Was every current christian not one before?

[HumanisticJones]

It seems that whenever I enter a debate with a christian or hear an apologist speaking about their past, they always state that in the past they weren't christian until someone brought them to Jesus.

If it had only been a few, I don't think I would have a problem, but it seems that every christian out pushing the message either...
"Used to be an atheist and believe in science but no longer."
"Practiced witchcraft and worshipped spirits until being shown the truth."
"Was involved in cults until a pastor or friend freed them."

The statistics on this are just too high for me to really accept. It seems that either a good number of christian families aren't raising their children in their faith, or more likely that its just something used to gain a sort of 'street cred' in their debates and lectures.

Does anyone have an answer on this or am I just in that statistical anomaly where everyone I talk to has this angle?

 

[ebia]

It's easy to explain: those who bother to mention their past in this way are those who think it's relevent to the conversation. Your sample is self-selecting in a very particular way. If you chose a random sample of christians and asked questions about their past you would get a much more varied selection.

 

[Dondi]

There are in fact those in my church who have been raised in a Christian home and have stayed faithfull to their spirtual upbrining all during the time they have grown up. Of course, growing up in a Christian home does not a Christian make. There is a point in one's life when you must decide for yourself to be a follower of Jesus or not. There have been just as many who have drifted from their Christian roots and on to other things, living life differently, only to come to the realization that Jesus is the Way. Then there are others that never come back. Such are some of you here in the GA.

In Jesus's day, He was followed by so many multitude of people. They saw His miracles and healings, they were fed when they were hungry. But when it came down to the heart of His teachings, and Jesus taught some radically unpopular things, many went away. They couldn't handle what He was saying (read John 6 to get an idea). But that didn't seem to deter Jesus. He asked his disciples if they would go away also, as almost expecting their abandonment. But what was the disciple's reply? "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." - John 6:68

I tried to abandon Christ once, but I couldn't. There is nothing else out there that I could find that offered the life that Christ offers. So I guess I'm stuck...happily.

 

[BereanTodd]

I would say that your sample is also skewed because those of us who have a passion for apologetics and sharing with atheists and pagans and other unbelievers are often those who had that sort of backgronud ourselves. We know where we came from and we are passionate to reach others from similar backgrounds.

I am 31 years old, I lived 20 years of my life as either an atheist, agnositc, or (for a very brief time) playing around with druidic paganism.

 

[Adstar]

Of course the most enthusiastic givers of the Word of God tend to be the Ones who came to it in their lives rather than where born into it.

If you are lost in darkness and suddenly come to know the light the contrast is astounding the joy is overwhelming and the drive to run out and give the good news to the world in overpowering.

You should not be surprised that you keep on running into Christians who came to believe in Jesus later on in their lives, Look at the apostle Paul, He was a convert. a sudden one at that. He was the greatest evangelist the early church knew.

People who are most passionate about the word of God are people who have experienced the other side of the coin.

All Praise The Ancient Of Days

PS: Yeah, I came to believe Jesus when I was 17. lol so you have found another one. Believe it or not.

 

[Adstar]

I would say that your sample is also skewed because those of us who have a passion for apologetics and sharing with atheists and pagans and other unbelievers are often those who had that sort of backgronud ourselves. We know where we came from and we are passionate to reach others from similar backgrounds.

I am 31 years old, I lived 20 years of my life as either an atheist, agnositc, or (for a very brief time) playing around with druidic paganism.

Absolutely right.

You don't think we take the mockery and abuse because we love it do you?

No we take it because we love You.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[ITBM]

It seems that whenever I enter a debate with a christian or hear an apologist speaking about their past, they always state that in the past they weren't christian until someone brought them to Jesus.

The quick answer is YES! Because to be a Christian means to be a follower of Jesus. In order to follow someone you need to make a choice. So everyone who is a Christian was once not one because they had to decide to follow Him.

But I don't think that's exactly what you meant.

If it had only been a few, I don't think I would have a problem, but it seems that every christian out pushing the message either...
"Used to be an atheist and believe in science but no longer."
"Practiced witchcraft and worshipped spirits until being shown the truth."
"Was involved in cults until a pastor or friend freed them."

The statistics on this are just too high for me to really accept. It seems that either a good number of christian families aren't raising their children in their faith, or more likely that its just something used to gain a sort of 'street cred' in their debates and lectures.

Does anyone have an answer on this or am I just in that statistical anomaly where everyone I talk to has this angle?

I've come into contact with many different Christians since becoming one. Some have grown up in the church and became a Christian at an early age. Others have come to faith in Christ much later in life.

