Do you think more people are born into Christian HOUSEHOLDS and turn atheist or the other way around?

Question

I asked this question before but I phrased it, "Do you think more people are born Christians and turn atheist or the other way around?" but about 80% of the answerers tore me a new...ya know...saying that no one is born anything. I know that. I put in my details indicating that I know that. I got several thumbs down and a ton of nasty answers. PLEASE READ THE DETAILS. This question isn't intended to offend ANYONE. I don't understand why so many people were rude to me when they didn't read the details. I just mean do you think people are born and RAISED Christian and then decide to turn atheist or are more people born and RAISED atheist and then turn to Christianity. If you need clarification, just say so and I'll try to clarify it before you just start saying nasty things.

Mimi Lola: Thank you for your kind words...but this time I actually think it was more atheists on the attack. I got one hateful email from someone saying that if I didn't like his answer I should stop reading the Bible and likened me to Al Quaeda...??? I don't get it either...

Answer 1

It would be pretentious of me to say more were born into Christian households.What I will say is that more children are born into some sort of religious household than into an Atheist one.
I believe that more people pray to some kind of god than there are people that believe there is NO God.

May the Peace of the Lord be with you always...

Answer 2

I would conjecture that in the US most people are born into families that embrace a Christian religion. On the basis of the statistics, somewhere in between 85% to 90% of people in the US are Christian. Only, about 17% of the US population is atheist. It would be interesting to see how many atheists couples actually have children. I have never seen a study done in this area. I am an atheist who was born into a Methodist family. All of my friends and acquaintances who are atheist were also born into a Christian family. But that says nothing on the issue at large.

Answer 3

I was born into a Christian household, and I am now an atheist. I think that most atheists in the US were. So I would have to assume that more go this way than the other if for no other reason than there are a lot more Christian households.

On the other hand the only ex-atheists that I have met, were raised atheist and developed their faith later. So it is more likely that you would turn Christian if you were raised that way as opposed to making the decision yourself.

Answer 4

I think it would be harder to go from Atheism to Christanity than the other way around. Sort of like knowing the truth about Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny and The Tooth Fairy but then becoming a true believer.

I don't mean this in an insulting way whatsoever, so before you email me and say something like "How dare you compare Gawd Almighty and the Savior Jesus Cristo to the Tooth Fairy" let me clarify:

Christianity is based on FAITH, not FACT. One must believe without seeing. Much like believing in Santa or the Easter Bunny. Things happen that are credited to these entities (e.g. Presents show up while I am sleeping) much like what is attributed to Gawd and Cristo (e.g. I had a cold but I prayed and now I am better). No solid line can be drawn between the cause and effect, but can be drawn elsewhere (e.g. Mom and Dad put the presents there. e.g. The virus ran it's course)

Once you have seen this true cause and effect, to believe otherwise would be to turn your back on reality.

Answer 5

I honestly thought that the point you were making was that people are born atheist or born Christian. There really are people who think that one can be actually BORN believing.
Sorry. I didn't mean to rip you a new one if that's the way you took my answer.
To answer your Q now. I think most atheists are raised in some sort of religion, be it christian or other wise, and become atheists as they begin to study.
And I do think it seems like an inordinate number of those were indeed raised as Christians.
Peace

Answer 6

More are raised christian and turn atheist... I'd say that makes up the majority of all atheists. On the other hand, at least the more resolute atheists aren't raised atheist, as those that have never had religion in their lives, desired or not, tend to not be so millitant against it, or even care one way or another at all (so in short, the yahoo answers croud was raised in religions at very least.)

Answer 7

I think it depends on the will of the person and if they are smart enough to realize the descrepancies of religion.

I'm agnostic and growing up in a Christian household where I saw and heard the hypocrites, and the contradictions of the bible, I was smart enough not to be fooled. So maybe being a former Christian helps you learnthe truth. It's wasn't fun, but it works.

Don't let the Christians get to you. They are just like a two year old who you've told has to go to bed. You know they have to go to bed, you can see they are tired and they know they are tired, but they just are too immature to realize it.

Answer 8

well, I think if your a preachers or Pastors or ministers son or daughter. It don't mean you have a relationship with the Lord and are Saved. I feel those parents that forces thier children with scare tactics those children will become Athiests. I used to go to a Luthern church in my youth and they said I would not be comfirmed if I didn't go to a retreat. I am like what does the retreat have to do with being confirmed? Then a few years after that my parents and I switched to Catholic Church. That was a big no no for me because a few years after that I became athiest and lived like the world. Then a few years after that I started dateing my boyfriend (which is my husband Now) He was raised Baptist.
However, I would like to say don't force children to go to church. They should know it's sunday or sunday night and weds and that's church times. They shouldn't ask you are we going to church they should know it. You have to be gentle on those little lambs and little souls when it comes to church and the Bible and Prayers and second coming of the Lord.
However, Each family has thier own way to worship God and read the Bible and do Prayers and stuff.

Answer 9

lol. people dont like to read details. lazy people. isnt laziness a sin according to the bible? *shrug*

i was raised in a christian school 12 years, but my house wasnt religious. i am currently agnostic. i know many atheists were at one point christian.

best guess would be, yes most people born into christian household then turn atheist then visa-versa.

Answer 10

I think that that makes sense, being born into a religious household and then turning against it. I know that if I lived with SOME I would change my faith. I just went to school with them and it almost made me, imagine living with them. Their poor kids.