Hey everyone, thanks for reading my latest blog entries! I’ve done a bit of research on a controversial issue- which MBTI type relates to various religions? I’ve also included other beliefs as well such as atheism and agnostics. This article took me a fair amount of research for each religion, with me researching the various religions in great depth, looking into the different societal traditions, beliefs, social customs, social hierarchy, the history and the current moral codes of each of the religions to determine the type for each one. Let’s get started.
Catholicism- ESFJ
Orthodox- ISFJ
Protestanism- ESFP
Anglicism- ISFP
Shinto- ISFJ
Orthodox Judaism- ISFJ
Reform Judaism- ENFP
Hinduism- INFJ
Buddhism- INFP
Islamic- ISTJ
Taoism- INTP
Confucianism- INTJ
Atheism- INTJ
Agnostics- INTP
Pastafarianism- ENTP
Scientology- ENTP
I hope you enjoyed the article! Do you agree or disagree with these typings? Let me know in the comments below!
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Which MBTI Type... 
INTP. Christian. Protestant. But yes, I’ve found a lot of agnostics among my type.
What do you think the reason is Charity for the large number of agnostics? Do you think it has to do with the Ti-Ne endless exploration of possibilities and desire for knowledge?
I don’t know. There ARE quite a few religious INTPs out there (the thread about God on the INTP forum at cafe personality is loooong) but I think we all struggle with “the logic of faith.” Even I have periods of doubt, because it’s in my nature to question absolutely everything — and then to go back and question it again later when new information is found. I suspect for many of us, the POSSIBILITY of God exists — but we’re not confident either way. I *am* sure… most days. 😉
Hey Charity! Yeah that’s so true. And your combination of Ti-Ne must make it so difficult to make a decision on something like religion, or anything related to important issues such as philosophical/religious ones. How often do you go through periods of doubt?
I go through doubt every now and again — sometimes just a “is this a farce?” moment at church or a more prolonged questioning every ten years or so.
Interesting, so you think this is because of your Ne/Ti?
Yeah, probably. You can’t explain some aspects of faith — so the logic kicks in and asks all sorts of inconvenient questions. =P
Where is ISTP?
I would argue, much like INTP’s, ISTP’s are likely to be agnostic.
yes I am
Haha. Poor ENTPs!
My impressions of these relegions seem to be mostly in line with those of the in this blog post associated type.
Thanks for the feedback! What’s your MBTI type? 🙂
INTP agnostic here. Good post.
Where are the ESTP’s and ISTP’s?
Sorry, I didn’t see any of these types as ESTP’s and ISTP’s. Looking at it, I believe ESTP’s and ISTP’s are very diverse with their religious preferences; many aren’t too clear on their religion, or may change religion throughout their lifetime. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s an observation I’ve made; feel free to tell me otherwise 🙂
Why Islam related with ISTJ ?
Because ISTJ’s do things by the book, like Muslims.
Philosophical point of view,Islam is not ISTJ.
In islam , Values and Justice got higher weightage than Duty,Fun or Logic.It’s sad that people who know MBTI and Understanding others continue to believe what mainstream media feeds. “Misunderstanding of Islam” is in same/more level as “Introverts are Nerds”
For me based on philosophical understanding of Islam , It’s “NF” religion.
“Justice” is concept that appeal to thinkers more than feelers. Feelers are more likely to respond to concepts such as compassion and mercy (hence buddhism is INFP).
From my understanding of Islam, at least how it is practiced today, it is not very people centric. you follow the rules, or you pay the consequences (justice).
It sounds pretty ISTJ to me.
I disagree. After reading the Quran myself I concluded three things: One, you must do as you told and God knows when you are falling short. Two, God does not like non-believers and will probably send you to hell along with them if you give non-believers quarter. Three, there is no need for self-refection (or any deeper reflection for the matter). Islam is the best and if you are a good Muslim you can be the best too.
An NF philosophy would value the internal struggle (even for NFJs) far more and would empathise personal connection to God to a far greater degree than Islam does.
INTP here, I’m agnostic but follow some taoist and buddhist principals, basically you nailed it, good job!
Thanks Ben! I’ve enjoyed reading all your comments on this blog! Sorry for the late response- I’ve had a few problems, but I am back to activeness! For all your dedicated comments, I was wondering what you recommend I change on this site, plus if you have any requests for future articles?
