What does it mean to be a Christian?

Really my thoughts at the moment are based around this topic. Recently I have seriously considered Atheism from some of the conclusions which I have come to resulting from this question. I think many Christians think about this question sub consciously. Especially during times of doubt and it seems this question is always at the core, it is for me.

Does being a Christian mean going to church every Sunday? Being good all the time? If both answers to these questions were to be yes then an image of a fundamental, mindless and possibly bored person comes to my mind. Is that what Christianity is all about? After thinking... it just couldn’t be. In fact I think the state of the church at the moment is a classic example of what an unhealthy Christian looks like. Now I don’t want to be misunderstood as I believe avoiding sin and attending church are all very healthy things but there is so much more. I don’t like the word Christian; it makes me feel like I’m useless, brainless, cut off from civilisation. In fact I prefer saying “Yes, I do believe in God because if a God does exist then he would only have all the qualities which are shown through Christianity.” Being a Christian is about living for what we were intended for. We all need to understand that there are more than pleasures for the body. If you look around you will see evidence for this, how else can you explain how you know what is good and bad, how people cry out for a power greater than themselves during pain or how we somehow have an idea of what is perfect in a world full of pain? We are not defined by our names or actions. We are defined through our creator as he has designed each and every one of us for a purpose. Our lives are a gift from God and each breath should be made in honour of him, not against him. People need to recognize that although we may look different in body that our spirits are all the same, no matter how much sin we have committed or how far away from God we feel we are. We are all equal in a world full of brokenness; the world as it is now was never intended for us and so we are all foreigners in a land of pain. Some of us are lost when we lose track of God’s great light, his love for us and these are the times we start to feel the guilt and pain as the world closes in around us. We need to learn that the only way to get through these troubles is to keep hold of God, even when the road gets rough.