For a sizable percentage of Americans, Christianity is just a default belief.

[MineralMan]

It's a word used in passing, and without a great deal of thought. It's a belief that many think they have, but they have it without thinking. They were raised as "Christians," so they answer questions about religion automatically and by rote.

Most don't even bother to worship on Easter and Christmas, but if you ask them their religion, they will say, "I am a Christian" instantly. Most do not know what it is they're supposed to believe, nor what the tenets of their ingrained religion are. They could not answer any serious questions about their religion.

But, they are "Christians," all the same. It's an attribute, but little more, perhaps for a majority of Americans.

Being a "Christian" can mean almost anything. In this country, we have racists, bigots, thieves, rapists, child molesters and murderers who blithely claim Christianity. And we have plenty of such "Christians." They are a commonplace.

The word has lost its meaning, really. It's just another attribute for most people, but an attribute with little to no understanding.

I no longer take the claim seriously. I haven't for many years. If someone tells me he is a "Christian," I shrug and watch that person's actions. The claim itself has no value.

[greymattermom]

1. Ask a few questions.

Did Jesus give us the 10 commandments?
Is Noah's ark part of the New Testament?
You get the idea.

[MineralMan]

2. I used to bother with that. No longer.

The answers were ridiculous.

[Tanuki]

5. Remember when Stephen Colbert asked GA Rep. Westmoreland about the 10 Commandments,

which Westmoreland wanted to have displayed in the House and Senate?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2w7wxt

[MineralMan]

10. I just watched that. Amazing!

Evidence to my point, to be sure.

[hunter]

38. Colbert is of the Catholic intellectual tradition. So was George Carlin.

There's a reason they can slice and dice and serve on a platter of ridicule the fools of anti-intellectual Christian traditions.

I don't feel bad that my wife and I made our own kids suffer it.

Alas, there are plenty of "Shut up and don't question authority" Catholics too. When they go rotten it's catastrophic. Case in point, our Vice President.

People who think Pence would be a better President than Trump are horribly mistaken. I can too well imagine what horrors Pence is capable of.

[Igel]

18. Yeah, you might not like my answers.

If Jesus was God made man, then what God was he? If he was the Logos, what logos did he utter?
In other words, yes, Jesus spoke to Moses. To say Jesus died so we don't have to do what the nasty God of the Torah said is to say "Jesus died so we don't have to do what the nasty Jesus in the Torah said." Yeah, there is that version of Xianity.

Paul referred to Noah as a tsadik. More or less (assuming that the back translation from the Greek to the Hebrew is correct; otherwise, just go with "righteous&quot . Noah's not known for a lot of things besides the building of the ark. So by inclusion ... Then if you insist on it being a red-letter day, remember that Jesus is reported to have said that like in Noah's day, they'd be feasting (etc.) until the day Noah entered the ark.

So, yeah. The answer to both is "yes". (But I have this nagging feeling that you assumed the answer was an unqualified "no, you idiots, stop confusing the New Testament of love with that nasty Old Testament that Jesus quoted from so much." But I could be wrong, so I'll go back to paying bills and doing taxes.)

[RKP5637]

3. Brainwashing runs deep in the US with reflexive beliefs void of knowledge. n/t

[MineralMan]

4. Indeed. There are "Christians" here who think

people of color are not quite as human as they are. But, it's OK, because Jebus.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

6. It says, I'm told, somewhere

In the bible it says, paraphrasing here, that true Christians will be few.

As far as Easter, most of the professed "Christians" I've met who do celebrate Easter, do so by enjoying a baked ham, which is expressly forbidden, eating pork that is, by Leviticus. These same "Christians" often cite Leviticus to justify their fear and loathing of the same sex life style, among other things, but think nothing of having a ham sandwich, while death is ordered for either.

Mixing fabric blends or rotating crops are also forbidden. How many Christians wear fabric blends and rotate crops every season? I say too many to be counted. They can't live up to the same standards they require from everyone else, and cherry pick the bible to justify their bias's and hypocrisies.

I can count on 2 hands, if not one, the actual, genuine Christians I've met in my 54 years.

Good post.

[Ferrets are Cool]

32. A.J. Jacobs actually attempted to go 1 year following the strict teachings

in the bible. It did not end well.

Other than writing a book about it and possibly making some money.

http://ajjacobs.com/books/the-year-of-living-biblically/

[MineralMan]

7. Man on the Street: $50 if you can name the 10 commandments

[malchickiwick]

8. I'm currently reading "Triumph of Christianity" by Bart Ehrman

He is one of the leading scholars of the New Testament and early Christian movement.

I believe the reason(s) for what you correctly point out in your post lie in the distant past, with Constantine's conversion, and the subsequent embrace of Christian monotheism by the Roman state, etc.

[MineralMan]

9. You are correct on that. However,

if you asked 100 people at random what role Constantine played in the spread of Christianity, you would probably not find a single one who could answer sensibly.

Probably not one in 1000, even.

Maybe 1 in 10,000.

[malchickiwick]

12. I'll bet most self-identifying atheists could answer sensibly about Constantine's role...

...regarding the spread of Xty. In my experience, atheists are FAR more informed about Christian theology than most believers (which is typically why they have rejected said beliefs).

