Why do some people feel the need to nitpick when it comes to discussing religion?

Answer 1

Some people love to argue and point fingers and 'catch' someone saying something wrong. It is stupid and a waste of time.

Answer 2

Well, in case you haven't noticed, nit-picking seems to be the basis for the foundation of all faiths. Christians nit-pick the Jews over their refusal to accept Jesus as "the messiah" (even though they base the evidence that Jesus was the messiah on prophecies in the Jewish haftorahs--but call them along with the Torah the "Old Testament"), Muslims consider everyone who is non-Muslim to be condemned to the flames for our refusal to heed their prophet--although muslims basically accept the entire Old and New Testaments. Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox (oh my!) all basically believe the same thing but each is burning in hell according to the other for not accepting an argument concerning a sacrament or for selling indulgences, the manner of baptism, refusing to revere a human saint, etc.

The Eastern religions are pretty much the same, too. You have Greater- and Lesser- wheel Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Toaism (which is really more of a philosophy than a religion), Hinduism, Jiainism, Shinto, to name just a few--and most of their differences seem to be--at least to an outsider like myself--fairly minor. But that doesn't seem to negate the need to break off and form a different religion.

It just seems that religion breeds dissent--even in idle conversation. I guess nobody ever really respects anyone elses views on something that is held to be absolute.

Answer 3

The short answer is that I think they feel unsure about themselves, so they hold onto religion with a death-grip.

The long answer is that religion and spirituality should be separated.
spirituality- relationship with Creator
religion- creed, rituals, and community interaction surrounding one's belief in Creator. Ideally this comes out of your spirituality. At its worst, however, it is simply a bunch of rules followed out of fear.

There are 4 kinds of people in the world:
1- religious and spiritual
2- religious not spiritual
3- spiritual not religious
4- neither religious nor spiritual

People who nitpick are usually category 2 (I find)): religious, but not spiritual.

vic

Answer 4

Because religion is a nitpicking subject to discuss

Answer 5

It's all a matter of opinion really. One man's "nitpicking" may be another man's wrath, or strong opinion. I tend to nitpick about Little Books and that great city Babylon. I suppose I am just obsessed about literature and ancient cities carried into the modern age.

Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands
and will take many of them, but a commander will
put an end to his insolence and will turn his
insolence back upon him.

They will return to it and remove all its
vile images and detestable idols.

Answer 6

Nit are head lice eggs that attach to hair follicles near the scalp and hatch out, giving birth to many more head lice which in turn attach more nits to the hair of the unlucky person who is infested. Head lice is usually something that happens to children but it can happen to adults if they do not practice good hygiene.
These nits are extrememly difficult to get off of the hairs they are attached to, hence the term "nit picking"
You actually have to pull them off one at a time and the average infestation will create hundreds or even thousands of nits.
I would say that religious people who nit pick are just trying to get rid of little irritations that bother or scare them.
The trouble is, if you stay true to the model of what nit picking actually is, they will fail to get all the nits out, and the infestation will not be stopped.

Answer 7

Nitpicking so happens to be my forte. It's the only thing I know how to do well. I would have nitpicked your question, but I have to go.

Answer 8

Since the overall concept it a fairy tale and the details do nothing to dispell that they have to nitpick tiny details to get any thing out of it.

Answer 9

Because they are narrow minded hypocrites and are so bored/dissatisfied they need to find someone to pick a theological fight with. It's quite pathetic If Jesus, Buddah, Allah...INSERT YOUR DEITY HERE..... had one second with these jackasses it would be ALL over
. To me religion and spirituality are so personal that if you arent tolerant enough to accept that OTHER people may NOT beleive what you beleive and may have contradictory opinions/beleifs then stop wearing your religion on your sleeve. I mean, do you want a cookie? Are they that insecure with their religion/themselves that they need to be this way?

Answer 10

Isn't that what religion is all about?

Look at islam (I like to mix in various religions so I can't be labeled a christianity basher). They don't like interest on loans. So they come up with finaning schemes to get around the qur'an's prohibition -- but you have to do it just right and it helps to get a mullah who blesses the avoidance program. See, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_economics#Interest

Of course, christians get that way too in things like what is the right way to baptize (immersion/sprinkling), at what age can one be baptized, can a catholic be saved if he/she doesn't perform some scripturally-undefined but very important ritual in some branch of protestantism, and so on.

Answer 11

Because religion is the discussion of purely imaginary topics. People really will kill each other over whether "God" is three "persons" or not, or what have you. That's the entire history of religion. And the reason is that there is absolutely no means of deciding who's right, except by circular argument and war.