Every week, millions of Christians gather to worship and remember the tenets of the faith: belief in God, in Jesus Christ as his son and their savior, and in the Holy Spirit. Many utter the words of the Lord’s Prayer each week, and in doing so, ask that God forgive our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
These are the ABCs of the Christian faith — and they should theoretically be an easy answer to offer if, like President Donald Trump, you’re asked what might happen when you die, and what you might do when Judgment Day comes.
And yet, when asked last week by Ross Douthat on 60 Minutes where Trump thinks he’ll go when he dies — and if he could forgive his political enemies if his salvation depended on it — Trump was brutally honest.
“Well, I’m a religious person, so in theory I go to heaven,” the president said. “I hope so. I don’t want to go to hell.”
Could he forgive opponents like former FBI Director James Comey and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?
“Well, then I wouldn’t be real, would I? I mean, if I said to you, sure, the easy answer to that is ‘Oh, yes, I could forgive,’” Trump told Douthat. “The answer is no. I want to be honest, no.”
Even if God asked it?
“Before the judgment, no,” he said. “I do hate some of my enemies…I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies and I always will.”
Evangelicals are not Christians.
They’re almost all charlatans, with a few sheep mixed in to pay for the mega church.
How do you know they’re not Christian: they don’t file any of Christ’s teachings and they lie about speaking in tongues. If you don’t follow Christ’s own teachings, by definition you’re not Christian.
I agree. Every time I say it, people push back and scream “no true Scotsman!”, but it’s true. There are fake Christians (who mostly probably know they are that) and there are people who actually try to follow those teachings. Doesn’t mean they have to be perfect. But yes there are real and fake Christians just like most any other thing people claim to be.
Edit: And if you’re wondering who I would consider real Christians, those would largely be the ones doing charity work that truly helps people without preaching at them. They exist.
Evangelicals are Christians.
Nobody follows Christ’s teachings. He said to give away everything to the poor, the jacket off your back, and to live like a bird in the field. So, by your stated metric, only a few hermits living in the wilderness are Christian.
Yet, there are billions of Christians that don’t live like birds in the field. Deal with reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.
People don’t follow them perfectly, but evangelicals straight up don’t follow them.
Modern evangelical Christians in the US are made up of pro-slavery southern fundamentalists, wrapped up in the idea the earth will soon end and you need to recruit more evangelicals. It’s a hate based pyramid scheme.
So then are there any Christians?
Yes.
They’re the ones who help their neighbours, treat immigrants with respect, don’t hoard wealth beyond what they’ll conceivably ever need.
… and keep their faith to themselves.
Have you read the Bible? I would really say proselytizing is a disqualifier for being christian
To some extent. You’re probably referencing the Sermon on the Mount, though (Matthew 5 and 6, including the bits about praying in private and not making a display of your faith), and that wasn’t exactly a private affair.
Anyone who claims to be a christian is a christian, if you don’t like their behavior then look inward.
Religion is the problem not the particular branding.
Ok. Anyone who claims to be a socialist is a socialist. Just as true, right?