This podcast is from Jim W. Wallace of Please Convince Me. (H/T John Barron)
Topic:
Do people choose their religion based on the country of their birth, or based on peer pressure from their local community, or based on pressure from their family?
The MP3 file is here. (31 Mb, 67 minutes)
Summary:
- people in the early church did not become Christians because of peer pressure
- Christianity thrived in an environment of hardship and persecution
- even today, Christianity is thriving in China, in a hostile environment
- Christianity is actually growing the fastest in non-Christian countries
- in America, the two fastest growing religions are Islam and “No religion”
- the entertainment industry, mainstream media and university are anti-Christian
- many people become Christians on their own, which no family/community pressure
If you listen to his read e-mails, he mentions my post on the hiddenness of God and plugs my blog! Wow!
WINTERY KNIGHT 
Very cool that he plugged your blog! I just started listening to his Podcasts and am in catch-up mode.
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That is really cool that he mentioned your post and blog.
I totally disagree with the argument that people choose their religion/belief/what have you, based on country, environment, etc. My parents and almost entire family are charismatic Christians. What was I growing up? Not Christian! I was actually a nihilist. I rejected Christianity due to the craziness of the services I had to attend with my family. I also rejected the notion that objective truth could be known because of all of the religions and political ideologies that exist today and then. I know my experience does not count for everyone, but that argument does not work on me. Genetic fallacy.
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Genetic fallacy is right! Jim Wallace agues that Christianity is thriving in hostile places, but even if people do choose their religion based on their country of birth that doesn’t impact whether Christianity (or any other religion) is TRUE or not. Christianity makes testable claims that can be evaluated based on the evidence.
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