Some people pretend to be Christians when they are not. Others will not tell you one way or another. And some workplaces prohibit telling what your beliefs are. But there are several easily noticed traits that separate true believing Christians from other people. Any single trait can not show this with certainty, but a multiplicity of them is quite indicative. Here is a table of those traits:
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| PERSONAL LIFE AND BELIEFS | ||
| TRAIT | CHRISTIAN | NON-CHRISTIAN |
| Ideology Base | The Bible, education in proven facts | Whatever the liberal teacher unions push |
| About God | God is the sovereign supreme being | God was invented as a means to control people |
| About Jesus | Jesus is God | Jesus was only a man, or never existed |
| More about Jesus | Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead | Rising from the dead is a myth |
| The Bible | The revealed Word of God, with candid history | A collection of mythological tales used to control people |
| Religious freedom | All other religions are man-made or satanic | All religions equal, freedom from religion, silence religions |
| Favorite holidays | Easter, Christmas | Halloween, April Fool's Day, Labor Day |
| Favorite activities | Church activities, Bible study, giveaways | Going to bars, watching sports, politics |
| Favorite stores | Bible bookstores, Wal Mart | Locally-owned stores, health food and nature stores |
| Favorite music | Christian, big band, light rock, easy listening | Heavy metal, acid rock, rap, punk, folk |
| Sexual life | Sex is for procreation, not entertainment | Sex is for entertainment, wants sexual freedom |
| Disciplining children | Bible study, removing privileges, spanking | Time outs, psychologists, government programs |
| Providence | God provides what you need | Expects government to provide what anyone wants |
| Health care | Pays for health care, keep government out of health care | Expects government to pay for health care |
| Cashless society | Prohibited by the Bible | Needed to stop crime, more convenient |
| Getting what you want | Works for wanted things, claims religious freedom | Demands things from government, sues for wanted things |
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| PROPER BEHAVIOR | ||
| TRAIT | CHRISTIAN | NON-CHRISTIAN |
| The best things in life | Worshiping Jesus and God | Government, sex, money |
| Excellent behavior includes | Refusing to sin, tithing | Demonstrating against polluters, war, and Republicans |
| Good behavior includes | Obeying God, the golden rule, not harming others | Political Correctness, green living, voting liberal |
| Bad behavior includes | Disobeying God, sexual immorality, harming others | Disobeying liberals, polluting, proselytizing, voting Republican |
| Evil includes | Sexual immorality, socialism, government power | Pollution, corporations, Christianity, opposing big government |
| The most evil things | Denouncing Jesus, teaching others to sin, government ID | Republicans, Christians, guns |
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| PUBLIC LIFE | ||
| TRAIT | CHRISTIAN | NON-CHRISTIAN |
| Favorite charities | Churches, birth clinics, giveaways, Bible societies | United Way, Planned Parenthood, liberal causes, Democrats |
| Funding help for the poor | The giving must be voluntary, or it won't help the economy | Raise taxes - everyone deserves money, even if he won't work |
| Trust placed in | God, churches, Christian businesses | Government, celebrities, newsmen, psychics |
| Government behavior | Selfish, giving special rights to politicians | Generous, giving to everyone who wants something |
| Taxes should provide | Only programs that are absolutely necessary | Whatever will to enrich the lives of everyone |
| Government and wealth | Government can not create wealth - only work can do that | Government creates wealth by spending money (how?) |
| Government power | Government does not have the power to do many things | Government can do anything by just passing a law |
| Government required ID | Prohibited by the Bible | Needed to stop crime |
| Drug abuse | Drug abuse harms others and alters minds | There is nothing wrong with using drugs for fun |
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| POLITICAL LIFE | ||
| TRAIT | CHRISTIAN | NON-CHRISTIAN |
| Political parties | Republican | Democrat or Socialist |
| Political beliefs | Conservative | Liberal |
| Type of government favored | Small, with low taxes and low spending | Large, with high taxes and lots of spending |
| Expectations of government | Stay out of people's lives | Provide for and control people's lives |
| Government spending | High taxes rob the economy, spending does not replace it | High taxes and government spending expand the economy |
| Tax rates | The total tax rate should be the 10% prescribed by the Bible | Taxes should be high, especially on the rich, to fund many programs |
| Funding nonessentials | Use donations, user fees, volunteers, and admission fees | Use tax money for nonessentials, and user fees for the essentials |
| Revenue from fines | Must not fund police, justice, or government spending | Must be used to expand law enforcement or government |
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| IDEOLOGY | ||
| TRAIT | CHRISTIAN | NON-CHRISTIAN |
| Man | Man is inherently evil, unless God intervenes | Man is inherently good |
| Sin in general | All sins are sin because they harm other people | Sins are sins because leaders don't want people to have fun |
| Goodness | Only God is good | You can be good without God |
| Marriage | Only monogamous heterosexual, marriages are permanent | Whatever people crave, marriages are disposable |
| Divorce | A sin, unless the other person committed adultery | Exists so you can take away someone else's wife |
| Homosexuality | A sin, just as bank robbery is a sin | There is nothing wrong with homosexuality |
| Origin of homosexuality | Worshiping created things instead of God | Heredity (supported by bad science) |
| Evolution | Natural selection is the only proved part | Is a fact, even though it can't be proved |
| Origin of species | God created them | Random chance created and changed all life |
| Abortion | Only for cases of rape, incest, or threat to life | Women have the right to kill their unborn children |
| Animal behavior | Animals act on instincts programmed by God | Animals think the same way men do |
| Animal rights | Animals do not have special rights | Animals and men have equal rights |
| Global Warming | Mostly bad science, but the sun is getting hotter | Emissions from fossil fuels cause CO2 to trap heat |
| Living wage | High taxes preclude a living wage | Government can force businesses to create wealth for a living wage |
| Offensive programming | Turns off set or changes channel | Demands that the show be taken off the air |
| Guns | People should be allowed to have guns | Wants guns banned, afraid of guns |
| War | Accepts a necessary war | Hates war, wants war stopped at any cost |
| Life after death | Those choosing Jesus go to heaven, all others go to hell | No life after death, reincarnation, or everyone goes to heaven |
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| ACADEMIC BELIEFS | ||
| TRAIT | CHRISTIAN | NON-CHRISTIAN |
| Purpose of education | Create good workers, spread God's word | Instill culture, aesthetics, and liberalism |
| Vocational education | Math, science, technology, industrial arts, computer | Fine arts, musical arts, performing arts, language arts |
| Basic education | Math, science, grammar, spelling, writing, religion | The arts, sports, culture, social studies, literature, gym |
| Who should run schools | Private companies, churches | Government, teacher unions |
| Discipline in schools | Sinful behavior must be punished, corporal punishment | Whatever the teacher thinks is wrong is bad, time outs, bad grades |
| Teachings | The teacher must respect all religious beliefs | The teacher can require activities that violate religious beliefs |
| Religious education | Teach religion, remove government from schools | Remove religion from schools |
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