Reply #7: I have a theory

[Coyote_Bandit]

that says that many if not most people treat their faith just like they treat their investments. There is, after all, a reason why brokers are able to churn accounts and direct folks to invest substantial sums into shaky investments. Folks seem to recognize that those decisions are important but they are intimidated by the responsibility to investigate and make their own decisions. And because of that they are all too willing to surrender responsibility for whatever it is that they think they believe to some spiritual leader. As far back as the time of Moses, Scripture records that the people were fearful and did not want to hear the voice of the Lord - instead, they trusted Moses to tell them what to do. Problem is that spiritual leaders face the same temptations and experience the same failures as anyone else. If you trust them then you set yourself up to be betrayed.

If you are Christian then that means that you really do consciously choose to believe that Jesus was God incarnate. Otherwise, he is just another fallible human leader. It also means that you consciously recognize that you are not worthy and cannot make yourself worthy. The essence of the Christian faith is that God made redemption available. The sacrificial offerings detailed in Exodus and Leviticus which made the people ceremonially clean foreshadow Jesus' death. That redemption has nothing to do with trying to make oneself worthy - or being ostracized because of sin. Biblically, all sin carries the same penalty - death.

My solution has been to recognize that whatever I choose to believe is (1) my choice and (2) because of its nature not rational or subject to objective proof. Because I make myself responsible for my own beliefs it does not matter one whit to me what somebody else thinks of my belief system. Organized religion become largely irrelevant. It also means that I allow other people to make the same decisions - and I respect them even if they contradict my own choices.

That is the best answer I can offer. That said, let me add that I have far more respect for a well read, reasoned atheist or agnostic than I have for a believer of any faith that is driven by emotion or allows themselves to be subject to the control of a human leader. After all, it takes just as much faith to choose to believe that God does not exist as it does to believe that he does. Neither choice can be objectively proven and arguably there is circumstantial evidence that can be used to make either inference.

There is a reason why Scripture calls for believers to be able to give an account and answer for their faith. Unfortunately, that does not serve the interests of organized religion, leaders who wish to manipulate and control and followers who refuse to accept responsibility for their personal belief system.