Accepting Belief

[Amicale]

I think some people say they're religious because of peer pressure.

Sure. Or at the very least, they feel as though they can't 'come out' as non-religious because of peer pressure, so they keep their mouth shut and allow religious family members and friends to assume that they're religious, too.

Been there, done that. My grandparents still don't know I'm an atheist. And they never will. I won't do that to them, it's not worth the heartache. They're just not in a place where knowing that or accepting that about me would give them any peace, so I respect that limitation they have, and love them all the same, of course.

Yeah,,i get cutting the old people slack, but it's still sad.

Yeah, it is. Then again, I always figure it could be worse. When I told them I was gay (that was one huge part of me that wasn't just an opinion, so I wasn't about to keep it quiet), my grandfather at least didn't challenge me on it, although I knew he was disappointed -- for him, the issue at the time was that he thought I wouldn't have any children. I proved him wrong.  My grandma, on the other hand, responded to my news with a big hug and a "I love you no matter what, if you bring a girl over for dinner, just make sure she's a nice young lady!"

So, it's good, REALLY good, to know that even if some folks might not be able to accept your beliefs about their religious views, there are other probably even more controversial aspects of you that they CAN accept. It's one of the reasons I cut them slack on the religious stuff. I know they love me.

[Gawen]

Let's say I wanted to be a Christian.

So, now that I am sold on the idea, how do I go about believing it?

Self deception. Or, rather, a willingness to be self deceived and deceived by others. It happens all the time and is quite common.

I forgot. Fear.If you want to take the good, you have to take the bad. And the bad is awful, therefore, fear based.

[Guardian85]

With regards to sexual orientation, I don't think people change.
You do hear about married people breaking up and one of them admitting that they are gay, but it seems they were gay all along, only they hid it because society has such a stigma against gays.

Some people do change. I've got a sister-in-law who was a man junkie all her life, then switched teams. Maybe she was latently bi, but outwardly, it was all men, then a woman.  Maybe it's different for some women as they get older. 

The change in your sister-in-law's sexual preferences might be a result ofher bio-chemistry has changed as she matured.
I don't know, I'm no doctor. But it would be a biological explenation for her change.

[Velma]

Let's say I wanted to be a Christian.

So, now that I am sold on the idea, how do I go about believing it?

Self deception. Or, rather, a willingness to be self deceived and deceived by others. It happens all the time and is quite common.

I forgot. Fear.If you want to take the good, you have to take the bad. And the bad is awful, therefore, fear based.

It would also help if you were at a very low point in your life and willing to grab onto anything as a 'lifeline."  Many adult converts come to christianity during a time of crisis like severe medical problems, major financial stress, loss of a child or significant other, just to name a few.

[Gawen]

Let's say I wanted to be a Christian.

So, now that I am sold on the idea, how do I go about believing it?

Self deception. Or, rather, a willingness to be self deceived and deceived by others. It happens all the time and is quite common.

I forgot. Fear.If you want to take the good, you have to take the bad. And the bad is awful, therefore, fear based.

It would also help if you were at a very low point in your life and willing to grab onto anything as a 'lifeline."  Many adult converts come to christianity during a time of crisis like severe medical problems, major financial stress, loss of a child or significant other, just to name a few.

Very true!

[Amicale]

Let's say I wanted to be a Christian.

So, now that I am sold on the idea, how do I go about believing it?

Self deception. Or, rather, a willingness to be self deceived and deceived by others. It happens all the time and is quite common.

I forgot. Fear.If you want to take the good, you have to take the bad. And the bad is awful, therefore, fear based.

It would also help if you were at a very low point in your life and willing to grab onto anything as a 'lifeline."  Many adult converts come to christianity during a time of crisis like severe medical problems, major financial stress, loss of a child or significant other, just to name a few.

Very true for sure.

And sometimes, when you're at a very low point in your life and you're already a Christian/believer, that's when you lose your faith. Go figure. 

Guess it just depends on the person, on their situation, community, beliefs, etc.