What 'makes you' believe?

Originally posted by @romans1009
So, presumably, you became a Christian based on believing the claims that Christians make about themselves and about the meaning of Jesus’ life. Nothing about believing in God and then not believing in God. Nothing about believing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and then not believing it. Nothing about believing Jesus was God in the flesh and then not believing that.

What do you mean "nothing about" those things? Of course I believed in God. Of course I believed in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. What are you on about? I was a Christian.

Originally posted by @romans1009
Did you ever accept Christ into your heart and believe God raised Him from the dead? Did you ever think you satisfied John 3:16 and Romans 10:9?

Of course I did. I was a Christian.

Originally posted by @fmf
I was a Christian.

Do you think it is reasonable to believe someone who says, "I am a Christian" if they can't even answer basic questions about their Christian faith?

Originally posted by @dj2becker
Do you think it is reasonable to believe someone who says, "I am a Christian" if they can't even answer basic questions about their Christian faith?

I am not interested in discussing it with you. I am not interested in answering your questions. I don't care what you think is reasonable or not.

Originally posted by @fmf
I am not interested in discussing it with you. I am not interested in answering your questions. I don't care what you think is reasonable or not.

I asked you what you thought not what I thought, but anyway, suit yourself.

Originally posted by @dj2becker
I asked you what you thought not what I thought, but anyway, suit yourself.

I think I am being completely reasonable by not being interested in discussing personal information about my past with you or with Romans1009. I am not interested in answering your questions and I am not interested in answering your questions. I think this is a reasonable reaction to you and to him.

Originally posted by @fmf
I think I am being completely reasonable by not being interested in discussing personal information about my past with you or with Romans1009. I am not interested in answering your questions and I am not interested in answering your questions. I think this is a reasonable reaction to you and to him.

Indeed, how very honesty and transparent of you. Are you ashamed about your past?

Originally posted by @fmf
Yes, you have.

No I have not repeatedly called you a liar. I don’t think I said that even once.

I said I didn’t think you were a Christian and that your claim you were wasn’t truthful. That’s not the same as calling you a liar. You may have honestly believed you were a Christian and been mistaken. In fact, I think that’s the case *based on what you have written about why you are no longer a Christian.*

Someone can be mistaken about something and say something that is not truthful without lying. I think lying requires knowing something is false and claiming it’s true (or vice versa.) In other words, there must be an informed and intentional effort to deceive.

Originally posted by @romans1009
I said I didn’t think you were a Christian and that your claim you were wasn’t truthful.

I am telling the truth about having been a Christian for more than 25 years.

Originally posted by @fmf
I realized I no longer subscribed to the claims that Christians make about being "saved" by Jesus and the claims about the divinity of Jesus and the significance of his death, so I realized I was no longer a Christian. I am not lying about it as you have repeatedly suggested.

I never said you were lying about it. You’re lying by claiming I did.

Originally posted by @dj2becker
Indeed, how very honesty and transparent of you. Are you ashamed about your past?

"Ashamed"? Why would I be "ashamed"? Don't you remember me telling you several times about my positive, no-regrets attitude to my Christian past? I told you about it several times in posts addressed to you. What makes you think - now, despite all that - that I would be "ashamed"?

Originally posted by @romans1009
No I have not repeatedly called you a liar.

Yes you have. In the last 20 or so minutes I have unearthed numerous occasions across several threads where you claimed I wasn't telling the truth and you used the word "lie" repeatedly.

Originally posted by @fmf
What do you mean "nothing about" those things? Of course I believed in God. Of course I believed in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. What are you on about? I was a Christian.

Then why didn’t you say you no longer were a Christian based on not believing Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and based on not believing Jesus Christ was Resurrected from the dead?

Instead you said you were no longer a Christian because you no longer believed what people said about themselves and about what Jesus’ life meant.

It seems like both your becoming a Christian and your no longer being a Christian was based entirely on what people said.

You can’t believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him into your heart based on what someone says. It has to be a conscious decision on a spiritual level. Same with believing God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Originally posted by @romans1009
You were caught in a flat-out lie and are embarrassed about it. Know how to avoid that happening in the future? Stop lying. You’re not as clever as you think.
[...]
I never said you were lying about it. You’re lying by claiming I did.

I am not lying about having been a Christian.

Originally posted by @romans1009
Instead you said you were no longer a Christian because you no longer believed what people said about themselves and about what Jesus’ life meant.

I said I realized I was no longer a Christian because I no longer professed Christian beliefs.