Are you christian because you were raised that way?

My King and Lord

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Ok I was planning to make this thread a while ago, but there was a similar thread recently, however it didn't really answer my question. A lot of the christians in this forum were raised in a christian society, more specifically a western protestant society. Their great grand parents, grand parents, parents, and their ancestors were all protestant christian. They don't remember their baptism since it was in their infancy too. So therefore they're christian because of their ancestory, area, and they were raised that way. Me personally I have a long ancestry of muslims, my family is still muslim infact, but I became christian and secretly converted after months of historical research and coming to the conclusion that christianity is the only religion that can be seriously backed up. Plus the emotional and spiritual experience I have had, Jesus made me cry like a baby. I am not even baptized yet and when I am I will remember it. When I came on this forum, I expect a lot of christian people around the world, especially converts. Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Former Hindu, Former Muslim, Former Jew, Russian, American, Egyptian, Syrian, Greek, Georgian, Romanian etc. But no, its mostly protestant christian people in the western world that grew up in christian society. It's not that I don't like that, it's just I expect more from a huge website like this where any christian wherever they are can come together, instead it's people who are raised as christian people in a christian majority nation. Sometimes I kind of feel alone on this since I am a convert and my family and land has no experience with christianity.
 

worshipjunkie

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Ok I was planning to make this thread a while ago, but there was a similar thread recently, however it didn't really answer my question. A lot of the christians in this forum were raised in a christian society, more specifically a western protestant society. Their great grand parents, grand parents, parents, and their ancestors were all protestant christian. They don't remember their baptism since it was in their infancy too. So therefore they're christian because of their ancestory, area, and they were raised that way. Me personally I have a long ancestry of muslims, my family is still muslim infact, but I became christian and secretly converted after months of historical research and coming to the conclusion that christianity is the only religion that can be seriously backed up. Plus the emotional and spiritual experience I have had, Jesus made me cry like a baby. I am not even baptized yet and when I am I will remember it. When I came on this forum, I expect a lot of christian people around the world, especially converts. Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Former Hindu, Former Muslim, Former Jew, Russian, American, Egyptian, Syrian, Greek, Georgian, Romanian etc. But no, its mostly protestant christian people in the western world that grew up in christian society. It's not that I don't like that, it's just I expect more from a huge website like this where any christian wherever they are can come together, instead it's people who are raised as christian people in a christian majority nation. Sometimes I kind of feel alone on this since I am a convert and my family and land has no experience with christianity.


My parents were liberal; they mixed a lot of New Age in with Christianity. Everyone else in my family was "ex" Christian, often but not always ex-Catholic, so not the typical white anglo-saxon Protestant. I have no siblings. While it's true I was raised in American culture it was still a big deal when I started being serious about the Christian faith. That's nothing at all like what you went through, but not everyone was raised Christian.
 
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LynnSmith

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I was baptized as a baby but that was it for my life in church until I became an adult and discovered Jesus in my 20’s. I did get baptized again as I felt that is what God’s Word says to do.
A lot of my family are atheists, those who aren’t are indifferent and a few hate the idea of church and hold their idea of what church is against God. On my side those who did go, Protestant. On in-law side and step-family side, Catholic. And none of them go. Weddings and funerals is the only time I’ve sen any of them walk into a church.
 
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Tigger45

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I grew up in a progressive secular environment for that time in fact my father was fairly anti organized religion. Considering we lived in the mecca of Mormonism I give God all the glory that I was able to receive Christ and His church.
 
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Messerve

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Ok I was planning to make this thread a while ago, but there was a similar thread recently, however it didn't really answer my question. A lot of the christians in this forum were raised in a christian society, more specifically a western protestant society. Their great grand parents, grand parents, parents, and their ancestors were all protestant christian. They don't remember their baptism since it was in their infancy too. So therefore they're christian because of their ancestory, area, and they were raised that way. Me personally I have a long ancestry of muslims, my family is still muslim infact, but I became christian and secretly converted after months of historical research and coming to the conclusion that christianity is the only religion that can be seriously backed up. Plus the emotional and spiritual experience I have had, Jesus made me cry like a baby. I am not even baptized yet and when I am I will remember it. When I came on this forum, I expect a lot of christian people around the world, especially converts. Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Former Hindu, Former Muslim, Former Jew, Russian, American, Egyptian, Syrian, Greek, Georgian, Romanian etc. But no, its mostly protestant christian people in the western world that grew up in christian society. It's not that I don't like that, it's just I expect more from a huge website like this where any christian wherever they are can come together, instead it's people who are raised as christian people in a christian majority nation. Sometimes I kind of feel alone on this since I am a convert and my family and land has no experience with christianity.
It's true my ancestors considered themselves Christians. My dad's side was Protestant and my mom's side was Catholic. But I don't believe anyone from either side actually "got it" until my mom and dad came along.

