Is Christianity the default religion?

[EssejSllim]

This is a question that's bugged me for quite a while. I know a lot of people and many of them claim to be some form of Christian. However, probably a good 75% of these people either know only minimal amounts of information about Christianity/the Bible or nothing at all. Probably 75% or so also do not really attend church (except maybe on Easter/Christmas). It seems to me that these people are really Deists (simply believing in a god) and associate that with Christianity. Does anyone else feel this way.

By the way, I live in the US. I cannot speak for other countries.

[Davin]

I think that no religion is the default... but I'm just being a semantic ass when I say that. If I'm getting your question right, then I think that in the US Christianity could be considered the default religion if the default religion is always the most common. More Americans are born into a Christian family and that could be seen as a default (see, now I'm getting jerk like on definitions), however I feel very strongly that just because a person is born into a Christian family, it doesn't mean that they are defaulted the religion, there is still much teaching and training involved in getting children to become a Christian.

So if by your definition of default is just that it is most popular then yes, but I have a very different definition of default.

[i_am_i]

Christianity has been the "default" religion in Western culture since the last days of the Roman empire and the begining of the middle ages. Thanks a lot, Constantine.

Of course, practically no Christian alive today knows anything about Constantine and the first ecumenical council. They know nothing of Constantine's political motivations for consolodating Christianity. And if you try to explain it all to them they go "La la la la I can't hear you."

[EssejSllim]

So if by your definition of default is just that it is most popular then yes, but I have a very different definition of default.

What I'm trying to say is that I feel like people who really have no interest/knowledge in religion but believe in a God tend to think of that as Christianity (at least in the US). When you try to have a theological discussion with them, they really don't know anything but when you ask them if they're religious, they'll say "Well, I guess I'm a Christian."

[Davin]

So if by your definition of default is just that it is most popular then yes, but I have a very different definition of default.

What I'm trying to say is that I feel like people who really have no interest/knowledge in religion but believe in a God tend to think of that as Christianity (at least in the US). When you try to have a theological discussion with them, they really don't know anything but when you ask them if they're religious, they'll say "Well, I guess I'm a Christian."

Then yes, I agree with that. A majority of people will follow the majority.

Check this out: Asch Conformity Experiments (I know WikiPedia isn't good for a reference, but I find it a good place to start off a search for information).

It may not be because they think that Christianity is right, they may just be conforming, which is why they say they're religious but don't know very much about their religion.

[hvargas]

Christianity is the GENERAL USED to the believe in GOD. Someone mention CONSTANTIN. During his reign he ordered the constructions of many church which some are still standing today ( he was an atheist at first ). People don't need to have a general understanding of Christianity to claim to be Christians because they have their representatives ( CLERICKS ) to do that for them. To explain to them and to lead them. Christianity them is the default religion from which all others came about for JUDEO-CHRISTIAN SOCIETY.

[i_am_i]

Someone mention CONSTANTIN. During his reign he ordered the constructions of many church which some are still standing today ( he was an atheist at first ).

Not true. Constantine was brought up to believe in the Roman gods, and he surrounded himself with pagan scholars and philosophers even after his "conversion" to Christianity.

Yes, he built a great many churches. But so what? His reasons for doing so were just another part of his political motivations. Nobody believes that Constantine was ever a "born again" Christian.

And, no offense, but why not take a little time to polish up your English, at least as far as writing posts on this forum are concerned?

[Tanker]

So if by your definition of default is just that it is most popular then yes, but I have a very different definition of default.

What I'm trying to say is that I feel like people who really have no interest/knowledge in religion but believe in a God tend to think of that as Christianity (at least in the US). When you try to have a theological discussion with them, they really don't know anything but when you ask them if they're religious, they'll say "Well, I guess I'm a Christian."

It's really only the most common default in the western world. If they had born in the middle east it would be Islam, or india it would be hinduism, in acient Rome it would have been the Roman Parthanon. People go with what the are familiar if they feel the need for religion. Often it's at the teaching of parents, or the mob menatlity of going with what everyone else around you does.

[kelltrill]

Someone mention CONSTANTIN. During his reign he ordered the constructions of many
And, no offense, but why not take a little time to polish up your English, at least as far as writing posts on this forum are concerned?

No offense meant in return, but not everyone's first language (or even second/third/etc language) is English.

I think what the OP is referring to is an issue of majority being established as the norm, rather than the automatic default.
"Default" is an interesting choice of words in this context. I would have said that Atheism would be the default setting in a religious context simply because we are born Atheists and therefore filled up with "knowledge" of God and religion. The default would be us before that religious background develops. Perhaps within each religion you could say that there is a default, like one of the posters above me who pointed out that someone might not be a religiously educated or practicing Christian but might still call themselves Christian.

[hvargas]

Mr. J., Constantine was a destroyer of life and a non-beleiver in any Gods and that includes Romans Gods. You must look into his History and not from just one source. There are motivational factors which leads political leaders through certain roads. In the case of Constantine the Romans Gods where not fullfiling his EGO so he turn to the Christians movement where he seen his opportunity at gaining more power and in expanding his empire. Just like King James that came after, these men wanted to imortalized their names next to GOD. Both men did it somewhat similar except that King James had his named written inside the Bible. It does not matter what anyone may say to this cause the fact is that his name appears inside the Bible in LARGE BOLD FACE.

[Achaios]

I think that the answer to this question in short is no. My guess is that if this was a forum appealing to people in the middle east Christianity would have been replaced with Islam or buddhism (althoug I do not consider the latter to be a religion). In pure numbers more people adhere to Islam rather to Christianity. It just has happenned that Christianity was the norm of a religion to the western world.

[Davin]

I think that the answer to this question in short is no. My guess is that if this was a forum appealing to people in the middle east Christianity would have been replaced with Islam or buddhism (althoug I do not consider the latter to be a religion). In pure numbers more people adhere to Islam rather to Christianity. It just has happenned that Christianity was the norm of a religion to the western world.

Are you sure about that? I remember reading that Christianity is at like a third of the world population and Muslims were about a quarter of the worlds population. I'm not sure, I will look for the reports I read about that, do you a source for your information?

[pinkocommie]

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm

Everything I've found pretty much backs up this data (from 2005):

[Achaios]

I stand corrected.Thank you Davin and pinkocommie  I remember reading something like my quote on a science magazine way back in my university years, and I just held to it. I for sure have no source at hand to back my claim up.
I just noted in the pie chart that deists are seggregated with Atheists under the atheist percentage.. Would that be a misconception?

[elliebean]

I stand corrected.Thank you Davin and pinkocommie  I remember reading something like my quote on a science magazine way back in my university years...

That information may have been correct back then. I remember reading, in about the mid 80s, that muslims outnumbered christians.