What Kind Of People Actually Do Well By Christianity?

[MultifariousBirdLady]

In these answers I'm thinking specifically of the fundie versions of Christianity. The more liberal versions really do work very differently and are (as someone pointed out) much healthier overall.

 

I always felt, and still feel, that there were some individuals who got a good deal out of it. Not because Jesus is real, but because... oh, I don't know... it seemed like the system worked for them...

 

Anybody feel me on this?

 

Yes. I've seen some of that myself. People who just love it... they come alive, or find it just so meaningful.

 

Also, one of the things that opened my eyes to this issue was the book Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion by Marc Galanter. He does give a number of examples of how some people with psychiatric conditions seem more stable when their thoughts and behaviors are monitored/coerced by a cultic group.

A number of fundamentalist churches qualify, as will be obvious to many here.

Anyway, very interesting reading. (If you do check it out, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.)

 

My parents both thrive in Christianity, BTW, I think because it offers them reassurance and hope. Though they identify as fundamentalists, they are not currently in a fundamentalist church. They are fundies, but not typical in a number of ways.

 

I think people who start out in a Religion quite young, whose family is relatively economically and socially stable will do well...

 

That describes me/my family, but boy, it fucked me over good.

 

 

That being said, I believe people who have talents and skills that are consistent with those valued by a religion and thus in demand are probably more likely to thrive. In small to mid sized churches if a person can play the piano or sing, they will be highly valued by their churches.

 

I think any situation where a person feels valued and affirmed will make a person likely to stick with their religion.

 

As long as they can stomach the rest of it, sure, that would be some incentive to stay. But not if you can't swallow the lies that go with it.

[qec]

I would say that, in my observation, the vast majority of people who are Liberal Christians in this country probably do well by it. Why? Because it seems like they are much more laid back and willing to emphasize person over doctrine (a form of humanism). There is also not a whole lot of pressure on most of these people to win souls for Jesus, and usually when they "do good", it at least appears like the good they do is enough (versus fundies with food in one hand and a bible in the other). I would also opine that it's probably true that fundy Xtians that have a really good set of personal boundaries could do well too, IOW "normal" people who just happen to believe fundy bullshit and can maintain proper boundaries with other people without being annoying as hell. Finally, I have to iterate that this opinion applies to all the liberal type of persons and the fundy type of persons (usually more conservative). I purposefully left moderates out for the hell of it, btw.

[qec]

When I was younger, I always had this strange feeling that some people's personalities were just not made for christianity. And others are obviously more inclined and gullible to the brainwashing.

 

 

I suspect that Christianity and most other religions have variants that appeal to all personality types.

[Shyone]

When I was younger, I always had this strange feeling that some people's personalities were just not made for christianity. And others are obviously more inclined and gullible to the brainwashing.

 

 

I suspect that Christianity and most other religions have variants that appeal to all personality types.

Good point.

 

Rigid ritualistic, emotional outgoing, logical and intelligent, traditional, and every other psychology, normal or abnormal, has a sect that appeals to them.

[qec]

When I was younger, I always had this strange feeling that some people's personalities were just not made for christianity. And others are obviously more inclined and gullible to the brainwashing.

 

 

I suspect that Christianity and most other religions have variants that appeal to all personality types.

Good point.

 

Rigid ritualistic, emotional outgoing, logical and intelligent, traditional, and every other psychology, normal or abnormal, has a sect that appeals to them.

 

 

Yeah, that's kind of it really. I also tend to think that Liberals and Conservatives are more mentalities than anything else, so I would say that different religious sects appeal to those types of people as well.