What does a Christian make?
Someone posted the Nicene Creed, and I would agree with them.
How much of it has to be belief in Jesus as literal god? That I need him to be saved? That there is even saving to be needed? That the resurrection is a thing?
It is 100% belief in Jesus as literal God. Google Lewis’s trilemma.
You absolutely need Jesus to be saved. But I don’t think of salvation as pushing a button and, bam, you’re saved. It’s a journey.
How many of you or your Christian friends in your respective denominations consider yourselves and themselves Christians without believing in the divinity of Jesus?
I don’t know. They would say they believe in the divinity of Jesus. But I know some people call themselves Christians do so because they believe that it is the right thing to be. I live in the Bible-belt, so a lot of people could be afraid of being ostracized as non-believers.
Which organized religions could I possibly feel comfortable in with my religious beliefs (wanting to follow Jesus, but not needing or caring about heavy focus on faith and salvation) and my liberal political beliefs (feminist [not that all churches are anti-feminist, but in my opinion many are...I would want women to be allowed in the clergy of a faith I follow], LGBTQ ally, pro-choice)? I know of UU, but honestly, they're not Christian enough, from my observations, although I know there are other strains of Unitarianism.
I think any mainline protestant church would welcome you, but I don’t know how vocal you could be about not believing in Jesus as God. Seek out a church that is very involved in helping others; one that has a food pantry or homeless shelter or goes and visits prisoners. Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians allow female clergy that I know of, but I’m sure there are more. I know Methodists allow LGBTQ people to become members of the church but, they are not allowed to become clergy. They also will not perform gay marriages. Methodists are against abortion unless it endangers the health of the mother.
Having answered your questions, I’d like to say this.
Like I said I grew up in a culturally Christian home. We celebrated Easter and Christmas, but I was never taught to pray and Jesus was never talked about. We had a bible, but I never saw it open. My faith began out of curiosity. Who was Jesus that I’d heard about in passing? So I read the bible.
I had no concept of Old Testament or New Testament. I had to flip through to actually find the part where Jesus comes in. At this point I was where you are now. Jesus was a great philosopher, but he wasn’t divine. If the whole world would just be like Jesus we’d all be all right.
But then Lewis’s Trilemma comes in. Jesus was either mad, bad, or God. If a patient in a mental hospital said some of the things Jesus did, you’d dismiss it as crazy. Jesus claimed to be God. If he isn’t God he’s crazy or he’s evil for trying to take us from the real God.
And then I did something. I took a Leap of faith.
If you have trouble taking your own leap of faith that’s probably because, God is illogical. God does not make sense. You cannot follow any line of human reasoning and end up with proof that God is real. There’s a reason it’s called faith and not knowledge. My faith goes against everything I have learned in this life. I have to live by faith, not by sight. Also, God’s not a good luck charm or voodoo. God does not spare his people from bad things in this life. I do not know why God allows bad things to happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, but it happens.
God also comes with a set of rules. You may have to change some of your personal beliefs. You may not. I Did. Work out your own salvation.