Fill in the blank (_) in the following sentence from the following choices.
Sentence: Mary converted to Christianity and asked Erin about how to pray as a Christian because _ was previously an Atheist.

Choice 1: Mary converted to Christianity and asked Erin about how to pray as a Christian because Mary was previously an Atheist.
Choice 2: Mary converted to Christianity and asked Erin about how to pray as a Christian because Erin was previously an Atheist.
Which of the choices is correct? Respond with only "1" or "2" and no additional text.
1
1.