[mburbank]

In addition, this Pope (in one of his best acts, in my opinion) declared tht he does not speak ex cathedra (infallibly) at all. He does not reject the doctrine, merely rules it out of his Papacy. So the admonition to fast is a call and not an order.

Blanco, would you concider all the lements of the creed as litmus tests for 'true Christians'? For instance, can someone agree with everything in the creed except the neccesity(for salvation) of Baptism?

I am not a Christian myself, but admire the moral teachings of Jesus greatly. My interpretation of the New Testament is that while there are many admonitions, suggestions and lessons, there are also widely ranging standards for being a "Christian". So I return to the gospels whos narrative predates formal Christianity and come away with opinion that beyond Jesus being the Son of God and opening the door to heaven via his sacrafice, only God would be in a position to know who was a 'true' Christian and who was not.

I bring all this up because I find the tendency of organized religions (and Christianity is not alone in this) to splinter over and over, focusing more and more attention on who is or is not truly one of God's flock, puzzling and disturbing.