SirPhoenix Posted November 23, 2010 Posted November 23, 2010 There seems to be a few major paths that lead a person into christianity. 1. Familial Indoctrination - Your parents believed it, and made darn sure you did too. 2. Turn or Burn - You were given a fire and brimstone sermon by someone at a point in your life where it worked. 3. God is Love - A chrisitan actually showed you some kindness, and the warm fuzzy side of christianity pulled you in I was a combination of 1 and 3. My mom got "saved" when I was 5, and it actually had a postitive impact on my life at that time. Parents teach morality as they see it to children all the time, and the only thing I noticed was that mom seemed happier. So mom went from moody and bitchy to happy, or at least that's how it seemed to me. So, at 5, God seemed to be all love, and mom started making sure I got my daily dose of Jesus. The whole eternal suffering and pain aspect was downplayed. I think my mom got pulled in through the God is Love aspect. Also, why do you think people stay in it for so long? Are most afraid like I was? I was't happy, but I was afraid to leave, afraid of hell. I wonder how many people out there now are miserable as christians but are just too afraid to leave it like I was. I also wonder if there are people that are genuinely happy as christians.
oddbird1963 Posted November 23, 2010 Posted November 23, 2010 Maybe there should be another category: Social Influence and Organizational Strategy. It may involve some element of 2 and 3, but I was drawn in to Christianity through a Vacation Bible School. For those who may not know, "Vacation Bible School" is a 3-5 day long thematic program in the summers designed to indoctrinate and evangelize children. There is music, crafts, snacks, lessons and some preaching. Money is raised for a missions effort or some other such special cause. A classmate invited me one summer (Social Influence). I pretty much tuned out the preaching segment of the program, so the "Turn or Burn" aspect was lost on me. But on the last day of the program way back when I was 14, a lady asked me, "When were you saved? (Organizational Strategy)" I said, "I don't know what that means." So she "shared" the gospel with me. I was saved that evening. Of course "God is love" was part of her presentation. But it really wasn't because of "warm fuzzy Christian love" that I was drawn in. It was the concerted effort of a church evangelistic plan which lead to it. Kids were told, "Invite your friends from school." The teachers were taught to look for opportunities to evangelize. So, a fourth category may be useful.
BrotherJosh Posted November 23, 2010 Posted November 23, 2010 I was a combo of 1 and 3. My parents and extended family were (and are) very xtian. I didn't really pay much attention to religion growing up, I was more concerned with Star Wars and Lego's. I remember seeing the hardcore bible thumper kids in church (age range now is from 6 to 13) and always thought they were pretty dorky. As I grew older I grew more interested in the intellectual side of religion and less about the whole feel good aspect. Then about the age of 16-19 I hit a really rough patch in my life (depression, family issues). I started fixating on the lovey-dovey part of Jesus and how much he loves us and gave his life for us yada yada yada. I read a lot of feel good books like from Brennan Manning. But then after being in college for a few years and being exposed to many different view points and scientific facts I started questioning my religious and even political beliefs which was the first domino. I think there does need to be a another option though for societal pressure. I didn't really have much, but it's still there if you are in the xtian community.
SilentLoner Posted November 23, 2010 Posted November 23, 2010 Mix of 1 and 2. 1. Familial Indoctrination - Your parents believed it, and made darn sure you did too. My parents weren't really religous but my extended family sure as hell was. Granny made sure to instill the old cahtolic fear of the lord in me. 2. Turn or Burn - You were given a fire and brimstone sermon by someone at a point in your life where it worked. This came from both family, some teachers at my school and one of my mom's crazy fundie friends. Good times.
SirPhoenix Posted November 23, 2010 Author Posted November 23, 2010 Oh, I agree 4. Social / Peer Pressure This one is huge. I technically got "saved" at a vacation bible school, but like I said, I was 5, so without my mom's influence, I would have forgotten about it. I remember though going on a wilderness canoe trip when I was in high school. It was a church trip, and there were several "unsaved" kids that went along as well. I can only imagine the pressure they felt being with all of us fundamentalists. We were the "in" social crowd. I'm at a point where I am wondering why I stayed in so long.
hereticzero Posted November 23, 2010 Posted November 23, 2010 I was born into the cult of the cross. My father was a preacher as was his father, and many uncles over the years, etc., going back centuries as preachers. I was a preacher when I deconverted. The seminary helped open my eyes to the fraud and deceit of the church and its religion. It was tough to escape.
Vomit Comet Posted November 23, 2010 Posted November 23, 2010 3. God is Love - A chrisitan actually showed you some kindness, and the warm fuzzy side of christianity pulled you in Definitely three for me. They roped me in at age 15. I was totally ignorant and naive to the nature of Christianity before then, having grown up in a blissfully irreligious household in Los Angeles. Prior to me converting, Jesus was just some groovy mystical hippie dude from back in the day, like Buddha or something. I had no idea what I was getting into when they roped me in.
ilovemybrain Posted November 24, 2010 Posted November 24, 2010 Kind of 2 and 3. I was brought to VBS once in 4th grade, "accepted Jesus" and had no idea what the hell was going on, then as a teen my friend started bringing me to church. There I heard the turn or burn, which scared the pants off me, and then the warm fuzzy fellowship kept me there.
Vendredie Posted November 24, 2010 Posted November 24, 2010 All of 1, 2, and 3. Though I got out at about 14, so no harm done, really.
excalvinist Posted November 24, 2010 Posted November 24, 2010 I was homeless and strung out on crystal meth at the age of nineteen. A family from a church took me into there home and I became drug free. (still am today, thirteen years later). I concluded that bible sky god intervened and saved me. Of course the mega church I went to had allot of fine girls, so that was a reason also. I know so many people that would walk away from it all today, but they would loose there, wives, businesses, and most of there friends, so they just suck it up and stay.
JadedAtheist Posted November 24, 2010 Posted November 24, 2010 None of them really..I converted because my limited examination into the subject seemed to indicate Christianity was true. Though I guess the major underlying drive was the fear of death and the unknown that followed it. The answer "You'll see what happens when you die" didn't rest comfortably with me. I've got some baggage now from it but also some positive aspects from Christianity. All in all, I pretty much picked up where I left off. I was an committed atheist beforehand and I am now once again a committed atheist.
Deva Posted November 24, 2010 Posted November 24, 2010 It was number 1 and some of number 2. I really believed in it, and thought it was the only way to live for many years. Then I had doubts and tried to make it work anyway for another number of years. I FINALLY realized around age 40 that there was no way to make it work and then I dumped it for Buddhism. It was very hard for me to get out of Baptist fundamentalism and then Christianity. Actually I am still willing to grant there are some truths in Christianity but most of them were thrown out at the beginning in the first century when the church was being organized into a huge monolithic Catholic monstrosity. I realized that when I read the gnostic gospels.
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted November 24, 2010 Posted November 24, 2010 1 and 2. I had almost nothing of 3 at all which is why it wasn't hard to leave. After I accepted hell as inevitable it was easy to say goodbye to church. Never really got any of that "god loves you" crap
SirPhoenix Posted November 24, 2010 Author Posted November 24, 2010 Actually I am still willing to grant there are some truths in Christianity but most of them were thrown out at the beginning in the first century when the church was being organized into a huge monolithic Catholic monstrosity. I realized that when I read the gnostic gospels. Same here. I think there are some truths in there. Now though, I see them more a function of the nature of the universe than god's mandates.
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