The Controversy of the "Ex-Christian"

After spending a short amount of time in the Christian and/or atheist-agnostic blogosphere, or in virtually any online discussion medium where these topics are dealt with, and you will likely encounter what I like to refer to as "The 'Ex-Christian Controversy.'"

First of all, what is an ex-Christian? The answer should be obvious: It is someone who was once a member of the Christian faith, but who no longer is. There are many atheists and agnostics who were Christians before adopting the secular views they presently have. Many Christians respond to their claims by saying, "Nope. You were never a Christian to begin with." In short, these atheists and agnostics claim that they were once Christians, and many of the Christians say that anyone who leaves their religion was never really part of the religion to begin with. This is what "The Ex-Christian Controversy" essentially is.

As I have said in other posts, I was a Christian before arriving at the position I currently am in. Like many other ex-Christians, I have been told by Christians that, since I left the faith, I was never really a part of it to begin with. The Christians who make such claims use a number of different arguments to back up their assertions. Some of them simply say that if the Holy Spirit has truly entered your heart, then he/she/it never leaves. They say that if a person has truly experienced God, then that person will never leave the Christian faith. This is a rendition of the "once saved, always saved" philosophy, which states that once a person has truly accepted the salvation of Christianity, that person will never abandon it. Judging by nothing more than my experience alone, I would say that these types of arguments are probably the most common amongst Christians who say that people who claim to be former Christians were never Christians to begin with.

In addition to the arguments mentioned above, I have also seen some Christians quote this segment of the Bible as a reinforcement to their argument that former Christians were never authentic Christians: "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I NEVER (emphasis mine) knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:22-23) When this verse is quoted, emphasis is placed on the word "never." The words in this passage are being spoken by Jesus, and what Jesus is saying is that not everyone who professes to follow him will be accepted into Heaven. Since Jesus is telling these people that he NEVER knew them, then they never could have been true Christians, because if they had been, then Jesus would not have said that he NEVER knew them. To be honest, I'm a little unclear on how this applies to former Christians. I have read the entire chapter that this passage is in, and Jesus is saying that not everyone who calls him "Lord" will be accepted into Heaven. All I can guess is that they are saying that former Christians only gave lip service to God when they were claiming to be Christians. In other words, they labeled themselves as Christians but they never took their faith seriously.

I'm a little torn on this issue. Since I was once a Christian, I am inclined to want to say that these Christians are wrong when they make these claims. However, another part of me wants to relent and say, "Okay, if you want to say I was never a Christian, then fine, I wasn't a Christian." It's not that I want to give into their claims and act as though they are right. It's really just that I really don't feel overly inclined to argue over such a thing. Even though I did label myself a Christian at one point in my life, I am no longer a Christian, and I probably never will be one again. In all honesty, I think it's a moot point. If someone says that I was never a Christian, I can't say I agree with that person or like what that person is saying. Still, I find it a rather trivial thing to squabble about. So, if you Christians out there want to say I was never a Christian, then be my guest. I really don't see how your saying that is going to help either of us. To be blunt, I think you're just saying it to get under my skin. But if you insist on going through your lives with that belief in your heads, then we'll just agree to disagree.