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INTP and hating religion.

milkyway2

New member
Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
199
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
?
I went to church today with my parents. Haven't been there in like 3 years. I used to go to church every week with them until I got old enough to decide I didn't believe in God and I hated everything about organized religion and that most of the people there are idiots that just listen to anything people tell them.

Going back to church made me think..... What about religion draws people to it? I see nothing at all that would make me want to ever go to church. Sit down, sing songs, light candles, whatever, any of that. Why would I want to go do a whole bunch of boring unnecessary stuff like that? Is it the feeling of being involved in something bigger than yourself? Do people feel better when they can believe and have faith in something? How many people in church go there because they truly believe all the stuff or just to see their friends and have fellowship?

But then I remembered MBTI and I thought that maybe different personality types would enjoy church for other reasons and maybe I am just not being understanding of others and just judging them.

Is it because I am an INTP that I hate religion?
I am introverted, so I really don't like being around a lot of people. Especially people I don't want to talk to. And the people at church in my mind are all idiots that are going to church because they can't think for themselves. Would an extrovert enjoy it because of the social aspect??
Because I have a strong T and not very much F I just sit there analyzing and asking questions in my head about everything and coming to conclusions about how stupid everything is. Maybe if I could just... get into the feel of church I would like it? If I just stopped thinking. Because when I do that, I do feel something. Like a sense of reverence or respect or tradition. But I don't really like that feeling. And I can't just...stay in the feeling.. I always begin to think too much and I forget about it. I also don't care about feelings.

So, if you go to church and/or like anything about it or organized religion. Why? I want to understand!
 

Owl

desert pelican
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
717
MBTI Type
INTP
Is it because I am an INTP that I hate religion?

This probably has something to do with it, although I'd encourage you to keep an open mind. Christian anti-intellectualism is subsiding; there's good reason to hope that the mind-set/attitude of the stereotypical Christian that so annoys Introverted Thinking is going to undergo a shift in the next one or two generations.

So, if you go to church and/or like anything about it or organized religion. Why? I want to understand!

What's not to like about communities coming together in love in order to spread love? People are corporate animals: we surround ourselves with like-minded individuals who support us in pursuing our goals.
 

Robert165

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Dec 6, 2009
Messages
257
MBTI Type
ENFJ
i dont like church and i think religious people are idiots. thinking this way seems to be a function of being intelligent. and speaing of intelligence, whats really sad is that small percentage of really bright people and all the excuses and rationlizations they make i order to "keep believing".
 

Haphazard

Don't Judge Me!
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
6,704
MBTI Type
ENFJ
I am into religion, I guess it's not enough to say that I'm religious but more that I'm fascinated by religion. Then again I'm into the whole history and anthropology thing, and religion is naturally a part of the package.

I don't know, maybe I naturally attract religious people, a lot of my friends have been religious, but they weren't the type of religious people who throw rationality to the wayside. For the most part they're respectful to me.
 

Robert165

New member
Joined
Dec 6, 2009
Messages
257
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ENFJ
I am into religion, I guess it's not enough to say that I'm religious but more that I'm fascinated by religion. Then again I'm into the whole history and anthropology thing, and religion is naturally a part of the package.

I don't know, maybe I naturally attract religious people, a lot of my friends have been religious, but they weren't the type of religious people who throw rationality to the wayside. For the most part they're respectful to me.
what aspects of christianity do you think are rational?
 

Scott

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Joined
Nov 1, 2008
Messages
97
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
9/5?
Seems to me that the ethical notion that one ought to treat others as one wishes to be treated makes sense.
 

laughingebony

New member
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
236
MBTI Type
INTP
Is it because I am an INTP that I hate religion?

If you're asking whether the proposition "If a person is INTP, then that person hates religion" is true, it is not.

I am an INTP who does not hate religion. This directly contradicts the proposition in question. You might want to look elsewhere for a causal factor.
 

