? A Question For All Former Christians Who Fell Away ?

[YahDough]

This is a question addressed only to former Christians who have left the faith.

Why did you become a Christian?
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[Ooberman]

No, i'm telling you, i was a better Christian. You are in danger of falling away. You have your nagging doubts that you try to supress in your darkest moments. You know it.

But this is not about you proudly announcing how much God thinks of you, its about the truth. Verily i say unto you, you are in more danger of backsliding than i was.

[olavisjo]

.

No, i'm telling you, i was a better Christian. You are in danger of falling away. You have your nagging doubts that you try to suppress in your darkest moments. You know it.

But this is not about you proudly announcing how much God thinks of you, its about the truth. Verily i say unto you, you are in more danger of backsliding than i was.

You are right, and if I was holding on to God, I would have let go of him a long time ago. But, it is God who is holding on to me because of his grace, and I pray he will never let go of me.

[YahDough]

No, i'm telling you, i was a better Christian.

I don't know who you're talking to, but I'm sure you were a better Christian than you are now.

You are in danger of falling away.

I suppose there is always a danger of falling away. But God is able to keep His chosen people from failing His grace.

You have your nagging doubts that you try to supress in your darkest moments. You know it.

Doubt is the enemy of faith. I have learned that the "darkest moments" are when we need Jesus the most, and I trust Him with my life.

[Ooberman]

I said the exact same things to people as you guys are saying to me. Not believing in Jesus seemed to be similar to believing the sky didnt exist.

You can all say "Lord, Lord" all you want, and try to impress me with your level of Faith, but i can tell you no one believed more than I did.

There was no doubt God existed, that Jesus was Lord and present in my life.

I felt all the things you feel now.

For you to claim i didnt would be like you attacking a fellow Christian who likewise claims to believe in Jesus.

I am not alone, either. I have spoken to clergy who also left the Faith. It happens.

It could happen to you.

[YahDough]

I said the exact same things to people as you guys are saying to me. Not believing in Jesus seemed to be similar to believing the sky didnt exist.

You can all say "Lord, Lord" all you want, and try to impress me with your level of Faith, but i can tell you no one believed more than I did.

There was no doubt God existed, that Jesus was Lord and present in my life.

I felt all the things you feel now.

For you to claim i didnt would be like you attacking a fellow Christian who likewise claims to believe in Jesus.

I am not alone, either. I have spoken to clergy who also left the Faith. It happens.

It could happen to you.

So what precipitated the world's greatest Christian's (you) fall from belief? Did God do a "Job" on you?

[Ooberman]

I said the exact same things to people as you guys are saying to me. Not believing in Jesus seemed to be similar to believing the sky didnt exist.

You can all say "Lord, Lord" all you want, and try to impress me with your level of Faith, but i can tell you no one believed more than I did.

There was no doubt God existed, that Jesus was Lord and present in my life.

I felt all the things you feel now.

For you to claim i didnt would be like you attacking a fellow Christian who likewise claims to believe in Jesus.

I am not alone, either. I have spoken to clergy who also left the Faith. It happens.

It could happen to you.

So what precipitated the world's greatest Christian's (you) fall from belief? Did God do a "Job" on you?

Wow, you are giving yourself and me so much credit! Just because I was a better Christian than you doesn't mean I was the best in the world!

Do you really think of yourself that highly? Does god know this about you?

Are you asking me why I stopped believing for advice? Are you considering leaving your Faith? I don't know if I can help you. I don't know why, but it was a long process.

Over time I stopped believing. There was no Road to Damascus moment. Just a slow, ebbing away. There was no bad event, or good event.

It just happened slowly; subtly.

Would you like to tell me why I stopped believing?

Why did Mother Theresa stop believing? Do you think she stopped trying or something?

[YahDough]

I said the exact same things to people as you guys are saying to me. Not believing in Jesus seemed to be similar to believing the sky didnt exist.

You can all say "Lord, Lord" all you want, and try to impress me with your level of Faith, but i can tell you no one believed more than I did.

There was no doubt God existed, that Jesus was Lord and present in my life.

I felt all the things you feel now.

For you to claim i didnt would be like you attacking a fellow Christian who likewise claims to believe in Jesus.

I am not alone, either. I have spoken to clergy who also left the Faith. It happens.

It could happen to you.

So what precipitated the world's greatest Christian's (you) fall from belief? Did God do a "Job" on you?

Wow, you are giving yourself and me so much credit! Just because I was a better Christian than you doesn't mean I was the best in the world!

You gave yourself the credit, not me. You said "...but i can tell you no one believed more than I did."

Over time I stopped believing. There was no Road to Damascus moment. Just a slow, ebbing away. There was no bad event, or good event.

It just happened slowly; subtly.

Would you like to tell me why I stopped believing?

I could give it a stab.
1. You didn't get the things from God you wanted.
2. Being a Christian wasn't as easy as you had hoped.
3. Having fun and then dying seemed like a better option than working to live forever.

[Ooberman]

I said the exact same things to people as you guys are saying to me. Not believing in Jesus seemed to be similar to believing the sky didnt exist.

You can all say "Lord, Lord" all you want, and try to impress me with your level of Faith, but i can tell you no one believed more than I did.

There was no doubt God existed, that Jesus was Lord and present in my life.

I felt all the things you feel now.

For you to claim i didnt would be like you attacking a fellow Christian who likewise claims to believe in Jesus.

I am not alone, either. I have spoken to clergy who also left the Faith. It happens.

It could happen to you.

So what precipitated the world's greatest Christian's (you) fall from belief? Did God do a "Job" on you?

Wow, you are giving yourself and me so much credit! Just because I was a better Christian than you doesn't mean I was the best in the world!

You gave yourself the credit, not me. You said "...but i can tell you no one believed more than I did."

It's a common phrase. Don't be so literal.

Over time I stopped believing. There was no Road to Damascus moment. Just a slow, ebbing away. There was no bad event, or good event.

It just happened slowly; subtly.

Would you like to tell me why I stopped believing?

I could give it a stab.
1. You didn't get the things from God you wanted.
2. Being a Christian wasn't as easy as you had hoped.
3. Having fun and then dying seemed like a better option than working to live forever.

Or, I came to not believe in God because there was no reason to believe.

Isn't that an actual option? That God doesn't exist?

[olavisjo]

.

Isn't that an actual option? That God doesn't exist?

That is not an option. If there were no God, there would be no right or wrong, all things would be permitted. And we both know that is not the case. Think about it.

[McCulloch]

.

Isn't that an actual option? That God doesn't exist?

That is not an option. If there were no God, there would be no right or wrong, all things would be permitted. And we both know that is not the case. Think about it.

How did you reach that conclusion? Is it because of the postumous reward and punishment? Can you not conceive of being good without some Cosmic Father figure to watch and grant His divine approval? Can your moral sense be reduced to simply interpreting God's revelations making morality seem somewhat arbitrary?