Comment by Silenus on April 11, 2011 at 10:28pm

Maybe they are not curious because they are not really Christians?

Comment by Walter Maki on April 11, 2011 at 11:10pm

That thought came to my mind as well, Forrest.

Comment by Tom Margolis on April 12, 2011 at 5:08am

The clash between emotional needs (I don't want to die; I want the cosmos to have an externally-defined Purpose; etc.) and analytical thought fascinates me.  I'm impressed by people who can accept the conclusions of honest analysis even though they may be emotionally painful.

 

Kudos to you brave folks!  I never went through this - I never believed in the supernatural, even as a little kid - but I can imagine how difficult it would be to give up the warm, fuzzy embrace of a Big Daddy in the sky.

Comment by CJoe on April 12, 2011 at 8:43am

I don't believe there is such a thing as "really" a Christian, or a "true" Christian. There's nothing supernatural happening inside someone who separates them from other people who just claim to be Christians. They're all just regular people... regular people who are either more or less curious or analytical than others. I would say most are gullible, and maybe that's why they stubbornly remain unquestioningly indoctrinated with things that don't make sense.

Comment by CJoe on April 12, 2011 at 8:44am

You speak truth, Joseph. I guess I was just talking about those in my immediate circle. I have known many intelligent Christians, but... I was mostly discussing their lack of curiosity concerning de-converts (for the most part).

Comment by Doug Reardon on April 12, 2011 at 11:41am

It never ceases to amaze me how many people have absolutely no interest in understanding stuff. They, apparently, just shake their heads and go about their business without ever even considering what, why or how. And they never change.

Comment by Tom Margolis on April 12, 2011 at 2:10pm

I think it's unwise to think that theism comes from lack of intelligence, lack of thoughtfulness, close-mindedness, etc.  In fact, there are many extremely smart, analytical, thoughtful people who are theists.  

 

Belief in the supernatural appears to be a product of the way the human mind (which is far from a rational analytical machine) filters, interprets, and creates the world.  There's plenty of evidence from the field of neuropsychology that shows that people are very good at fooling themselves and very bad at true objective analysis - even in mundane, non-spiritual contexts.  Even atheists can be close-minded and irrational about other beliefs (political, social, and so forth).

 

I think the reason we are atheists may have something to do with a difference in our essential neurology - helped along by education and exposure to data, of course.

Comment by CJoe on April 12, 2011 at 2:22pm

Tom, I never said they were unintelligent, etc. In fact, I've said more than once I know intelligent Christians. They can be both intelligent and disinterested and lack curiosity in some areas. I mean, most atheists were devout christians once upon a time. Still, there are many many Christians that don't care to dive deeper, and those are the ones I'm talking about. Especially family and friends who know me, and knew who I was before. It's just upsetting, despite biological explanations.

Comment by CJoe on April 12, 2011 at 3:16pm

Okay, sorry about that Tom. I agree with what you said though. :)

Comment by Christian McFadden on April 12, 2011 at 3:23pm

I think maybe that what Forrest meant by "really" Christian is that they weren't as committed to their faith as you thought. Maybe they don't ask why because they *know* why, but they're just clinging to their beliefs because they don't know anything else. No need to ask the question if they already know the answer.

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