The Pharaoh, Exodus, God, and the Meme that started an argument

[Bengalzona]

(09-21-2016, 02:43 PM)GMDino Wrote: Exactly.  But far too many never get to that point BECAUSE of the indoctrination.  And those that DO choose to question their faith are presented with...more indoctrination in the form of religious "facts".

I'm totally cool with each person's faith being their own.  Mine has ebbed and flowed for years now.  I have different ideas about what to believe from time to time.  But let's be clear, I didn't have a choice.  Left to my own devices with no religious education I may have reached a "there must be something bigger" moment when I was younger and then abandoned it as I grew and became more educated.  But that was not an option.  It was believe or burn.  And if you get that put into your head long enough even adult doubts can get squelched.

And that's not to bash anyone who still believes what they were told/taught.  But it WAS what you were taught...and now you still have faith that it is true.

You say that you didn't have a choice. Yet, at some point you have made a choice. In fact, it sounds like you have made a series of choices and may even make more (which is cool, a sign of intelligence IMO). I assume you meant that as a child you never had a choice. But making a choice about what to believe requires a certain amount of maturity, life experience and knowledge to begin with (which is why most cults try to limit their members' experiences and exposure to the outside world). Generally, kids aren't able to fully make a choice in their beliefs anyway. Personally, I think indoctrination is foolish to begin with (see below). But even more so with children.

Indoctrination can only go so far. You cannot indoctrinate someone enough to change someone's core beliefs against their will. And at a point, indoctrination is self-defeating when taken too far (reasonably intelligent adults realize that if a belief set has to rely on indoctrination, then that belief set cannot stand on its own merits). It causes resentment. My point is that adults do reach a point where they decide what they want to believe or not believe. All adults. Even people during the Dark Ages in Europe. There were probably as many atheists in the Dark Ages as there are now, they just weren't vocal about it for fear of repercussions. The number of Christians and Jews in Russia didn't change much when it became the Soviet Union despite the fact the Communist government was anti-religious. The soul is free even if the body is not.