Believers vs followers

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royal_archer

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I have often seen people who claim to be Christians and have been very adimant about it while they are not necesarily living the lifestyle. At church yesterday I had the thought that there may be a difference between believers and followers. Have you ever seen such a differentiation?
 
The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. We all stumble at times and don’t live up to the “lifestyle”.

Besides which, your very question assumes that we have the ability to read our brother and sisters’ hearts vis a vis their relationship with God. We don’t.

All that aside, I think if one is a believer, then one follows Christ’s teachings to the best of one’s ability. I’m not sure you can separate the two- why would one believe in Christ and all that He taught, and not try to follow? Alternately, why would one follow and not believe?
 
I like to remember the old line: If someone were to arrest you and charge you for being a Christian, would they have enough evidence for prosecution??
 
royal_archer said:
I have often seen people who claim to be Christians and have been very adimant about it while they are not necesarily living the lifestyle. At church yesterday I had the thought that there may be a difference between believers and followers. Have you ever seen such a differentiation?
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if someone claims to believe in Jesus, yet does not follow him, he is lying
if someone claims to love Jesus yet does not try to follow his commands, he is lying
 
royal_archer said:
I have often seen people who claim to be Christians and have been very adamant about it while they are not necesarily living the lifestyle. At church yesterday I had the thought that there may be a difference between believers and followers. Have you ever seen such a differentiation?
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I have another way of looking at the difference between believers and followers (and this difference applies in other situations other than in churches eg in politics).

Believers are those who have actively accepted a religious view, know its beliefs, have actively endorsed them, live them as much as they can and seek to advance their knowledge and practice.

Followers are those who have taken on the religious views of their parents or other members of the group but are yet to accept them personally.
 
Salonika said:
I have another way of looking at the difference between believers and followers (and this difference applies in other situations other than in churches eg in politics).

Believers are those who have actively accepted a religious view, know its beliefs, have actively endorsed them, live them as much as they can and seek to advance their knowledge and practice.

Followers are those who have taken on the religious views of their parents or other members of the group but are yet to accept them personally.
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What about those who openly advocate that God is lord and quote scripture as a basis of an arguement but do not follow God’s church’s teachings?
 
What about those who openly advocate that God is lord and quote scripture as a basis of an arguement but do not follow God’s church’s teachings?

How about calling them hypocrites? 😃

Ruthie
 
Ruthie said:
What about those who openly advocate that God is lord and quote scripture as a basis of an argument but do not follow God’s church’s teachings?

How about calling them hypocrites? 😃

Ruthie
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You might, I wouldn’t.

I don’t presume to judge why someone’s words and actions do not match - but I am always interested in why.

If I have this wrong, please correct me but on this forum many Catholics use God’s Church to refer to the Catholic Church and believe anyone who is a Christian but not Catholic and who does not follow every Catholic practice is at least misguided and at worse a hypocrite. Therefore to them people who follow the practices of any other Christian Church is either misguided or a hypocrite and those whose spiritual journeys leads them outside of Christianity outside are even greater ones.

I have read on this forum that if you do not agree with some aspect of Catholic teaching you should still carry out what you disagree. I think this comes close to demanding someone behaves hypocritically.

What is most important is what is in our heart.
 
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