Eric B

ⒺⓉⒷ
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
3,621
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sp/sx
I originally believed in it because all the older adults did (and just like I was taught about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy my my parents), but then as I got older, and I was exposed to science, all of that stuff fell by the wayside.
As a teenager, the heavy politicized Christianity of the 80's both insulted Ti (with its knowledge of how the universe works) and triggered Fi (a negative function for us), and as I now realize, my reaction was to use it back on them as club to knock them off their pedestal.
However, I had a lot of problems in life, and did eventually come to see a form of Christianity as a possible solution, but then since belief was portrayed as being more "certain", it caused a lot of problems. (Then I would get some writers who admitted there was no absolute certainty in faith, and that then was confusing).
Another thing attractive about Church is the sense of belonging, from inferior Fe.
Really, church was originally more about friends and family fellowshipping together, than going to a some building full of strangers run by an organization and paying some guy to preach to you.
 

Asterion

Ruler of the Stars
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
2,331
MBTI Type
INTP
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5
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sp/sx
Going by Kiersey, I think churches work against the informative nature. INTPs want to be able to share information, to know and exchange. How can they do this if the answer is to just believe?
 

cafe

Well-known member
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Apr 19, 2007
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9,827
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9w1
My INTP and I are both Christians, met at Bible college in fact, but we pretty much find going to church torturous. The music is good sometimes and sometimes I find people that I enjoy getting to know but oftentimes the sermons are unbelievably dumb and, being Evangelical, they want to get some kind of emotional response from people. Highly uncomfortable. There is no way we would go if we didn't believe in God and believe that he commanded believers to meet regularly for worship. Even then sometimes we can't make ourselves do it.
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
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Sometimes people belong to a church to connect to a sense of group superiority, which strangely enough can also be a reason people reject religion. Reason can certainly dictate a person's model of the world away from religion, but that isn't often demonstrated by assuming everyone in a religion is "stupid".

It can be demonstrated that there are intelligent, religious people. They score high on tests and make contributions to society. It isn't particularly comfortable to face the fact that brilliant minds can embrace certain ideas, especially if these differ from one's own or can be shown to be against reason. If a person is to embrace reason, then it makes sense to take it the whole way and approach such a sociological issue in a fair-minded way that reflects reality. (not necessarily referring to the OP in particular)

Perhaps a strong need for answers to everything is one draw towards religion which typically create a cosmology that an agreed upon response to any given question. I do think the social sense of being "set apart", or "having the truth", or "being God's chosen", etc. is a common thread in every religion and has its own version in some non-religious thinking. It articulates the "Us vs. Them" in such a way to demonstrate superiority. There are lots of way to achieve that, but religion can be one.
 
S

Sniffles

Guest
Sometimes people belong to a church to connect to a sense of group superiority, which strangely enough can also be a reason people reject religion. Reason can certainly dictate a person's model of the world away from religion, but that isn't often demonstrated by assuming everyone in a religion is "stupid".

It can be demonstrated that there are intelligent, religious people. They score high on tests and make contributions to society. It isn't particularly comfortable to face the fact that brilliant minds can embrace certain ideas, especially if these differ from one's own or can be shown to be against reason. If a person is to embrace reason, then it makes sense to take it the whole way and approach such a sociological issue in a fair-minded way that reflects reality. (not necessarily referring to the OP in particular)

Perhaps a strong need for answers to everything is one draw towards religion which typically create a cosmology that an agreed upon response to any given question. I do think the social sense of being "set apart", or "having the truth", or "being God's chosen", etc. is a common thread in every religion and has its own version in some non-religious thinking. It articulates the "Us vs. Them" in such a way to demonstrate superiority. There are lots of way to achieve that, but religion can be one.

Yes but it seems you're assuming that religion by its very nature means irrationality, which is not necessarily the case. I already pointed to St. Thomas Aquinas before, but even the Islamic philosopher Averroes noted that faith and reason are means towards the same end - ie the truth.
 
S

Sniffles

Guest
yeah, i guess that would work

I already pointed to St. Thomas Aquinas. But here's Justin Martyr, who was an early Christian figure:

"Reason directs those who are truly pious and philosophical to honour and love only what is true, declining to follow traditional opinions, if these be worthless. For not only does sound reason direct us to refuse the guidance of those who did or taught anything wrong, but it is incumbent on the lover of truth, by all means, and if death be threatened, even before his own life, to choose to do and say what is right."
 
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