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For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 10, 2019 at 7:17 pm
Just trying the Serious option out.
So I've been wondering, we have some current Christians who believe that once a person is saved, they are forever saved, and that if you really knew Jesus, you would be a true Christian and never stop being one (or something of the sort) ... so anyone who claims they knew Jesus but no longer believe was never a true Christian in the first place (according to them).
But my problem with this reasoning is I'm not convinced at all that any current Christian "knows" Jesus in a way that is clearly and conclusively different from how former Christians "knew" Jesus. And I remember making a thread asking Christians themselves to explain to me what they really meant by "knowing" Jesus, and while I got answers, I didn't get exactly what I was asking for in these answers. They were rather vague and failed to clearly distinguish the kind of knowledge former Christians had and the kind of knowledge current Christians have regarding Christ.
So this time, I want to ask those who used to be Christian, especially of the "I had a personal relationship with Jesus" type of Christian, what exactly did it feel like to "know" Jesus? And what would you say to current Christians who are convinced they "know" Jesus and think you never truly "knew" him yourself?
By the way, this is not to exclude theists (or atheists who were never Christians) from coming in here to discuss, they're very well free to do so. But the question is really for former Christians.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 10, 2019 at 8:08 pm
I've always wondered about the whole knowing thing. I guess it's just a different approach to knowing? A gut feeling. Of course, I don't know, but it is a good question.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 10, 2019 at 9:19 pm
Stopped being a christian around age 12 to 13 so I'll not be much help. As far as I remember I never knew jesus, I only knew of jesus.
I was just doing shit my parents told/made me do.
Being told you're delusional does not necessarily mean you're mental.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 10, 2019 at 10:04 pm
From the very beginning, I was always struggling, wondering if my faith was true or not. During my teenager years, I began noticing contradictions in the New Testament, and along with the night terrors that I was experiencing of dying and going to eternal Hell, eventually, I abandoned my faith completely around age 15. Still, there was a moment or two when I "felt" God's presence, which, looking back on things, was purely psychological and, especially, physiological.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 10, 2019 at 10:42 pm
By physiological, what do you mean? Did you attribute physical sensations to the presence of your god?
FWIW, I completely believe that people can feel God's presence in mental and physical ways, whether he's real or not.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 11, 2019 at 1:00 pm
I see your problem with the reasoning "any current Christian "knows" Jesus in a way that is clearly and conclusively different from how former Christians "knew" Jesus.. so anyone who claims they knew Jesus but no longer believe was never a true Christian in the first place (according to them)."
In the belief that once saved, always saved (which I believe). I don't think Christians should make that call. A lot of them don't like the idea/thought that you could know Jesus and then years later be an atheist and still get into heaven. I believe it's the same type of feeling that make people uncomfortable saying Hitler could get into Heaven. If you have any unanswered questions about the once saved,always saved belief, I'd be happy to share my perspective while we await answers to your other questions.
"There ought to be a term that would designate those who actually follow the teachings of Jesus, since the word 'Christian' has been largely divorced from those teachings, and so polluted by fundamentalists that it has come to connote their polar opposite: intolerance, vindictive hatred, and bigotry." -- Philip Stater, Huffington Post
always working on cleaning my windows- me regarding Johari
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 11, 2019 at 1:19 pm
I was a Christian well into my teens. I was raised on Jesus and God, the idea that they weren't real never even occurred to me. Literally everyone I knew, to the best of my knowledge, believed. After I read the Bible through a couple of times (intended as an act of devotion), I didn't believe in Pentecostalism or Christianity anymore, but it still didn't occur to me that God might not be real. I just thought the Hebrews weren't actually in contact with him/her/it/them. It took many more years of inquiry and education before I noticed I had let go of God at some point.
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 12, 2019 at 10:08 am
This is a very good video on this subject.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 12, 2019 at 11:39 am
I was forced to go to church by my parents as a kid.
I tried to believe the b.s. - but it always had the smell of santa claus and the easter bunny on it.
So by mutual unspoken agreement, we all pretended to believe together.
I expect that' s far more common than the christers would care to admit.
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RE: For former Christians, what was it like to "know" Christ?
January 12, 2019 at 12:02 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2019 at 12:03 pm by Jehanne.)
(January 10, 2019 at 10:42 pm)Shell B Wrote: By physiological, what do you mean? Did you attribute physical sensations to the presence of your god?
FWIW, I completely believe that people can feel God's presence in mental and physical ways, whether he's real or not.
Yes, it was kind of a self-induced "religious high," where I would feel a warm sensation pulsate through my body; very strange.
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