Ex-Christians

[Tnmusicman]

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'.

Look, I'm not heading anywhere with it. It's a question with no follow up. Just for information.

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I remember pritty well how my dad, angrily refused to let me go to catholic confession because to him all catholic priest were nothing but potential pedophiles.

There's nothing more humiliating for a child then to be made to go to catholic confessions. Also it encourages NOT talking about your sins to your peers, in direct contradiction to scripture.

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How did I "know"? Well, let's see:

My parents were devout Catholics. I was "baptized" when I was a few days old. I was taken to church twice a week, and I walked around with black crap on my forehead every "Ash Wednesday". I went to Catholic school, and was an altar boy. I went to confession twice a week (and confessed all of my "sins", you know "fighting with my brother", "talking back to my mother", etc.) I said my penance prayers, and I knew how to work the Rosary beads. I went through "confirmation", and regularly "took communion". I was as christian as a christian can be.

However, as I am now an atheist (for the past 40 years or so), I suppose a genuine True Christian would say that I never actually was a christian, because I never "truly accepted Jesus in my heart".

Full immersion baptism, spoke in tongues, prayed a lot, read the Bible twice (that probably counts against me), fasted, donated, church up to three times a week.

I don't like saying whether someone "is" or "isn't" a Christian, that's between them and God. A person is saved if they 1. accept Jesus as their saviour, and 2. repent of all their sins. That's all there is to it.

I agree. As I said its for information only. I'm not the one saying someone is or isn't a Christian. I'm asking the individual how they knew themselves to be a Christian as so many atheists I meet say they are former Christians .