Cheers,
Tim 🙂
INTP – Buddhist/Taoist.
Interesting! How do you find being an INTP Buddhist/Taoist?
I posted a little about that on a blog post – Know Thyself: Zen and the MBTI. As a Rational, I am somewhat put off by the ritualized aspects and the traditional rebirth claims make my NT skin crawl, so I practice a naturalized or secular path – and that works very well in most cases.
That’s a good point- because thinking types, particular NT’s, are more rational types, it’s sometimes difficult to imagine how they deal with the areas that can’t be explained through rationale. I shall read your post because I’m interested in your interpretation on this 🙂
As Buddhism fits INFP …
I do not logical ideas ….
Preferably, are you Nonrijeokinsaenggak as believe Christian religion?
I’m an INFP, and an atheist. According to this list, I should be a Buddhist, which is about as far from “me” as could possibly be!
Yeah, although remember the correlation between MBTI/religions is very low, there is a correlation but a very low one. So the chances of this being accurate is… unlikely to say the least!
Buddhism is a non-theistic religion. Plus its not all just robes and meditating and boring stuff. Keanu Reeves is Buddhist.
I was going to say… I’m an INFP and an Strong Agnostic Atheist but align heavily with Buddhist teachings. The Buddha did not believe in god, but understood god and how important the existence of said god was to the general populous, so he simply avoided the topic of god, making Buddhism a philosophy just as much as a religion.
INTJ here, atheist
Spot on 🙂
How do you find being an INTJ atheist?
INTJ–I have been a Christian all my life. Also, I was relieved when I saw another INTJ in the comment section. I thought I would be the only one.
I’m an ISFP and I’m an atheist..
That’s a very interesting combination! How do you find being an ISFP atheist?
I’m also an ISFP atheist, but mainly because my parents (ISTJ and INTJ) are atheists. My brother (ENFP) is also an atheist.
INTP agnostic atheist here. Very accurate post.
Thank you! 🙂
INTJ…….christian here.
Interesting, this is not the typical belief of an INTJ. How do you find being an INTJ christian?
I’m in INTJ Catholic, but I can very much see why most INTJs are atheist. The difference for me is that, for most Catholics or Protestants, Christianity is about believing the stories in the Bible and being compassionate towards others, which are unfamiliar to the comprehension of an INTJ.
I’m not trying to start any arguments, and I just want to explain how an INTJ could be Catholic.
When I read the church fathers/doctors like Aquinas and Augustine, among others, I find that Catholicism is highly rational and intellectual, and that not only God, but the Christian God, is provable to exist solely through the use logic and reason.
An INTJ would not normally be interested in reading Aquinas unless they were exposed to it already. So basically, bring raised Catholic in an area of the world where Catholics are a minority and treated poorly, I had to research and study these things in order to determine who was right, and by researching is what unshakably solidified by belief in Catholicism.
“When I read the church fathers/doctors like Aquinas and Augustine, among others, I find that Catholicism is highly rational and intellectual, and that not only God, but the Christian God, is provable to exist solely through the use logic and reason.”
– Absolutely. INFJ here.
INTJ Christian here. Very much agree with the Vince. Once studied, Christianity becomes the clear choice among all of the possible options, with no viable second option. I had initially rejected Christianity until it was presented in a rational way, according to the established rules of logic and probability. After accepting the relational behind it, which took me several months to do, I continued to struggle for many months regarding the implications. Eventually my rational side overcame my emotional side and I became a committed Christion. I do often reject normal and common Christian practices and traditions unless I can find them rooted in Scripture and supported by Christ’s teachings. That often puts me at odds with fellow Christians. My Christian theological statement fits on a half page, but is bulletproof.
ISTJ Christian here.
How do you find being an ISTJ Christian?
I don’t think you can accurately ‘type’ religions. It’s more or less mainly determined by life experience and upbringing. Not everyone expresses their religion the same way either.
A proud Jewish INTJ. I find it a very questioning religion. Shalom.
I agree that life experience and upbringing play the biggest role. I do believe that certain religions do have a slight pull more than others. For example, in my opinion atheists/agnostics more likely bring in INTJ’s/INTP’s than other types. What do you think?
