NationStates Jolt Archive

Im arguing with some people about religion. And Im wondering: How many people stay the religion that they grew up as?

I have, but then again, I'm not that old either. I know several of my older relatives have changed religions, but most have stuck with it. I guess it just depends . . .

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.
Should be a rather simple thing to do. Most people seem to "inherit" their religion from their parents.

I grew up Baptist, left the church and Christianity, became violently atheist, mellowed out to agnostic, bummed around learning about different religious traditions, then became a member of the Religious Society of Friends. So, in the words of Jerri Blank, "I"m still doing all the wrong things, but now I'm doing them the right way."

Yup. Same one. If anything, I've grown more religious as I've grown older.

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.

Seems obvious, in a way. Religion is like a language and, like languages, you're always going to be most comfortable in the one you were born with.

I am the same religion I was raised as, although I am far less devout now that I don't have to be.

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.

That won't work. You could call what you think about history the result of social conditioning too. Or about science. The issue shouldn't be how people believe what they do, but if it is true or not.

I flirted briefly with Christianity in my younger years, but in the end settled on agnosticism, like my parents. Although these days I'm having trouble telling if I'm agnostic or weak atheist.

That won't work. You could call what you think about history the result of social conditioning too. Or about science. The issue shouldn't be how people believe what they do, but if it is true or not.
I'm very suspicious of "shoulds" and "oughts."

I grew up without religion, and haven't joined one yet. I always used to say that I was athiest, but now that I have actually thought properly about it, I consider myself agnostic.

I used to be Catholic, but I grew out of it after I started thinking for myself.

I'm very suspicious of "shoulds" and "oughts."

Im suspicious of people who call my reasoning into question and assume that I only think a certain way because that was how I was raised.

That won't work. You could call what you think about history the result of social conditioning too. Or about science. The issue shouldn't be how people believe what they do, but if it is true or not.

Meh, we've already got 4 billion threads about the right or wrong of religion. Can't we have one about the epistemology of it?

At home, 90%+ of people are Catholic. And our whole society is based on it - schools teach religion in the Catholic way, sacraments are recieved through school, divorce is relatively new and still frowned upon by a number of people, abortion is illegal, sick people have priests called in to give last rites, every college/university has a chaplin, all hospitals have a resident priest, and your kids HAVE to be brought up in the Catholic church if one of the parents is Catholic and the other is not. If you change your religion, it makes things difficult. I didn't bother, but I totally disagree with the church, and don't like the new pope

Im suspicious of people who call my reasoning into question and assume that I only think a certain way because that was how I was raised.

I'm not sure anyone was. Saying one has a preference for a particular religion because it provides familiar terms isn't saying one can only think in those terms.

irreligious?

Anyways I was raised Catholic, but I hold agnostic views now.

Meh, we've already got 4 billion threads about the right or wrong of religion. Can't we have one about the epistemology of it?

Is this really epistemology or just environmental psychology? The way that the thread originator was talking about it, it sounds like he's calling everyone's motives into question and implying that people who still believe what they were taught was kids can't think for themselves. I have a bit of a problem with that.

I became an atheist when I stopped taking the communion wafers.

They have weed in them. Tons and tons of weeeeeeed.

Is this really epistemology or just environmental psychology? The way that the thread originator was talking about it, it sounds like he's calling everyone's motives into question and implying that people who still believe what they were taught was kids can't think for themselves. I have a bit of a problem with that.

Well, to be honest, I didn't get that at all. No one's calling into question the specific beliefs one holds now.

In this specific case, I think epistemology and environmental psychology are sort of the same thing. When one is dealing with potentially unanswerable questions, it's always good to lock down as many variables as possible. I grew up in the Judeo-Christian tradition, therefore all of my perceptions of religion are probably going to be colored by that in some way and I'll probably feel the most "at home" when dealing with metaphysical questions in a roughly Judeo-Christian context. I look at those structures with a much more critical eye now, but I gladly embrace them just to sort of get the baseline established and out of the way so I can delve into what really interests me in the topic.

Religion is just something used to clarify what is unexplainable. Ok, to start superstision is something that is not real, but belived by some. Although once you belive in that superstision it is a belife. Think about the superstision that if you break a mirror you will have bad luck for 7 years. Religion is the same kind of thing. It has been a way to explaine things and comfort people for as long as humans were intelligent. I belive that if you want to folow a sertain religion than that is fine. The problem is when you start to belive that your religion is what must be right and folowed by all. That is the same as trying to force people to not break mirrors. My grammar and spelling are awful i'm sorry for that, but I just want to get my point acrossed.

family was religious, i stopped going to church tho, was an agnostic, but now i became a christian, again, and really furthered myself in it.

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.

I'll be your other example. I started of as a diest purely my own choice. my family being an intersting mix a Mormon an agnoistic and an atheist and me. I then spent about 8 years practicing the other major religions and then decided i felt i had it right for me the first time and now i'm back to being a diest.

