# What is the minimum requirement to call oneself a "Christian"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-minimum-requirement-to-call-oneself-a-christian/741849>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 31, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-minimum-requirement-to-call-oneself-a-christian/741849 "2015-12-31T20:55:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 25

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**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-minimum-requirement-to-call-oneself-a-christian/741849/25 "2016-01-01T01:51:08Z")

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> [@monstro](#):
>
> That congregation was very very liberal, so that’s why I was a bit taken aback by this elder’s statement.
> 
> At any rate, I don’t know what a “requirement” means in such a denomination. It is not like anyone forces you to take an oath to join.

Philadelphia yearly meeting’s procedures are here: [Membership](http://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/our-meeting-community/membership/)

You talk with a committee and they make a recommendation to the meeting. So no, no oath, but they do care about what you think and will tell you to piss off if they don’t feel you fit in. Although you’re generally still welcome to attend. And the barriers between members and just attenders get a little thin. I was on the committee for ministry and oversight for a meeting where I was not a member, which I found a little odd. I think they were hard up for members.

Browsing the entire PYM faith and practice (which is sort of manual for the yearly meeting), there is very little use of the words jesus or christ. And plenty of quakers wouldn’t call themselves christians. But most do. I posted in another thread ([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16344323](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16344323)):

> [@Do Christians who believe in a non-literal Bible; do they believe in Jesus' resurrection?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/50):
>
> Here’s a Ph.D thesis from a few years back exploring British Quaker beliefs: [PDF](http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/682/1/Mellor10MPhil.pdf). It’s not the most amazing work, but it’s a quick read. \>70% of respondents consider themselves Christian, and \>70% would describe Quakerism as a Christian faith. Note that 66% answered “No” to “Do you believe Jesus died for Atonement (in other words to save your soul)?” The study did not address the resurrection, but I’m guessing most would find it irrelevant.

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