As an INTP, I appreciate the need to question your version of truth. So, it must be tested. Surely, it can’t be political or be about other worldly concerns. Conventional Christendom is a lie. The Bible is truth. With a solid footing, proceed with confidence, joy and excitement. I would suggest JW.org. Truth can withstand any honest question 🙂
May I ask how your Ti allows you to confidently assert that “The Bible is the truth” in the complete absence of concrete and logical evidence?
I don’t think this is accurate at all… IMO any type can really end up with any religion.
INFJ, atheist.
I don’t think religion has so much to do with the personality type.
Neither. There is usually a very small correlation, however there is still a relationship 🙂 What’s it like being an INFJ atheist? I myself am an INFJ agnostic
INFJ, traditional Catholic.
Catholic ‘natural law’ as well as my own subjective experience of daily life and other people pointed me in this direction.
How do I find it being a Catholic INFJ? It’s very rewarding. I have a really vibrant, complex, nuanced, and often violent inner spiritual life, if that makes sense. There are things that I know to be true, and I feel a compulsion to act as an example to others in order to spread the word.
Perhaps that’s why, to some degree, I can even admire the passions of some of history’s most controversial figures–Hitler, Osama bin Laden, Leon Trotsky–because they were guided by an inner intuition and zeal to spread their message. Of course, my rolemodel is the greatest xNFJ of them all, Jesus.
I agree completely with admiring the passions of people. It’s only when it gets unhealthy we have to worry 🙂
Hmm, What do you mean by violent inner spiritual life?
ISTJ, atheist, but I KNOW that Islam is ISTJ since many of my debate opponents claim that I think and talk like a Muslim.
That’s interesting (: have you always been atheist?
Catholicism is definitely NF.
No, it’s traditionalism values are very prevalent.
Why the N? Seems to be concrete in many ways!
“Seems.” Key word. You have made a guess about people’s religious inclinations based on your impression of the different religions based on how much research? It took me years of researching and thinking and questioning to convert to Catholicism. My research, thinking and learning aren’t done.
I am an INTJ. I’m part of a Catholic women’s group where a number of us are, surprisingly given our supposed rarity, INTJ.
We like to research and know. We like to share. We will follow rules if there are practical reasons that make sense to us. There is an enormous wealth of things to read given the centuries of its existence. An enormous amount of things to think about. The inner spiritual life is definitely intuitive for me and not sensory. When you get into the writings of many of the Saints, their experiences were beyond the sensorial.
I’m an ISFP muslim 🙂 (actually I’m not sure with my actual mbti. I just sure I’m a perceiver because I always fail to follow any schedule I made for myself)
What’s it like being an ISFP Muslim? 🙂
Hello there :p. INFP muslim here. I’m not sure either with my actual MBTI but almost every test I take online (yes, online :/) say that I’m an INFP. A psychological test conducted at my school doesn’t reveal my MBTI personality type but it suggests me to go to psychology college as the first suggestion. The next is medical faculty and then science. But I ended up going to computer science :/.
Anyway, I’m kinda agree with you saying Islam is quite ISTJ-ish. But once again, it depends on the follower itself. Just like Christian, Islam has tons of different sects and branches. They all kind of different in itself. There are some sects that is quite extremist like what we often see in the media, the one that is liberal and secular in its thought, the one that modify what prophet do and pray, and the list goes on and on. I mean, yeah, we can’t judge religion that has more than 1 billion followers and tons of different sects like Christian and Islam to be classified in one MBTI type. I mean, let alone 1 billion, you can’t judge silly SFM pastafarian follower as one or several MBTI type I think. It’s really hard because sometimes what motivates you to follow some kind of belief system can’t be associated merely by your personality type.
Btw, I’m sorry for my fucked up English xD.
INTJ Christian, here.
ohh thats unusual. what is it like being an INTJ Christian?
INFJ Muslim….and i’m very lucky to know islam before i die.
and i think it is a big loss for anyone, to lives on the earth and dont know islam.
I do think that the religion has nothings to do with the personality type, but the only thing i’m sure about is that, generally, the F personalities (specially NF ones) they likely tend to be religious and believers.
and in the other hand, the T personalities ( spacielly INTP, ENTP ) they likely doubt religions and believes because it seems illogical to them and dont answer the questions in their head (Ti) .
on contrary, any personality type can be can be muslim if he know it and understand it right. whether he is a T or F type, because islam provide to each of them the right combination that make any type know that islam is the right religion.
islam provides a complete values and ethics system for the F types, and gives a scientific evidences and logical proofs that can convince any doubting T type.
