Originally Posted by Ari2

I think what is a "true" believer of any faith is subjective. What may be a true believer to one person is a heretic to another.

I just read an interesting article about one of the founders of Al Queda. He also is cited as providing some of the philosophical and religious bases for the recent rise in Islamic extremism due to two pieces he wrote. In both he spends a lot of time detailing what is a proper Muslim and what is apostasy. To him, a true Muslim is in a near-constant state of jihad and it is apostasy to advocate for peaceful solutions to religious conflict, among many other things. I haven't asked, but I think my 3 good Muslim friends would cringe and making barfing sounds if I asked them what they thought of this.

I'm sure what constitutes a "true" Christian varies significantly among even US Christians. For a while, my sister, who is an evangelical, thought true Christians did not celebrate Halloween by trick or treating, nor did they wear orange, which she saw as "the devil's color". Regardless of the details of her faith, at her core she is a moral person who tries to treat others justly. That's good enough to me without any label. I just don't wear a whole lot of orange or discuss religion when I'm around her.