Reply to Do "believers" only believe because they are conforming? [ATHEISTS ONLY]

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ignoring the BS of the last however many pages...

I think that spirituality, like a lot of other stuff, is hugely influenced by what a person experiences related to it in childhood. Not for everyone, and not the same way, but in general, I think that if you are raised in a particular spiritual tradition, the easiest path is staying within it. You have a model for how to bring children into it, how to answer questions about faith, etc. as well as a community with norms that are familiar. I think people debating faith often gloss over the social importance of church attendance in many communities when discussing people's spiritual behavior.

I was not raised in any particular tradition. We didn't go to church at all as a kid, and while my mom is a practicing Christian now, she has made it very clear that there's no pressure on any family member to participate with her. Her husband (my stepdad) isn't a Christian, and I've been t church with her maybe 3x in 10 years. I find church peaceful and meditative, but being there doesn't feel like a religious experience for me and it's not my community. I didn't consider what church to join when I moved and my husband and I were married in a civil ceremony, not a religious one.

I don't think it's about conformity or nonconformity for people who aren't ostentatious about their faith (and I'm including militant atheists in that category - I suppose if asked to pick from a list. I'd pick atheist over other options because I don't believe in God but it's not a core part of my identity). I think the people who really have an axe to grind about the existence or nonexistence of a supreme being are all conformist in their own ways. Of the atheists I've met who fit that description, most of them have had some scarring experience with religion, whether it be growing up in a restrictive religious home or some other trauma that caused them to lose faith. The person I know who was most militantly atheist lost her very Catholic mother when she was about 12 and as a result of that experience, she believes that God cannot exist. [/quote]

pp - you mention "militant" a couple of times when describing a certain type of atheist.  Can you describe some characteristics a militant atheist would have?  I'm also curious about characteristics a religious believer would have who approaches belief similar to the way that a militant atheist approaches non-belief.[/quote]

17:19 here,  not pp. I use militant to describe atheists that can't let things lie. Similar to a super political aunt or uncle when you're nervous about seeing them at the holidays because you know they're going to starthe a fight with someone.

A person who isn't content just knowing themselves, they feel compelled to tell everyone else they are wrong as well. [/quote]

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