"For Kierkegaard, Christianity wasn't a choice so much as the background noise of Copenhagen. In the early 1800s, belief didn't require conviction, it required attendance. You inherited your faith the same way you inherited your surname, and no one seemed particularly bothered by the gap between saying the right words and understanding what they meant. People were comfortable with answers being given to them before questions were even asked."
"The role of the individual was to nod in agreement. This created a kind of harmony, but a shallow one... a collective certainty that never had to prove itself against anything real. As he grew older, Kierkegaard saw how quickly certainty had replaced belief. Whenever a group becomes too sure of itself, it stops producing individuals capable of doing the inward work that faith requires. People learn to perform conviction rather than develop it."
Christianity functioned as the background noise of Copenhagen, where belief required attendance rather than conviction. Faith was inherited like a surname, and people often recited creeds without understanding them. Answers were given before questions were asked, producing a rehearsed confidence that shielded individuals from inward struggle. The social system supplied conclusions, reducing the individual's role to nodding in agreement. Collective certainty replaced genuine belief and created a shallow harmony that never faced tests. When groups become overly certain, they stop cultivating individuals who undertake the inward work of faith, and people learn to perform conviction instead of developing it.
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