Gandhi the Hun

I've been thinking. Does a person join a religion and worship a God because they have found proof to themselves that that religion's God is true, or that the principles and beliefs of the religion match their own? That being said, if someone were to find proof or evidence of a religion's God, but they completely dissagreed with the principles and beliefs of the religion, would they worship the God, or be rebellious? (and let's just assume that this God is omnipotent).

Carl LaFong

As a whole, I would guess that most people join a religion/ worship a god for social or emotional reasons. Then the rational stuff like looking for evidence comes later.

I've heard of a few cases like this where somebody switches to a different religion because it's a better match for them. But just as often they joined because a church was located conveniently close to them or because the the rest of their family joined and they didn't want to be left out.

Alf

The vast majority of poeople who join a church does so because their parents brought them up in that particular set of beliefs. Hence, they take it for granted without questioning its basis.

Alf

Spherical Time

Further, I would postulate that they actually desire to conform to their parents beliefs, and so they not only take their faith for granted but actively strive to accept beliefs that have no rational basis.

Once you start looking for evidence of God, I think that confirmation bias will do the rest.

Nuwanda

My experience is much different from the other posts in that I left the religion of my upbringing - Mormonism. From there I drifted while asking the overarching questions of existence: where did it all come from, what's the point, is there a God, if so is it interested in mankind, etc.

Science didn't claim to know the answers, atheism was completely out of the question (it was a faith too far reaching for me), agnosticism seemed to be the most reasonable resolution (though it really resolves nothing besides being unresolved).

I had one of those God-encounters that changed my life in the blink of an eye 16 years ago and I've never gone back to drifting. I've found it terribly difficult to find a church that accepts those who have a real relationship with God. Institutions don't do well with institutionalizing the eternal (whether its religion or science).

Nuwanda

I think you're right to a large degree if one considers why "most people join a religion." It does not follow that those who join a religion do so because they believe in God or have experienced God.

Your other point doesn't appear to be honest. Why is it rational to look for evidence of a spiritual experience? (assuming you mean in the sense of scientific inquiry)

Fr. Gottisttot

My guess is that that many theists believe simply because that is what they were told to do as children and they have either never felt the need to question it, or when they did ask questions, they were satisfied with the information that a priest/reverend/parent/friend gave them.

As for converts, I wouldn't know. Certainly there is some psychological comfort to be derived from being pals with the biggest kid on the playground, but when you have to follow the kid's rules or he'll beat you up? That just seems a bit messed up.

Ben K

I converted to Catholicism (from atheistic non-religiousness) many years ago after a "religious experience." I believe now the "experience" was a brain accident of some sort (a seizure, TIA, whatever.) It was very vivid at the time and kept me religious for many years, until I eventually came to my senses. (I also was going through a period of depression and unemployment at the time, so the "experience" and the response of the church community was entirely welcome to me at the time.)

I think that for most religionists, reason has NOTHING to do with it. Religion is mostly about social support and group affirmation. There is nothing in the secular world as welcoming and undemanding as the institution of a church community. I went to Catholic seminary; the seminarians referred to it (sarcastically) as "sucking at the teats of Mother Church."

My family had nothing to do with the church, but most Christians come from families that are inseparable from the large community. Its hard for lifelong atheists, I think, to appreciate how non-individual and unquestionable a Christian's understanding of religion is. Many Christians simply can't imagine a secular life as anything but dry, deserted, bitter and lonely. To Christians, giving up the idea of God entails giving up ones family and security, too.

Gandhi the Hun

Thank you very much for your input people! In my case, I was raised catholic, went to a catholic school at a young age, but during all of this I was repulsed by everything. I remember being four years old in the middle of church and I was so bored with it that I felt betrayed by my authoritarian parents. In an act of rebellion, I yelled out "I'M NOT LISTENING!" and it was pretty awkward. My only motivation for church was the donuts afterwards. When the time came for my first communion (which I still do not know what the point of it is) I did not know about it at all. While everyone was rehersing and what not down stairs, I was upstairs eating donuts. I found the priest's words to be uninteresting, the songs to be monotonous, repetitive, and completely boring. During my childhood i knew I did not believe in God, but everyone around me and my whole family did so I kept it to myself.

Gawen

This is almost precisely my experience, even the donuts, excepting the religion was mainstream protestant and the "I'M NOT LISTENING!" part.

Pertaining to the OP, I have a friend at work who in order to marry his woman, had to join her church. He's now a born-again instead of a wishy-washy Baptist. However, both were brought up in a Christian setting, one more devout than the other. But even even he had to join her particular flavour of the same Southern Baptist denomination.

An interesting side note, we sometimes talk religion and he knows my stance on it. Last week he just up't and asked me:
"If you were delivering pizzas and a drop-dead gorgeous (10) woman answered the door wearing nothing and she said, "I have no tip for you but you can do to me what you please"...what would you do?
I asked him what HE would do and he said "I would do what Jesus would do. Jesus was perfect."
I replied, "So since Jesus was perfect and a perfect woman was giving herself to him, I reckon He'd screw her. After all, ya think a perfect Jesus would even consider doing a 9??

We laughed.