People who suddenly "find religion"

[Yuri Bezmenov]

I'm amazed at many of the people I've known since grade school who were godless heathens growing up but they get married, have a kid or two, then turn into huge Jesus freaks.

Any thoughts? I'm stumped.

[Parts]

Maybe they had some sort of crisis in their lives that seems to turn a lot to that sort of thing

[Gopher Gary]

Maybe god spoke to them. 

[Parts]

Maybe they stopped taking their meds

[Arya Quinn]

Maybe they had some sort of crisis in their lives that seems to turn a lot to that sort of thing

I was the opposite, quite religious until I was 11 years old then when there was a crisis (an out of home crisis this time around) I turned away from religion and was a full-blown Atheist by the time I was fourteen. Have been ever since.

I'm a better person for it, too. 

[Gopher Gary]

One time my toast looked like jesus and I sold it for 60 bucks on ebay. 

[Arya Quinn]

One time my toast looked like jesus and I sold it for 60 bucks on ebay. 

Only 60? You're insane! 

[odeon]

You can't find religion if you didn't lose it in the first place.

['andersom']

- Anxiety, hoping for a cure in religion, when other things did not work well or fast enough. (going for the more Billy Graham like churches.) And then feel bad that you still can be depressed when you should be happy.
- Love for ritual, beauty and mystery in life. (going for Roman Catholic churches.) There was a hype of that amongst writers a few decades ago here.
- Getting hooked on the community, or the language it brings to give words to things otherwise unspeakable. Often the least proselyting way of conversion.
- Temporal lobe epilepsy. (that can come with dramatic urges in the religious realm.)
- Social justice/life improvement. Can be found among oppressed people, when a church dares to stand up for them.

[Al Swearegen]

Fear of mortality.

[Jack]

Fear of mortality.

That's a good one. Always thought it more to do with absolution, in the case of Christianity anyway. There's some wrongs that can't be righted. Absolution has always seemed such a foreign concept, unable to be grasped, or understand why anyone would even want it.

[odeon]

Fear of mortality.

That's a good one. Always thought it more to do with absolution, in the case of Christianity anyway. There's some wrongs that can't be righted. Absolution has always seemed such a foreign concept, unable to be grasped, or understand why anyone would even want it.

Absolution is useful if there is an afterlife and if there are less than attractive alternatives to it.

[El]

As an atheist, I do respect the comfort religion and being a part of a church community can give some people... but I find it kind of unsettling, in principal, to contemplate how much of an impact religion has on... well, everything, but especially politics here in the US.  So many bad national decisions have been made based on what I kinda view as a giant shared delusion.  It's creepy.

[Al Swearegen]

As an atheist, I do respect the comfort religion and being a part of a church community can give some people... but I find it kind of unsettling, in principal, to contemplate how much of an impact religion has on... well, everything, but especially politics here in the US.  So many bad national decisions have been made based on what I kinda view as a giant shared delusion.  It's creepy.

I know this sounds horrible but I give no more weight to prayers than I do self-improvement mantras, casting spells, or anything similar. I see it all as terribly quaint and endearing. They go inside a building, Sit down have someone tell stories to them give some pat advice, they act impressed, they sing a few songs and cast a few spells and file out maybe have small talk and something to eat and go home.

No issue.....until it becomes an issue. then it is no longer quaint.

[odeon]

I don't think it sounds all that horrible, Al.