227 thoughts on “Confusion About What A “Christian” Is”

  1. I could read only about half of the above responses before I rolled my eyes and threw up my hands in despair. IFBers know only the little world in which they have been indoctrinated. They don’t want to know, or try to understand, anything else — because anything that is different from Their Way of Understanding It or Their Way of Doing It is automatically wrong. How do they know this? Their pastors told them.

    The Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by grace. The sacraments confer strengthening grace for the believer, not salvific grace. Catholics don’t “worship statues,” either — they venerate (honor) those whom the statues represent, particularly Mary. (IFBers should take note that most of the newer Catholic church buildings don’t even contain statues.)

    As for Luther, Calvin and the Reformation, it was a necessary break from a church that had, for the most part, ceased being able to see the forest through the trees, the difference between the means and the end. Gee, PROTESTANTS aren’t guilty of this sometimes??? Ask anyone who used to be an independent Baptist. I suspect you’ll get an earful.

  2. Once again we see that this is nothing but a Roman Catholic board masquerading as a Baptist board. I haven’t even read any of the comments other than the last one that popped up when I clicked on this thread.

    Please, can anyone here just be honest? If you are Baptist, then fine. If you are a Roman Catholic, that’s fine also. Will the owner of this board just have enough courage to admit that this place has nothing to do with Protestantism? Daryl, I like your board, but I really dislike your dishonesty and chicanery. You’d get a lot more respect from all sides if you would just admit that this is an apologetic board for the Roman Catholic Church instead of pretending to be some sort of Protestant forum. This reminds me of Obama pretending to be a conservative by feigning support for lower taxes. Catholics need to have enough courage to actually stand up for themselves instead of trying to constantly pretending to be Protestants. The same goes for Mormons. Please just be a Mormon and actually have the honesty to stand up for your religion instead of making ads that make you look like a Protestant Christian instead of a Mormon.

    1. I’m sure somewhere myotch is laughing himself silly right now. He and I have thrown down about Roman Catholic doctrine elsewhere on the interwebs and I can call upon him to witness that I’m not a Roman Catholic.

      For starters I reject the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome and I do not accept the authority of the Magisterium. Also, I’ve honestly never even been to a service of any kind inside a Catholic church and certainly never taken the Eucharist or been to confession. If I am a Roman Catholic then I’m really, really bad at it.

      All that being said, Catholics are Christians by every legitimate definition I’ve ever heard of “Christian.” And again I’ll repeat that this doesn’t mean they’re all regenerate or doctrinally correct. It just means that they fit the criteria for the label of “followers of Christ.” Don’t read more into it than I’m saying.

      It’s a common enough tactic for current and former fundamentalists to use “all or nothing” thinking in argument. But just the fact that I’m allowing that Catholics fall under the larger umbrella of Christendom does not of necessity mean that I am one. It simply doesn’t logically follow.

      1. Don’t listen to Darrell. He’s a dirty, rotten Papist who once tried to get ordained as a special minister just so he could secretly baptize babies in a maternity ward. He drinks like a fish, has 18 children, and holds Chilean Sea Bass fries every Friday of Lent. He maintains a hidden exhaustive online shrine to all the saints on this very website (password is BenNy16); my favorite entry is “to the unknown saint”.

        His practices of self-flaggelation have been documented with great envy by Opus Dei. Even his rosary beads have little spikes that go up under the fingernails.

        You have found out his secret. This website has the primary function of promoting Roman Catholicism. I mean, just look at all his posts, man!

        1. Betrayal, thy name is Myotch!!

          Ah, well. The secret is out. I guess I might as well just pack up my robes and go home.

        2. VENI, VIDI, FLATI ! adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit… Effice aut morere. Intersanctum Plebeus Maximus. Oly-hay ap-cray atman-bay!

          We do a mass (of stuff) in Latin around here as well. 😯 😆

        3. How did I miss this exchange? Oh well.

          Darrell, any update on the box of incense I ordered? 😆

    2. I am a Baptist – seminary trained at that. I think your accusations are absurd. Before ranting like this, I suggest brushing up on basic analytical skills. You are unlikely to persuade anyone to your position with this kind of rhetoric.

  3. Daryl, you run an interesting board that sometimes is fun to interact with. You have a witty sense of humor that we all get a chuckle out of at times.

