Are religious people born without the ability to think for themselves or are they just very gullible?
400467
As a child, if adults continuously told you the sky was red, you would believe it to be true.  With the adults in their lives being reinforced by religious classes, children learn what their parents want them to learn.  It isn't until they're adults that they have sense enough to look at differing viewpoints.  By then religion has become so ingrained, it makes it nearly impossible to be open minded.\n\nThe thing I like least about religions is their ability to justify anything.  Look at St. Patrick's Day.  It fell on a Friday during Lent so the powers that be said, "Well, it'll be okay for just this one Friday if you have some corned beef and cabbage."\n\nAre you kidding me?  Jesus died on the cross, sacrificing himself to free us of our sins but...2000 years later people can't abstain from eating meat on one St. Patrick's Day for him?\n\nHow much sense does that make?  I hate religions.  I am very spiritual and believe in a higher power...but I don't need that crap.\n\nIn addition...to all the religious people out there who say, "What if you're wrong?"  What greater insult and selfish act could there be than to believe in something just so nothing bad happens to you?
1014657
When looking for delusional thinking, you don't just look at one thing.  So, if someone is very religious (even practicing an odd religion), that does not mean they are delusional.  Its when they start to believe they are Jesus or Satan when there's a problem.  Usually, you will start to suspect delusions when there are odd religious beliefs in conjunction with other delusions.  \nThere are a lot of psychotic people that have religious delusions.  They will quote scripture and call people sinners, but that's no different than someone's grandmother.  If it starts to become weird, like a former client of mine who quoted scripture and then said he fell off the cross last night, then yes, suspect a delusion.
650537
They are usually weak-minded, and have no will or thoughts of their own. That's why most ex-drug users and ex-alcoholics turn to religion, they have no will or ability to think for themselves.
508100
Well I think they are so blind - cited with their own righteousness and holier than thou Bull that they forget the true meaning of their religion. The problem is ignorance breads ignorance, and for the most part they are caught up in the passing down this ignorance.\n\nThey also fear what is different from them. And it makes them feel good to consider themselves messengers of God, when they are really just spreading ignorance, closed-mindedness, and fear.
1099040
I think that people have the same religion when they allow the religion's teachings to tell THEM what to think, instead of thinking for themselves.  \n\nI think there are as many religious denominations as there are thinking people.
867383
This is in my own opinion...i kind believe in my own thing, not so much any certain religious I have just gathered info and made up my own opinion.  It goes like this...most of the time ppl who are deep into religion believe in it as a self starter or motivator, its like when they are down and need something to lean on they believe in God to lean on and give them that strength.  So to me God is really like a self confidence thing........i mean the numbers are staggering, look at most successful ppl who have great self confidence and they will more than likely say they believe in some kind of religion where as if you ask a "depressed" person they are typically atheists/non believers....God is that inner self telling them they can do it, they can achieve their goals if they put their minds to it.  They are usually very spiritual ppl......\n\nThats just what I have seen....
238025
I think you should be honest with them, it's your own life and you can make the choices you want.  If you choose not to believe and your parents have a problem with it then they will just have to deal with it.\n\nI also want to comment on the one person's answer saying that "You should. If it wasn't for him you wouldnt be here"  Well that's just all speculation, nobody knows for certain how human's were first created and that nobody know's for certain whether God exists or not.  The whole concept of religion and god are concepts of man.  It's purpose was to soley explain the unexplainable, and to that effect humans arent a creation of God, God is a creation of humans
932866
I think they are pretty much like most.  Some are intelligent and have reached their position by in depth thought.  Others are parrots who just like what they have heard and parrot what others have said.  Sounds like the average Christian community of which I am a part.\n\nWhat I think those who have reached their position by in depth thought don't understand is that they each really do believe in an ultimate authority who calls all the shots just like Christians do.  The difference is Christians believe that ultimate authority is a diety who created all of us and controls the physical and spiritual world.  Atheists believe they are god in that they have decided that their intelligence reigns supreme and they make all the decisions. \n\nIn either case there is an ultimate authority.  It's just whether the ultimate authority is the individual or God.
