I'm concerned for a friend. (really ! )
2006-12-05 09:36:29 · 9 answers · asked by Jon H 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I was a Christian for the first 18 years of my life. Then I figured it out. It's possible.
2006-12-05 09:39:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was brought up by Christian parents who sent me to Sunday School for the same reason they sent me to ordinary school - because they thought it was best for me.
About the age of 13 I had a "consciousness raiser" moment that opened my eyes and suddenly made me realise that religion was all make-believe and God didn't exist.
My parents, bless them, were really good about it and didn't stand in my way.
If they had given me a hard time about it, would I still have been strong enough to "return to reality", as you put it? I'm not sure, but if you make sure that your friend knows you'll be there to back them up if they decide to "make a break for it", that might help them "come out".
2006-12-05 10:50:57 · answer #2 · answered by amancalledchuda 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religion and the idea of god is often programmed into people in the same way, and at the same time, as the mother tongue so it becomes as difficult to think in secular terms as it is to speak and think in a foreign language. It's is possible but there usually has to be something to make them want to do it. The religious community will continually try to reinforce the programming, though, so the motivation to change has to be strong and consistent. Luckily, reality is strong and consistent and it's where most people live most of the time.
2006-12-05 12:40:36 · answer #3 · answered by Frog Five 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is he in some sect or cult? Some of them are really dangerous, such as Scientology. Try to find on the Internet some testimonies of people who went into that cult and survived to tell, or serious investigations on it. Then you might be able to talk your friend to his senses, but it's very difficult. The only hope is that he hasn't been completely brainwashed yet and has some sense left.
2006-12-06 17:31:17 · answer #4 · answered by todaywiserthanyesterday 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's called deprogramming and it is a particularly vicious form of brainwashing. As far as bringing a person to reality is concerned, who is to say what is real?
2006-12-05 17:18:55 · answer #5 · answered by waycyber 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i think you're starting with the assumption that faith is a sign of weakness, or that believers only believe because they don't have to thoughts to not believe. neither of those assumptions are true. there are a great many people who are extremely intelligent in their belief and they don't do any of it out of weakness or as a crutch or anything like that. religion isn't for the weak, it's for anybody who believes.
2006-12-05 09:40:54 · answer #6 · answered by Kevin H 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Blessed is those that have the wisdom of the Lord, because all the human knowledge in the world will not save you on judgement day. God will strip away all so called wisdom.
2006-12-05 09:39:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It is possible for someone to fall away from their faith, but it does not bring them any closer to reality. Christianity is real, its not some hocus-pocus religious thing.
Have a nice day :-)
2006-12-05 09:42:23 · answer #8 · answered by drewfranklin4 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
It can happen. It is not common.
2006-12-05 09:41:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