I was just wondering .. Just a little theoretical thought..
If they backed out of the C..
How would there be the so called sacrifices.. Right.
Good question.
There is an example of a person that turned back to God after being an wisard. He became a big saint afterwards.
"Saint Cyprian lived during Emperor Diocletian (284-305). Saint Cyprian was a wizard, philosopher and servant of the pagan god Apollo of Syria's Antioch.
Saint Ciprian - bounces the witchcraft and becomes a bishop
From the story of his life, we find out that a young pagan, Aglaid, fell in love with Justina and wanting to marry her, ask for the help of the wizard Ciprian because he was rejected by the virgin. Ciprian sent successively to the Justina devils to kindle the bodily lust for Aglaid. But the spells of Ciprian were out of effect, for she banished them with prayer, fasting, and the sign of the holy cross. After these futile efforts, Ciprian knew the deception he was in and was baptized. He was ordained a priest, and later a bishop in Carthage. Saint Cyprian died as a martyr on October 2, 304 with Saint Justina."
An interesting confesion of his: "being perfect in all wickedness: sorcerous and charming, soul-losing, great friend and faithful servant of the ruler of hell, with whom only one face in front and great honor from him was worthy. For this he confessed himself, saying, "Believe me that I alone have seen the devil, because by sacrifice I have prayed and kissed him and talked to him and to those who are at his side and they loved me and praised my understanding, and before everyone said "Here is the new Amvri, fast to our obedience, temporarily to our fellowship." And they promised me they would make me boyar after my death, and as long as I have to spend on the earth, they all help me and give me a group of devils for my service. And when I came out of him, he cried out to me: "Courage ".
I was totally given to him, submitting to all his command. "This is what Cypriot himself said after returning to God. ".
It seems the devil promises you only good things after death. I will give in detail some details from his life if you want to read.
Also when he found out the Devil was just fooling him: "
Knowing that the sign of the cross and the name of Christ overcame them, he woke up and said to the devil, "The piercing and all the deceiver, the owner of all the uncleanness and deceit, I have now known your helplessness , that if the ones who make the sign of the cross you can't defeat, then what will you do when Christ alone will come upon you?
I know now that you are nothing, and you can not do anything, and you have no power of prosperity, I have deceived myself, the wicked, by listening to you and believing in your deception, so depart from me, damn you, go away, that it is now up to me to pray the Christians that they will have mercy on me, that it is up to me to run to the faithful to save me and to take care of my salvation: Go, go wrong, enemy of truth, and the hated and hateful of all the world! "
When they heard them, the devil rushed to Ciprian to kill him, and, diving on him, began to strangle him, beating him.
And Ciprian had no help from anybody, and he did not know how to help him and save himself from the terrible devilish hands, and, alive, he remembered the sign of the holy cross by which Justina resisted all the devilish power, and said, "God of Justina, help me also!" Then, raising his hand, he made the sign of the cross and the devil immediately as a long arrow perished from him.
And he, being cold and getting bold and calling the name of Christ, meant the sign of the cross, and so he resisted the devil, reproached him and cursed him. The devil stood far from him and dared not approach, for the sign of the cross and the name of Christ, which scared him and terrified him, saying, "Christ will not bring you out of my claws!" And, angry with him, he roared like a lion, and went away.
The way he got saved: Praying and crying for his mistakes.
"Ciprian, taking all the books of his sorcerers, ran to Antim, the Christian bishop, and, falling at his feet, prayed to have pity on him and give him the Saint Baptism. And the bishop, knowing him a great sorcerer, thought he had come to him with deceit and rejected him, saying, "Many evils you do among the pagans and do not do it among Christians too" . And Ciprian, weeping, told the bishop all his wickednesses and gave him his books to burn them.
Seeing the bishop his humbleness, he showed him and taught him the holy faith and commanded him to prepare to receive the Holy Baptism. And he burned his books in front of all the Christians of the city. Then, with humiliated heart, Ciprian was crying for his sins, sprinkling ashes on his head and repenting, shouting to the true God, and praying for the cleansing of his transgressions.
Also he was not baptized that easily. He had to prove he wants to become a christian following the priest's tips.
"The next day, entering the church, listening to the word of God with comfort and joy, standing among the faithful. And when they called the deacon, he ordered them to come out, saying, "How many are called, come out!".Others went out, and Ciprian did not want to come out, but said to the deacon: "The servant of Christ I am, please let me stay" ( at that time the non-baptized christians could not assist the saint liturgy).
And the deacon said to him, "Since you are still incomprehensible and you don't have the Holy Baptism, for this you ought to go out." And he said, "Christ is my God, who kept me away from the devil, and the pure Justinian guarded and loved me, so do not drive me out of the church until I am a real Christian" .
Then the deacon told the bishop about this and the bishop
, knowing his mercy and the warmth of the heart for faith in Christ, called him to himself and immediately baptized him in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Hearing this, Saint Justin's great thanksgiving exalted himself to God, and many kindreds he gave the poor and princes to the church.
And on Ciprian, the bishop read it on the eighth day, on the twentieth day he made him ipodiacon, and on the thirtieth day he made him a deacon, and after a year he ordained the priest.
Ciprian, changing his habit, day by day, straightened his way of life, always crying for his evil deeds before, and went from power to power and kindness to kindness. Then he was soon appointed bishop, and in that place he showed a life similar to that of many great saints, and well pastorated the flock of Christ.
And the holy Justina made her a deaconess and entrusted her with a monastery of virgins, making her an abbot on those Christian virgins.
And pagan people, through his image and his teaching, from the idol worship, turned them back, earned them and united them with the Church of Christ. And the idolatry glory was dull, and the glory of Christ multiplied."
All in all, I know it's pretty long but the idea is that if they turn back to God and want to save their souls.. there should be much determination, persistance and struggle because their past was very dark.