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Does anyone choose religion by choice?

Mr. Lennon

Mr. Lennon

Diamond Member
I would have to say that the vast majority follows their parents when it comes to both religion and politics. My parents didn't ask if I wanted to become Catholic...it was just assumed that I would. By the time you start gaining critical thinking skills its almost too late for most people to rethink their views. Most people are not comfortable stepping out of their "safe" zone, so they don't ever get the chance to challenge their beliefs.

It also seems very few people are willing to challenge their parents on these issues. Telling your hardcore Christian parents that you are atheist is like coming out of the closet. Its so hard that there are even atheists on this forum that state they would get married in a church and baptize their baby to please their parents.

So when I hear people stating that their religion is 100% right, I have to ask how the fuck would you know? You have never practiced any other form of belief. It's like saying you are glad that your parents chose to get you circumcised at birth. You will then go on to tell all the other non-circumcised that it looks better and you don't have to worry about the hygiene issues uncut guys face. If you were not circumcised you would be saying how nice it is to have all the extra sensitivity. These are both valid arguments...but again, how the fuck would you know having never experienced the other side?
 
jesus fucking christ, do we really need another thread?

and yes there are people who choose, CS Lewis is one that comes to mind.
 
I don't know with a 100% certainty if my faith or lack of it in this case is correct. I do know its the one that makes the most sense for me.
 
My sister did. There was no religious influence in our house growing up. At some point she started going to church with friends and decided it was right for her.
 
Yes. I had a professor that made the conscious decision to go with faith despite knowing that he could never know if it was well-placed or not until he died.

But the OP is ranting about something else. It's unfortunate that you have to grow up in order to examine metaphysical stuff and it's unfortunate that a necessary part of growing up is being exposed to others' views, but that's life.
 
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Zeppelin2282 said:
You aren't choosing something by choice if someone else already made that choice.
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Nobody can make a choice for you, they can raise you a particular way but as so many people here have shown you make you're own choices at some point, if you choose to continue to believe that's your choice or like most of you you can choose not to believe.

I was raised partially christian (Baptist mostly) but chose athiest/agnostic for many years...eventually I visited a Catholic church and while it's not perfect it felt right and good to me so I converted.
 
I chose to be a subgenius, then later chose to become a pastafarian. Converting has never been tastier.
 
So when I hear people stating that their religion is 100% right, I have to ask how the fuck would you know? You have never practiced any other form of belief. It's like saying you are glad that your parents chose to get you circumcised at birth. You will then go on to tell all the other non-circumcised that it looks better and you don't have to worry about the hygiene issues uncut guys face. If you were not circumcised you would be saying how nice it is to have all the extra sensitivity. These are both valid arguments...but again, how the fuck would you know having never experienced the other side?
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HERE HERE!!! Huzzah! I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! All that crap!
 
I thought questioning Obama's birth certificate was the dumbest question but this one really takes the cake.

Does someone choosing something make a choice. Say it out loud.
 
It seems to go back to the old saying about how the wisest man is the one who realizes he knows nothing. Or, as Michael Shermer, the author of Why People Believe Weird Things, puts it: "Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons."

That's why the more education you get, the more likely you are to believe in, say, ghosts and the supernatural. One study found that 23 percent of college freshman believed in the paranormal, compared with 31 percent of seniors and 34 percent of graduate students. Which leads us to wonder ... what the fuck are schools teaching these days?
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Source: http://www.cracked.com/article_19174_5-unexpected-downsides-high-intelligence.html
 
My parents chose something very different than their parents and I chose something different from my parents. It does happen.
 
Children, at a certain age can choose to deviate from their parents religion and worship something else. I've seen this first hand in court many times. It gets sticky when a child picks an off the wall religion or cult. Then what happens when a child wants to not attend school on certain days due to their new religion? Yes, freedom of religion does apply to children.
 
This must be just a coincidence:
map_world_religions.gif
 
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