he/she didn't get the standard brain washing religious education in his/her childhood?
2006-09-03 20:59:31 · 15 answers · asked by skeptic 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
the moment he begins believing in the existence of god, he is called a theist.
2006-09-03 21:09:10 · answer #1 · answered by nightingale 6 · 16⤊ 0⤋
"To succeed the theologian invades the cradle. In the minds of innocents they plant the seeds of superstition. Save children from the pollution of this horror." [Robert Ingersoll]
"I don't think they should be able to teach religion until you're 18 years old and you know what it would be a whole different world. If they weren't pushing that shi* into your head while it was still soft you'd never buy it, not for a minute. If you walked into, you'd never heard about the bible and none of your friends had ever heard about Christianity and you just found the Bible in a used book store oh you'd jump right on that idea wouldn't yah? Oh this sounds completely logical yeah the cave and the ark and oh yeah hey Dottie i think I've found the meaning of life here. No you'd f*ckin chuck it in the waste basket. You would." - Doug Stanhope
"That is a protestant baby. This is a Hindu baby. That is a Muslim baby. This baby thinks there are many gods. That baby is adamant that there is only one. But it is preposterous that we do this to children. They are too young to know what they think. To slap a label on a child at birth - to announce, in advance, as a matter of hereditary presumption if not determinate certainty, an infant's opinions on the cosmos and creation, on life and afterlives, on sexual ethics, abortion and euthanasia - is a form of mental child abuse." [Richard Dawkins].
I imagine some would be theists still, but they would definitely be in the minority.
Many have doubts, but just due to the fact they would disappoint their parents if they didn't follow the family religion they suppress those doubts.
We are all born atheists so, everyone who is a theist has converted. But what you don't see much is anyone with an education converting from atheism to theism. You see far more theists deconverting to atheism.
2006-09-04 04:19:55 · answer #2 · answered by AiW 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Read the testimony of Josh McDowell. He was an atheist who honestly checked the facts and became a Christian. It is not a question of if but when it happens why? The very son of Madelyn Murray-Ohare who was at the center of one of the supreme court taking the bible out of schools. Someone who could not have had a more anti-Christian upbringing became a Christian. God is quite willing to reach into anyones life whether or not they have had a church back ground.
Regarding the intolerant view that children should not be given any religious education until 18 years old. That was the law in Soviet union. Children were pressured to snitch on their parents faith. Breaking the law meant jail time for the parents. You would have loved that! Such freedom! such harmony! As far as I know that is still the rule of thumb in most communist countries.
Some poeple consider teaching spiritual concepts food for the inner man just like physical food feeds the physical body. What about morality shouldn't children be taught stealing is wrong before the police and the courts try to teach them that lesson. From my perspective you point of view makes as much sense as not forcing a belief in structured mathematics. We should let them develop thier own math. How dare we force them to accept at face value the math of eurocentric white males. 2+2=4 is very intolerant of other perspectives. It also could damage thier self esteem to have their own views on numbers to be so often deemed as wrong when they express their creativity.
I take math and religion on the same level. There is objective truth that exists. Just like the study of math reveals existing truth, study of the Bible reveals the truths it contains.
2006-09-04 04:02:56 · answer #3 · answered by danhowell_diana 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
People become theists for two reasons:
1) The FUD factor (fear, uncertainty, doubt), which is how religion was invented. People were ignorant and didn't have an answer, so they make it up. The strong willed and emotionally mature don't lean on the crutch of religion when they're in difficulty; "no atheists in foxholes" is a lie.
2) Parents molesting their children with religion. As Mark Twain said, all religion is gained second hand. Nobody (except for loonies) can claim to have "spoken to god". You're only afraid of the bogeyman if you're taught to be.
2006-09-04 04:05:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
The cultural and social environment determines it all. When I was in puberty I tried to become a Samoan because Margret Mead described how the teens in Samoa were getting it on all the time but I couldn't break away from my phobia of wearing a wrap around skirt even if enabled quick copulation. I suffered virginity until I married at age 24 even though I wanted to convert.
2006-09-04 04:03:46 · answer #5 · answered by valcus43 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Depends on the person. My parents weren't religious, and many people throughout my life later on, like students, would try to convert me to be Christian. It's not personally logical for me to pick one religion and deem it the absolute truth, because I'd feel like I was cheating myself out of the great knowledeg other ways of thinking has. And Not all people who don't believe in a particular God is an Atheist. Some are, some are agnostic, and some are in a greyer area.
2006-09-04 04:04:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
I've been wondering myself. So many people are disgusted about religion because of the religious education they got. So they never discover the real God because of all these human stuff.
2006-09-04 04:03:18 · answer #7 · answered by tatithom 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is philosophically impossible for an Atheist to convert. . . . Conversion presupposes the acceptance of some religious dogma. Atheists are free of such contamination.
2006-09-04 04:02:37 · answer #8 · answered by sochiswim 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Idunno,
They would probably be more vulnerable as they haven't already been infected by the disease.
Me, being brainwashed with religious education i am now immune.
But we need to keep an eye out for our brothers and sisters who have gone without the propanganda
Opiate of the Masses, fireball what religion couldn't be defined as a cult? must be any religion that isn't mainstream
2006-09-04 04:06:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
If the kid didn't get the religious background as a kid, then why would s/he even believe in a deity later on?
2006-09-04 04:01:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Many have. Most will admit it is for personal reasons.
But the reverse statment is true also.
2006-09-04 04:02:42 · answer #11 · answered by upallnite 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