My dad attended church with his family. He was saved as a teenager and later God used him to lead his parents to Jesus, too (who had attended church their whole lives, which is kind of sad...). Some of his relatives were very involved in the Masons which is kind of a cult combining a lot of different religions. We still don't know exactly where those relatives are spiritually. They're very nice, but still very much Masons.

My mom had always taken her Catholic faith seriously, but no one else in her family really did. She walked to church by herself most of the time. It seemed to her that something was missing in all the traditions, like there was something important they were leaving out. She would sing hymns about Jesus from a book at home, and had this notion that Jesus must be someone really wonderful, but no one in her family talked about it. After graduating from college, she began dating my dad who gave her a Bible and shared the Gospel with her. They went to a Bible study together and finally my mom met Jesus, too. That was what was missing from all the traditions at her childhood church. No one had really explained who Jesus was or what he had done.

So, I guess all that to say even people whose family's are "Christian" may not actually have any relatives who know Jesus personally. My mom was met with rejection and anger when she told her family about Jesus. Things are better between them today, but her relatives have become very liberal and support all kinds of things we don't. My parents marriage also caused much tension, since it brought together Catholic and Protestant families who don't generally see eye-to-eye.

So, one doesn't have to have family of a different religion culturally to not have much actual, born-again Christian background. My parents had none and I just have my parents and some aunts and uncles.

And to answer the question in your title, One could say I'm a Christian because I did grow up going to church. But I made the decision myself. No one forced me. And I wasn't baptized until I was 16 which was also 100% my own decision. I questioned my faith a ton as a teenager and wasn't sure I even believed what the Bible said any longer. At that point, I did just go to keep my parents happy. But then I ran into people who's lives had obviously been turned around 180 degrees after meeting Jesus and God began a small revival in my own heart. I began writing worshipful music, and I haven't stopped since. So He got me through those dark days and gave me a new assurance in my faith.

So I'm really not a Christian because of how I was raised. I'm rebellious. ^_^ But Jesus is real and the Word is true and I've chosen not to rebel against it because it would be foolishness to reject the truth. Being a "Christian" was my own choice.
 
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d taylor

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A person is a Christian as defined by the Bible.
They first have believed that Jesus is the promised Messiah and have trusted in Him for His gift of His eternal life. That gives them eternal life
Now if that person follows Jesus in their life they can be said to be Christian because Christian define is a person who is Christ like a follower of Christ.

But actually can a person who has not trusted in The Messiah for eternal life but still pattern their life like Jesus can they identify as a Christian, many probably do. But in reality have not trusted in The Christ for eternal life. Are they the ones that The Christ does not know in Matthew 7:21-23

But being a Christian has nothing to do with location or how many family members are or what church you are raised in, etc..

It does though have to do with, has a person trusted in The Christ for the Gift of eternal life and after receiving eternal life are they living a life, like or patterned like The Christ. Many who have eternal life are not living a Christ like life.
 
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Sabertooth

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I was such a "christian" (as described in the OP) until I was 15. During a summer vacation, I got the REST of the STORY. I surrendered my life to Jesus then and there and have never looked back, since!
 
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mnphysicist

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Birthrate evangelism is the primary means of folks becoming Christian in the US for the last 140 years... and possibly longer, but data sets start getting iffy the older they get. That being said since contemporary church demographics lean toward us gray hair types, I do see this changing as time rolls forward.

Personally, I'm Christian as my parents were, extended family was, and my local culture was.... If it were not for my strong anti-Pelagious views, I'd say the chances of me being a Christian without that environment would be really low.

That being said, birthrate evangelism presents its own unique challenges. I find it hard to relate at times to folks who feel they need to have evidence, and/or to use reason to come to faith, as neither were part of my walk. On the other side of the coin, lots of folks in the birthrate evangelism path seemed to be missing an experiential side of their walk which poses its own set of issues.

