Selling Jesus - The Ultimate Pyramid Scheme

[MineralMan]

33. My rule is this: I let each person define him or herself.

If someone identifies as a Christian, I accept their label for themselves.

"Christianist" isn't really a word that is in common use. It doesn't have a meaning that everyone understands. I think that's your own personal name for someone who isn't a Christian as you define it.

I don't attach modifiers to words like Christian. I'm not qualified to judge the sincerity of someone who claims to be one, nor do I have the time or inclination to inquire into the validity of their label for themselves.

Poll-takers have the same approach. They ask the person being polled how they identify themselves. Then, they move on without attaching any value to the name.

There's no question about there being sincere Christian preachers and insincere con-men acting as preachers. The problem is in distinguishing between the two. I don't bother with all that, because it doesn't really matter to me. If I see someone selling Christianity, I identify that person as a preacher or whatever name they prefer. I don't make a judgment, because I don't really care about that person's authenticity. It's not a matter of concern for me, since I don't think the religion thing is valid in the first place.