Why do religious people act like they'll never change their minds?

Question

10 years ago, I was a fundamentalist Old Earth Creationist, and as anti-abortion as you could imagine. I literally couldn't even stand the thought that there were pro-choice people out there. I thought Clinton was a horrible President simply because of his personal life.

Now I know that natural selection is responsible for the world around me, am pro-choice, and know that I will not live forever and therefore must dedicate my life to myself with unapologetic selfishness and hedonism. I wish Clinton were still President. I can think for myself.

Answer 1

It's not acting.

Answer 2

"dedicate my life to myself with unapologetic selfishness and hedonism"

um... okay... so you went from immature to even more immature?

Answer 3

I know what I want too!  I can think for myself!  That is why I don't give a c**p what you say, it has no affect on me.  

So who's to say you'll never change your mind again?

Answer 4

I'm sure it's partly youthful idealism, partly old-age cynicism and partly professional preoccupation.

Answer 5

lol...........cz some of us wont!!

I can think too....wow how about that??? STR

Answer 6

What can I say, other than: Congrats!!

That's wicked awesome... =D

I guess they act like that because they sincerely THINK they will never change their minds. Didn't you think so too, back in the days..? Many of them later realize that they were wrong, however. And good is that..

Answer 7

Funny, I was a unapologetic selfishness hedonist, until I became a Christian.

We all need a reason to believe what we believe I suppose.

Answer 8

Some people aren't religious because they made a DECISION to be religious...they are religions because they made a CHOICE to be religious.  Those that made a decision based on what their mind told them was the truth, like you, can and often do "change their mind" when presented with new evidence.  Those that make a choice to believe accepted at the time that they had no way of ever knowing which option was the truth...that all the evidence in the world can't prove or disprove the existence of God.  

The latter can say that they will never change their minds because they already accepted that their mind wasn't capable of making this decision with any predictable degree of accuracy!

I'll point out that you're in the same boat...you clearly made a decision NOT to believe...and as such, you have NO basis for suggesting that something won't happen to change your mind (again) in the future.  On the other hand, I can say that I won't change my mind because my mind accepts that I already placed my bet and the cards have been dealt...I can't take it back just because I start worrying it might have been a bad bet!

Answer 9

Star for you! xD

Answer 10

My mind is set on the Word. I know that everyone is responsible for their own actions and everyone has to make their own decisions.  We are not the judges, so I don't judge, but I do stand on God's Words.

Answer 11

Obvious sockpuppetry, but tangentially makes an excellent point.  People should google folks like Dan Barker and Robert Price - former evangelical pastors who became atheists (there are others of course - I personally know, not know of, another two).  Somehow I suspect they were just as convinced that they would never lose their faith as our fundies on this thread are.

Answer 12

Because Christ is the only way, and there's nothing to change my mind to that compares.

And, Old earth Creationist is an oxymoron.

Answer 13

I think mostly it is not for themselves as much as it is meant to keep up the facade.  The religious people I have encountered are very hard core materialistic people.  They are into their own reputations and they only trust people who will feed them what they themselves will benefit from.  Most of them do change their minds eventually because it is the way... nothing stays the same.  

Answer 14

Religious people change their minds all the time. It's called conventional wisdom. People hold fast to old beliefs, but when they hear new evidence to the contrary they change their beliefs. At the time the Bible was written slavery was generally accepted and thus, was justified in the Bible. Now it's conventional wisdom that slavery is wrong, so you most likely won't find any Christians who support it.