Zone1 You didn’t choose your faith. It chose you.

[Meriweather]

Your religion is an accident of birth not a true faith.

God reaches everyone where they are and draws them closer from where they started.

 

[BreezeWood]

Actually, the people who gave up religion altogether are the ones who are stagnant. They have no place to go, whereas people of faith have a multitude.

no, they learned the truth ...

they see the three desert religions as one in the same all three corruptions and those that use them as their alternative from earning their own way as taught in the 1st century rather as abdicating to books of fiction and fallacies, bibles written for their own self interest and nothing more.

 

[Correll]

no, they learned the truth ...

they see the three desert religions as one in the same all three corruptions and those that use them as their alternative from earning their own way as taught in the 1st century rather as abdicating to books of fiction and fallacies, bibles written for their own self interest and nothing more.

So, how's that working out for them? ANd society, as society as a whole follows.

 

[rightwinger]

So, how's that working out for them? ANd society, as society as a whole follows.

Works out fine
No Religion is the fastest growing faith

 

[Correll]

Works out fine
No Religion is the fastest growing faith

That's a lot of people are going that way doesn't support the idea that it is workign out for them.

I ask again, how is that working out for them, or society as society follows along?

 

[rightwinger]

I ask again, how is that working out for them, or society as society follows along?

Your question demonstrates the arrogance of the faithful.

They believe that only their beliefs provide morality and fulfillment.

Most people are perfectly happy without it and religion has caused a lot of pain

 

[frigidweirdo]

You answered your own question: Because God is in charge, down to the last molecule. When someone takes time to create, they care about and care for what it is they created.

Well, if God were human, that still wouldn't necessarily be true. But God isn't human, is he?

 

[Paradoxical#1]

Well, if God were human, that still wouldn't necessarily be true. But God isn't human, is he?

Sam Harris is a philosopher who insists that humans do NOT possess free will. What we see in this thread are the "YESBUTS" giving examples of the outliers, and admittedly no one knows yet why that is. In large families of criminals, alcoholics, atheists. etc. you can have a child who will rebel against those teachings of the parents, but those are there are exceptions.

Christians use the outliers, the exceptions as being common and as proof we have "free will" and have no answer as to why, if that is true, that around 99% of people in Iran are Muslim. Do those in Iran have free will to be a Christian if everything they hear daily is that Allah is the true God and Mohammed really did fly to heaven on a winged creature and never once heard of Christianity until they left home? That would be an impossibility.

Similarly, if you take a child born in the hood and has parents who are druggies or alcoholics but manage to scrape by and all they have ever done is talk about how lousy America is, that cops are bad, that society is against them, that capitalism is unfair and crime is the only way to get ahead, and the thug life is the most exciting, what are the chances of that individual growing up into adulthood as a model citizen who goes to college and becomes CEO of a major company?

Knowing all this, some people pretend they don't heart it and Wil say "YESBUT, I know a guy who grew up in a horrible family and is now a bank VP", or "YESBUT, I grew up in Iran and believed in Islam, and now I am a Catholic." NONE of that makes what you believe true.

As a general rule, your beliefs are shaped by the family, the friends, the society in which you live. Humans have limited free will. I do not agree with the esteemed Sam Harris that we have no free will. Certain people can break away but it is extremely difficult and out of the ordinary.

 

[XponentialChaos]

How do you know others are doing anything mindlessly?

The fact remains that people are heavily influenced by the traditions of their parents. Whatever you want to call that, go for it. Credulous maybe.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

The fact remains that people are heavily influenced by the traditions of their parents. Whatever you want to call that, go for it. Credulous maybe.

You will get stone-cold silence from a Christian or Muslim as to how their children could ever be a Christian or Muslim if they were never told about any other options. Muslims are just as devout and hard believers as are evangelicals and if you asked them if they were born in America to Christian parents and never exposed to Islam if they would be Islam they will not answer.

 

[XponentialChaos]

You missed my point: Many do not stay in the same place where they grew up. Many move to different communities--some across the country. My parents did not stay in the same place as their parents; five of my parents eight children did moved away; both of my own children moved away.

