When are you not "X"?

Coriolanus

X being "a" Christian or "a" Catholic. Basically stemming from discussions hereabouts on census returns etc and how it would be possible to measure accurately who is actually a Catholic, if such a conception even makes sense.

On an official level, do the churches have formal criteria under which you will be considered a "X"? Obviously the RCC has excommunication as the ultimate negation of one's status but are there milder forms/gradations in existence?

In broader terms, at what point does sinning make you non-Christian? Can an un-repentant murderer still a Christian? Only if he tries not to kill again? What if he specifically -plans- to kill again but still prays and goes to mass etc?

Or is simply believing in God/Jesus etc enough, and beyond that the only categorizations that can be made are of varying levels of "Good" and "Bad" Christians.

I'm as interested in the official line of various churches, if anyone is knowledgeable enough to state them, as well as personal opinions from Christians.

philologos

We can only deal with how people choose to identify themselves, their relationship with God is ultimately between them and Him.

wolfsbane

Nevore wrote: »

X being "a" Christian or "a" Catholic. Basically stemming from discussions hereabouts on census returns etc and how it would be possible to measure accurately who is actually a Catholic, if such a conception even makes sense.

On an official level, do the churches have formal criteria under which you will be considered a "X"? Obviously the RCC has excommunication as the ultimate negation of one's status but are there milder forms/gradations in existence?

In broader terms, at what point does sinning make you non-Christian? Can an un-repentant murderer still a Christian? Only if he tries not to kill again? What if he specifically -plans- to kill again but still prays and goes to mass etc?

Or is simply believing in God/Jesus etc enough, and beyond that the only categorizations that can be made are of varying levels of "Good" and "Bad" Christians.

I'm as interested in the official line of various churches, if anyone is knowledgeable enough to state them, as well as personal opinions from Christians.

As I understand the Biblical case, only those Christians who renounce a fundamental of the faith would be classed as no longer being Christian. Those who fall into sin (even murder) and refuse to repent, if they do not deny the faith they will be treated as Christians under sanction. They will be barred from fellowship. But our aim will be to restore them to repentance, not to regard them as unbelievers.
2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

2 Corinthians 2:6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.