As far as this forum goes... going back to the early days, the owner/founder Erwin's mission tagline was to unite all Christians. Being he was an Australian, CF had a much more global tone, to say nothing of the fact, that he encouraged lots of diversity. It was really awesome to learn and interact across a whole multitude of faith practices. I still remember discussing things with Coptic believers and even met a few Russian Orthodox believers too. The challenge is that the levels of diversity across worldwide Christianity often run afoul of US Christian beliefs which brings about no small amount of conflict... and now that the site is very US centric, the level of international Christian participation is a tiny fraction of what it once was.
 
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There are alot of international members here. Spend some time here and you will meet them.

I don't think converts from other religions are as common in Christianity, so that should not be too surprising. Most people generally stay with the religion they were raised with, even if it is just changing denomination. Converts from Islam are understandable since the religions are so similar and they have different claims about God's revelation.
 
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My King and Lord

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There are alot of international members here. Spend some time here and you will meet them.

I don't think converts from other religions are as common in Christianity, so that should not be too surprising. Most people generally stay with the religion they were raised with, even if it is just changing denomination. Converts from Islam are understandable since the religions are so similar and they have different claims about God's revelation.
I know I am replying to this pretty late, but let me tell you this. Christianity is like no other religion. It especially shares little in common with the other abrahamic religions, Islam and Judaism. The religions people claim they share a lot in common with Christianity, when they really don't. I am saying this as someone who studied multiple religions and read some of their religious scriptures. And a study has shown that majority of people who convert to Christianity come from muslim household, but they usually keep it a secret out of fear.
 
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JCFantasy23

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My parents and family are Christian, but I was not raised religious. We didn't go to church other than when I was very small, did not speak of God unless I asked a direct question, did not have prayers said aloud or around the dinner table. I knew when asking about my family if they were Christians when I was older, but we were cut off from my family on both sides (I was not around either grandfather or grandmother) and I was in another state separated from all uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. While my family is Christian I do not consider it an influence on my own faith other than I would sometimes go to my mother with questions.

I have been a Christian since I was small and a daily prayer since Junior High (started that up one day on my own), but did not decide to find a formal church, get a church membership, and officially baptised until my 30's. I'm glad I waited and that I can remember my baptism and making informed decisions on denominations and churches to choose.
 
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Kaon

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Ok I was planning to make this thread a while ago, but there was a similar thread recently, however it didn't really answer my question. A lot of the christians in this forum were raised in a christian society, more specifically a western protestant society. Their great grand parents, grand parents, parents, and their ancestors were all protestant christian. They don't remember their baptism since it was in their infancy too. So therefore they're christian because of their ancestory, area, and they were raised that way. Me personally I have a long ancestry of muslims, my family is still muslim infact, but I became christian and secretly converted after months of historical research and coming to the conclusion that christianity is the only religion that can be seriously backed up. Plus the emotional and spiritual experience I have had, Jesus made me cry like a baby. I am not even baptized yet and when I am I will remember it. When I came on this forum, I expect a lot of christian people around the world, especially converts. Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Former Hindu, Former Muslim, Former Jew, Russian, American, Egyptian, Syrian, Greek, Georgian, Romanian etc. But no, its mostly protestant christian people in the western world that grew up in christian society. It's not that I don't like that, it's just I expect more from a huge website like this where any christian wherever they are can come together, instead it's people who are raised as christian people in a christian majority nation. Sometimes I kind of feel alone on this since I am a convert and my family and land has no experience with christianity.

I wasn't raised Christian, and I didn't find my Father until after I became a mathematician. Some people have been witches, sorcerers, murderers, and downright "evil" people before they made a genuine conversion to seek after the Most High God. Some people were in academia, medicine and/or some other "reputable" field most or all of their lives before they come to the Most High God. The stereotype about Christians is a poor representation of who the Most High God is, and who His actual children are.

Remember the Word of God Himself said that not everyone who calls His name and does "miracles" is a Christian. On the other hand, there are a lot of people all around us who are saints that have been tried by fire, and are actually children of the Most High God. I used to reject and scoff at these types of people all of the time. (I may still do it). I would say forget about what the world believes a Christian should look like (especially institutionally), and look at what your Father has to say about it.
 
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