for your time, I know this is a ton of information!

Did Jesus rise again?

 

[MuteReality]

Yes I believe Jesus was resurrected. how exactly do you figure a text dating to 125 A.D. was written by someone who died literally 36 years earlier...

Moreover, what do Christians believe that days refer to in Genesis

 

[ebia]

Yes I believe Jesus was resurrected.

How does that fit into your theology?

how exactly do you figure a text dating to 125 A.D. was written by someone who died literally 36 years earlier...

The oldest fragment of a copy is from 125. That's extraordinarily early. It points to thd original certainly having been written before 90.

Moreover, what do Christians believe that days refer to in Genesis

Most Christians don't think the stories at the beginning of Genesis are intended to be read as "literal" history.