# What Makes a Christian?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-christian/680009
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [January 29, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-christian/680009 "2014-01-29T02:12:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 12

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### Author: ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-christian/680009/221 "2014-02-15T20:17:08Z")

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> [@monavis](#):
>
> It would seem to me, that being a Christian one would follow"all" the teachings and way of life that Jesus said, and did. Even the words that states;" Take up your cross and follow me"
> 
> One can say they are one thing than act another way!

Would that exclude anything not directly attributed to Jesus? Would that include works attributed to Jesus but not contained in the Bible?

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### Author: ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-christian/680009/222 "2014-02-16T00:54:28Z")

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> [@monavis](#):
>
> After re-reading this It is just your beliefs and you are entitled to them, but Belief is not fact!

How ironic.

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### Author: ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-christian/680009/223 "2014-02-16T11:59:09Z")

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> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Would that exclude anything not directly attributed to Jesus? Would that include works attributed to Jesus but not contained in the Bible?

We have no evidence that any of the Bible was not just stories about Jesus or a God.

My point is that if a person believes That the Bible is God’s word then why don’t they follow it’s teachings? Where are there any works or words applied to Jesus that are not in the Bible? Not in the writers whose writings were not considered inspired, like the Gospel of Thomas etc…

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