In Reply to: Re: Why is it? posted by porceleindoll on February 10, 2005 at 07:22:07:
I am one of the FG who did not lose his faith and yet, I understand what you are both sayin. I was never churchy though I wanted to became a prinst in my early years. My teen years ended up in tremendous indifference mostly due to my readings, which led to questions, which led to discussions with friends, which served as an echoing board to strengthen and give credibility to my conclusions.
Maybe Christianity works the same way for many, it is sort of peer-presured on us. To me, it was a personal conversion later one. It was not even a decision but a reality I started inhabiting in a split second. It may have been some sort of psychological event but nevertheless it took place and I was and am totally aware of that instant. I went from not believing to believing in an instant. Cain't explain it further.
And it happened after being in TF for almost 6 months.
I agree with you and Perry about not handling this topic because it is too hot but maybe it is because some people don't want to challenge potential flaws in their thinking or in their beliefs. When it comes down to it, that's pretty much all we are.
My daughter decided to take on some eastern beliefs a few years ago. Over the last couple of years we went on to have lots of conversations about prayer, meditation, charity, etc. and turns out she and I see many things exactly the same way. The only difference we have found so far, that is worth and fundamental, is reincarnation. But it took a lot of diggin and explanation of terminology. We were talking about the same things but using different words.
It can be painful and at a level of detail not many people might feel interested in participating elsewhere. We went deep into the questioning without fear that some might sound offensive and yet sometimes felt offended. How ready are we, here, for that?
There are emotional components to doing it and may even be upsetting. Not everybody has the same disposition to talk about these things. Maybe the biggest reason for that observation about faith in SG and FG is that FG at least once were willing to be challenged in their beliefs and were willing to look at them. Everybody comes equiped to do thinking but not everybody is willing to go into deep waters in the examination of their most fundamental of beliefs.
This is true even in the family where I'd dare say the vast majority don't know what it is that they really believe, let alone the weird redefinitions they have adopted to reshape their crimes and make them pallatable to the vast majority of the good family members.
The same thing happens to many Christians who become close minded to anything else, or to their little church or denomination. That they are Family-like is not because they are cultists but their fear to be honest and challenge their own views (which is very selfrighteously anti-christian) is very human. Or maybe they just need more time to absorb things, much more time.