"Former Christians", How did you know that you were ever a " Christian" in the first place?

I had a born-again experience, I was convinced that Jesus was with me in times of trouble, I felt great joy that I believed was from the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, I couldn't wait to tell everyone how happy and fulfilled I was as a Christian, I experienced the presence of God and I got an indescribable happiness from being in church.

What are the actions or things that lead you to believe that you are truly a Christian? Anything significantly different?

Because I called myself one. I preyed and I read the Bible (did NOT like what I read there, I was terrified of all the things God made his people do). Still, leaving Christianity was hard. It took me years to really realize that I just could not do it anymore. Not even the "good" kind of Christianity. I remember where I was when I became an apostate. I remember what I was smelling(some kind of wood) and what was on the TV (Fable, the lost chapters). But I just couldn't believe anymore. It was primarily questions like "how do Aliens fit in with Christianity?" I had more faith that we were not alone in the universe at that point then in the creation story in Genesis. Do all aliens go to hell? Are there Alien Jesuses (there is really no way to pluralize Jesus!)? What about Children who die young? Even Hitler does not deserve eternal heIIfire. This kind of stuff is why I became a Buddhist. But I certainty was a Christian.

I don't know, what do the rest of you think?

Om namo bagawate baishjye guru vaidurya prabha rajaya tethagataya arahate samyaksam buddhaya teatha om bekhajye bekhajye maha bekhajye bekhajye rajaya samungate svaha.

Hmmm, let's see.

I went to church every Sunday, sometimes even two or three times a week if the opportunity presented itself. I taught Sunday School classes, and participated in church events whenever I could. When I got tired of going to the Lutheran church I was raised in, I decided to go to other churches to see if they might be better able to answer the questions I had. I went to Christian rock concerts -and enjoyed them-, even to the point of getting albums signed by said artists. I was one of those 'fundies' who used to go to the atheist forums back in the days of BBSs and try to convert those closed-minded atheists and people of other religions. I believed that the Bible was the Word of God, and that Jesus was my Savior, and that he would come again. I used to bring my Bible to public school with me, even when my classmates would roll their eyes and make fun of me behind my back. I broke up with two boyfriends during that time, one because he claimed to be Christian and he wasn't, and one because he watched porno and questioned my beliefs.

Then, shortly after high school, I realized what a delusional, sorry existence I was leading and decided that it wasn't for me anymore. I started looking into other religions and philosophies and realized just what a narrow-minded viewpoint Christianity is. Now I'm free from all that and can live my life free and happy without having to lean on a figment of my imagination to help me deal with my problems.

Actually I didn't ever feel I was. I did it because it was the "right" thing to do living in the South. I kept telling myself I would eventually feel like I was on the right path. I was wrong.

Let's see.

I had no sense of identity because I was very emotionally abused as a child. In fact, it was so bad that in 6th was the 1st time I ever saw myself in the mirror. And I hated myself. I wasn't proud of my appearance, I didn't like my family and only later did I realise I had no childhood because I was so enmeshed and emotionally abused. Subsequently, I now have no good memories to hang on to. But I did have this Jesus from the religious garbage of a family I group up in that I never saw but 'knew' he 'loved' me, and that's all that mattered, right? Wrong. I came to know there is no God, that his followers are slightly less hypocritical than the criminals that run parliament. I began to believe in myself as hard as it was having never received any assistance, help, encouragement or reassurance from anyone my entire life. On top of that, I had no one to turn to anymore and realised no one could help me. I was beyond all forms of physical, mental and spiritual help at this point and was diagnosed with at least half a dozen mental illnesses.

And here I am now. More ardently convinced in my self and my belief system than any psychotic and more successful than anyone I've ever met. I have no mental illness, I have no self-doubt, sense of guilt, fear or shame.

I called upon your god and he didn't answer. I called upon him and no one showed up to help me. Oh, how I believed! but nothing ever happened. My faith was as empty as this planet and my hope entirely false while I was trapped in cycles of *magical* thinking.

I know with utmost certainty that anyone (yes, anyone) in my position would have killed themselves no questions about it. It was so bad suicidal thoughts were the only thoughts I had. Imagine, every few seconds getting hit wave after wave after wave by never ending self-destructive suicidal thoughts...for years. It just would not stop. Imagine that, being too scared, too distracted, too threatened, too insecure, too unmotivated and unecouraged to even breathe. I never had someone once in my life tell me that they love me but I did get a lot of threats of an 'eternal hellfire'.

Well, I've already had my hellfire. So it's kind of difficult to be emotional or affected by it or its threats anymore.

To cut this short, I now know your 'God' and my worthless abusive family saved me. If I had not them, I wouldn't be nearly as successful as I am today. I'd be long dead and buried in a ditch on the side of the road.

'Former' Christians have never believed the truth - that Jesus Christ is the one and only true living God, that he resurrected from the dead, and is therefore alive today (Romans 10:9) and was born of a virgin (indicating his sinless nature). They never had the indwelling Holy Spirit [Romans 8:9].

The same way I know that I was a believer in Santa. Both were childhood fantasies - the Santa one was the better of the two.

I believed in Christ. I believed Christ was the Son of God. I went to church. I took communion. I prayed. I sang hymns... Any of this sound Christian?

They didn't know they were Christians because they never really knew Jesus. Those that really know Jesus will never leave him. They are the elect. However the elect are tried a lot.

Rude much?

I never was, but that just sounds ignorant toward those that were. I think it's up to them to speak for themselves whether they were ever "true" or not, not up to you to judge them because you can't imagine why they'd leave it.