Answering the Atheist Legacy Argument

Pixie has often and repeatedly made an old argument used by internet atheists, that religion in general and Christianity in particular are primarily believed by people because their parents handed it down to them, This serves two functions, it allows  him to assert that the intellectual content of reasons for faith are weak (aka no rational warrant) and this will lead to decline of the belief. As Pixie has put it: 

Personally, I think it [level of commitment to Christianity] can only go down, as the primary reason for believing in Christianity is that you were raised in a Christian culture. As the culture becomes less Christian, less Christians will be raised...The evidence for this is very clear; Hindus come from Hindu families, Muslims come from Muslim families, Christians come from Christian families. People do not follow a religion because of the evidence, they follow it because they were told it was true from an early age...Sure, there are other factors. Clearly Christianity got started somehow, but it was in a very different world. Cultures adopted Christianity when the alternatives were local superstitions and paganism. Now Christianity is competing with science in a world where information is freely available; what does it have to offer?[1]

He states "...the primary reason for believing in Christianity is that you were raised in a Christian culture...(above)" that is a false statement, it is emphatically not the case. His assertion obviously proves nothing. Just because the majority of believers may not be deep believers, that does not prove there are no deep believers who discovered the truth. Moreover, it is not the case that the major reason for belief is parental legacy. This is specifically disproved by the numbers.
     
"2.7 million convert to Christianity annually from another religion..."[2]That is a direct contradiction to the thesis since these people should be moving away from religion. 44% If religious believers in America have left their childhood faith for another faith.

One of the most striking findings from the 2007 Landscape Survey was the large number of people who have left their childhood faith. The 2007 survey found that more than one-in-four American adults (28%) have changed their religious affiliation from that in which they were raised. This number includes people who have changed from one major religious tradition to another, for instance, from Protestantism to Catholicism or from Judaism to no religion. If change within religious traditions is included (e.g., from one Protestant denominational family to another), the survey found that roughly 44% of Americans now profess a religious affiliation different from that in which they were raised...the survey found that roughly 44% of Americans now profess a religious affiliation different from that in which they were raised.[3]

            In a study commissioned by Theos, (the public theology think tank),it is found that life long Christians tend to be less well educated than life long term atheists, This is not surprising,"...What is interesting – and surprising –"says Nick Spencer,

the same story is going on in education as with socio-economic grade. "Converts" to theism are disproportionately made up of those with a master's degree or above, and those with "no academic qualifications" are disproportionately underrepresented in this group, whereas "converts" to atheism are disproportionately made up of those with "no academic qualifications", and with BAs (but not MAs or above).[4]

  That would seem to totally disprove the thesis. Converts to Christiainty tend to be better educated more Ph.D more masters surely these are not conertions based upon shallow superstition? Nor are they doing so because of their parents.  I never took the argument seriously because it's disproved by my own case. I rejected my parents beliefs. I became an atheist.But then I went on to deeper truths that atheism could not address. Yet I didn't just go back to my parents teachings in fact my parents  had changed independently of me.
          
notes

[1]Pixie in Joseph Hinman,"Is Religious Belef in Declime?"  Cadre Coments,blog, comment page (December 2020)https://christiancadre.blogspot.com/2020/12/is-religious-belief-in-decline.html?showComment=1608753653954#c6215613084052930255 
 

[2]David B. Barrett, George Thomas Kurian, Todd M. Johnson, eds. World Christian Encyclopedia Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press USA,2001.360.

[3] "Faith in Flux,: Pew Research centerm Religion in Public life (APRIL 27, 2009--Revised February 2011)https://www.pewforum.org/2009/04/27/faith-in-flux/ accesse Dec. 27 2020  

[4] Nick Spencer, "religion and learning: what we know," The Guardian(6 Oct 2009 )https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/oct/05/atheist-religion-education-demographics-class  Nick Spencer is director of studies at the thinktank Theos. His book Freedom and Order: History, Politics and the English Bible is published by Hodder ...    (2,000+ respondents) attitude on eolition,a/theism