How many "Christians" really believe?

[Freethinker]

I am not sure at all that many believers have even pondered the questions that skeptics assume every individual has. A non-skeptic often assumes a correlation between a few facts and a theory is proof of an underlying cause of the correlation. After the non-skeptic has formed his view he is not motivated to revisit the issue. In fact, exactly the opposite. The non-skeptic has no particular interest in soul searching introspection to fight through his biases to arrive at views more consistent with absolute truth.

This is close to a thought I had considered including in the original post, but didn't. Many of these people have never considered the idea that they could be wrong. What kind of belief can it be when one never evaluates the alternatives? Can one truly be said to believe something that has been spoon-fed to them from birth on without them ever considering its factual basis? While this might pass Websters' definition of belief, I question whether this is the true belief that Christians claim is required to go to heaven.

 

[Elind]

That touches on a crucial point. Does fear bring out one's "true" belief, or is it something else?

I could be wrong, but I imagine fear, or anticipation, of death will bring out thoughts of god if one has a belief of an afterlife. However, I retract my situation analogy (the foxhole one), given that it has obvious flaws.

My point is simply that I see no reason to doubt that if something like 90% of the population say they believe in a god, then they mean what they say, even if they may also have guilt about how well they practise. 50% or less probably aplies in Europe. Not in the US.

 

[TragicMonkey]

That touches on a crucial point. Does fear bring out one's "true" belief, or is it something else?

In an extremity of terror, people will cling to anything, whether they really believe it or not. It's a survival mechanism; instinct is to grasp even at straws when falling off a cliff, even though you know very well it's pointless. At such moments the intellect takes the back seat.

An atheist who screams "Oh God!" when his legs have been blown off by a bomb is not making a statement of faith, nor does he "really believe, deep down". He's responding in a close-to-death crisis by reverting, at a primal level of his brain, to deepset cultural conditioning. He's just as likely to scream "Mommy!"

 

[c4ts]

I still think this reminds me of the "no true Christian" fallacy Rapture Ready is so fond of...

 

[Jekyll]

An atheist who screams "Oh God!" when his legs have been blown off by a bomb is not making a statement of faith, nor does he "really believe, deep down". He's responding in a close-to-death crisis by reverting, at a primal level of his brain, to deepset cultural conditioning. He's just as likely to scream "Mommy!"

I like blasphomy. "J*s*s F***ing Chr*st!" is much more satisfying that just "oh ◊◊◊◊!"

 

[LordoftheLeftHand]

I still think this reminds me of the "no true Christian" fallacy Rapture Ready is so fond of...

I agree. I often times find myself believing that no one could believe this garbage (religion) and that a large percentage must just be playing along.

I don't think this is very accurate and is just an attempt on my part to reconcile that I'm a minority (an atheist).

It is very similar to the fundamentalist argument that atheists believe in god, but they are just mad at him and denying his existence.

LLH

 

[c4ts]

I agree. I often times find myself believing that no one could believe this garbage (religion) and that a large percentage must just be playing along.

I don't think this is very accurate and is just an attempt on my part to reconcile that I'm a minority (an atheist).

It is very similar to the fundamentalist argument that atheists believe in god, but they are just mad at him and denying his existence.

LLH

I remember that when I was religious, I actually believed in God, but not every single trapping of organized religion. I attended my heathen synagogue regularly, not to socialize at the end, but because I thought it was serious business. Despite all the chanting, I never felt like it was a silly or stupid thing to do, more like an obligation. I had a kind of separate mentality that only applied during religious situations, which I wasn't even aware of for the longest time. I think most religious people are in a similar situation, where only certian ways of thinking are encouraged (and others suspended) during church mode.

Then again, maybe it's just me because I'm strange.

 

[Freethinker]

I had a kind of separate mentality that only applied during religious situations, which I wasn't even aware of for the longest time.

I have one too when forced to attend a church function. I find myself thinking "You can't all be buying this line of ...." etc., and trying to just shut up, look pious and get it over with.

 

[kmortis]

There is a reason Rev. Stang explicitly created a category called "Bobbies" for those who join the Subgenuises because it's "cool". This is a common phenomenon across all religions/beliefs. I saw it when I was a pagan (the sterotypical diseffected youth beoming a Wiccan to pi$$off mommy and daddy), I saw it when I was a Satanist (same example), I saw it when I was an evangelical Christian (mommy and daddy joining to pi$$off diseffected youth).

 

[geni]

It's pretty clear that a large percentage of the population has a need to belive so I suspect the answer is rather a lot of them.

 

[Beerina]

But if most people did see Church as a social activity and no more, why not form another institution just for that purpose?

Because those who attend church have outlawed those who attend sex orgy clubs. The politics are still there.

 

[Elind]

There is a reason Rev. Stang explicitly created a category called "Bobbies" for those who join the Subgenuises because it's "cool". This is a common phenomenon across all religions/beliefs. I saw it when I was a pagan (the sterotypical diseffected youth beoming a Wiccan to pi$$off mommy and daddy), I saw it when I was a Satanist (same example), I saw it when I was an evangelical Christian (mommy and daddy joining to pi$$off diseffected youth).

I'm glad you're OK now, but is that a common path to common sense? I just went from mildly brainwashed Lutheran to Atheist. No hysterics in between.

 

[kmortis]

I'm glad you're OK now, but is that a common path to common sense? I just went from mildly brainwashed Lutheran to Atheist. No hysterics in between.

I keep hearing that the latest theory is that the human brain evolved to be a fan-FREAKING-tastic pattern recognition device. We find patterns that aren't even there, ya dig? It's only natural that a goodly percentage of people would be religious.