Roger Garaudy, the famous frensh thinker and philosopher, (who is T ) said : ” the islam is the only religion where the sense(logic) meets the feelings “. because often their is believing without thinking or thinking without believing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Garaudy
INTJ Catholic. It works perfect with Ni (mysticism) and Te structure.
I’m ENTP and I am an agnostic atheist. Most ENTP agnostic atheist love to use pastafarianism as a way to make a mockery of the theistic religions (especially those of Abrahamic origins). I still don’t get how Scientology was a ENTP belief. Scientology seems like an ISTP (Tom Cruise) or ISFP (John Travolta). They’ve to be within the ISxP personality type or at least within anything outside of the NT (Rational) temperament. ENTP tend to make fun of Scientology. South Park Co-Creator Trey Parker (an ENTP) directed an episode that pokes fun at Scientology. According to ENTP, Scientology is bullshit. All Hail Lord Xenu!!!!
http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s09e12-trapped-in-the-closet
Well, I’m seen as an ISTP.
I’m not interested in organized religion (quite sick with it, actually), but I’ve studied most everything out there quite deeply and I follow my own huge interconnected mix of many religions/understandings and experiment altering my mind/POV (in ways I won’t damage myself, as would be the case of abusing illegal drugs).
To be honest, I kind of truly seek enlightenment myself.
INTJ – traditional Catholic. I think my religion is very logical and useful.
Another Catholic INTJ here, to me atheism is illogical, the only thing close to it that makes sense to me is agnosticism.
NT seems to be common amongst traditional Catholics. I am an ENTJ traditional Catholic and Fisheaters is filled with INTJ trads.
Very interesting and accurate list. I’m an agnostic atheist INFP, agnostic-leaning, but thanks to my Fi-Ne qualities I sometimes have a hard time not getting pulled in to Buddhism and other dreamy, spiritual religions (Abrahamic religions though, never again). It’s like my mind starts to float and wander in “what-ifs” and I have to chain myself back down again. Needless to say, I have pantheistic tendencies 🙂
I’m an INFP Orthodox Christian and I really think a lot of INFPs are drawn to Orthodoxy. I posted a article on INFPs last night and I had two Orthodox priests post comments within minutes saying they are INFP. Also, an Orthodox woman who didn’t know anything about INFP or MBTI asked what we were discussing, so I gave her a link to test herself and she came back with an INFP result. Having said that, my priest is INFJ, one friend is ENFP, one is ISTJ and another is INFJ. Those are only the ones I know that have tested themselves.
“I really think a lot of INFPs are drawn to Orthodoxy.”
This is an erroneous statement as there are a multitude of factors that play into your conclusion. First of all, you can’t base this idea off of 3 people. That’s just plain inaccurate. And more than likely the general Orthodox Christian population will show a very different result — INFPs are rarer than many types. Second, INFPs (and most xNxx types) tend to be the ones most drawn to MBTI, so you will mostly get those types commenting on MBTI-related stuff. Not to mention this type tends to hang around the internet a lot (I should know as I am one, but it’s also obvious looking at the number of NF types on sites like PersonalityCafe). This causes an imbalance of representation. Lastly, no INFP is the same. It’s the Fi in INFP that’s responsible for the steadfast dedication to personal ideals and beliefs, and these beliefs could be directed to anything — Christianity, atheism, Buddhism, you name it. If the INFP’s Fi feels it’s right, that’s what it’ll believe. So, for example, an INFP raised in strict Orthodoxy will more likely have morals that revolve around that religion than an INFP not raised around religion. INFPs are more likely to be *passionate* about their beliefs. This does not directly correlate to INFPs being Orthodox Christians.
Buddhism infp……..alright.
what’s your opinion on Buddhism’s MBTI type?
I think it’s a Buddhist INFP ..
East yen Machiavellian thinking because I thought you were not out of it …. T
I angeot a new fact.
If we’re taking a head-count, I’m a non-religious agnostic atheist and an ENFP.
