Who Is Considered A Christian?

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1707648' date='Nov 22 2008, 12:15 AM']I do not accept the Arians as Christians, any more than I accept the Jehovah's Witnesses (modern Semi-Arians of a sort) as such.[/quote]

Would you consider baptism administered by Arian ministers to have been valid?

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Resurrexi' post='1707701' date='Nov 21 2008, 11:57 PM']Would you consider baptism administered by Arian ministers to have been valid?[/quote]
No. Nor do I consider baptism by a Jehovah's Witness or a Mormon to be valid.

[Resurrexi]

I don't think that Arians who converted to Catholicism were rebaptized.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Resurrexi' post='1707715' date='Nov 22 2008, 12:40 AM']I don't think that Arians who converted to Catholicism were rebaptized.[/quote]
The historical evidence is inconclusive, some were and some were not, but the Fathers of Nicaea (in canon 19) required that Paulician heretics be baptized when they converted to the true Church.

Edited November 22, 2008 by Apotheoun

[Resurrexi]

Did the Paulicians baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"?

[Guest Jon]

[color="#000080"]Well, I read some posts here - and darn it, I'm going to have to take my age old stance:

[b]Who cares?[/b] More time wasted, more time looking at another...it's just another divisive question that is put into our minds to distract us from our Goal.

The evil one, that insidious devil that makes one think that any of this is important is working his wiley ways yet again.

Any time spent thinking or caring takes us away from our Lord - just what the devil wants.

"Make them think they are being all self-righteous for the sake of their Jesus Christ. Engage their precious intellect and debating skills to distract them yet again from concentrating on the Father."

Ever read the Screwtape Letters? CS Lewis.
I know the sneaky ways the evil one tries to work between my ears. As I've said before, he wasn't a snake for no reason.

I say learn the ways of the devil ---learn quickly to cut him off at the knees at the first so-called "innocent" thought that takes you away from praying unceasingly and feeling the connection the Blessed Father wants to have with you (us). Be filled with His Love and be an example to others to show them what a life in love with Christ can look like.

God bless,
Jon[/color]

Edited November 23, 2008 by Jon

[reyb]

[quote name='Paladin D' post='1706619' date='Nov 21 2008, 12:59 AM']It's pretty common to see that Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons are listed as 'Christians' on various publications and websites. Of course, they do make a distinction between 'Trinitarian' and 'Unitarian' Christians.

According to these sources, they use the definition of a Christian as follows:

[i]"One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus; one who lives according to the teachings of Jesus."[/i]


So by this definition, wouldn't it make these two groups 'Christian'?

My belief is that they aren't Christian, based on the fact that they DO NOT hold onto the Christian dogma of Trinitarianism. Your thoughts?[/quote]

[indent]It is written in Acts 11:25-26

[color="#FF0000"]25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. [/color]
NIV
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Therefore, Christians is simply mean ‘the disciples of Jesus Christ’. But there are ‘false brothers’ or I may say, ‘professing disciples of Jesus Christ but they are not’ for it is written ‘Gal 2:1-5

[color="#FF0000"]Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose] because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you. [/color]
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Although, Apostle Paul has the right to say ‘false brothers’ are not Christians in its truest sense but still, he never said that these false brother are not Christians. He only said ‘false brothers’.

Now, why then you call other believer ‘not Christian’ simply because they do not accept your theology? Do you really think that the true disciples of Jesus Christ accept or believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity? Can you please show it to us? [/indent]