General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The practice of a religion is a choice. Period. [View all]MellowDem
(5,018 posts)most atheists were indoctrinated from birth and some had a difficult time making the choice to come out.
It's always a choice. The fact that organized religion relies almost entirely on childhood indoctrination, fear, guilt, and a number of other despicable tools to keep believers "in the fold" is not reason to excuse those who continue to choose religion based on those terrible reasons, but a reason to calmly point out the inherent cognitive dissonance and intellectual dishonesty required of almost every one of organized religion's adherents.
If a person believes that is who they are "culturally" or "ethnically", no one can ever take that from them, they'll self-identify as they want to regardless of their beliefs vis-a-vis the belief system. Why a person would want to identify with an abusive indoctrination system is the really sad part. It's because the same abusive indoctrination system provided community and support as well, so it leaves people conflicted emotionally about the institution, similar to an abusive parent.
However, this is one "abusive parent" you can get away from as an adult and recognize for what it is. And once you do, no one wants to identify themselves with it. They won't deny the role, good and bad, it played in their lives, but they've moved on.