ENFP Roman Catholic here 🙂 When I read Reform Judaism I giggled pretty hard. I am familiar with the religion, I certainly wouldn’t have asserted that it could represent a ENxx type. Why did you choose that?
I think its probably true that INFJ would go into such a peaceful religion. But, I guess it depends on where you live. We aren’t all indian, you know…
That’s true! I apologise for generalising!
There’s an even more generic belief called “deism”:
you basically believe the existence of a generic, non-perfect(non-catholic) god/s who created the things which are near you, but you don’t say other things about that “god” or “principle”(Devil Survivor 2 has in Polaris an example of “Principle”) or how you want to call it, you call it.
Though it’s pretty similar to the agnosticism, in some ways.
Firstly I’d like to say Arrakkun all your comments have been really interesting for me to read and I really appreciate your input! 🙂
Secondly I’m gonna look into that. I’ve sometimes thought about an imperfect God like that and I’d like to read on what people have to say. What would you type “deists”? INTP?
Most deists, like agnostics, could be INTPs
They still envision the probability that some kind of god exist, but they say that someone must be “guiding” the world to what it is now -which is what NT christians usually believe as I had some T-using catholic teachers-
But the gods, as described in most religions- have… too many properties that under the analysis seems to contradict themselves ( Omnipotence being a contradiction itself: God A is omnipotent, A must be able to create a stone he can’t lift, but his omnipotence say he must be able to lift it, to be able to be omnipotent! This is called the “Omnipotence paradox” ) .
INTJ here.. yes i agree with this typing, i’m an atheism..confucianism is not a bad choice, at least there is a logic in determining life style.
I’m INFJ, and I’m a Christian. My moral code actually doesn’t match up with Hinduism. I find parts of it unreasonable (personal opinion). I should know, I grew up in a Hindu household. I’m curious, how did you match up INFJs with Hinduism?
you listed ENTP twice.
What happened to ENTJ?
Pastafarianism- ENTP
Scientology- ENTP
Last I checked ENTPs are super logical and defy tradition. Atheist ENTP here.
INTP Muslim here. Proud to be one, at that. As an INTP, I undoubtedly have a habit of questioning everything and I find the answers to all my questions in my religion, Alhamdulillah. Islam is not understood properly by most people, not even by most self-proclaimed “Muslims”. Islam is a logical religion, and it does not tell us to do anything out of logic and reason. I have read the Qur’an and I find proper guidance in it, along with answers to my questions. Although I’ll say, I am a very nontraditional person. Good observation, I’ll give you that. 🙂 x
Wow did I write this and forget I wrote it? INTP Muslim here as well. ABSOLUTELY AGREE. I doubted Christianity since I was 8yrs old but still believed in God and was on a mission to ensure that I had the correct understanding and reasons for practicing based upon proofs. I didn’t accepted Islam in my 2nd year of college after spending the first two researching, probing investigating (man that World Religions class did it to me). I spent the rest of my time in my Anthropology major reaffirming that belief and ultimately Cultural anthropology appealed more to me than other sub-fields. Unlike you however I am very Orthodox/Traditional Muslim. I spent almost 6 years hiding my religion and being a “non practicing” Muslim for fear of others until I came to the conclusion that the purpose of me accepting this religion based on its logic was in order to clarify the way of life I should be living. I had doubts, Islam answered all the doubt therefore I accept and and have to practice it. If I was not practicing and constantly studying and investigating it then what was the point, do I still have more doubts? IMHO INTP’s must approach this religion with the drive to constantly learn. Islam is beautifully scientific and spiritual.
INTJ Muslim for me. I think in any religion can be satisfying to any type as long as they are allowed to practice in the style that suits them. An NF would prefer to focus on charity, maybe sponsor an orphan or feed the poor, rather than analyze nuances of words and theories in depth. An NT would be the other way around. Both are fine.
The Quran allows and encourages questioning, thinking, pondering about God and the world within a simple framework that gives inspiration for self-improvement. I ended up a Quranist muslim. I would never have become a Salafi muslim as they are very ISTJ, black and white, tick the box. The conservative types give a very ISTJ/ESTJ feel to the religion, and they are all over the internet shouting at people. And yes, there are a lot of traditional types for whom questioning anything is shocking and forbidden – this may be a cultural thing too, I don’t know.
