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And they still say that cristanity isn't a cult
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this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2023
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Someone convinced against their will is of the same opinion still. He's not going to be a Christian because you used violence against him, in fact, he'll be more likely to want to distance himself from Christianity.
I never understood the logic of coercing beliefs. Like the whole "convert or die" thing in Islam. Surely no matter what you say or do, you may still not believe in it in your heart?
Then I heard a talk by Alan Watts on the general differences between Eastern and Western religions where he points out that Eastern religions are in some ways more similar to psychology than Western ones in that Eastern religions and psychology are concerned about how you feel and think while Western ones are more concerned about how you act, and it clicked: they don't care about what you believe.
Religious leaders care about conformity and keeping you in line, and the believers care about you not questioning their beliefs so that they themselves aren't forced to question them as well.
I feel like that was one of Jesus's main beefs with the religious leader of his day.
"Your followers were feeding themselves by picking grain on the saboth!" Yea, rest and replenishment is the whole point... "They violated the law and should be shunned!" Don't you believe you should rest on the 7th day? "What we believe doesn't matter, it is only how we act that shows that we are good or bad."
Maybe religious institutions are like that, but individual religious Western individuals can very much want you to truly believe it. For instance my father doesn't force me to act religious, because he knows it won't change what I believe.
Sorry, I meant religious institutions/believers that want to force people to believe. I thought that was implied, but it's my fault for not bring clearer.
I wasn't disagreeing with you, sorry for sounding like I was.
No problems, friend.