(October 17, 2012 at 2:23 pm)Drich Wrote: My mother is korean and was a buddhist. My Father was a 'spiritual' hippy. I have exceed my parents religious influences in my life. Why should being born a muslim be any different?
I dont think you understood the argument. If you are born in a islamic part of the world such as Turkey or Pakistan you are more likely to be a muslim, when born in the Uk you are more likley to be a anglican, when born in Brazil you are more likely to be catholic.
If your stated background is true, you are exception, from a usual cultural background of a nation, a mix of two cultures so to speak, therefor it is more likely that you would choose for yourself. As people with multicultural background become more common, it is more likely that people (from such a background) will make choices on faith by themselves and wont let the dominant cultural sociatial structures influence them.
This does not mean that your choice of christianity is "devine". I have a multicultural background with part catholic\part anglican parents and am a atheist.
I agree to a certain extent on the muslim world. In almoust every country in wich the majority of the population is muslim, leaving islam (apostasy) is considered a crime and therefor is punishable, in some cases eaven with death (Saudi Arabia, Iran) and in other countries with muslim population violence towards such individuals is something common and has happened in nations like Turkey and Nigerea but also in the UK and France. But one must underline that these people leave their faith because of fear.
(October 17, 2012 at 2:23 pm)Drich Wrote: For that matter most atheist are born into religion and still seek a life without God. They too go beyond their up bringing. This would lead a logical man to conclude that we are not born to any specific type of faith. we adopt a faith because it suits our needs.
Needs? If you live in a muslim country and you choose to leave islam, you might end up beheaded. And I think life is a "need".
Here in Europe, there still are countries like Spain, Italy and Greece, in wich, after you leave the dominant sect, you commit social suicide.
A lot of religious people talk of their "spiritual" needs. But I`m not going to go into this.
What I asses is, that in some countries religon builds up power and influences a nations sociaty to a way, that a human beings "needs" to be accessible for a individual outside of that sect is made hard or eaven imposible.
Organised religion attempts to create a monopoly on the provision of those needs so it can discriminate.
