# Can I believe in God and not be a Christian?



## iheartkpop (Jun 14, 2012)

Or do I have to be a Christian in order to believe in God? It's just a question.


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## Keith (Aug 30, 2008)

No you don't have to be Christian, Jews and Muslims also worship the same god for example. You can have no religion too and be theist, belief in a god doesn't mean you have to follow a religion. Chrisitans do not have a monopoly on god or religion.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

joinmartin said:


> A Christian is a follower of Christ (Jesus). Jews and Muslims also believe in God (as defined by the Abraham related faiths). Other faiths have different concepts of God whilst others are polytheists. So no, you don't need to be a Christian to believe in God.


Christianity is an Abraham-related faith, though. It was through his son Isaac. Ishmael, his older half-brother - through Abraham, eventually led Islam.

The Jewish faith has focus on David - a pretty cool leader, but he was later on, too.


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## Royals (Jul 20, 2012)

Theists, deitists, muslims, wiccans/satanists (some), hindus.....all believe in God or a god so no. And wich god though? Christians and Jews believe in the Abrahmic, Israeli God EHYEH ASHER EHYE, JVHV, muslims in the sungod Allah, deitists in a impersonal god.....I believe in the God of the bible but don't like to give myself a name. I believe names only create predujice and arguments


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

joinmartin said:


> A Christian is a follower of Christ (Jesus). Jews and Muslims also believe in God (as defined by the Abraham related faiths). Other faiths have different concepts of God whilst others are polytheists. So no, you don't need to be a Christian to believe in God.


This.


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## Quinn the Eskimo (Jan 22, 2012)

you certainly can


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## T-Bone (Oct 1, 2010)

Sure can. You can also believe in a god without having any religion at all.


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## chantellabella (May 5, 2012)

I'm fairly new to Christianity, but my understanding is that religion is an organized group of people who believe a certain way, have doctrine and gather for fellowship. Belief in God is a personal things between you and God. In fact, I read the entire bible a couple of years ago and had many questions. It looked like Jesus wasn't too thrilled with people who followed "religious doctrine" rather than established a personal relationship with God. I might be way off base though.


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## wordscancutyoulikeglass (May 4, 2012)

You don't have to be tied to a religion to believe in God. Deists believe in a god or 'divine being', and there are also many religions similar to Christianity that share the same god, such as Islam and judasim.


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## Jollygoggles (Mar 3, 2011)

Deist.
Yes.


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## enzo (May 30, 2011)

Yes.



Royals said:


> Theists, deitists, muslims, wiccans/satanists (some), hindus.....all believe in God or a god so no. And wich god though? Christians and Jews believe in the Abrahmic, Israeli God EHYEH ASHER EHYE, JVHV,* muslims in the sungod Allah*, deitists in a impersonal god.....I believe in the God of the bible but don't like to give myself a name. I believe names only create predujice and arguments


I'm sorry, that part is not true. It is the same "Abrahamic God" as in Christianity and Judaism.


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## Recipe For Disaster (Jun 8, 2010)

Is that your natural hair color OP? 

I mean, wtf I dont get how someone could ask this question. Has this person never heard of a religion besides Christianity? Even if not, so what? I mean, the concept of God predates Jesus by who knows how many thousands of years. This is mind boggling.


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## Royals (Jul 20, 2012)

enzo said:


> Yes.
> 
> I'm sorry, that part is not true. It is the same "Abrahamic God" as in Christianity and Judaism.


I guess that depends on your point of view and what history you believe. I merely look at historic research. And muslims have a totally other perspective/believing experience/rituals of/with God than Christians or Deitists. They also do different things in the name of God than others. 
So in God's eyes He might be one and the same but in people's eyes He is quite different.


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## enzo (May 30, 2011)

Royals said:


> I guess that depends on your point of view and what history you believe. I merely look at historic research. And muslims have a totally other perspective/believing experience/rituals of/with God than Christians or Deitists. They also do different things in the name of God than others.
> So in God's eyes He might be one and the same but in people's eyes He is quite different.


Sure. But you're wrong.


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## shyshisho (Apr 19, 2009)

I have objections to all of the historical religions, so I consider myself a generic theist.


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## Ltblue (May 20, 2012)

That's basically what I am.. My family is buddhist and I've been going to Church with my friends(trying to see if I like it) but in the end, I find myself believing in God but not a Christian.


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## Adversary (Mar 20, 2012)

Yes. If you believe in god, but don't follow any particular religion then you are a Deist.


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## mdiada (Jun 18, 2012)

Of course you can believe in god and not be Christian.


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## Killer2121 (Jul 12, 2012)

You could be a theist, someone who believes in God but not any religion.


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## LuxAeterna (Aug 13, 2010)

One can believe in a First Cause/deity or what have you. There is not only one concept of deity or First Cause.

Read Thomas Paine's _The Age of Reason_. Read up on pantheism, pandeism, panentheism, panendeism and the various First Cause concepts/theories. There are many concepts that are not at all related to the Abrahamic deities.

For instance, I'm a relative atheist (sprinkled with some ignosticism and agnosticism). That is saying I am atheist relative to one or more concepts, but am possibly open to others. Everyone to some degree (excluding some monists/pluralists and hard polytheists), is atheist, whether strong, weak or relative. There are a plethora of deities Abrahamic theists don't accept or follow. Christian Susie is atheist relative to Zeus, Sol Invictus, Ba'al, Apsu, Gaia, Monkey, Thor, and the thousands of others. An atheist (weak and strong) just goes a few (or four) steps further by adding El/Yahweh, Yeshua and Holy Spirit to that already long list.

An atheist no more rejects El/Yahweh and Co. than a Christian rejects Zeus. Zeus is not even on the radar as a serious or valid concept to be entertained. Likewise, for the true skeptic, after serious deprogramming and critical examination of what is being posited, El/Yahweh and Co. make no more sense that the countless other concepts of deity/ies posited throughout recorded history.

I am most assuredly a strong/explicit atheist relative to classical theism. However, I also classify myself as an agnostic pantheist/pandeist. Agnostic because I hold the position that the existence of a First Cause is unknown. Despite holding that position, it is still a concept I favor and entertain. The First Cause (also termed Ultimate Transcendence/Divine Mystery) more closely resembles the concept presented in Advaita Vedanta and various other Eastern philosophies and esoteric/mystic traditions.


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