But you're sadly quite correct ... If I were to ask 10,000 so-called "Christians" about Constantine, I would expect back 10,000 blank stares. --SIGH--

[MineralMan]

19. Some would, at least, but not all.

Many atheists are knowledgeable about religions. Many came from a religious background.

[Binkie The Clown]

28. The reason I doubt that is because a lot of "atheists" aren't. They are "apathists".

It's not that they don't believe in god, it's simply that they are apathetic on the whole subject. They don't care one way or the other.

[LuvNewcastle]

11. I call it cultural Christianity. Christianity is,

for better or worse, part of American culture. Christmas is the biggest holiday and lots of people are still off on Sundays. I'm not a Christian, meaning I don't believe Jesus was a deity or even the son of a deity, but there are some things about Christianity that I like, mainly the Golden Rule, and I know that the Golden Rule isn't really that unique to Christianity.

Sort of like secular Jews, most Americans will still identify as Christians even if they haven't been in a church in years and aren't even sure what denomination they're supposed to be. One thing that's different here in the South, though, is that people don't usually run around calling themselves Christians unless they are the fundamentalist and/or evangelical variety. Other people will say "I'm Catholic," for instance or just not talk about it at all.

[calguy]

13. Most "Christians", including myself

were simply born into a Christian family. Just like my parents were and their parents before them were for generations upon generations. Very few actually chose to be Christians in the same way one would make a logical choice on anything else in life. The same is true for every other religion in the world. We don't choose our religion, it is chosen for us at our birth. This is the problem with religion in general and why it should never be a basis for governing any country.

[guillaumeb]

14. An interesting, if unverified claim to make.

Should I take your claim seriously?

[MineralMan]

20. Why would I care, one way or the other?

[guillaumeb]

21. Obviously you cared enough to write the post.

[MineralMan]

25. Clearly, you have not understood my meaning.

That's two.

[guillaumeb]

26. I am still searching for it.

[MineralMan]

27. ..

[Still Blue in PDX]

15. My dad identified himself as Christian because he wasn't Jewish.

I asked him why his Army dog tag said RC on it and he told me it stood for Roman Catholic. I asked him if he was Catholic and he said, "I had to tell them something."

[guillaumeb]

16. 47 out of the last 80

Now THAT is a sizable percentage in my opinion.

[MineralMan]

22. I'm glad you found a hobby to occupy

your time.

[guillaumeb]

24. And obviously, you also.

[Pope George Ringo II]

17. The "christianity is like Internet Explorer" joke is a favorite.

The gist is that it was what they were given when they got here, and they just don't know enough to go find something better.

[MineralMan]

23. I used to call it Internet Exploder, back

in the days when Netscrape was its main competition.

[thucythucy]

29. I think the most likely indicator of what religion, if any,

an individual professes is to look at what his or her parents professed.

Not always, but often.

The same I think is true with political parties.

Those raised Republican are more likely to be Republican, those raised by Democratic parents are more likely to be Democrats.

Same with economic class. In this country, if you're rich, chances are good your parents were rich. If you're poor or middle class, same deal.

We like to think the US is a fluid society with lots of potential for people to change, but it just isn't so.

[MineralMan]

30. I think you're correct, except that

the younger generations appear to be walking away from named religions in large numbers. Shrinkage is happening.

[thucythucy]

35. True, though perhaps less true in the south and midwest.

I also think (hope, anyway) that younger people are becoming more progressive. Certainly, the older generation's homophobia doesn't seem to be passed on the way it used to, and the Parkland students have been absolutely awesome in their sophistication, eloquence, and ability to stand up to the NRA where so many of their elders have wimped out.

[marylandblue]

36. The grew up immersed in media in a way us old folks can't imagine

I read an article when I was young. It was written by an older man who described how he amazed his father with how easily he could fix cars, because he had been around cars his whole young life. Then he was amazed by how his own children could handle electronics and computers. Now it's our turn to be amazed.

[oxbow]

37. Yay for shrinkage!

If our political system was different, our government would reflect this (and the concomitant rise of humanism in our society) better. As it is, we are going through another dark age, where these fundamentalists have an outsized influence on public policy, in essence controlling all branches of government.

[Ferrets are Cool]

31. Agree 100%. Hell, most only go to a church on Easter so they can

show off a new dress.
There are so few REAL christians. You have more of a chance of seeing a manatee in Missouri than a "real" christian.

[Major Nikon]

33. In many areas of Europe, Christianity has been reduced to a purely ceremonial role

People still get married in churches, but nobody really believes in holy poltergeist stories.

[Permanut]

34. Great thread, MineralMan..

The term has been diluted and rediluted 10,000 times (based on my carefully prepared estimate) so there is not much "there" there. I have no concern for most, but now we see the Talibornagains making headway in taking over this country, and I have no desire to live in a theocracy. Interesting, too, that among the 10,000 flavors of Christians are those hellbent on condemning some of the others for not being holy enough.

[Old Enough 2]

39. Many are afraid to claim they are non believers

Those who don't worship on Easter or Christmas can be called "Secular Christians," a passable term to avoid ostracism. I like to think of theses holidays as a continuation of past Pagan religions or rituals, which have been co-optted by Christianity.