On religion and human nature

[gopunk]

so i have a lot of christian friends, and they're always trying to convert me. come to church with an open mind, they say. i never do, because i have better things to do with my time, but it occurred to me that they are correct. if i were to go to church regularly, for say 2 years, with a genuinely open mind, i would probably "see the light" eventually. not that i would be brainwashed, just that the exposure to all that talk would probably trigger some psychosomatic response in me. this isn't just for christianity, obviously. i have a feeling that if you stuck any person in to such an environment regarding any religion for a long enough time, and eventually it would all begin to "make sense" to them.

i'm just posting this to see what you all think about this subject... i have some relatives that were staunch atheists, but turned christian after attending church with their wives (their wives were christian). my hypothesis is that their error was underestimating their own weakness as a human, they underestimated the power such an experience (that of being surrounded by religion for an extended period of time) would exert over their own mind.

as always, keep it civil, and it would be appreciated if zealots refrained from posting.

 

[Kadarin]

Define "brainwashed"...

 

[Spoooon]

just that the exposure to all that talk would probably trigger some psychosomatic response in me

Sounds like brainwashing to me.

Don't go to church. That's dumb. First decide if you have faith that there is a god. Then start shopping around for a church.

edit:

Brainwashing is any systematic effort aimed at instilling certain
attitudes and beliefs in a person against his will, usually beliefs in
conflict with his prior beliefs and knowledge. It initially referred
to political indoctrination of prisoners of war and political
prisoners.

 

[glen]

It requires a leap of faith.
Organized religion, IMHO, is unlikely to trigger that leap.
Tragedy is likely to trigger that leap.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I agree that participating in most any group's activities will eventually draw you towards joining that group and adopting its beliefs. People want to belong to things larger than themselves to give their life meaning through the actions of the group, movement, or leader.

It's hard to remain independent in politics and religion -- even many of those rejecting theism become militant atheists and adopt the mission of converting the world to their own creed of pure rationalism.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Spoooon

just that the exposure to all that talk would probably trigger some psychosomatic response in me

Sounds like brainwashing to me.

Don't go to church. That's dumb. First decide if you have faith that there is a god. Then start shopping around for a church.

edit:

Brainwashing is any systematic effort aimed at instilling certain
attitudes and beliefs in a person against his will, usually beliefs in
conflict with his prior beliefs and knowledge. It initially referred
to political indoctrination of prisoners of war and political
prisoners.

well think about why most people small communities have the same religion (like before globalization and stuff)... i don't think those people were all brainwashed per se, even though they may truly feel some connection with their dieties or spiritual powers.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: glen
It requires a leap of faith.
Organized religion, IMHO, is unlikely to trigger that leap.
Tragedy is likely to trigger that leap.

i dunno, i don't think it even requires a leap of faith. it does, if you think about everything logically, but if you had some sort of "spiritual" experience, like you thought god spoke to you, i think most people would start believing at that point. christians talk about how they can feel god's love. i sure as hell can't, but i bet that if i was open minded, and immersed in their society for long enough, my mind would basically play a trick on me.

 

[TheBDB]

People's religious gullibility is party determined by their genes.

 

[Mucho]

I was married to a Mormon and did go to the temple for two years just to please her and the kids. I was going to be baptized went through all the preparation and the day before I changes my mind and scuttled the baptization. I realized in those two years nothing had changed I still did not believe.
My daughter told me unless I joined the church we wont be reunited in the after life