See that? And I am a INTP Salafi because of my constant pondering studying and my need to constantly ponder and “analyze nuances of words and theories in depth” lol. I think many Salafi are more INTP. I disagree with you that conservative types are ISTJ/ESTJ its is just that for some they have the evidence and can’t understand why it is not abundantly clear to others. No different than a scientist. Your statement would be a blanket mischaracterization. There are numerous factors from being a hotheaded newbie to being terrible at dawah. Salafi does not mean just conservative and wearing some
loose cloths or a beard. Even within Salafiyyah there are many sisters whom I don’t agree with because of their personality type. I tend to stick with people who are more nerdy like me lol. I can’t deal with extroverts too well, too loud for me.
You may well be right there. Salafi is sort of hyper-conservative – which ironically will attract people who are more “rebellious” thinkers who are interested in religious theories and question ordinary conservatism. They just question in a different direction than I have. I can see NTs ending up Salafi. And of course there is a lot of diversity amongst Salafis. But I still think that in the Salafi community as a whole, there are strong black-and-white moral tendencies; a tendency to dismiss anyone who disagrees from outside the Salafi community as misguided, deviant, or worse; and a desire to pressure others to comply with their morality. These are, to my mind, SJ traits. I suspect Ns burn out of Salafism faster and more often than Ss.
The shallow, tick-box practice that I criticized is more typical of people are following a conservative interpretation due to their culture without questioning anything, yet being so certain that they are right because they are doing what is common and accepted (all zahir, no batin). It is not uncommon in people raised in Muslim countries who have never really thought about what they believe and why (and other conservative countries too, we are not unique in this). I would not expect it in someone who chose Salafism, but I think it would be common in those who grew up in Salafi families. So it is more of a cultural thing, really.
And btw salafiya is real Islam on the methodology of the prophet and his companions and the following two generations and those after them who followed in piety and righteousness
From a white English man bought up as an atheist reverted to Islam started with Sufism as they pounced on me as they do most reverts and due to ignorance and knowing nothing else I was with those for a few months but thanks to a salafi brother and his advice and the intellect and logic I was blessed with alhamdulillah I saw right from wrong and btw they helped me in Deen extremely and I saw kindness and charity from them I had never witnessed before from Muslim or non Muslim the salafi Muslims are shining pearls amongst us (not isis Al Qaeda nusrah etc who claim they are salafi)
Salaam Gracie, Could you contact me on facebook? I have a few questions to ask you about what made you become muslim. Thank you.
How can you fully understand Quran with out the help of Hadith also nabi saw said he has left Quran and that which is similar (Hadith)
Interesting idea doing the pairing but I think simple minded. For one thing many Episcopalians are probably INF at least in my experience. Also you do not list Baptists or fundamentalists of various types, or Methodists, or Quakers Ifs or various types. It would have been appropriate to list 2 or three likely MBTI types for each religion, as well.
What about ESTJ?
I am an INFJ Muslim in a country that practice fundamentalist Islam.. and I am quite taken aback by how it is not consdered as NF. True, Islam does have rules and regulations but if you learn it thoroughly, the laws are made after covering all aspects for humanity.. and I am afraid media promotes crooked truth about Islam when all our legends in the past are gentle, forgiving and kind.And Islam have psychic elements in one of its branches of teachings where metaphysics are of great involvement. It does not deals with hard logic only, you know? It is hard to saythis because I might look biased. I once had issue with patriarchy in Islam myself. But what we need to know is sometimes it is the cultures making its impact in the believers. In Saudi Arabia especially, women cant do these and that bcause of the sick patriarchal values that lived well with them even before Islam came. But our prophet came to lift women into better societal status. There are some limitations and laws regarding each genders,but let me assure you, I am okay with it. I dont feel confined or restricted at expressing myself 🙂 I hope we find what Islam is all about and getrid of the fads and prejudices..
ISTJ here: raised Christian with Jewish influenced BUT
I’m an agnostic, who used to be mostly atheist…
Whoops grammar: Jewish influence*
INFJ here: Roman Catholic, turned Agnostic, and reverted back to Roman Catholicism.
