Christians: How well do you think nonChristians understand Christianity? NonChristians, how well do you think?

I was raised catholic, I know all about religion.

You're just rollin' tonight, aren't you?

I think that non-Christians think that they understand Christianity better than they really do. In most cases, but not all. And not to attack them at all -- it's just a matter of actively being away from something. In 1991-1996, I could recite the entire Atlanta Braves starting lineup, their 5 starters, and the closer. Now, I'm still what I would call a hard core fan, but I can't do that anymore. With a full-time job, a wife, and this blinkin' Yahoo thing, I don't give as much time to baseball as I did. Ex-Christians (or non-Christians), same thing.

I think that our beliefs are misrepresented fairly often on here. BUT, in many cases, this is being done by younger (faithwise) Christians and/or trolls. And, we ourselves don't always understand everything perfectly. It's an imperfect world -- we see through a glass darkly. Not to make an excuse for our mistakes, honest mistakes, but it is what it is. I could stand to learn A LOT more, but I answer as best I can with what I know to be true and what I believe to be true. If I learn differently, from the Scriptures or a different interpretation that follows the Scriptures, I would of course modify my position.

Have a great night!

Yes I do believe that our beliefs are misrepresented by both Christians and non-Christians.

I think that the non-Christians on Y!A in the R&S section do not understand Christianity. This can be clearly seen by the comments that they make and the various assertions they make concerning our beliefs. The most common error of nonChristians on this forum is that they generalize and label Christians all together as one group who thinks, believes, and acts alike. Of course this is also a major common error by Christinas concerning nonChristians as well.

There are several reasons that this misunderstandings exist. One because they have heard or gained information from a "Christian" source that is not reliable. This is probably the most common reason for misunderstanding. They see something posted on the web, they see a phrase yanked out of a Bible text, or they hear a "Christian" on TV or Radio or in the workplace and then without much futher investigation assume this is Christian thought or doctrine.

I, however, must give credit to the many respectable nonChristians that participate here that come across such teachings and use the Y!A forum to investigate it further. There are also many nonChristians, however, who hear various things about the Christian faith and instead of using this forum to investigate they use it to bash the Christian faith.

I don't understand Christianity really. I've never been Christian and I've never really studied it. I've read the majority of the Bible over the years. My understanding of what a Christian is is simply a believer in Christ as Savior. What are they supposed to be doing? Trying to be a decent human in line with the specific teachings and philosophies of their denomination.

The only thing I really feel clueless about Christianity and it's followers is when I see Christians call out other Christians for not being "true Christians". Maybe this is a case of imposing guidelines of my religion onto another religion, but while I may say "That belief/practice/concept/ect. is not Wiccan", I wouldn't say "You're not Wiccan". So I can understand a Christian saying "That belief/practice/concept/etc. is not Christian". I also understand debating theology.

I don't understand how anyone can know who is a believer in Christ and who is not and therefore, how can anyone claim another is not a "true Christian"?

I think the key to becoming a Christian IS the understanding of it; hence, if one was to be fully persuaded in an understanding of the fundamental rudiments of Christ and what it is that He taught and accomplished through His ministry while on earth, you could not help but be drawn to it and ultimately take it at face value as a doctrine of absolute Truth!!

To really understand Christianity, and still not believe, is a hardening of the heart that gives way to the only sin in the Bible which is deemed unforgivable...blasphemy of the Holy Spirit! The reason it is an unforgivable sin is because the people who make this decision after having the facts are never going to be saved anyway. They have made up their minds and turned their hearts away from the Lord.

As far as misrepresentation goes, it is all over the place. People like to wax theological, having no wisdom of the things of which they speak. The best they can do is point to people who are in the Body of Christ, and dump on them because of their apparent hypocrisy. Easy to do, considering we are only people and we all fall short of God's glory. I can't even fault those outside the Body, looking in, and saying "AHA! Got you, hypocrite!", because it takes place continually in our churches and our "walk".

We are under a microscope, and rightfully so...we have the Truth, and must be representatives of that Truth if we ever want the lost to come to salvation. I am as guilty as the next, but I am a work in progress, clay in the Potter's hands.

Love ya, kl. Good questions always from you.

Wonder how many this time will dismiss the context of your question and just use the space as a forum to vent about things they think they know....lol. Probably atleast several. God bless them.

Your question seems to cover two fairly distinct areas:

A. On the one hand, in your details you seem to be addressing a pretty nuts-and-bolts kind of an issue: Do Christians/non-Christians know what Christian doctrine states, and what it requires of its adherents, and do they know what the sources of that doctrine are.

B. On the other hand, the word you actually use in your initial question, "understand", is a lot broader -- as you can see by the fact that many of your answerers, both X and non X-ians, are interpreting your question to be addressing the question of whether they truly fathom the internal life of a Christian, or grasp the "meaning" of Christianity in a spiritual and personal sense.

I would say I have a decent though incomplete grasp of A, but maybe only vague sense of B.

