How thin can you spread ones Christianity before it is just invalid?

Question

Most people I know who claim to be Christian do not go to church, maybe one time a year, yes at Christmas. They have no understanding or connection to the Bible. They do not really prey, commune with God.

Now these are just people. And when asked they claim to be Christian, yet they know nothing about their own religion.

How much denial can there be here, to me this person is just a closet atheist. I was just wondering if this was a common understanding.

Answer 1

From my own experience, about 75% of the people that I meet, that call themselves "Christians", know absolutely nothing about Christianity, have hardly ever been to church, and only call themselves "Christian" for the same reason they call themselves "Americans" or "Humans".  They just think that's the default word for a person.

Answer 2

Jesus said that in the last day, many will come and say something like, Lord, didn't we do (this or that, etc), to which He will reply, "I never KNEW you!"

Jesus spoke about the enemy planting tares among the wheat which will be indistinguishable from the wheat until it is time for the harvest.  

We're very close to harvest time, and now (in these days) many professing Christians are showing their true colors.

Jesus said you will know them by their fruits.  While that may be considered judging by some, yet Jesus said that THIS kind of judging is alright.

(The judging Jesus said to avoid is judging the attitudes, the motives, and the hidden things of the heart.  but to judge outward actions is just checking the fruit of one's life.)

Answer 3

It's called "fire insurance". They think they can fool God and man by these pretentious overtures, but this "insurance" isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

I think they feel that there is a positive social perception with being a believer, so they claim it. They also probably feel that religion really doesn't matter much, so it's a joke to them. Plus, they don't fear that anybody will call them out for "playing Christian".

As for "spreading one's Christianity thin", it's not possible unless the believer has stopped the flow of power from the Holy Spirit by resisting Him. Then one must face oneself and ask if one is truly a believer.  

Answer 4

Ask Martin Luther.

Answer 5

Many people continue the religious traditions they were brought up with and don't think about it one way or the other.  Remember, most atheist are atheist because we have put much thought and study into it.  Some people don't have no interest in looking at religion at all.  They have no interesting in questioning anything and they continue with what is comfortable to them - which is continuing with whatever religion they were brought up in.  

At the same time, it isn't important enough for them to carve out a huge part of their time for it either.  I think if these people were to be really honest with themselves, they would probably be more Deist or Agnostic.  But that would take an effort and interest on their part to make that determination.

Answer 6

What a SOTTISH statement you have made here. Just lump all Christians on one big pile, how foolish of you. I don't attend any church, and I can assure you, I can stand up to you ANY DAY on biblical statements. For one, it is NOT NECESSARY to attend any building(call it church or whatever you want) to believe in God and LEARN His word, in fact, some of the Christians who DO attend church every Sunday or whatever, are the most BIBLICALLY ILLITERATE people going. So get down off your high horse and don't give that 'better than thou' attitude to us.Do YOU even know that Christ was NOT born on Christmas? Or are you brainwashed into believing He was??We are just people?? You are so sottish, it's unbelievable. Now, if you know your bible you will know what I mean :)

Answer 7

I believe you are confusing agnostics with athiests. You can beleive in something and not act on it. Atheism denies the exsistance of god.

Are you judging christians?

Answer 8

That's the people you know, that's not to say others don't.

I don't have to go to Church to have time with God. Perhaps they are just at a point in their life where they need to back off a bit. They are Christian yes, but they are still human. Walking with God takes a lifetime. It's what you believe in your heart that God sees. He doesn't judge by what other men see.  

Answer 9

Christianity involves a commitment to growth for one's entire life.  It's a daily carrying of one's cross.  It's a process of becoming - crucifying the ego life and resurrecting to the life in Christ.  it's not enough to agree with the words and give lip service.   Like Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen, and not everyone that calls me Lord will be saved.

Answer 10

They probably don't give it too much thought. It's just the way they were raised.

Bush and his self-righteous  attitude about religion and evil-doers put me over the edge..

I had enough and I can't take it anymore.

Answer 11

I would say that a vast majority of Christians do not understand or practice their religion. What they are doing is "believing in Jesus" without actually paying attention to much of what he himself said, in his own words. They are paying more attention to very faulty interpretations and re-writes of jesus's words and intent IMO.

The whole idea of Christianity, to me, is to literally follow in Jesus's footsteps.

If you can't attempt to do that, why bother with all the stories and rituals? They are empty and meaningless.

Answer 12

don't be so critical.  judgment is the Lord's.  

Romans 14 says

The Weak and the Strong

1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:

   " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,

   'every knee will bow before me;

      every tongue will confess to God.' "[a] 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food[b] is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Answer 13

At the end of the forthcoming seven years of great tribulation...all the believers will be gone.  The use of faith for salvation will be over.

The wrath of God events will be poured upon the earth and the unbelievers.  I doubt anyone then will consider Christianity invalid.