4 ms·
I agree with GP, but it's a hard point to prove. I only have my (and my brothers) anecdotal experience: We weren't baptised, nobody ever pushed or even talked
by 1_player 9y ago
I agree with GP, but it's a hard point to prove.
I only have my (and my brothers) anecdotal experience: We weren't baptised, nobody ever pushed or even talked religion with us, we went to church with grandma a couple times a year, and lived in a regular Catholic country (Italy).
I recall the first time I thought about God and afterlife and my spirituality I was around 14, old enough to entertain these kind of thoughts, and old enough not to care. God wasn't just a concept I felt I needed in my life.
We're 3 brothers (and a sister), and only she wanted to be baptised when we was younger, around 8, because her grandmother (which wasn't MY grandmother) was somewhat religious, and often talked about it with her. Now she's 12, and she's not interested anymore, probably after the influence of the three older brothers who go through life without any consideration about spirituality.
Again, this is just a N=4 experience, but living in Europe, where most modern families are not religious anymore, it's most apparent. Only one person in my 50 closest acquaintances believes in God, and goes to church. Yet everybody is baptised, all families have a crucifix in the house, and everybody goes through a couple months reading the Bible with their priest (catechism) when they're 10 or 11 years old. I doubt many of their sons and grandsons will find any interest in religion.
- golemotron 9y agoThere's an inverse correlation between social safety net and religiosity [1] [1] http://faculty.washington.edu/tgill/Gill%20Lundsgaarde%20Welfare%20Religion.pdf http://faculty.washington.edu/tgill/Gill%20Lundsgaarde%20Wel...