Most, but definitely not all, Christians I come across are pretty weak on the A, and I really can't speak to where they are on the B front.

I think non Christians have a distorted view of Christianity in that they see the Tel-evangelists, etc. on TV preaching their prosperity gospel messages.

Then there are those who profess to be Christian, yet live a life totally different from what the non Christian believes is right.

I mean non Christians know that a Christian should not CUSS, not DRINK, and SMOKE. The Christian SHOULD be in church on Sundays not at the ball games, fishing etc.

There is so much MORE distortion out there by professing Christians themselves...any wonder the world laughs at us and wants no part of it?

YES YES YES, Christians ARE very misrepresented, especially , again, by the JUNK presented on so called CHRISTIAN TV. Hey it turns ME off, I can really understand why it would turn the world off too.

Whatever happened to preaching the likes of BILLY GRAHAM?! He preached to the LOST about being LOST, and why that was NOT A GOOD THING. He didn't EVER preach about our need to be RICH in worldly goods.

He preached CHRIST and CHRIST alone.

The Bible says Preachers will answer for leading souls astray, away from the truth.

This is what the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 2:14

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

And this proves so true! I come back to this verse so often after speaking with a non christian or getting into some debate with one. I remind myself that it is only through the Holy Spirit that their eyes can be opened and only through Him that can help them understand His truth.

i think there are people who claim to understand a lot about christianity, both christians and non, but the truth is that no one will know everything there is to know, because that would make them god. i do think that there are some non-christians who know a lot about christianity, but choose to follow their own belief system. as to how well they understand it, i think they may understand it very well, but only on an intellectual level. what might be missing from a better understanding for them is that human intellect and human wisdom will only get a person so far. i think a christian takes the intellect, and adds to it by having faith that what they believe is true.

Some of the same people who say they know the Bible and understand Christianity on here misquote it terribly, so they don't understand it as well as they think. (This isn't targeting any of the people who answered your question, just talking about R&S in general.)

I don't pretend to be an expert on Judaism although I've read the Torah in the original Hebrew, so reading the Bible doesn't qualify someone as an expert. I don't even pretend to understand everything about Catholicism because I'm Protestant, even though we're all Christians.

It's not shameful to admit you don't know everything.

Since people perceive things in their own way, it is very human, or let us say it is natural for each one to see Christ as His or Her own personal Saviour, or not, as the case may be.

You are right when you say many Christians do not seem to really "follow Christ." By this I understand you mean that they do not live His teachings, that they are not "authentic" or "genuine" Christians.

Of course, this assertion can be seen as "a value statement" or "an opinion." Of course it is. But without opinions or conclusions, how can you discuss anything?

As a Believer, as a catholic Moslem, one who holds there is Only One G-d, whose most recent prophet most recognized is Mohamed, I do believe that Christ is both a prophet and Holy. Is He G-d? Yes, and maybe no more G-d than any of us who are of G-d and in G-d's creation.

I have an immanent view of all that exists. In other words, since G-d (Allah) is Creator, then all comes from G-d and all is of G-d, and to G-d all shall eventually return in one way or the other (matter can neither be created nor destroyed).

From a Hindu point of view, as expressed in the Upanishads, from destruction comes creation. Christians see this in the Death and Resurrection, and the Ascencion into Heaven. Elijiah did it too. Some say so did Moses. But for Christians the focus is Christ the Son of God, the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Annointed One.

To me, one of the most important things is we first agree not to fight over this. I do not think this is what Christ who is God would have wanted, nor what He wants now, nor what even Christ the teacher, the Prophet, would have wanted. So the most essential act now at this point in history of people is that we stop fighting and hurting each other because of this.

Because of the hate, the ignorance, the fanaticism, the unforgiveness, the blaming, the casting out or scapegoating, we violate in many ways the Spirit of God, the Will of God as indicated in the Bible, in the Gospels, in the Torah, in the Koran, in holy scriptures every where and in any tradition.

I still read the Bible, after praying to God for blessing, and asking the Holy Spirit to guide me in Truth. I also read the Koran. Same thing, I pray for blessing, for purification, for forgiveness if I violate a dua (I try not to violate but no human is perfect) & I also pray for Truth. In Arabic, the holy word "Allah" means "the God." So this is in my honest and humble opinion, the same God, the One God.

As am amateur scholar and an amateur scientist, a writer, a thinker, I hold that science does not have to contradict spirituality except where the spirituality might be either expressed as a paradox, or is erring, straying from truth. If you think that religion must be contrary to the spirit of scientific inquiry, then maybe you should read Teilhard de Chardin.

So whether you think of me as less than the Christian you think I should be, or whether you think of me as who I say I am, a Man who inquires or seeks Truth, maybe even one who does seek to follow Christ's teaching in its essence (Moslems know and recognize Jesus as Issa, one of the Prophets) I would hope you consider my point of view before dismissing it or giving it a thumbs down or ignoring it.

Of course, the choice is yours. We are given free will, or we recognize that we have it, whether we are True Believers or not. So, another choice for you. Which will it be?