Yes, I don't see science as dispelling too much.
I hope humility and common sense might, though.
The notion of revival meetings and fervid, proselytising faith, of any ilk, horrifies me - the HUBRIS and closedness of it...brrrrr.......
Just pointing out Edgar that having an IQ and/or a top quality education in the sciences does not automatically result in rejecting Christianity.
Never said it did. It takes accepting the findings of science to accomplish that.
Ah okay. I wish you could meet these people and try to tell me they don't accept the findings of science. Or you would be hard put to convince me I don't accept the findings of science for that matter.
Sounds as if they accept science very selectively - If it doesn't clash with faith.
I asked my neighbor the plumber what he knew about born again christians, he said he didn't know if his HMO covered that.
My HMO covers everything - The fatal flaw is, no doctors will accept it.
I would think the OB/GYN fees are lower for being born the second time.
ok I guess i was thinking it would be a C-section.
I think some people have touched on the truisms of why missionaries do not approach older people. They need to speak to a virgin mind that are open to the messages of religion. That's the reason why most follow their culture or parent's religion as they get older, and few every change or leave the religion of their childhood. This continues to perpetuate itself from children to grandchildren and so forth and so on. If that were not true, there would be more variety of religions in every country or fewer believers.
But there are more varieties of religions in most countries now than there have ever been. And I think more and more young people have been rejecting the faith of their parents.
As to whether missionary minded Christians go after young people more than older people, I honestly don't know. My particular denomination doesn't go after anybody.
Just out of curiosity, how many of you people who do reject religious faith were raised by athiest parents?
Added: And how many of you who do have a religious faith go to the same denomination of church or practice the same faith as your parents?
My parents were believers.
Many atheists have had ministers for fathers, as a matter of fact.
Mine were buddhist and christian.
Mine were totally indifferent to the matter of Western religion. My father "believed" in the mysticism of Vedanta, God bless his Atman.
edgarblythe wrote:Many atheists have had ministers for fathers, as a matter of fact.
can you verify that fact?
I have come across atheist spawn of ministers throughout my life. Of course, I cannot prove most of them now. Off the top of my head, I can only name Philip Wylie, the atheist author. Darwin's father was a minister, but I don't know how Darwin truly felt about god or gods.
On the other hand, I am pretty sure a son of atheist M. O'Hare turned Christian.
I was raised sort of christian - but with no passion.
I have ministers and such in the wider family, though.
dlowan wrote:I was raised sort of christian - but with no passion.
Trying to avoid making silly Mel Gibson comment....
