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No

Only Judeism

Only Islam

Yes to both Judeism and Islam

[Leafsnail]

If you believe that transubstantiation is literal then you just have a stupid definition of the word "literal".  Unless you think that Jesus was actually made out of wine and bread.

No.

We've covered this ground before. It cannot be demonstrably proven true or false.

It's like... yeah, I guess this is, on a very technical and pedantic level, true.  But you're creating a truly absurd burden of proof (beyond even the normal un-falsifiable one) that no non-tautological statement would ever be able to overcome, so this argument is actually completely meaningless.  I mean you could defend statements like "All of the Harry Potter books are literally true" and "Heating things always causes them to cool down" using this argument, it's worthless.

[Baffler]

I think the reason people say it about Mormons is because they've got their own book of scripture that nobody else accepts and because of the circumstances of their foundation. I must say though, the Deseret alphabet is quite interesting, and they go to great lengths to translate the book.

[penguinofhonor]

I think the reason people say it about Mormons is because they've got their own book of scripture that nobody else accepts and because of the circumstances of their foundation. I must say though, the Deseret alphabet is quite interesting, and they go to great lengths to translate the book.

The most common reason I've heard for Mormons not being Christians is "they use the Book of Mormon instead of the Bible." I don't think most people who think things like this have enough understanding of the other denomination to make a theological argument.

The other (more legitimate) reason I've been given is that they don't believe in the trinity, because apparently they think the Father/Son/Ghost are all separate things instead of aspects of one thing.

[timferius]

I've always just refered anyone who believes in Christ to be Christians. Because you know, it's in the title.

[Orange Wizard]

Pretty much the definition I use, yeah. It's the most convenient, at any rate.

[Frumple]

... providing you clarify the "believes in" bit, maybe. After all, Islam holds that Streaker J was an existent thing and a prophet... pretty sure there's a smattering of other, definitely non-christian, religious beliefs that have SJ as some part of their pantheon and/or holy figures, too.

[TD1]

Besides, if not Christian then they're probably still Abrahamic...meaning they're on the same footing as Christianity, rather than a part of it, or "child" of it.

[timferius]

Well, to me "Christ" denotes Jesus as a divine figure. I mean, in the end, it's all just names and categories. So whatever works for whoever I guess.

[TheDarkStar]

Well, to me "Christ" denotes Jesus as a divine figure. I mean, in the end, it's all just names and categories. So whatever works for whoever I guess.

This is also how I interpret it - Christians accept Jesus as the Christ, while non-christian ones don't accept him as the Christ. Hence the name.

[Helgoland]

"Christian" is not a binary value. It really needs to be expressed as a value between one and zero, as measured by one minus the doctrinal distance from the Catholic Church

[Neonivek]

Especially to show that it isn't a uniquely religious trait.

It has to be measured before it can be taken seriously.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Was scientific fact on the basis of pure speculation. (mostly this is a flaw in how, well, the format works.)

I can play this card all day thanks to my encyclopedic knowledge that humans just suck in general by any measure. There is no method or mechanic against plain old human idiocy.

Though I will apologize for earlier, I was being an ass.

"Christian" is not a binary value. It really needs to be expressed as a value between one and zero, as measured by one minus the doctrinal distance from the Catholic Church

Catholic requires you to believe in and only in the Apostles Creed.

That is it, no more, no less.

Sounds pretty Binary.

[Gentlefish]

Spoiler:  that physics thing (click to show/hide)

Especially to show that it isn't a uniquely religious trait.

It has to be measured before it can be taken seriously.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Was scientific fact on the basis of pure speculation. (mostly this is a flaw in how, well, the format works.)

I can play this card all day thanks to my encyclopedic knowledge that humans just suck in general by any measure. There is no method or mechanic against plain old human idiocy.

Though I will apologize for earlier, I was being an ass.

Not actually, in a true vacuum light has a constant speed. Light has a constant but different speed through every medium. Light moves fastest in a vacuum.

Space is not a true vacuum. Light may interact with quantum foam. Not a true vacuum.

in a true vacuum, light goes the fastest. In space it does not always travel through a true vacuum.

If you say you're christian, you're christian... Is that so hard an idea to get a hold of? Nondenominational Christian is totally a thing and they're all totally going to every hell ever. Is a person who says they're a Buddhist but doesn't live in a temple not a buddhist? Is a Jewish person who doesn't go to their...Ziggurat? not Jewish?

Mormons are a protestant christian IMO.

[Il Palazzo]

@Neonivek: Apology accepted, and I'll issue mine as well. It's easy to let those things escalate, and I my brusque manner did little to prevent just that.

[Bouchart]

If you say you're christian, you're christian...

Not so, according to Matthew 7:22-23, pretty much all of Jude and probably some other places as well.

[Neonivek]

@Neonivek: Apology accepted, and I'll issue mine as well. It's easy to let those things escalate, and I my brusque manner did little to prevent just that.

I take this thread way too personally and often do not distinguish between "I am genuinely interested in these aspects of Christianity because they differ from the ones of my own" and "Whoa look at the freek show! Man Christians sure are waaacky!"

Which I have a short fuse for because I was made the school apologist back in Catholic school. >_< Ps. Don't do it!

Space is not a true vacuum

To admit you can't have a true vacuum because there is no such thing as empty space.