RE: Ex-Christians
November 9, 2012 at 10:51 am
(This post was last modified: November 9, 2012 at 10:53 am by Drich.)
(November 8, 2012 at 12:58 pm)Simon Moon Wrote:Actually Galations 5 (or the first part of it) speaks to those who fall from grace. It is possiable for one to have once believed and establish a relationship based on the law (I did this, I did that, I was baptized, I drank the 'juice,' I ate the bread ect..) Paul points out all of the things people do to consider themselves Christian are meaningless without Love or Agape. Because it is Agape/love that binds these empty acts and makes them acceptable before God.(November 8, 2012 at 9:38 am)Tnmusicman Wrote: I know a lot of atheists will say they are former Christians. How did you know you were a Christian ?? Did you participate in a ritual or say a prayer or go to confession?
Did you have some sort of affirmation that you were a Christian ?
I apologize if this has been asked before but I'm fairly new to atheist forums.
I can tell where this is heading...
I hope you are not implying that many atheists that claim they were former Christians were not really Christian because they didn't have a 'personal relationship with Christ'.
If that's where you're heading, please dissuade yourself of that idea. There are plenty of former Christians that had experiences that they truly believed were 'witness of the holy spirit'.
If you do not have Agape for God then your acts of christianity count for nothing as the acts themselves hold no value in of themselves. It is the Agape that justifies the 'acts' of a christian before God. So it is possiable to do all of the things christians do and still not be a christian.