So I’m sitting here watching a marathon of Touched by an Angel. I kinda grew up watching it ’cause my mom used to watch it all the time. I’d never really paid any attention to it before.
But anyways…the majority of the emphasis in this show is on the relationship between a person an God/Jesus. The semantics of beliefs other than that relationship really aren’t discussed much. Which brings forth a question that’s been bothering me for quite a while: Aside from the belief in Jesus as your savior and faith in God, what else constitutes being a Christian? Now I’m well aware that the most would say that this is key and probably a good deal of other beliefs could possibly be debatable. I don’t believe that. I find that what else a Christian believes always comes into question. If you’re a Christian that believes that gays should be able to get married, your faith is questioned. If you’re a Christian who believes anything else that falls outside the norm of being a Christian, you’re questioned.
So do Christians really have to believe everything the bible says? No deviations at all from it in order to be considered true Christians? I hear Christians saying that you have your own mind. And if a person has their own mind and believes something different why does that make them a bad Christian for not always agreeing and parroting (sorry if that word sound harsh…many times people just sound like they’re parroting the Bible and not actually believing it…they “believe” just because the bible says they should) what they’re told because perhaps they feel like they shouldn’t believe any different.
Is that a proper assessment or an incorrect one? Say if I were to convert to Christianity, would I be able to believe something different and still be considered Christian? Or would I have to “believe” the bible wholeheartedly even though I don’t really believe it?
Sombra's "Diary" 
I cannot speak for every Christian in the world; I can only speak for myself. With that being said, the most important part of being a Christian is that personal relationship with God/Jesus. But, The Bible is God’s word. If you believe that, if you believe that God gave us the Bible, then you must believe all of it. Not pick and choose what you want to believe.
Now, I hold no opinion on Gay marriage or such. I believe what the Bible tells me. LOVE EVERYONE. I treat everyone with love and respect, regardless of their lifestyle, class, ethnicity, etc.
I believe that the idea that humans (gays or not) deserve the same Constitutional Rights as everyone else is not really a religious thought, more a political one. If a Christian was then saying that the Bible is wrong because they want gay marriages to happen would be deviating from their faith. The Bible does not say the government cannot let gays marry. It says that YOU as a Christian are not to participate in gay activities.
I don’t know if that helped anyway. But the basic idea is this. 1. God is God. And no one else. 2. The Bible is a package deal. All or nothing. 3. The personal relationship with God is key.
So then one wouldn’t *really* be a Christian if they didn’t completely believe the Bible in full?
I dunno…I’ve just always had a problem with that “all or nothing” mentality when it comes to the bible. It just leads to parroting facts when you either 1) don’t really believe them or 2) don’t have anything else to back it up. I remember reading a blog of someone who who had converted to Christianity from Atheism but her only comment on why she suddenly believe homosexuality was wrong was because the Bible said so. I don’t like that line of thinking.
Supporting gay marriage isn’t a gay activity. They wouldn’t necessarily be saying the bible is wrong either. But people do have their own minds and if they disagreed with something, shouldn’t they have that right to disagree yet still keep their faith? I don’t see how it’s deviating from their faith. This goes for other issues as well (magic…despite the fact that I don’t believe in it…is the other one that comes to mind. If it’s real, I don’t believe it’s all evil. Oh…and psychic abilities being the third thing that comes to mind. I’m still iffy on if that’s real though…).
I suppose it helped a bit. It’s still the last disheartening notion about Christianity though. All the other ill opinions of the religion I had have been changed at least in some part. But it’s rather disheartening to know that it’s a requirement that you have to believe the bible as literal truth, even if you disagree with it.