5 Levels of the Faith. My personal observation.
I was involved with the church (Christianity) for around 25 years. During my time there, I observed what I would call a pecking order. Here is that order, as I perceive it:
#1. Keepers of the faith- these people don't believe in this bullshit any more than your typical Atheist does, but they profit from it in some significant way (financially, politically, government, etc.). For that reason, they will go to whatever lengths necessary to preserve it. They will lie, cheat, twist, or destroy to keep the masses believing in the lie.
#2. Teachers of the faith- these people are held in high regard by the flock, but are ironically right on the fence when it comes to belief. To be teachers, they've had to learn too much for their own good. At the same time, they're still very much brain washed, probably because their indoctrination took place at a very early age, creating what may prove to be irrevocable damage.
#3. Justifiers of the faith- like #2, these people are somewhat on the fence. However, many of them are egomaniacs that have paranoid delusions, which helps them quickly dismiss any doubts that may arise about their faith. In their minds, there's a great conspiracy at work to "destroy the faith of the one true god." It's this very characteristic that makes them perfect to apologize for any discrepancies, negative moral implications, scientific impossibilities, etc., that the bible may present.
#4. Mindless sheep. These people will believe anything they are told as long as it's conveyed in a way that seems to promote Christianity. They can't be bothered to do any critical studying of their own, they prefer to be preached to and taught what to think and how to act. If their particular church is charismatic, they will usually begin to mimic that behavior. Naturally, it's the mindless sheep that are easiest to convert to some form of Atheism. With that said, getting them to admit that they've fallen away is an entirely different challenge, and not one I find to be worth the effort.
And, last but not least:
#5. Social Christians. These people are harmless, as they really don't believe. Or, perhaps a more accurate way of putting it is: they really aren't concerned about the validity of Christianity one way or the other. They like calling themselves Christian because of the social conveniences and advantages, but they aren't, at all, bound by it, and they won't be doing any more than socially necessary to maintain their status.
By the way, the above categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive, although some of them are incompatible with each other.
I was involved with the church (Christianity) for around 25 years. During my time there, I observed what I would call a pecking order. Here is that order, as I perceive it:
#1. Keepers of the faith- these people don't believe in this bullshit any more than your typical Atheist does, but they profit from it in some significant way (financially, politically, government, etc.). For that reason, they will go to whatever lengths necessary to preserve it. They will lie, cheat, twist, or destroy to keep the masses believing in the lie.
#2. Teachers of the faith- these people are held in high regard by the flock, but are ironically right on the fence when it comes to belief. To be teachers, they've had to learn too much for their own good. At the same time, they're still very much brain washed, probably because their indoctrination took place at a very early age, creating what may prove to be irrevocable damage.
#3. Justifiers of the faith- like #2, these people are somewhat on the fence. However, many of them are egomaniacs that have paranoid delusions, which helps them quickly dismiss any doubts that may arise about their faith. In their minds, there's a great conspiracy at work to "destroy the faith of the one true god." It's this very characteristic that makes them perfect to apologize for any discrepancies, negative moral implications, scientific impossibilities, etc., that the bible may present.
#4. Mindless sheep. These people will believe anything they are told as long as it's conveyed in a way that seems to promote Christianity. They can't be bothered to do any critical studying of their own, they prefer to be preached to and taught what to think and how to act. If their particular church is charismatic, they will usually begin to mimic that behavior. Naturally, it's the mindless sheep that are easiest to convert to some form of Atheism. With that said, getting them to admit that they've fallen away is an entirely different challenge, and not one I find to be worth the effort.
And, last but not least:
#5. Social Christians. These people are harmless, as they really don't believe. Or, perhaps a more accurate way of putting it is: they really aren't concerned about the validity of Christianity one way or the other. They like calling themselves Christian because of the social conveniences and advantages, but they aren't, at all, bound by it, and they won't be doing any more than socially necessary to maintain their status.
By the way, the above categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive, although some of them are incompatible with each other.
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