I was raised as a Catholic Statist. I've moved on to become an atheist then and anarchist. I can't help believe that patriotism is just another religion. Yes, yes, I know that's off topic.

I have a laugh for all the Christians here: I endeavor to treat others as I would have them treat me, if I were to give to charity I wouldn't tell anyone about it and I think hypocracy is vile.

Im fairly young(only14) and i was brought up lutheran when i was a little kid but by the time i was 11 i completely gave up religion and became an athiest, and told my parents basicly in a more respectful way to go fuck themselves if they had a problem with it. I think religion is just another form of control. Another way to make people do what you want without having to give them a good reason. Its funny how it took becomeing an athiest to really see how much religion effects our lives. I think it really depends on the person if you believe in religion or not. Religion is affected by more then one thing such as what you were raized as and the amount you need your religion to help you. I have a freind who lost her brother in a car accident and her best freind from cancer and her grandma just passed away a few months ago. Shes very religious because she needs something to believe in to make some sense in the world and give her comfort that the people she loves are ok in heaven. That brings me to another point religion can also be affected on a fear basis if your afraid of dying it helps to know that your going to heaven or are going to be reincarnated or many other variations. One of the big reasons why im not religious is that im not afraid of it just ending, thats how i personally think it happens life just ends the person is no more. Im sorry if ive offended any deeply religious person and i might be wrong thats a chance i have to take( wouldnt that be a nasty suprise to find out everything i beleived in was bullshit and end up getting my ass toasted in hell). So ultimatly i think there are a million factors that define your religion so no matter how much we dissect the philosophy of this will never get the answer.

Im fairly young(only14) and i was brought up lutheran when i was a little kid but by the time i was 11 i completely gave up religion and became an athiest, and told my parents basicly in a more respectful way to go fuck themselves if they had a problem with it. I think religion is just another form of control. Another way to make people do what you want without having to give them a good reason. Its funny how it took becomeing an athiest to really see how much religion effects our lives. I think it really depends on the person if you believe in religion or not. Religion is affected by more then one thing such as what you were raized as and the amount you need your religion to help you. I have a freind who lost her brother in a car accident and her best freind from cancer and her grandma just passed away a few months ago. Shes very religious because she needs something to believe in to make some sense in the world and give her comfort that the people she loves are ok in heaven. That brings me to another point religion can also be affected on a fear basis if your afraid of dying it helps to know that your going to heaven or are going to be reincarnated or many other variations. One of the big reasons why im not religious is that im not afraid of it just ending, thats how i personally think it happens life just ends the person is no more. Im sorry if ive offended any deeply religious person and i might be wrong thats a chance i have to take( wouldnt that be a nasty suprise to find out everything i beleived in was bullshit and end up getting my ass toasted in hell). So ultimatly i think there are a million factors that define your religion so no matter how much we dissect the philosophy of this will never get the answer.
I'm really impressed! And I mean that sincerely. Many atheists in their early teens aren't half as thoughtful and considerate as you have demonstrated with your post.
One thing I found difficult when I first became atheist was rationally arriving at moral judgements or even feeling comfortable having any belief in right or wrong. If you are interested in reading up on athiest philosophy I highly recommend The Humanism of Existentialism by Jean-Paul Sartre. I found it enlightenning and helpful when working out my own moral code, and still refer to it occasionally 15 years later.

Now Im worried that these results will be skewed because the polls on this board. Anyways, my argument is that believing in a specific divinely inspired work (i.e. the bible) is mainly a product of what you grew up as. All divinely inspired people are equally credible.

I was a nonreligious catholic that became agnostic, so I would stay that I've mostly stayed irreligious.

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.

Not all religious people have been brainwashed smart guy. Some have decided that they'd rather not burn in hell. Or that they'd like to have moral decency.

Anyhow, I've been raised Atheist. Schooling= atheist, tv= atheist, family= atheist.

I'm a catholic firefighter now.

You see, Im trying to prove that a prefrence to a specific religion is mainly a product of social conditioning.

and you plan on doing this using a convenience poll on an internet forum that appeals to a very small group of people?

Obviously this poll is hardly scientific or reliable, but it is still interesting to see that so far, upbringing seems to have almost no effect.

Im arguing with some people about religion. And Im wondering: How many people stay the religion that they grew up as?

Depends. My parents and extended family on both sides are religious - various Christian denominations..

But, to the best of my recollection, I never was a Christian. I was an athiest from a young age and still am. (Although I have explored various religions from time-to-time. Mostly Buddhism and Taoism.)

So I "grew up as" an athiest. It was not how I was raised, however.

I think it depends on some level of upbringing and the friends you mix with.

My first church was a nondenominational protestant church. Then I became a Lutheran. Now I worship the Almighty Crab and soon you all will too. :)

I was raised Christian. In my teens I was agnostic for about two years and then went back to Christianity.

I was taught christianity at primary school as if it were truth, but after that I gradually lost belief. Before becoming completely atheist I found that the more christians spoke about and argued for their religion, the less credible it seemed.