Although RC being ESFJ is accurate for an outsider, as an insider RC may also be xNTP, xSTJ, xNFJ, INFP. But that’s just me getting inside the heart of my faith 🙂
I agree! I’m a Catholic INFP. I’ve studied a lot of Eastern religions too, but I ultimately always return to the mysticism of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. I was raised Catholic though, so I think it “feels” better to me because I also have had really positive experiences and memories associated with the religious figures. I’ve had wonderful experiences in Eastern religions too, especially Hinduism, but it just comes with a different feeling altogether. I engaged in a lot of very similar practices that would look very Catholic if you weren’t familiar with Hinduism and just observed it (praying on beads, using water in rituals, lighting candles, crowning statues with flowers, etc.), so I can see where Hinduism, Buddhism, and Catholicism could almost be viewed interchangeably in a list for NF types, since they all feel very similar.
Im INFJ and im Gnostic.
INTJ Christian.
I was raised Christian but I had a lot of doubts during my teenage years and early 20’s. After very intense research and study from different sides, along with some personal experiences that confirmed or challenged what I knew, I have concluded that the teachings of the Bible are indeed the ultimate and absolute truth (both philosophically and scientifically).
This seems like INTJ “logic” gone awry
INFJ here. I am a former atheist who has become quite spiritual without subscribing to any particular religious denomination. Buddhism and Hinduism are definitely more appealing to me than any other traditional religions.
Entp here, im a proud muslim 🙂
INFJ. Agnostic Catholic.
ENFP. Reformed Jew
I suppose an NF could consider Islam to be an NF based religion after having it’s tenets become colored by their NF perspective. It’s a religion on the verge of having it’s communities assimilate with Western values – essentially becoming it’s own version of modern Christianity. So communities have to decide what to take and leave behind when attempting to reconcile the differences with their cultural and religious values.Thus an NF, lured by the convenience of religious spirituality, perceives the SJ religion to be like that of an NF.
And also after adding some of their own interpretation to it.
– Strangely Neighborhood INTP-man.
ENFP, cultural reform Jew (but really an atheist).
I have this impression that people often mistype themselves as INTJ. The associated “logical” traits seem to be appealing to many other types and I believe people taking MBTI tests will sometimes answer in a manner that reflects how they wish to be rather than how they really are. I almost always test as ENFP, but once in a dark mood turned up as INTJ. I have a feeling this may not be uncommon. While i don’t doubt there are Christian INTJs out there, part of me is pretty skeptical about the number represented here. ISxJ seems much more Catholic to me.
ENFP, cultural reform Jew (but really an atheist).
I have this impression that people often mistype themselves as INTJ. The associated “logical” traits seem to be appealing to many other types and I believe people taking MBTI tests will sometimes answer in a manner that reflects how they wish to be rather than how they really are. I almost always test as ENFP, but once in a dark mood turned up as INTJ. I have a feeling this may not be uncommon. While i don’t doubt there are Christian INTJs out there, part of me is pretty skeptical about the number represented here. ISTJ seems much more Catholic to me.
INTJ / ISTJ hybrid here: meaning I tend to score moderately on the “N” and “S” – likely indicating that I have nearly equal preference for execution and application of both traits. I have taken the test many times, in many different “moods,” over periods of time. I do know how to “throw” the test to get the type that I want – but I personally don’t see the point in that. Whose to know? Me. I guess personal sense of gratification could be the goal if someone really wants to think of themselves as a certain type. I personally tend to identify as an INTJ – and I would like to note that I typed that way a few times before ever researching the different types – also before being extremely interested in Myers Briggs. I also happen to be a licensed therapist in the Army. Go figure, an INTJ therapist. Although I do remember when individuals in my grad school were asked why they wanted to become therapists almost everyone answered “To help people” and I said “To help people – and academic interest in field of human behavior.” It will suffice to state that the box of tissues on my desk is for my patients – you’ll never ‘see’ me using them in public. Compassion fatigue is not a thing with me. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that my patient’s lives are their own. I am not losing sleep over how they live their lives. At the end of the day it is still their choice.
Enough of that. I realized over many years that the term used to describe people with my belief system is Deism. So – an INTJ Deist. Agnostic Deist – because – let’s face it. I can’t say I am right and I know the actual truth. I believe in a creator, that I have deduced from observation of nature, physics, and my inability to comprehend that things can exist without having first been put into existence by some force – but I do not believe in the religions devised by humans.
