Are your religious beliefs a choice?

by **Battlion** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:30 am

Really simple question, in my mind, and something that I’ve been debating with family and boyfriend earlier today.

Are your religious beliefs a choice that you make?

My view on the matter, is that whilst at first your parents may choose your religion and bring you up in that way, there does reach a point where you choose either consciously or sub-consciously to believe in that religion or not. Thus, belief is a choice.

Over to you Nationstates users - are religious beliefs a choice?

by **Big Jim P** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:14 am

Mine is most certainly a choice. One I made back in 1985.

by **The New California Republic** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:17 am

Yes they are a choice.

by **Excelsion** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:17 am

This isn't a black-or-white issue. It is highly dependent on an individual's capabilites and intelligence and as well, surroundings.
I would say that upbringing does matter until a certain age but after that threshold is reached it's mostly "self-motivation".

by **LiberNovusAmericae** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:18 am

My lack of religious beliefs are a choice, especially when I grew up in a Catholic household.

by **Andsed** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:18 am

Yeah while your upbringing will likely influence even those who were brought up in a religious family can become atheist and vice versa.

by **The Galactic Liberal Democracy** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:20 am

It depends where

by **Big Jim P** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:20 am

Andsed wrote:Yeah while your upbringing will likely influence even those who were brought up in a religious family can become atheist and vice versa.

I was raised in a southern baptist family.

by **The New California Republic** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:24 am

Andsed wrote:Yeah while your upbringing will likely influence even those who were brought up in a religious family can become atheist and vice versa.

I was raised Protestant.

by **Andsed** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:26 am

The New California Republic wrote:
Andsed wrote:Yeah while your upbringing will likely influence even those who were brought up in a religious family can become atheist and vice versa.

I was raised Protestant.

I was raised in a semi catholic family( I say semi catholic because we did not go to church often and never really focused on religon but we did think of ourselves as catholic)

by **Valentine Z** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:28 am

Considering the Buddhist nature of Burma, and the family members being all Buddhist, I will say that it was not exactly a choice.

That is not to say that I don't enjoy it, and in fact, my religious experience has been more than satisfactory.

by **Deutschess Kaiserreich** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:32 am

I never cared for religion. My dad was Christian but never talked about it. All he did was buy a bible for me to read. Decent in the old testament. New Testament got boring fast.

by **The Galactic Liberal Democracy** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:36 am

Andsed wrote:I was raised in a semi catholic family( I say semi catholic because we did not go to church often and never really focused on religon but we did think of ourselves as catholic)

I can relate, the exact same thing is true for me. It got kind of weird when my friends asked what church I went to and they were also mostly Protestant.

by **Teshin Est** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:48 am

you think that you are nonreligious but all of you are you don't believe in religious stuff guess what that is religious there in noway that you don't have a religion like evolutionist it is a religious :clap:

by **Andsed** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:49 am

Teshin Est wrote::rofl: you think that you are nonreligious but all of you are you don't believe in religious stuff guess what that is religious there in noway that you don't have a religion like evolutionist it is a religious

... Wat?

by **Teshin Est** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:50 am

Andsed wrote:
Teshin Est wrote::rofl: you think that you are nonreligious but all of you are you don't believe in religious stuff guess what that is religious there in no way that you don't have a religion like evolutionist it is a religious

... Wat?

what do you mena what read it

by **The Galactic Liberal Democracy** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:52 am

Andsed wrote:
Teshin Est wrote::rofl: you think that you are nonreligious but all of you are you don't believe in religious stuff guess what that is religious there in noway that you don't have a religion like evolutionist it is a religious

... Wat?

I think it is implying atheism is a religion.

by **Northern Jackaia** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:52 am

They are definitely a choice. I go to a Catholic school and live in a Catholic family, and I consider myself an atheist.

by **Andsed** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:53 am

Teshin Est wrote:
Andsed wrote:... Wat?

what do you mean what read it

Okay so what your saying is Atheism is a religion? That is nonsensical.

The Galactic Liberal Democracy wrote:
Andsed wrote:... Wat?

I think it is implying atheism is a religion.

Yeah just figured that out.

by **Page** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:57 am

I don't have any religious beliefs, and I don't think my nonbelief is really a choice. What you believe and what you want are two different things. Imagine if you were hooked up to a machine that could read your mind, and someone said they'd give you a billion dollars if you truly believed there was a pink unicorn in the room with you. No matter how much you might want that money can you really convince yourself the unicorn is there? Probably not.

I suppose my lack of participation in a religion is a choice, after all I could join a religion even without believing in it. But that's not in my nature, which leads down the rabbit hole of "is choice even real?" and I tend toward hard determinism.

by **Teshin Est** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:57 am

Northern Jackaia wrote:They are definitely a choice. I go to a Catholic school and live in a Catholic family, and I consider myself an atheist.

Atheism is your religion you might think it is not but it is a religion yes you don't believe in a god but it is your religion so suck it

by **Teshin Est** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:58 am

Page wrote:I don't have any religious beliefs, and I don't think my nonbelief is really a choice. What you believe and what you want are two different things. Imagine if you were hooked up to a machine that could read your mind, and someone said they'd give you a billion dollars if you truly believed there was a pink unicorn in the room with you. No matter how much you might want that money can you really convince yourself the unicorn is there? Probably not.

I suppose my lack of participation in a religion is a choice, after all I could join a religion even without believing in it. But that's not in my nature, which leads down the rabbit hole of "is choice even real?" and I tend toward hard determinism.

thank you at least you get it

by **Page** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:59 am

Teshin Est wrote:
Northern Jackaia wrote:They are definitely a choice. I go to a Catholic school and live in a Catholic family, and I consider myself an atheist.

Atheism is your religion you might think it is not but it is a religion yes you don't believe in a god but it is your religion so suck it

Bald is your hair color you might not think it is but it is a hair color yes you don't have hair but it is your hair color so suck it

By the way, this is a comma. , He's a friendly guy who wants to hang out.

by **Valrifell** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:00 am

Well, first we have to decide if determinism is true or not. So maybe? But it really depends on how you think about the world.

by **Handecanistan** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:01 am

They're a choice as long as the government doesn't make any laws about what happens when someone decides to convert to a different religion, or become an atheist.

Or if society pressures you to believe a religion or be excommunicated from your family and friends.

Overall it's wholly dependant on your religion's tolerance, your country's religious tolerance, and your close friends and family's religious tolerance. Personally being atheist has been my choice, though I'm sure a Muslim from Saudi Arabia who secretly wishes to express his Atheism would disagree on his religious freedoms.