(May 5, 2016 at 6:05 pm)SteveII Wrote: Why do Christians become Christians?

To get to the other side?

(May 7, 2016 at 2:28 am)robvalue Wrote: I don't get the point of this.

I'm reading it as, "It's understandable people get drawn into this cult. It doesn't make them dumb."

I agree with that. It's totally understandable. It doesn't necessarily make them dumb at all. The tactics that are employed to hook people in range from devious to downright harmful. If there is another message here that isn't just an appeal to popularity, I don't know what it is. We could just as easily be discussing a confidence trickster.

Is this another "I'm not crazy for believing this" attempt? I'm coming to the conclusion that a lot of theists are here to convince themselves of this.

The point of this is to explain why people become Christians. The constant string of posts from most of your members are all about science and proof and how stupid Christians are for ignoring what you see as obvious. The debates are usually about logic, metaphysics, or science so some might conclude that is what the real issue is about. It is not.

(May 8, 2016 at 6:52 am)SteveII Wrote:

(May 7, 2016 at 2:28 am)robvalue Wrote: I don't get the point of this.

I'm reading it as, "It's understandable people get drawn into this cult. It doesn't make them dumb."

I agree with that. It's totally understandable. It doesn't necessarily make them dumb at all. The tactics that are employed to hook people in range from devious to downright harmful. If there is another message here that isn't just an appeal to popularity, I don't know what it is. We could just as easily be discussing a confidence trickster.

Is this another "I'm not crazy for believing this" attempt? I'm coming to the conclusion that a lot of theists are here to convince themselves of this.

The point of this is to explain why people become Christians. The constant string of posts from most of your members are all about science and proof and how stupid Christians are for ignoring what you see as obvious. The debates are usually about logic, metaphysics, or science so some might conclude that is what the real issue is about. It is not.

As I said in my post, most Christians become Christians because of bribery and threats of violence made to them as children.

(May 7, 2016 at 7:20 am)Jörmungandr Wrote: One aspect of this that hasn't been discussed is the fact that religious belief is inversely proportional to both socioeconomic class and education.  One can think what one wills about the implications of that, but it would seem to imply that the poor and the ignorant find the message of Christ more appealing.  If the message is so popular, why does it appeal most to the downtrodden?  That sounds to me like the beliefs take advantage of the vulnerabilities of a distressed population.  So it is not simply that the message is appealing, but that the message is appealing to certain types and for specific reasons.  Otherwise that message would appeal unilaterally to all classes.

While it may be a non sequitur in this thread, it bears emphasizing that because a message is appealing doesn't make it any more likely to be true.  Indeed, the appeal of the message may instead of marking a sign of truthfulness, signal a departure from reality.  It's easier to make promises if you don't have to stick to the truth.

A good point. But appealing more to the downtrodden would be understandable in any generation because of the hope and peace that is inherent in the message. The message in the Gospels though it that everyone is in the same boat. Wealth make people feel secure and brings its own form of "happiness". People in this position, will not be as prompted to investigate what other forms of happiness there might be.

(May 8, 2016 at 7:02 am)paulpablo Wrote:

(May 8, 2016 at 6:52 am)SteveII Wrote: The point of this is to explain why people become Christians. The constant string of posts from most of your members are all about science and proof and how stupid Christians are for ignoring what you see as obvious. The debates are usually about logic, metaphysics, or science so some might conclude that is what the real issue is about. It is not.

As I said in my post, most Christians become Christians because of bribery and threats of violence made to them as children.

Except the hundreds of millions who haven't.

Has anyone ever "come to Jesus" without having heard about him and the stories surrounding him for long periods?

I think not. The seeping in of ideas surrounding you is not surprising. People independently describing "meeting" Jesus, while isolated from any mention of him, would be surprising.

In short, people are very susceptible to the appeal to popularity fallacy. If many people seem to believe it, it appears a reasonable belief.