181141
Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators?\nOr did they create the heavens and the earth? Surely, they have no firm belief.\nOr are the treasures of your Lord with them, or have they control over them? (At-Tur, 35-37) \n\nThe first error a prejudiced person makes is trying to evaluate religion without giving thought to Allah. Sociologists, for example, who do research on religion, can write thousands of books on how religions arose and how they affected societies sociologically. Yet, in spite of all these great academic studies, they cannot understand religion even to a minute extent when compared with those who lead their lives within the boundaries of religion. \n\nSuch people are not capable of comprehending the reality of Allah’s unity, which is the basis of religion. Anyone who decides to learn about Islam needs first to understand the existence of Allah. If he does not believe in Allah, he will simply be investigating the Qur’an and Muslims in terms of his own limited vision of life. \n\nThe Qur’an thus expresses disapproval of such people: “They disbelieve what they cannot grasp, for they have not yet seen its prophecy fulfilled.” (Yunus, 39) Islam is not a man-made ideology about which half-baked ideas and baseless conclusions can be put forth from the outside. The individual can understand what Islam is about only when he understands the existence of Allah and lives his life as enjoined in the Qur’an. \n\nEssentially, the existence of Allah and the reality that there is no deity other than Allah are crystal clear facts. But in “the society of ignorance” where people fail to use their reasoning due to their habit of indifference and indolence, they grow blind and cannot comprehend this reality. As a matter of fact, that is the reason why they were stigmatized as a “society of ignorance” (Jahilliyah). \n\nOne of the many Qur'anic verses about pondering on the existence of Allah records the Almighty’s advice to the Prophet on how he should address the ignorant: \n\n“Say: ‘Think, you, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts, who - a god other than Allah - could restore them to you?’” The same verse goes on to say: “See how We explain the signs by various symbols; yet they turn aside.” (Al-Anaam, 46) \n\nA brief example can help us enrich our views and remove our innate ignorance. \n\nLet’s assume that there is a person from whose memory everything, including the knowledge of his self-being and his body, has been wiped out. If he found himself on a place like earth, what would he feel like? He would undoubtedly be so amazed and so astonished as to lose his mind out of curiosity. The first thing he would notice would probably be his body. He would not be aware that his body in fact belonged to him in the first place, thinking of it as an external object, like the other things in the scene. Then it would be very interesting for him to be able to control his body parts and make them do what he wanted them to do. He would probably try to figure out the use of his arm by moving it up and down for a while. \n\nHe would find very suitable surroundings for his body, the reason for the existence of which would still be unknown to him. There would be safe ground to stand on, a clear image to view, beautiful fragrances to smell, various animals, a proper air temperature exactly suitable to the body, an atmosphere suitable for breathing, and thousands of other sensitive balances. Edible fruits to satisfy his hunger, pure and clear water to cool his parched throat and many more things. \n\nFor a moment, let us put ourselves in his position and reflect for a while. In a place like this, would we just go and enjoy ourselves, or be wise enough to ask ourselves some very crucial questions? Would we try to understand who we were, why we were there, what the reason for our existence was, what the reason for the existence of the present order wa
944582
they tend to think very little, and let their pastors tell them how to think and what to say to people.\n\nif they believe something as error-filled as the bible, obviously that occurs with very little thought, or none at all...
820103
What you have witnessed is a failure of imagination, pure and simple. Because they are so engrossed in their religion, they cannot fathom that someone could take on a different world view.\n\nThis means that they have stopped choosing to believe. Their faith is so ingrained in them that they can perceive no other options. Perhaps it makes sense to consider faith that is not chosen the result of brain washing, but I may be stepping over the line in suggesting this.
766031
i had difficulty with this issue for a long time, till i came to realize, that in some religions, the basic tenets of their faith only have/show, one way to God,,, a certain/one path, and while i can read some of the writings their faith is based on and see how it allows for other paths, their religion doesnt focus on that, they are not taught that, and i guess just dont see it.       if you belong to a religion that feels there is only one way, certain steps, to salvation,,, then you must feel the others are wrong,,,,,\n\nand as to the comment above about baby-boomers, hun we are some of the most free thinkers ever!