I pointed out the same is true with religion. Religion and faith--even the same denomination--is not static. People move to different places, explore parts their parents missed, make it their own. Actually, the people who gave up religion altogether are the ones who are stagnant. They have no place to go, whereas people of faith have a multitude.

Many do stay in the same place.

If your parents settled and raised you in Texas, then you are more likely to settle in Texas. Texan parents tend to have Texan children.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

Many do stay in the same place.

If your parents settled and raised you in Texas, then you are more likely to settle in Texas. Texan parents tend to have Texan children.

I agree. The truth is that her post should have said "A tiny fraction do not stay in the same place" and added physically and emotionally"

 

[ding]

The fact remains that people are heavily influenced by the traditions of their parents. Whatever you want to call that, go for it. Credulous maybe.

Then you must believe you have no control over your decision regarding religion.

 

[rightwinger]

Then you must believe you have no control over your decision regarding religion.

Socially and culturally you are taking a risk by changing your religion

 

[ding]

Socially and culturally you are taking a risk by changing your religion

How so and why should that matter? Life is full of risks.

 

[rightwinger]

How so and why should that matter? Life is full of risks.

Many communities are built around their faith

Fundamentalist Christians, Amish, Orthodox Jews, Scientologists, Mormons

Choosing to challenge your faith will get you shunned, kicked out from your family

 

[XponentialChaos]

Then you must believe you have no control over your decision regarding religion.

No and I didn’t say that.

 

[BothWings]

You were born into a story. Before you could read, think critically, or even consent, you were told who God is, what sin is, what eternity means, and how to earn love. That’s not faith. That’s programming.

If you had been born in a different house, in a different country, under a different flag, you would believe something else. Maybe you’d worship a different god. Maybe you’d call that god by a different name. Maybe you wouldn’t believe in any god at all.

If what you believe had been given to you in reverse order, would you still call it truth, or just loyalty?

Definitely true of some people, but I think not all that many, really.

My beliefs are not the product of my parents beliefs nor any other particular people. We went to Unitarian-Universalist churches occasionally when I was a kid. Today I would have no inclination at all to go to one. I might visit a Buddhist or Hindu temple however, or maybe even hang out with Native Americans (I've dated two half-breeds, actually!) In my experience I have never been told what to believe when I visited Buddhists in the past.

My wife is Catholic. I have occasionally accompanied her to a CC on certain holidays, or when we visit her native country. In fact, most of my friends throughout my life have been raised Catholic, but most of them weren't particularly devout. And it so happens the only other woman I came close to marrying was a Jew.

My father was raised Lutheran, as were most of his extended family in Germany. Many of them converted to Catholicism in recent years. Not sure why. Don't particularly care either. I'm told that Lutheranism is more common in the South and Catholicism is more common in the North of that country. My father's family is on the east side of the middle of Germany.

My mother's mother came from a Polish Catholic family. However, she showed no obvious interest in the Catholic faith with us. In fact, she was the one who got us to start going to the Unitarian church. This was just for a few years, really. None of us has attended in at least 30 years.

My cousin joined the LDS church on her own about 15 years ago. I've known some nice people affiliated with that church, but I have to say that my cousin's personality changed a bit after she joined them, and not for the better. While it probably has more to do with her than with them, they still obviously had something to do with it.

My stepfather joined a Methodist church a few years ago and participates in their music program. My mother, although an agnostic bordering on atheism, sometimes accompanies him and says she really likes the people there.

While my family may be a hodge-podge of different faiths, agnosticism and atheism, there has never been any sour grapes about it among us. Everyone follows his or her own personal beliefs and affiliates themselves accordingly.

 

[Correll]

Your question demonstrates the arrogance of the faithful.

They believe that only their beliefs provide morality and fulfillment.

Most people are perfectly happy without it and religion has caused a lot of pain

I asked you a QUESTION, to back up the implication from the other leftard poster, that following any of the big three religions was dumb.

Asking how it is working out for those that choose to NOT do that, is... obviously a valid question.

Neither the other poster, nor you have been able to address the question at all.


Because it is clear that the increasing secularization of society has been BAD for society and the individuals in question.

 

[rightwinger]

Asking how it is working out for those that choose to NOT do that, is... obviously a valid question.

Again demonstrating the arrogance of the faithful

That only the religious maintain values