Hi James,

I'm assuming that this forum is open to non-Christians since you sent out your invite to all your friends and I'm sure at least some of them are not Christians.

The question you posed is interesting and the majority really didn't answer your question. The question was: What does the word Christian mean to you. Note that you asked what the word Christian means and not what being a Christian means to you. This might have been a mistake on your part but I will relate to what the word means  to me.

The word Christian means (to me) anyone belonging to the Christian faith or different denominations and religions within Christianity.

All the attributes of being a Christian that the members posted here are in essence the mainstays of almost all religions. The main one being LOVE.

There was a great Rabbi that was asked by one of his students: "Rabbi, can you teach me the whole bible (OT) while standing  on one leg"? The Rabbi answered "Ve'Ahavta le'reiacha kamocha" which translated means "love thy neighbor (original means friend) as thyself".

So, you see the premise of love is a part of most religions and holy books and if I abide by this golden rule it doesn't make me a Christian but just one who abides by this rule and commandment and in the short and long term tries to make this world a better place for all. 

All the best,

Peter 

Peter, the reason I asked the question as I did, was because I know there are people out there who are not christians. It does not matter whether you are a practicing christian or not, I just wanted to know what it means to you. Most everyone who responded in this forum thread gave their opinion in the correct manner. Every religion has a different aspect and that was what I was primarily looking for. There was a response from one individual who is an atheist. Thank you for giving your opinion, that's what counts. I look forward to seeing you again!!

Mike, you are a trip!! I just learned some history about Catholicism. One thing you didn't mention was the fact the Catholic Church was the instigator of changing worship to Sunday instead of Saturday, which was the day that Christ worshipped on, as was His custom. They claimed they were a higher authority than God, which was blasphemy, and the church was almost destroyed because of it. I don't like to talk about it much, because it may offend someone. I will have evidence in a later forum thread. Thanks for sharing this tid bit, and I will look forward to future comments from you my friend!!

Mike, I have actually been to a Saturday evening mass, just to say I've experienced it. They spotted me real quick, as I wasn't making the right moves when I got up front. It was kind of embarrasing because everyone was watching me. I won't go into any more details!!!