What makes you a Christian?

What if you had burning questions or doubts about some aspects of Christianity, would that make you less of a Christian? Can you believe only some of the writings in the New Testament and still be a Christian? What if you only practise some of what Christianity demands? What if you believe but do not congregate, would you still be a Christian?

For instance, the Jews prophesied but misinterpreted Jesus' coming as the 'King of the Jews'. They erroneously believed that He was destined to be a physical king sent to free them from Roman occupation. However, Jesus was a spiritual king, sent to free everyone from spiritual darkness ... obviously, a far more important destiny.

It, therefore, leads me to wonder about the real circumstances surrounding His birth. Would the birth of such an important person, a spiritual king, the embodiment of God on Earth, someone whose coming was prophesied long before His arrival, be so disorganised? Was He actually born among sheep and cattle? Or, could His 'manger' be something other than an object used to feed ungulates? Will doubting the commonly held belief about the conditions of His birth make you less of a Christian?

And what of Judas' betrayal, what if Judas got the 'short straw', so to speak? What if Jesus meant that he was choosing the 'betrayer' from one of the 12 dipping bread with Him at that precise moment? What if Judas was carrying out a command, albeit unwillingly but obediently, because the scriptures had to be fulfilled and mankind saved? What if Judas had to accept the bribe in order to authenticate his orchestrated betrayal? What if Judas was actually a hero, and not the villain that he has always been portrayed to be? What if you chose to believe such things, would you still be a Christian?

How about the other possible scenarios and the real relevance of His resurrection? The Christian religion pivots on the belief that Jesus the Christ arose from the dead (conquered death) and that His risen (physical) body appeared to several people. But, what if Jesus relinquished the Holy Spirit (that infused Him when John baptised Him) while on the cross? What if He only appeared to be dead after giving up the Holy Ghost? What if His physical body awoke from a coma (arose from the 'dead'), would that detract from the resurrection?

Spiritual manifestation

Or, what if His resurrection were a spiritual one, manifested so powerfully that people could see and touch Him? What if the true and sole lesson behind the resurrection is to instruct that the body is just a conduit and, therefore, redundant in the long run, and that our spiritual body is immortal and rises from the grave when our physical bodies die? Would entertaining those possibilities make you a non-believer in Christianity?

And, conversely, what if you worship regularly, have daily devotions, tithe, contribute time to your church, temple or Kingdom Hall, spread God's word, become baptised and fulfil all the requirements of your denomination but have malice, envy or hatred and no pity in your heart for your neighbour - would you still be a Christian? If you shout the loudest Amen and wave your arms most enthusiastically, but exploit or look down on our less fortunate brothers and sisters, are you a Christian? What if you pray everyday but strive for ('worship') riches and power, would you still be a Christian?

God sees and knows what's in your heart. If you 'worship' mundane things; if you exploit, ignore or mistreat your fellowman, labelling yourself a 'Christian' means absolutely nothing.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Feedback may be sent to garthrattray@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com