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Anyone else ever wonder what percentage of "religious" people are simply faking it to fit in?

AgnoLulu 5 Mar 23
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33 comments

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1

So awesome to know that such a beautiful intelligen​t woman like yourself is close by.....too many blind faith people in this area.... I feel lucky to have met you in this desert of ignorance

1

I'd say somewhere between 70 to 95 percent are faking it. Only the really sick ones believe.

JCII Level 5 Mar 27, 2019
1

And is that better? Or worse?

Good question. I know that I have in order to fit in or not ruffle feathers etc...

2

Oh very much so.

Back in my fundamentalist daze, we had this thing, usually during Wednesday night prayer service, called "testimony time". In the small country church I was part of at the time, the minister would yield the floor for people to "share" testimonies of god's working in their life.

Of course there was a wee problem: god doesn't exist and was oddly absent from intervening in our lives that particular week.

There was invariably a long, uncomfortable silence after the floor was opened for "testimonies", after which someone would reluctantly, in the name of saving some face for the group, come up with something really lame, like "God has really been present with me this week". And it would go downhill from there. You knew they were scraping the bottom of the barrel and putting on a brave face. Yet for some reason the pastor kept doing it, week after week, and occasionally sprung it on us at other times.

It never occurred to me to wonder much in those days if this wasn't all just for show (or how much of my own profession of faith was a farce). What can I say; self-reflection just wasn't our strong suit. Nor was it encouraged. At all.

It's probably less common but not at all unusual, I'd guess, for people to admit to themselves they don't believe, and deliberately fake it to keep the peace with their family or whatever.

Peer pressure can be a driving force can't it? It sounds a lot like a group of adolescent boys trying to impress each other with tales of sexual conquests (that never happened) in order to fit in. Human nature is like that. Humans don't want to be left outside the group. So faking is as much a part of being in a group as anything else, I think. And religion is a prime example of it.

1

Ha ya I notice Xtians don't like getting into that "leave the camp" or "come out of her, my people" stuff very much lol

2

Example most practicing Catholics don't believe everything taught by the church. Most people practice a pick and choose approach that is comfortable to them.

1

I would say at least 30 % or better. That shows that our numbers are growing.

3

Sure. That's why it's important for us to be "out" about our beliefs or lack of them, to show others they are not alone and it's really okay to not be part of the herd.

I live in Rowan county, Kentucky, and was involved in the protests against Kim Davis, the clerk who would not issue marriage licenses to non- hetero couples.

The importance of being out about my beliefs became very clear as day by day the reactions of those driving by our picket line changed. At first we only got one finger salutes, rude comments and lectures, but as time went by more and more people gave us friendly waves or joined us, or thanked us. They had to learn that it's okay not to pretend to hate just to be part of the percieved majority.

1

How many "Lip service" Muslims are there in the middle east and North Africa?

Wager less than lip service Christians or Catholics.

Well, and in their case it can be a matter of life and death. When you are forced to "believe" something, is there ever a way to know if it's true belief?

2

I don’t know about the percentage, but I personally did. Deep down I always knew it was all BS, but I wanted fit in.

I get that completely.

2

I always assumed the number was low. The alternative is that humans are much more consistent in the application of logic than I have estimated thus far.

3

I think some churchgoers are there simply for the community and fellowship and do not give the religious stuff much thought, yes.

0

nope. i never wondered. i never met anyone who was faking it then again, i was raised in a secular jewish household. i didn't hang out with a religious gang (of any religion). so it never occurred to me to wonder.

g

But have you ever faked it? Just to fit in or not alienate family, etc...?

@AgnoLulu no, i had no reason to fake anything. once i realized there were no gods, if anyone had asked i'd have said so. no one asked. we never went to temple except for bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings. there was nothing to fake. i also never DID fit in, in so many other ways; that would've been a weird way to fit in, since a lot of the flack i took throughout my childhood was for being jewish! i never pretended i wasn't and i never had a reason to pretend i was (well, i AM, but you know, i mean a believer). as for my family, i never knew until i was an adult whether or not they even believed in god. someone asked me if they did, and i didn't know the answer, so i called my folks from california (i think they were still in maryland, not yet in florida) and asked them. they were surprised that i'd called long-distance to ask! mom said "i think i do." dad said "i think i don't." they didn't have ready answers; they had to think for a moment before answering. so no, my atheism didn't alienate my family! it wasn't even a topic of interest.

g

2

Saw this at the grocers today. Here is good example of hypocrisy ......underneath the "Jesus loves you" is a trump 2020 sticker

That's where the "everyone else thinks you're an a**" comes in.?

I feel like if Jesus were real, and he really loved me, he wouldn't have imposed the orange asshole on us.

3

Can really only speak for myself.Being a recovering catholic once excommunicated for marrying out side of the church.Then being reinstated following my mom's and wife's wishes.The church getting a few hundred dollars for the absolution.Now going to church it seemed to please others,then just at wedding's and funeral's because I felt obligated as I probably was.I was faking it and feeling hypocritical taking sacraments and all.Guess I waited till after my parent's died to finally come out of the closet as a non believer by posting atheist memes on facebook.Thinking I'm the first to do so with in my relatives on both sides.Wishing someone else would stand with me.I'm hoping to be on the right side of history

@avron Thanks for your thoughtful comment.Talk about faking it,about twenty years back after two divorses.Evereything was going so so work and all.Lots of guy friends some married.Any how I desperately needing someone love on.I joined Christian mingle,arranged a dinner date,food came she asked me say grace,witch I did.Things started getting uneasy mostly for me.I didn't want ruin the occasion for us but I couldn't keep up my charade.Today things are better.Got to crash for awhile Be well avron

2

The preachers are the worst. And the ones who have the hardest time coming out.

I suspect many of them are faking. It's a good racket though, isn't it? I mean; job, house, paycheck and many other benefits. For basically talking for a while each week.

1

While it's "unknowable" statistically speaking, you have to imagine that it's fairly common. Even those who harbour doubts but have no one to talk to.

2

Judging by their actions, probably 90% or more.

3

I would think more than a few, including quite a few politicians and most country singers.

3

Most I'm sure. I did for several years

2

I think they are all faking it and are to brain dead to realize the lies they choose to tell themselves.

3

I think a good 50 percent are hopefull believers, 25 percent know its bullshit but are afraid so they go along and the other 25 percent are just still sheep and haven't yet begun to think for themselves on the issue.

2

Yes, it's easy to fake it. Sometimes it's easier for a nonbeliever to "pretend" to be part of the delusion just to avoid conflict or being segregated, looked down, judged... Life is too short and we are outnumbered, so it seems. Let's make things bearable. Besides, believers will believe what they want to believe anyway. Not my job to change them either.

2

Oh I'm certain there are those ' stray sheep' out there who, being afraid to stand alone, etc, are simply following along with the 'flock' and hoping desperately for acceptance.

1

I do. But I'd want to differentiate between those who know they don't believe and those who have never really thought about it.

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