bjs1 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 07, 2022 9:36 pm
Diogenes wrote: ↑Tue Jun 07, 2022 1:04 pm
When they finally "get it" and realize most of them are Christians mainly because of childhood indoctrination and step out of the bondage of fantasy they were taught at an early age, then they are embarrassed or angry or both.
I find this statement interesting.
Just as most Christians are Christians mainly because of childhood indoctrination, most atheists are atheists mainly because of childhood indoctrination.
Let's stop right there. You've made a claim, but offered no support for it. I showed data from a Christian University that shows most Christians became Christians in childhood. You have given
ZERO support for your claim that atheists became atheists in childhood or because of "atheist indoctrination." Do you have
ANY data to support your wild speculation?
You might also keep in mind that most nonbelievers are not "atheists." They simply are not religiously affiliated or are agnostic.
But back to the data,
63% of 'teens' aged 13-17 identify as Christian, but only
6% of them identify as 'atheist.' Interestingly, this is 50% higher than their parents. In other words, one third of teenage atheists did
not have parents who were atheists.
So, not only did you show nothing to support your spurious claim, the facts show you are just plain wrong.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/20 ... eens-01-0/
Children are born atheists. They are not born believing in God. That has to be taught. Some call it child abuse. The 'MIND CONTROL' techniques churches use are very well known:
Mind Control Techniques:
1. Mandatory, regular attendance
2. Big, fancy, majestic buildings
3. Hierarchical leadership
4. Charismatic leaders
5. Trance stimulation
6. Repetitive drills (and consequences for nonconformity)
7. Separating the believers (the in crowd) from the non believers
8. The call to action is to entrench yourself in the group and base your life on its doctrine.
9. The charismatic leader manipulates your emotions
10. You’re given an ultimatum
11. You’re encouraged to humiliate yourself and mimic others
12. You’re asked for money, and your worth is tied to the amount of money you give.
13. Socializing with the in crowd
14. Using indoctrination techniques in your own time and policing your peers
15. Recruitment
https://churchandstate.org.uk/2016/11/1 ... cults-use/
Summer church camps are notorious for their 'shock conversion,' peer pressure techniques. Maybe there are some, but I've never heard of summer camps designed to make people atheists. But maybe they are a good idea. Some religious kids would benefit from some deprogramming.