Are you religious/ superstitious?

[contractor79]

there is no hared towards anyone

I was merely trying to explicitly create the link to mental illness.

No hatred, but a bit of astonishment at parents lack of critical thinking.

parents who share their Christian beliefs with their children are not mentally ill, apologise

[ThomasSoerensen]

No it's not. It very much explains the behaviour. There is a rather well known atheist writer out there who was abused by a teacher at the religious school he attended. That is very sad but we must wonder why people don't repeat this obvious connection.

Are you defending religion with this?

By informing us of a religious person who abuses a child?

haha

[ThomasSoerensen]

parents who share their Christian beliefs with their children are not mentally ill, apologise

haha - never

[contractor79]

haha - never

because you're telling lies, defaming good parents because you have an issue with parenting for reasons best known to yourself

[ThomasSoerensen]

because you're telling lies, defaming good parents because you have an issue with parenting for reasons best known to yourself

Please show which lies I have told.

And I definately have nothing against good parenting. Good parenting instills self-confidense and critical thinking in children. Not blind belief in any fairy tale told to the children.

[GreenLabel]

No it's not. It very much explains the behaviour. There is a rather well known atheist writer out there who was abused by a teacher at the religious school he attended. That is very sad but we must wonder why people don't repeat this obvious connection.

So the fact that someone doesn't share your beliefs means that they must've been subjected to something terrible? Do you not think it's possible that they simply looked at the evidence presented and arrived at a conclusion different to your own?

[d000hg]

These countries are mainly very poor countries with very poor and uneducated people.

They are easy targets.

Please show me adult conversion rates from developed countries and for people with higher to medium education. I do not believe these are significant.

It's a bit disrespectful to say it doesn't count if they don't have a degree, don't you think? How are they "easy targets" if conversion means they face persecution, rejection from their families, even physical attack or murder? It's a more serious decision than it is for you and I.

I don't know where you'd get those figures, and if you did, how trustworthy they are... do you get it from surveys and censuses (is that right?) because many people in the UK would tick the "Christian box" because they were baptised as a baby.According to wikipedia "today about 71.6% of English people identify as Christians" but if you asked "do you have a personal relationship with Jesus" the figure would probably be far lower. So do we use church attendance? The church I go to has probably had 2-300% growth in adult congregation over the last 5 years, but I don't know where they came from... I know we have a bunch of people who converted as students/adults but one church is no statistical use.

[ThomasSoerensen]

So the fact that someone doesn't share your beliefs means that they must've been subjected to something terrible? Do you not think it's possible that they simply looked at the evidence presented and arrived at a conclusion different to your own?

I think you are asking for too much in this case

People drawing their own conclusion are not popular in relogious circles.

[ThomasSoerensen]

It's a bit disrespectful to say it doesn't count if they don't have a degree, don't you think? How are they "easy targets" if conversion means they face persecution, rejection from their families, even physical attack or murder? It's a more serious decision than it is for you and I.

I don't know where you'd get those figures, and if you did, how trustworthy they are... do you get it from surveys and censuses (is that right?) because many people in the UK would tick the "Christian box" because they were baptised as a baby.According to wikipedia "today about 71.6% of English people identify as Christians" but if you asked "do you have a personal relationship with Jesus" the figure would probably be far lower. So do we use church attendance? The church I go to has probably had 2-300% growth in adult congregation over the last 5 years, but I don't know where they came from... I know we have a bunch of people who converted as students/adults but one church is no statistical use.

Since you are the one claiming there are a lot of adult conversions I ask you to provide the figures from reputable sources.

Also I do not believe in yout hypothesis of individuals facing being outcast for converting. I believe the conversions in Africa is done at the village level so nobody is faced with individual choice.
Often the method is that the missionaty organisation agrees to build a school if the village population converts wholesale.

[TimberWolf]

I wonder if there isn't some truth in what has been said about missing out on something by not being religious, although "empty vessel" may be overstating the case. I'm not keen on poetry and stuff like that and I sometime wonder whether I should get into it more and go with the flow rather than dismissing it as feminine claptrap of the highest order. Same with art. Should we go with the flow and pretend there is an afterlife and a God looking after us? Reading the bible might be done in a similar way to watching Star Trek, you just turn off logic centres and enjoy it for what it is, or for the beauty of its words and message, or whatever. And some of that singing in church malarky might be just the thing to tweak our ancient pack animal instincts too. On the other hand are religious people missing out on seeing the beauty of a world without religion and gods and other claptrap?