Ex-Christians

[Drich]

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'.

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.

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.

[Minimalist]

I have so many problems with the RCC that it'd take me weeks to list them all! They accept the Vulgate as the holy infallible inspired word of God!

Something we agree on at last. Of course, protestantism is just a rather silly derivative of it so no improvement.

[Tnmusicman]

Tnmusicman what's your definition of a Christian?

Actually, in the context of this thread my definition isn't important. I'm curious to know when certain atheists say they are "former Christians" what that meant to them. How did they know they were a Christian ?

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I had a girlfriend in highschool (catholic) that "knew how to work the rosary beads" as well....I'm fairly certain she wasn't a christian.

LOL!

[Annik]

I was a Christian when I was younger. I would encourage my whole family to make time for church, I'd go to prayer groups at school, I prayed for forgiveness. My ideologies began to change when I prayed for a sign (I didn't become an atheist at that time, I adopted a deistic position).

[downbeatplumb]

I was never a christian and honestly can't see how anyone with a functioning brain can take it even a little bit seriously.

[frankiej]

I was never a christian and honestly can't see how anyone with a functioning brain can take it even a little bit seriously.

I have never been a Christian either... even from as young as 5, I found religion to be totally wacky.

[Silas Stingy]

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?

The thing is, to say 'I'm a former Christian' sounds natural and correct in informal speech, and for many situations that is all that is required. In fact, I did say prayers and go to confessions among other Catholic rituals.

I am also a former believer in Santa Claus.

[Strongbad]

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.

1. I did that.
2. And I did that.

How about that!? I'm "saved", even though I no longer believe a single fucking word of it.

[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 .

[Cyberman]

In the spirit of sharing information, then, I also was never a xtian. In fact, I've never had a religious bent of any description. I consider myself permanently immune.