I think you're basically asking, it seems that most Christians are from the latter group. Is this accurate? Is it skewed for some unknown reason? Or is it a ploy/plot to get 'street cred'?

I would say it is skewed for various reasons:
1. Only so many people grow up in the church as opposed to those who don't.
2. Like previously mentioned, most people who work in outreach positions often do so because they can relate because they were once in their shoes.
3. I hate to say this, but I find that people who come to faith in Christ 'on their own', as opposed to 'growing up in the church', tend to be much more passionate in living out their faith.

 

[hannahfievel]

The quick answer is YES! Because to be a Christian means to be a follower of Jesus. In order to follow someone you need to make a choice. So everyone who is a Christian was once not one because they had to decide to follow Him.

But I don't think that's exactly what you meant.



I've come into contact with many different Christians since becoming one. Some have grown up in the church and became a Christian at an early age. Others have come to faith in Christ much later in life.

I think you're basically asking, it seems that most Christians are from the latter group. Is this accurate? Is it skewed for some unknown reason? Or is it a ploy/plot to get 'street cred'?

I would say it is skewed for various reasons:
1. Only so many people grow up in the church as opposed to those who don't.
2. Like previously mentioned, most people who work in outreach positions often do so because they can relate because they were once in their shoes.
3. I hate to say this, but I find that people who come to faith in Christ 'on their own', as opposed to 'growing up in the church', tend to be much more passionate in living out their faith.

Hello ITBM,

I do think you have hit the nail on the head so to speak. Of course "everyone" has to find his or her own road to HIM. We all start out as youngen's and are taught one thing or another...many as "Christians" from birth, but until a person themselves...Finds Christ...there would be no other path other than being called and have claimed His truth to be your own faith and belief, amen!

And, like you said...most Christians I have met that were not raised Christian...have a passionate faith because we are sooo grateful to be called HIS!

And, some, like me...have started out in one faith(jewish)...HE just showed us through whatever means...HIS PATH OF LOVE!

I thank and praise Him daily for all He done for us lowly sinners that don't deserve anything. He is my only Hope and Joy in a sorrow filled world. HE IS OUR SAVIOR, and he loves you just as much as anyone else, that is why HE helps some of His own out of horrifying dilemas that they have put themselves in...like the occult and stuff, amen! Maybe that is one reason you hear those things so often...many are just "grateful" that they were caught by HIM when they found there was no one else that could help them! hannah

 

[RN4CHRIST]

I have to agree with most here. I think that your sample group was limited. In the Church I attend, I would probably be in the minority, as someone who came from an agnostic, pantheist background. Most Christians that I know, have grown up in Church and came to Christ at an early age. That being said MY Sample group is limited because I am in the "Buckle" of "The Bible Belt". I figure if I went to a large city like New York or Los Angeles I would find more people who came to Christ from a variety of backgrounds. It is all in where you look as to how someone came to know Christ. The main thing that all Christians have in common is they all were sinners first. To me the how is the Glory of their Testimony for Christ, but the most wonderful thing is they were call of Him in the 1st place.

 

[Key]

Great Answers everyone. I think this really summed it up.

Many of the Christians that have a Atheist or Pagan past are the most fit for such strife and on slaw that erupts from the field of Apologetics and Outreach. Not because of something special about them, but because, sadly they heard all the objections before... mainly.. from their own mouths.

In this case, yes, in Apologetics you will find a large group of former "Other Religion or Belief" people, because that is the nature of the field.

One might say.. "it's just the nature of the beast".

God Bless

Key

 

[glo1]

It seems that whenever I enter a debate with a christian or hear an apologist speaking about their past, they always state that in the past they weren't christian until someone brought them to Jesus.

If it had only been a few, I don't think I would have a problem, but it seems that every christian out pushing the message either...
"Used to be an atheist and believe in science but no longer."
"Practiced witchcraft and worshipped spirits until being shown the truth."
"Was involved in cults until a pastor or friend freed them."

The statistics on this are just too high for me to really accept. It seems that either a good number of christian families aren't raising their children in their faith, or more likely that its just something used to gain a sort of 'street cred' in their debates and lectures.

Does anyone have an answer on this or am I just in that statistical anomaly where everyone I talk to has this angle?

Becoming a Christian is always a deliberate choice - a personal step, a personal decision.
Therefore nobody is 'born a Christian' - we all have chosen to follow Christ at some point in our lives. That's when we became a Christian ... until that moment we were not.

glo

 

[HumanisticJones]

Well, I do think that sums up what I was wondering. I had begun to wonder if maybe those that were once non-theists take to the call of apologetics because they feel that they are the best suited to try to convert others. My feelings on the effectiveness of their arguements even given this background nonwithstanding, I think this answers it.