I’m an INTJ, and I’m a strong Lutheran…
I’m an ENFP Confucian (Ruist). I have found a couple of wonderful Facebook groups for us within the last year or two. I wrote an interdisciplinary thesis on Neo-Confucianism and cognitive-behavioral and existential therapy in 1984. I noticed that you consider Confucianism to be great for INTJ, which is the profile of the ideal ENFP mate!! I’ve experimented with many religions and never dreamed I’d have personal contact with other Confucians, albeit in cyberspace. By the way, I tried Reform Judaism for a while–ENFP. I was raised Catholic & got tired of it before Confirmation. I spent much of my adult life as a Unitarian-Universalist until my fellowship got sick of me.
I think Buddhism and Hinduism are mixed up. INFPs are too curious for Buddhism and they are much more self reflective and indulgent than the lifestyle and core beliefs call for. INFJs are more logical and less likely to act on their own emotion, but the emotion of others, where as INFPs act on what feels morally correct to themselves which may not always lead to the best karmic actions. And while Buddhism places a higher emphasis on good and genuine emotions than the mind (especially in Pure Land Buddhism),the speration of the emotion from the physical body and mind is the key factor in reaching enlightenment. The INFJs ability to understand it’s own patterns of thought allow for it to better comprehend itself and separate emotion from the mind, understanding the two separately. This isn’t to say that INFJs are not as emotional or empathetic as INFPs, but when INFPs empathize, they mirror a persons emotion, self reflecting on their own personal experiences to understand what another person must be feeling. This is often an unconscious ability and goes unnoticed by the INFP. When INFJs empathize, they absorb the other persons emotion, making them very present in their mind, meaning it can’t simply be a subconscious act like INFP. This understanding of their emotions and their physical mind as different entities are what make INFJs the ideal type for Buddhism.
While I do not have nearly as much knowledge on Hinduism, I can sort of vouch for INFP being a better match for it. First, an INFPs curiousity will be much more tolerated in Hinduism because of their belief and worship in a vast number of gods and the cosmos, whereas in Buddhism no god/deva or other being is “worshiped” and the result and conditions of an afterlife are not nearly as important as the path to attaining it is. Next is the fact that Hinduism believes in the oneness of the universe, everything was once one entity but then split into separate beings. Om symbolizes this, saying “the same divinity I see in you also rests in me” or vice versa. This is already a parallel thought that is seen in the way INFPs empathize, mirroring emotion (not to say that the way INFJs empathize goes against Hindu beliefs, just that INFPs method applies to it better) Because everything is connected, the way for Hindus to attain moksha (More or less the same concept of nirvana) they must recognize their own soul as being one with the earth and the universe (while Buddhists must filter out all physical aspects of their being). Although INFPs are so attached to themselves and their identity and uniqueness that they may find it hard to recognize themselves as the same as everything else in the universe, they definitely recognized the universality of emotions. “The more personal the feeling, the more universal it is”. So the concept of a universal similarity between beings is much more understood and accepted than the complete detachment from the self that comes with Buddhism.
I am an INTP and am an agnostic theist.
I am ISFJ and catholic
Woaaa. As an atheist INTJ, I am also a pastafarian!
I’m an ENFP and devout Ruist (Confucian) for 35 years. Virus-free. http://www.avast.com
I attended a Reform Jewish temple for a while, as predicted by your studies. I feel that Fundamentalist Christians are generally SJ in temperament, as in “My Way or the Highway.”
INTX and well yes, Taoist, agnostic, Buddhist, Check all boxes, I would also check the atheist box but I’m way to much a nihilist to care about assigning a value to non belief.
Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your blog. You have some really great posts and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an email if interested. Cheers!
You have one thing wrong. There are no gods in Buddhism so atheism and Buddhism are not two different categories.
Isfp muslim.
I think parents, surroundings and experiences have more of an impact…within any religion you get people who behave completely differently to each other, are motivated by different things and interpret teachings differently.
I assume ESTJ is not listed as religious because they view themselves as god instead? 😆
INTP here. Went from Agnostic to Buddhist.
So, the most logically driven type (ENTP) is predisposed to the two completely illogical and BS filled religions? I think not…
I think Infj are more likely to be Orthodox, Isfj would be prone to Islamism, while Entj would be Catholics. Just my opinion 😄