Nino0814

Hi All, I go by the name of Nino. It is my family name. It is short for padrino (Spanish for godfather). I have always considered myself a Christian, and believed it was important to study my Faith. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take classes taught by Bart Erhman, when he taught at Rutgers University. That was 27 yeas ago. I have been reading books by various scholars about religion since. I am particularly helped by the work of John Dominic Crossan. I am a member of the Episcopal Church and have posted on Beliefnet in their "Anglicanism" Forum. Over the years my ideas about God have evolved. I am now reflecting on whether I can honestly consider myself a Christian. I am using the term to mean a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, not just a person affiliated and active with a particular christian community. Please read my question about this matter, and let me know your thoughts. Sincerely, Nino

I have always considered myself a follower of Jesus Christ. I was not concern that I rejected his belief in the supernatural. I reasoned that this was part of his cultural heritage and not essential to his message. Recently I have challenged my assumption that I am truly a follower of Jesus Christ, since I also do not believe in a personal God who answers prayers. I now cannot see how I can claim to be a follower of Jesus while rejecting one of his central beliefs (belief in a personal God who cares for us, and acts in response to our prayers). Isn't this analogous to a person who is a terrorist claiming that they are also a follower of Ghandi or MLKJ? I have since stop taking communion and plan scale back my involvement in Church. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this question.