I did a similar thing, having been agnostic for many years. I thought I'd give Christianity a go, and keep going until I felt it likely wasn't true. ~5 years later, I'm still going.
Of course, if I was not living in a Western country with a historically Christian society, I may well have tried Islam etc instead. But I happen to be in a mostly Christian country, so I gave that a go, and so far it has stuck.
I don't think that's in any way inconsistent. I have never claimed to be doing a scientific study. I have a PhD, and did post-doc research. I know what science is, and what it isn't, and how far it can reach. IMO these big questions are beyond the reach of science.
In order to really test the waters of a particular faith, you have to put your weight on it. I don't think this would be possible if my research schedule told me I'd be converting to Buddhism in 2 years, and then on to Islam after that, etc. So this "scientific" approach is flawed from the start. Instead, it makes most sense to start off with what you think is the most promising.
Of course, if I was not living in a Western country with a historically Christian society, I may well have tried Islam etc instead. But I happen to be in a mostly Christian country, so I gave that a go, and so far it has stuck.
I don't think that's in any way inconsistent. I have never claimed to be doing a scientific study. I have a PhD, and did post-doc research. I know what science is, and what it isn't, and how far it can reach. IMO these big questions are beyond the reach of science.
In order to really test the waters of a particular faith, you have to put your weight on it. I don't think this would be possible if my research schedule told me I'd be converting to Buddhism in 2 years, and then on to Islam after that, etc. So this "scientific" approach is flawed from the start. Instead, it makes most sense to start off with what you think is the most promising.