just wondering what people's thoughts are on this, but who do you feel makes the choice for people in what they believe in? i have a friend who believe's he made the choice for christianty for himself at the age of 4. my friend also believe's in the ratio 60:50 and that 4 times 25 equals 400. i just wonder at what other people think- i wasn't brought up believing in some faith so i find it only natural that i am an atheist- as are people who are brought up religiously (they end up religious), but they have no freedom of choice in the matter of how they think when they grow up, whereas maybe sometime in the non-forseeable future i might choose religion independantly of my parents. Enders case is one that i find very rare, and i hope he is not having to much trouble with that and send him my support, it is more awkward than it should be, religion desn't teach acceptance so it will always be a difficult process. anyway, what are peoples thought's or has this thread already been thrashed out before?
Who choose's your religion?
- Thread starter atheroy
- Start date
I grew up in a Roman Catholic setting, so naturally I became and atheist
My parents madde the decision of what church I will go to, and they brainwashed me, or at least tried to by making me go to Catholic school and sunday school, well fuck you mom and dad, go mess up my sister.
ZERO MASS
i hear you, i'm glad i didn't have to go through anything like that though, and i'm surprised that not more people have shunned the strictness of some religions, i guess it is what you are brought up with and how strong a person you are- it also may have something to do with biology, but that is a different story.
NeoBeetnik38
Registered Senior Member
I made the choice to be an Agnostic, but pick a religion to balance out all the atheist influences in my life. Can you honestly call that someone elses choice. I choose mine. For some people, its different. Becuase paople are different. Train of thought officialy derailed. And thus, I must leave.
MooseKnuckle
Registered Senior Member
Atheroy-
As the famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins once remarked- there seems to be one single process whereby people "get" their religion, and that is heredity. After all, the best way to predict people's religion is to find out their parents' religion.
Now this does not mean being a Buddhist or a Catholic comes with a particular chromosomal configuration. People generally adhere to the specific religous commitements of their community and ignore other variants as largely irrelevant.
Most religious thoughts are about particular situations, particular people, particular feelings. This means that such concepts are indeed activated in a variety of different circumstances for different inferential purposes. This also implies that it would require extra effort to acquire religious concepts in a way that is fundamentally different from what is familiar to one's social milieu.
So it can be said that your upbringing will be detrimental to your beliefs regarding the issue of religious thought.
I personally think the best thing a parent can do is to let the child figure it out for him/herself. Parents usually make the mistake of reafirming that their personal beliefs are correct and will advise the child to embrace them, which is potentially harming to the mindset of the child in later life. Children are designed to absorb a vast amount of information, so this time of one's life(childhood) is crucial when regarding to one's future thought processes. Information gathered at childhood will be ingrained into the mind so that future thoughts will analyze ideas with the machinery it has developed.
As the famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins once remarked- there seems to be one single process whereby people "get" their religion, and that is heredity. After all, the best way to predict people's religion is to find out their parents' religion.
Now this does not mean being a Buddhist or a Catholic comes with a particular chromosomal configuration. People generally adhere to the specific religous commitements of their community and ignore other variants as largely irrelevant.
Most religious thoughts are about particular situations, particular people, particular feelings. This means that such concepts are indeed activated in a variety of different circumstances for different inferential purposes. This also implies that it would require extra effort to acquire religious concepts in a way that is fundamentally different from what is familiar to one's social milieu.
So it can be said that your upbringing will be detrimental to your beliefs regarding the issue of religious thought.
I personally think the best thing a parent can do is to let the child figure it out for him/herself. Parents usually make the mistake of reafirming that their personal beliefs are correct and will advise the child to embrace them, which is potentially harming to the mindset of the child in later life. Children are designed to absorb a vast amount of information, so this time of one's life(childhood) is crucial when regarding to one's future thought processes. Information gathered at childhood will be ingrained into the mind so that future thoughts will analyze ideas with the machinery it has developed.
Re: Re: Who choose's your religion?
Ditto!Originally posted by Zero Mass
I grew up in a Roman Catholic setting, so naturally I became and atheist
Re: Re: Who choose's your religion?
LMAO...... I was born Hindu so naturally it was choosen for me but thank god my parents never force fed me anything about religion. As long as i can remember i was never forced to do anything concerning religion and my parents promote believing in views of another religions as well to make up your mind concerning god. My parents were cool like that when it came to god. Never was i once forced to got a temple and pray.
Originally posted by Zero Mass
I grew up in a Roman Catholic setting, so naturally I became and atheist
LMAO......
I was born Hindu so naturally it was choosen for me but thank god my parents never force fed me anything about religion. As long as i can remember i was never forced to do anything concerning religion and my parents promote believing in views of another religions as well to make up your mind concerning god. My parents were cool like that when it came to god. Never was i once forced to got a temple and pray.totally!! whenever i point this out poeple seem to think it's not a big deal. but to me it seems like a big deal. most people just fall into something familiar, what their parents or other suroundings beleive in. and don't really "decided" themselves.
as for me. my mothers side of the fam is christian, my dad himself is pretty hardcore atheist. I've meandered around a bit while growing up. 7years in christian school helps you decide
so i've ended up agnostic.I feel like i'm some sort of rarity! My parents are not religious, my dad's side is catholic (non practicing) and my moms side is united (also non practicing) I never went to church that I remember (apparently we did till i was like four according to mom) and I became a christian by my own decision when i was 17, after learning about catholics, pagans, wiccans, and protestants (and a bit of islam but that didnt make sense at all to me).
many people i know do follow their parents religion but all of my closest christian friends come from non-religious homes and choose to believe independantly of their families.
many people i know do follow their parents religion but all of my closest christian friends come from non-religious homes and choose to believe independantly of their families.