    You would actually get some respect as a serious forum with honest discussions if you would just be up front with us. We all view this board as a joker’s source of rich material, a comedy, the epitome of persiflage. But the odd thing is that at times the board likes to border on real, serious topics as a sidelight from the humor. That is fine. But please just be honest and actually have the courage to stand up for your beliefs. We would all respect you more if you would just admit that this is a Roman Catholic forum instead of trying to draw people in by pretending to be a Protestant and/or Baptist forum. This board reminds me too much of the Mormon ads on television that try to downplay the fact that they are Mormons. If being Mormon is so cool and great, please just have the courage to actually stand up for the religion instead of trying to pretend to be Protestant Christians. The same goes for this board. Instead of trying to be a disgruntled Protestant who is rightly dismayed at many facets of Protestantism, please just be up front with us and have enough courage to stand up fully for the Roman Catholic belief instead of skirting around it. I don’t think you’d lose any board users. If anything, you’d probably gain users for actually being honest and having an honest discussion.

      1. This is hilarious (if the writer is actually serious). Of the scores of people that post on this site, I think there are only a total of 3 or 4 Catholics.

  4. Darrel, I see that you made a post in between mine. Perhaps you went into detail there. Please keep in mind that I made my second post before seeing your latest post.

  5. I have only been around here a couple of days and I don’t see this group being Catholics in disguise.

    Darrell, I appreciate your sense of humor along with the many of the other funny posters here. You guys are awesome. Fundies are not allowed to see humor in anything, must be serious. I am so grateful to be away from such serious prunes. Keep up the great humor, laughter is good for the soul.

  6. If this post makes you a secret Catholic, then I guess your next post better not be about women’s dress standards. Or homosexuals.

    1. Oooo, a Jeopardy Question…. ummmm

      “What is a Priest?”

      IFB equivalents:

      Habit = Dress
      paedophile = homosexual
      Priest = Catholic

  7. Riiiiiiiiight. I set out to lend some support against fundies’ stereotypes of Catholics and apparently it’s automatically assumed that I’m a Catholic.

    Fact is, I’m a Congregationalist. But I suppose that “brands” me as well.

    I’m exiting this discussion.

  8. Everybody has been so busy fighting with each other, we’ve forgotten the real enemy: the Amish! (they still don’t have computers, right?)

      1. Why some of my closest friends are Luddites. Not that I agree with them, mind you. And I don’t let them in my front door.

  9. Question to Fundamentalists:-
    I am not a Fundamentalist. Does this mean I am not a Christian?

  10. I’ve been praying about leaving Fundamentalism for about a year now, and I want some advice from others. In a nutshell, here is my story, and my issues with it now.

    I love the people at my church, they were there for me for my teen years and were like a second family. Several of them have moved away now, and things have changed, especially since I’m at college now and home only parts of the year. I go to a wonderful Southern Baptist church here at college and I really enjoy the worship, Sunday school, and what activities I’m able to attend.

    My church back home, though I tried to deny it when I was younger, is very “fundie.” I get frowned upon for showing up in pants, no drums in music, I wanted to sing a beat-free song that mentioned God is the Lord of the dance (Sandi Patti song) and couldn’t because the word, though in the Bible, “could be taken the wrong way.” I feel stifled in my worship, and want to attend another church. Unfortunately, my little sister has been going to the current church with me, and two of her teachers attend church there, and people will talk when I leave. Which I don’t care, but I hate confronting people, unless it’s in writing so I have time to plan what to say. I posted something on facebook about how PCC wasn’t accredited and therefore not “Just like a secular school” and I was accused of posting my opinions where they weren’t wanted and had my comment deleted. mwahaha I’m so evil, right? 😈

    Anyway, I’ve especially like @Preacher’s Wife’s posts, she sounds like someone I could really talk to who would understand (not that nobody else understands me). I love my church family, but I just don’t belong. I’m not conservative enough, though 99% of the world thinks I’m uber conservative for various reasons. The irony. 😎

    Church isn’t about standards, and “standards” shouldn’t limit where God has granted us our Christian liberty. I’ve found a church I want to check out in my town, and I think I shall. I’ll call my choir director and say that plans have changed and I won’t be singing another cantata this year. I’ll spend Christmas break visiting another church that I’ve thought about.

    1. Hey Dots, go to the forums and start your own thread with your question. You’ll probably get a lot more response! I’ll pray for clarity and truth for you!

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