Thanks all

 

[Key]

Well, I do think that sums up what I was wondering. I had begun to wonder if maybe those that were once non-theists take to the call of apologetics because they feel that they are the best suited to try to convert others. My feelings on the effectiveness of their arguements even given this background nonwithstanding, I think this answers it.

Thanks all

Glad we could help you.

God Bless

Key

 

[Catherineanne]

It seems that whenever I enter a debate with a christian or hear an apologist speaking about their past, they always state that in the past they weren't christian until someone brought them to Jesus.

I was raised a Christian. I was baptised at one month old, went to Sunday School, and took in Christian values and principles in growing up.

There was a time at junior school when I decided that Jesus must be made up, for the very sophisticated reason that history claimed to contain both cowboys and Jesus, and the two were incompatible to my young mind. So I thought you had to choose between them, and I chose cowboys as more likely to be real. But that required a very strange construct of everyone knowing that Jesus etc was a myth, but pretending to everyone else that they thought it was real. Rather like how we treat Santa Claus. But even with this weird viewpoint, I still prayed.

Later I decided the cowboy thing was rather simplistic. And later still I made a commitment to call myself a Christian, rather than just being one inside. But looking back, there is not one day in all that time when God was not with me, with my faith in him the constant centre of my life, whatever else has happened to me and around me.

Some people will say you cannot be born a Christian. I do not agree with this. My daughter was born, like me, into a Christian family and raised as a Christian. She was baptised as a baby, as I was, and I and her Godparents made promises on her behalf, as were made on my behalf by my parents and Godparents.

When she is an adult, she will have the choice of confirming these promises for herself, or deciding that Christianity is not for her. But until that point, she is part of my church, and a Christain.

I know other denominations look at this differently, but for a very large part of the church it is indeed possible to be born a Christian, raised a Christian, and then to accept for oneself the faith into which one has been raised for oneself. And therefore, as with myself, to have walked with God all one's life.

If you want a parallel with this, you only need look at Our Lord, who was circumcised at 8 days old, and then became part of the Jewish family of faith. No doubt he could have rejected that faith as an adult, but he was certainly born and raised a Jew, and remained a Jew all his life. Christianity is no different.

 

[MarcusHill]

Some of the most fervent anti-smokers are ex smokers.

I'd like that analogy better if quitting smoking wasn't actually good for your health...

 

[Digit]

It seems that whenever I enter a debate with a christian or hear an apologist speaking about their past, they always state that in the past they weren't christian until someone brought them to Jesus.

If it had only been a few, I don't think I would have a problem, but it seems that every christian out pushing the message either...
"Used to be an atheist and believe in science but no longer."
"Practiced witchcraft and worshipped spirits until being shown the truth."
"Was involved in cults until a pastor or friend freed them."

The statistics on this are just too high for me to really accept. It seems that either a good number of christian families aren't raising their children in their faith, or more likely that its just something used to gain a sort of 'street cred' in their debates and lectures.

Does anyone have an answer on this or am I just in that statistical anomaly where everyone I talk to has this angle?

Wow... you have some interesting friends. My wife was raised a Christian, and I am a convert, although thinking back my family was Christian but I simply didn't adopt their views. I can't recall any real push from them until much, much later though.

Digit

 

[Key]

Some of the most fervent anti-smokers are ex smokers.

I'd like that analogy better if quitting smoking wasn't actually good for your health...

Well.. yes... that is true... but.. you will also find that many Former-Atheist do not try very hard to convert you, but only answer your questions, mainly because, we know that you must make the choice, it can not be imposed.

Why do we know this, well mainly, because we were in your shoes before, and we were not "converted" by simple logic arguments and such, so we know if it didn't work on us, it won't work on you.

God Bless

Key

 

[gracealone]

HI Jones,
I'm one of those that you think is in the minority. I was raised in a Christian home and came to Christ at a very young age. It was the evidence of the love of Christ in the life of my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles.. etc. that led me to desiring to have the same thing that they had. Now our kids have made this same choice.. Christ is the passion of their lives. There are those in my Dad's family who rejected Christ.. that decision has taken an awful toll in the lives of their children and grandchildren. I saw this growing up and it had a big impact on me.
I still believe in "giving a reasoned answer for the hope that lies within me".
Just thought you might like to hear from one of many like myself.
Best Regards