244680
No one has the mind of God, but we do have the mind of the Christ. The universe is so vast and so complex that our minds cannot imagine it. There are plenty of theories out there and many that think they have the answers, but to me they sound like nonesense. Our minds, thus, are limited and the universe is something that no man will ever understand. Just try to imagine the largest number that can exist, and you will never come close to it, only the infinite comes to mind-that is the word that describes the end of thinking ability for humans.
525184
Nearly all people on the face of this planet grew up with some concept of religion that had at least SOME direct correlation to thier upbringing.  Some of us have choosen to either ignore or deny those teachings but whether we like it or not those beliefs that were introduced to us when we were so young tended to shape us to where we are now in our lives.  Yes we can change our minds and form new opinions but depending on our exposure to those beliefs they can radically affect our opinions of others without us even knowing this.  Athiests and Agnostics are no exceptions to this.  So while it may be hard to understand why some people would rather have a religious leader with a questionable and dubious background rather then an intelligent and reasonable man with a heroic background, it might be better to ask why the monkey is always going for the bananna... because he's used to it.
770857
Religion is just something that was invented by charismatic and smart people a long time ago.  \n\nI think of those people as just shrewd politicians.  It's in human nature for some people to do this type of stuff and for others to be sheep.\n\nWhat I can't believe is how people can take things seriously that were written by people who thought the world was flat.  My point being that they had a lot of BS stories to make themselves feel like they understood things.  \n\nJust take the fools that slaughtered people to appease the gods so they could get some rain.  Obviously they didn't know that rain wasn't a thing that was turned on and off by a magical being.  \n\nThe fact others don't realize I'm right is also mystifying.  \n\nAs a side note, it's been proven that atheists are proven to be smarter human beings than people who believe in religion.\n\nIt's a true fact that an high percentage of the genius's were atheist.
300109
People claim religion is 'from God' because they are deluded.  They have no rational reason to believe a deity exists, but they believe it anyway.  If religious claims had any basis in reality then we could reasonably expect babies to grow up with one true religion, rather than almost invariably absorbing the religion of the family or culture they grow up in.
47954
Sometimes.\nIf you think about it this way, sometimes a person might think that a very religious Christian or Muslim might be blind because they think from an exclusively religious perspective and has little room for the flexibility of an agnostic, or the freedom of a free-thinker.\nThis is because there is God, and end of story, everything has to go through the "there is a God" screening process and they can't bear to think how something, a siutation or thoery can be without the grace of God's work, or His presence in it.\nYet, when you think of this stubborness to step away from all that and see a bigger picture (meaning don't go from the ultra-religious viewpoint), try comparing it with an atheist.\nHe too, thinks from a ultra-stubborn point of view. "There is NO God!" He states.\nAnd everything runs through the "there is no God" screening process, and he can't bear to think that there might be the very real possibility of God encompassing the human being's life, that the very product of Science is the product of God's work.\nHe too, is stubborn, and often inflexible.\nThus, from this viewpoint, one can make a statement that the atheist is as blind as the religiously faithful.\nI'm not at all saying the agnostic triumphs. But an agnostic does not necessarily "sit on the fence", nor does the agnostic throws his hands up in the air and is confused.\nAgnostics constantly lean to one side of the argument, but leave a possibility of this other. An agnostic is constantly in transit, has room for ideas, no matter how outrageous and runs a balance of logic and faith, constantly he's in between following his heart and mind, and being guided spiritually by God, or an unknown force (maybe it's his conviction and rational belief?).\nEither way, yes, I do think an atheist is blind, but not in the absolute sense, he is blind in indignance, rebellion and the ego and accomplishments of mankind and his discoveries, relying most of his explanations in mankind's humble abilities in enquiry and research.\nAnd in the same way, an absolutist religious fanatic that cannot relate to human science is just the same, on blind faith.