No offense, but that definition seems ludicrously broad to me. It would allow anyone to call themselves a Christian, regardless of what they actually believe – and regardless of how well their beliefs jibe with those of Jesus Christ.
Mind you, I understand the rationale behind adopting a broad definition of this term. However, the statement “If you say you’re a Christian, you’re a Christian” doesn’t seem to be very helpful.
Qad, to answer your question, and hopefully I will not start a debate here, the Mormons are the first group that comes to mind. Yes, they believe Jesus died on the cross, but they believe there’s other stuff you have to do to get into heaven. (Plus they consider the BOM and other writings as on the same level as the Bible not to mention a buncha other stuff I won’t get into.)
Not slamming Mormons but everything I have read about their teachings suggest that Jesus needs a little help saving us, which is where our good works supposedly come in. In other words, Jesus is Savior too, but so are the good things we do.
That dog don’t hunt.
I’m not sure if Jehovah’s Witnesses actually call themselves Christians, but if they did they’d fall into the same category as well.
WV_Woman-and what about us Catholics, hmmm?
Just curious-what denomination are you? So I know we’re you’re coming from.
WV_Woman, to avoid hijacking this thread could you please answer my question here?
While most members have always been socially conservative, until recently the southern baptist church was very theologically liberal in that they held a doctrine of self interpretation- what the bible means wasn’t handed down from a pastor but was up to individual believers to determine. When I went to a southern baptist church as a child I knew many socially liberal baptists.
The conservative wing has taken over that denomination, driving away theological as well as social liberals.
Alright, I see your point. Upon further contemplation, I amended it to something that may fit better, and be more helpful. “Someone whom follows the teachings of Christ”. This should actually make the definition relevent, while not getting people mad because I don’t believe they’re of the religion they say they are.
It is not enough to follow the teachings of Jesus to be a Christian. You must believe that he was and is Jesus Christ, and that he is god. If you just think he was a great man, you’re not a Christian. (Which, incidentally I am not, though raised RC).
Guin … um, what ABOUT Catholics?
shrug
To answer your question, I was raised Southern Baptist. I go to a non-denominational church now, although if I had to hammer it down I’d say we’re pentecostal. Not the long hair, long dress type, but the more mainstream kind. We believe in the spiritual gifts, we have women preachers, etc etc.
Ever hear of a preacher named TD Jakes (some big magazine just did an article calling him the next Billy Graham)? I’m pretty much the same thing he is.
Sorry I don’t have an official label.
I mean, Catholics believe you must do good works in addition to having faith to get to Heaven. There’s also a bunch of other stuff.
Does that mean we are not truly Christian?
They do?
This is news to me. I have a really close soon-to-be-a-Dominican-friar, dyed in the wool Catholic friend and he says that’s not the case.
Saorise, where do you take that definition from? Why is it any more official than mine own?
I’ll agree with everything said about UU’s in this thread. We’re a queer bunch… 
Esprix
I was raised with this religion, so the whole “UUs are weird” thing makes me shrug.
Contraception, abortion
I suppose there are some UUs with personal qualms about abortion. When I was a kid and lived in South Florida my family’s congregation rented office space to the local Planned Parenthood. The general tenor seems to be that under certain circumstances contraception is an ethical obligation.
Gays and Lesbians
Individual ministers started performing gay weddings about 30 years ago. The general assembly officially endorsed the practice in the early 1980s. The congregation in downtown Los Angeles has a banner in its sanctuary welcoming the gay community.
Evolution and Cosmology
Puh-lease.
Interfaith marriages, tolerant attitudes toward other denominations and religions.
Last summer my congregation had a Druid priest give the Sunday morning service. Monthly Buddhist meditations are standard fare. Since September 11 we’ve done readings from the Koran. We’re not exactly opposed to mainstream christianity - Catholic liberation theology has had a strong influence on us - but the one way to make UUs shudder is to walk around shouting, “I’ve found Jesus!”
Womens rights, equal roles for women clergy, or women in hierarchical church positions.
Founding minister of my congregation was a woman. That was the 1880s. We’ve made great strides since.
As to the whole “are they Christian” thing, our history definitely grows out of a Christian tradition. We celebrate Christian holidays. Sermons often talk about Jesus. The particular approach we take is very different from what you’d hear at a Baptist church.
There are UUs who describe themselves as Christian and whose personal beliefs couldn’t be defined as un-Christian by most fundamentalists (although they’d find plenty of things they’d call errors). Many more would say Jesus had plenty of good ideas, but the whole dying-for-our-sins-and-rising-again thing is a bunch of hooey. In the Pacific US some UUs have adopted the East Asian concept that belief in two or three religions is acceptable. Here you’ll find Buddhist UUs and Jewish Pagan UUs.
Our emphasis is on the individual’s responsibility in the search for goodness and truth, not on adherence to a received creed.
Um no.
The Catholic church belief-the orthodox, true belief is that you must have both. Good works alone aren’t enough. Faith alone is not enough. You must do both.
You also must honor the sacrements, the beliefs of the church, and be an active Catholic.
Now, however, the Catholic church does not necessarily believe that not doing that, you’ll go to Hell. It’s more that, you’re not a good Christian if you don’t. The Catholic belief on Hell is more vague-it’s more of a separation from God.
But we were never told that this denomination isn’t Christian, or that one isn’t. It was more, if you’re a Catholic, you have to be a good Catholic.
Basically, we were told faith without works is dead-that actions speak louder than words.
I’m confused. Does the Unitarian faith necessarily imply even a belief in God? How about an afterlife?
How is Unitarianism even a religion? Sounds more like a philosophers’ convention.
(I tease my Unitarian friends.)
Or maybe just an excuse to form a softball team.
BTW it was mentioned that on issue #3 (Evolution/Cosmology) the RCC is “very liberal” (if by liberal we mean accepting the results of science). I’d add this is one aspect of a larger issue of theological liberalism/conservatism, namely how the denominations come down on Scriptural Literalism and “Scripture Alone” as source of all doctrine.
As Guinastasia has pointed out, there is also what could be an item #6, the “social gospel” issues such as welfare, labor rights, crime and punishment (notably the death penalty), where the modern RCC tends to be, with various stripes of Quakers, UU’s and others, on what Americans call the “liberal” side, while many fundamentalists come down hard on the right-wing side.
Man, somebody needs to clue Justice Scalia in to the fact that the Catholic Church is liberal.
Does this mean we have to start an “Ask the UU” thread now?
Esprix