Tourniquet Static
I've been "saved", as people call it. I've returned to God. I do have some issues still with the Bible and its teachings, but after elongated conversations/debates offline, some soul-searching and a sudden realisation I've become "God's child" once more.
Good for you
3nodding I'm not a Christian, but I recognise that this is something you have considered and that is the right path for you, and I respect that.
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Would you judge me for it? When I told someone this belief, they immediatly assumed I was one of those Christians who were all "JESUS LOVES YA! COME BACK TO GOD!", and said my religion was no better than an imaginary friend.
To be honest I think it's the "born again" bit. It's a fallacy I know, but the term does have a tendency to automatically bring to mind the type of person who talks about god 24/7 to anyone who will listen. Like "God changed my LIFE! So you should be Christian too!"
I admit my eyebrows rose when I read the title. If you were to say to me "I'm a born again Christian" I'd get a different impression than were you just to say "I've recently become a Christian". In fact I'd react in very different ways. To the first I'd be turned off, really rather dismissive of conversation going down those lines. To the second I'd be quite interested and might ask you about what led you to where you are and how you felt now you're where you at. I shouldn't be so dismissive in future
3nodding Quote:
So, atheists/other religions, how wold you approach someone who called themself a Christian after not believing for so long?
As I mentioned before, a lot would depend on how they presented themselves. A lot would be my own inference of course so it would differ.
Coming to the interaction from the right direction, I'd assume if they had been an atheist before that they had come to the religion after a lot of thought and soul-searching, so I'd probably act differently to speaking to a life-long Christian. I'd also anticipate them being relatively open to other religious ideas. As such, I'd address them as a fellow religious person and discuss faith in general. The newly religious are fun in that they tend to be quite enthusiastic when they have a receptive ear. So long as they retained respect for my own path and interest in what I had to say I would think we could have a good old conversation. So I would go in there optimistically.
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