How does Christianity gain ADULT converts?

[Drich]

By reason. The same way anyone is convinced of anything.

Jesus Christ you're dense.

Okay. What's the justification for believing in Christianity?

Literal interaction/Relationship with the Holy Spirit.

[Faith No More]

Literal interaction/Relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Where's the justification that this is not a delusion?

[Skepsis]

Jesus Christ you're dense.

Okay. What's the justification for believing in Christianity?

Literal interaction/Relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Sounds great, how about you get him to contact me at the nearest date.
I'm open tomorrow until 3:22, so if he can't call before then I'd say that's a bit of a dealbreaker.
But then, you can't get him to contact me or anyone else, or anything else, nor can you prove that you yourself were contacted.
Oh, well.

[Reforged]

I have been wondering how religions, in particular Christianity, gain willing adult converts. I don't mean people who were in a hard place (addiction, divorce, depression) and were preyed upon by religious folk claiming the religion and not the counseling, community, and support made them better. I mean adults who converted on their own whim to Christianity.

I think the same kind of brainwashing going on in children can occur in adults by way of missionaries, apologetics, and only being exposed to one source. I have trouble seeing how someone could read anti-apologetic and anti-missionary materiel, scholarly bible studies, and information about other religions and come out a conservative Christian. I suppose there's also atheists who were always unaffiliated with religion or never gave it much thought and could be swung over to a form of theism easily. The same thing goes for theists though.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a weakened psychological state. You know what I mean; someone dies, you breakup from a ten year relationship, you lose your job, your house, basically sometimes life kicks you straight in the jewels.
Thats when you go "Well shit, whos there for me? Whats the point in my existence."
At that point you're religions favoured prey, if you're unlucky enough to be asking that question round a particularly vocal theist they'll jump on that opportunity like a true predator. "GOD! :-D" will basically be the crux of their response. Sometimes they'll be more subtle and ask a few more questions before bringing it up. They might even invite you to a get-together or church. All the people there would be kind and nice but they'd have one thing on their mind; "Well will you look at that... a new member to add to our flock."

In any other state you'd be aware, you'd be thinking and you'd give a damn but you're not in any other state at that point. You're tired and you're not thinking straight and by the time they're done you won't be thinking straight ever again. You would be fully dependent on the concept of God as a band-aid on a gaping wound. The band-aid doesn't heal the wound but it gives them comfort, it makes them feel better and if they concentrate on nothing else then they can forget about when life was complicated and occasionally painful.
They can forget about the person who died, their ten year relationship, their job, their house, the occasionally getting kicked in the jewels. They can forget the good and the bad, they can have someone do the thinking for them and let it all slip away...
and they do.

---

Jesus Christ you're dense.

Okay. What's the justification for believing in Christianity?

Literal interaction/Relationship with the Holy Spirit.

That sounds abit dodgy, elaborate.

[Mister Agenda]

A new study shows that at least 30% of atheist convert after they become adults, not all to Christianity but some religion. CNN.com

Can you link? For some reason Google is coming up dry for me on this one.

[C.W. Sims]

Let's also not forget guilt. Many of us are raised on specific notions of how you should behave and how you should think. I worked with a woman who was raised christian, but was an atheist at the time I met her. She led a very risque life. She was promiscuous, she drank, she partied a little too hard. She was a large woman who ate entirely too much. Suddenly one day she had a breakdown, confided in some people that she felt guilty about the way her life was and wanted a way out. Guess what happened, two days later she had joined a church and was a "born again christian". It was really sad to be honest. Thankfully, now not even a year later, she is over that bullshit and back to being an atheist, but she did clean up her act. Oddly enough though, she didn't clean it up because of religion, she left the religion because of her behavior not changing and decided to do it her damn self. But my point was, that for some people guilt over their actions that they were raised to believe are wrong can drive them towards a religious solution.

[Gooders1002]

Well I will not be converting any-time soon as my mind is to logical for religious non-logical to effect.

[Drich]

Literal interaction/Relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Where's the justification that this is not a delusion?

What does this justification look like?

---

Literal interaction/Relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Sounds great, how about you get him to contact me at the nearest date.
I'm open tomorrow until 3:22, so if he can't call before then I'd say that's a bit of a dealbreaker.
But then, you can't get him to contact me or anyone else, or anything else, nor can you prove that you yourself were contacted.
Oh, well.

Not my job sport. It's yours. If you want a personal audience with God you must Ask seek and knock for one yourself. I can point you to the scripture that will help you get there but that is where my ability ends.

---

That sounds abit dodgy, elaborate.

It completely depends on your Gifts/talents and your faithfulness to what you have been given.

[Anomalocaris]

What does this justification look like?

Not like you.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I have been wondering how religions, in particular Christianity, gain willing adult converts.

In third world counties,missionaries tend to give food as well tell a great many lies to gullible people.

In developed countries, I think those adults not actually mentally impaired (stupid) or clinically insane (loopy) are probably gullible, desperate, emotionally damaged human beings who are willing to believe anything to belong and feel loved. Or not.


Adult converts reinforce my misanthropy.