Originally Posted by
Drake
Not exactly. Sure, they can be christian, because the basics are already interpreted and considered general knowledge. I WOULD say that virtually every christian out there is a generally uninformed and potentially miseducated one, unless they had an excellent scholar of the works to learn from.
But honestly, as long as they understand the basics of their religion, they can pick up the concept of salvation. That's pretty much a given.
The problem comes when people sart wading out into the weeds and bushes, and start trying to decipher other meanings without the slightest idea of the source or context. They confuse allegory, metaphor, and subtle meanings with facts, and sometimes are simply victims of a poor translation. It's even worse when atheists like myself or someone trying to prove an e-point are googling phrases with some lunatic hope of proving their side.
I'd wager this is why people tend to rely on organizations like The Vatican for their guidance, because these are people who are able to dedicate their lives to interpreting this stuff, and don't get wrapped up in other careers, families, and life in general. Their sole mission is interpretation of complex religious documents. It's not easy.