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Is religion a choice?

Of course it's a choice. Even though outside forces may force you one way or the other, it is still in the end a choice.
 
Religious belief isn't a choice. Religious practice is.

You can't choose whether you believe the Old Testaments was divinely inspired by God as a guide for the Jewish people to live their lives. You either do or don't, based on how the information you've received is processed in your mind.

You can choose whether to eat a bacon sandwich.

So when I gave up religion and went atheist, that was not a choice? Later in life I was influenced by someone (or some few I should say) and went back to religion, this was not a choice?
 
Is religion a choice?

The question is not as simplistic as it seems on the surface. The question is also aimed at people who are, have been, or claim to be, religious.

Aspects to consider...
  • People are "born into" specific religions/faiths in the sense that their family is of a particular faith
  • This aspect usually means more for some religions/faiths (i.e.: Judiasm, etc.) than others
  • Yes, people do often 'drop out of' their faith and either change faiths or drop religious faith completely, so in that sense it is a choice
  • Yet, some people who do change or drop their faith often still identify in some manner with their previous faith
  • The modern era is lessening this aspect somewhat, especially in western societies, but it still applies definitively in some regions and cultures of the world
So, what say you?

Yes it is a choice. Like every other meaning one paints reality with, religion too is a choice.
 
This:

You can't choose whether you believe the Old Testaments was divinely inspired by God as a guide for the Jewish people to live their lives.

Conflicts with this:

You either do or don't, based on how the information you've received is processed in your mind.

Either one can or cannot choose to believe?
 
It is a choice... only not in India... or in the islamic world... or in China where you get killed for practicing a religion... but it is a choice that more often than not you're denied.
 
I see you have bracketed the word "religious." Care to explain how do you mean that deists are religious when they do not follow any religion?

read her quote...it's quite easy to understand

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I'm a Deist. I believe in the existence of some kind of supreme divinity....whatever it is.


Are many of you people under the assumption that the only way a person can be "religious" is if they go to a "regular church" on regular intervals and only subscribe to one of the top dozen organized religions of the world?

To be religious does one have to follow some pre-determined dogma that's easily definable ????
 
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So when I gave up religion and went atheist, that was not a choice? Later in life I was influenced by someone (or some few I should say) and went back to religion, this was not a choice?
That depends what you mean by "gave up religion". Stopping going the church or praying is a choice, though such a person may well still believe in a god. You can't simply decide "Today I'm going to believe in God!" or vice-versa though, that's just an uncontrolled development within your mind. In some cases, people drift away from a certainty in the existence of God yet continue with their religious practices. The key point is that there is a significant distinction, and potential separation, between belief and practice.
 
Either one can or cannot choose to believe?
I think you just misunderstood my point. You can't control how your mind processes information and you can't even completely control what information it receives.

You can't choose what you believe but what you believe can change due to outside or internal influence.
 
Is religion a choice?

The question is not as simplistic as it seems on the surface. The question is also aimed at people who are, have been, or claim to be, religious.

Are there two different questions here?
Perhaps I'm confused about what you're asking?

Are you asking about belonging to, or believing in a specific religion?

Or are you asking about the much bigger topic of having religious belief?

Those are two very different questions aren't they?
 
Please explain what you mean by this. Who is denied what and how?

TRy changing religions from islam to sth else is saudi arabia or any islamic state. Or try removing yourself from the religious social caste norms in most of india. Good luck to you. Or try being an open practicing christian in china. They can use that to legally imprison you whenever they want.

so you're realistically speaking denied that choice there, more often than not.
 
Are there two different questions here?
Perhaps I'm confused about what you're asking?

Are you asking about belonging to, or believing in a specific religion?

Or are you asking about the much bigger topic of having religious belief?

Those are two very different questions aren't they?
More the question regarding the bigger topic of religious belief. Not as much a particular religion, or even being able to choose and/or deny as an adult, though I think that does factor in as well.
 
Which then comes back to my comment about it not being a choice for most.
See... I would tend to agree. Yes, some people do change religions/faiths when they get older, but really relatively few people do. Those people are more the exception to the rule, I think. More may not actively practice, but they still consider themselves what they always were somewhere in their mind.
 
I think we tend to identify by cultural tribe; hence you see "secular Jews" and "cultural Catholics."
 
See... I would tend to agree. Yes, some people do change religions/faiths when they get older, but really relatively few people do. Those people are more the exception to the rule, I think. More may not actively practice, but they still consider themselves what they always were somewhere in their mind.

Changing a religion or faith is NOT changing the fact that they are still religious.

Switching from Judaism to Baptist, or Christian to Muslim isn't becoming un-religious.

Stopping from going to church completely does not mean a person has quit being religious.
 
That depends what you mean by "gave up religion". Stopping going the church or praying is a choice, though such a person may well still believe in a god. You can't simply decide "Today I'm going to believe in God!" or vice-versa though, that's just an uncontrolled development within your mind.

No not true. It was a simple decision at the time. I had no proof and everyone who was religious was full of it. I mean if you want to call that "an uncontrolled development within your mind" that's fine with me as you are entitled to think what you like. It does not however make it true.

In some cases, people drift away from a certainty in the existence of God yet continue with their religious practices. The key point is that there is a significant distinction, and potential separation, between belief and practice.

That's true in some cases. You are however making a generalization that is by no means true in all cases, maybe even most. Unless you have some evidence?
 
That's true in some cases. You are however making a generalization that is by no means true in all cases, maybe even most. Unless you have some evidence?
I'm just applying the definition of the word "belief". You can't simple decide that you're going to believe something different in any context - it wouldn't be a belief if you did. You can be uncertain about something (I suspect we're all uncertain about pretty much everything) and seek out further information to clarify but you can't create a belief that doesn't align with that information in your mind.

The simple test is for you to choose to believe something right now. Choose to honestly and unquestionable believe that there is an all-powerful God in heaven. Can you do that?

Please don't see this as belittling religious belief or your transition. To my mind the concept of belief as uncontrollable makes your story all the more poignant.
 
Would deism be a faith, and not a religion?

Not really cause it is not known. There may be life's origin but science takes you up to a place, from then on you are on your own.
 
read her quote...it's quite easy to understand

Are many of you people under the assumption that the only way a person can be "religious" is if they go to a "regular church" on regular intervals and only subscribe to one of the top dozen organized religions of the world?

To be religious does one have to follow some pre-determined dogma that's easily definable ????

No. That is what it sounded like before though. Why am I suppose to shove my personally created meaning to everyone's throat? When that happens and I were to be paid for it, you then would have traditional religion.
 
I think you just misunderstood my point. You can't control how your mind processes information and you can't even completely control what information it receives.

It is called metacognition.

You can't choose what you believe but what you believe can change due to outside or internal influence.

So, there is no free will?
 
Not really cause it is not known. There may be life's origin but science takes you up to a place, from then on you are on your own.
I disagree. A faith is believing in 'X', with nothing more really required. Deism falls into that. A religion is the belief in 'X' as a faith, then a set way to pursue it.
 
I disagree. A faith is believing in 'X', with nothing more really required. Deism falls into that. A religion is the belief in 'X' as a faith, then a set way to pursue it.

How to fall into something unknown yet?
 
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