Why does it look like a lot of young people are athiest? (translation, America)

[wclac]

It seems like most people of the younger generation are athiest. Why does it seem that way?

[MontanaGuy]

Why does it look like a lot of young people are athiest?

I think that's probably true and I do think that there is a gradually changing of beliefs in our culture. Many of the strongest supporters of some of the really aggressive tv preachers are senior citizens, their behavior is a turn off to alot of younger people (and even older people like myself). I don't see relgion fading away anytime soon though, the great majority of people, at least in America, are still religious.

[Miss Blue]

I don't see any big swing in the young people toward atheism..I think young people, when they reach the age of 16 and older and are experiencing a little freedom, are questioning lots of things they have been taught and want to explore all the different opinions out there. Personally I have seen young people seeming to become more involved with the programs that some churches are involved in the communities in repairing the homes of the elderly and poverty level citizens..I see them forming prayer groups at school..I see them leaving their traditional church teachings and searching their own beliefs..There may seem to be more atheist youngsters now because they are not afraid to speak out like they were in the past..Personally, it makes no difference to me, simply because I don't judge or choose my friends because of their beliefs or lack of..I see love, compassion, charity and tolerance in atheists, christians, agnostics and all religions..It depends on the persons personality, not what his religious beliefs or lack of are..There does seem to be a mentality in the realm of religion that puts atheists in a very unflattering picture

[GCSTroop]

I really don't think that the number of Atheists in this country is really growing either among older people or younger people. What I do suspect is that people are becoming less and less afraid of outing themselves as Atheists and I also suspect that the people who do this the most are on the internet. Might I also add that it is the younger generation that typically spends more time on the computer than the older generations so a lot of Atheists may certainly appear to be young.

Essentially, I think we're hearing more about it now that we have mediums such as the internet and 24/7 news programs rather than isolated communities where everyone knows everyone. Instead of the one lone town Atheist we are immersed with a variety of people from all walks of many different communities.

[sanspeur]

I dunno Troop, maybe it is different here in Canada, but I've discussed this subject with many youths, some from religious families and almost all have turned away from religion.

[esselcue]

Not sure they are becoming atheists...more are likely to be agnostic or to follow a non-Christian spiritual path. I think it has more to do with the education of the world, with younger people doing more questioning and following their own paths instead of accepting what is presented to them without question. Humans are still evolving and with that our minds are also growing and evolving. Curiosity, the ability to question and search for answers is a very human trait and more and more people coming up into the world are wanting to know "why" and "how".

[GCSTroop]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

I dunno Troop, maybe it is different here in Canada, but I've discussed this subject with many youths, some from religious families and almost all have turned away from religion.

Perhaps that is true. I'll be quite honest and say that most people do not have good arguments for or against the existence of God. I'm not saying that my arguments are perfect by any stretch but things like "Look at all the bad religion has done" does not negate the existence of something any more than pointing out the bad that the Nazi party did. On the flip side, merely asserting that you cannot imagine a world without God does not necessarily make him real.

What I think happens to a lot of people, or perhaps what happened to a lot of people in the past is that they had these arguments, were defeated in them, and just stopped asking questions on both sides of the table. I know some Atheists who once they found out evolution was a fact decided that there was no God - which still confuses me; but it also tells me they probably never really believed anyway. On the other side, I've known people who said they were once Atheists who were mad at God for one reason or the other, made peace with him, and are no longer Atheists. I wouldn't say that constitutes an Atheist either just a confused individual.

What is happening now, it seems, is that people do have the internet and are much more able to explore all of the arguments. What will happen from there is anyone's guess.

[HotinAZ]

Since there is an explosion of information out there, and since the love of many has waxed cold, there are many turning away from the Good News. They know there is something bigger out there, but they don't know what. They know it isn't live today, and die tomorrow, or there would be mass rioting and chaos on the streets. So even though this love has waxed cold, it isn't forgotten. They know how to Love, because they are Loved.

I wonder if it isn't so much as leaving the faith, as much as it is leaving the religions, including Christianity. They look back on 2000 years of Christianity and Islam and see rivers of blood spilled in His Holy Name. They look around today and see the wars going on and the rivers of blood spilled in His Holy Name, and question this God those people serve. They wonder why abortions happen, and suffering, and murder, and starvation, if there is a God who is above all. I know, as i have been there. Even the Bible gets questioned, as the translations become biased in our modern English language. Contradictions become apparent. What IS TRUTH???

But they know. They know there is something higher out there. They know it isn't live today, die tomorrow, then nothing. They can feel it though they don't understand it. Some call it the awareness or oneness, like David Icke in England. They write about it like the Secret. Something is out there, for sure, and we call this God Almighty, for those who believe.

To understand how God works, only God can show you and move you. Our little puny minds cannot fathom the things of God. We only know information at the time it is available. Did you know the earth used to be flat. Did you know the earth was the center of the universe. Did you know that, which you didn't before? At the ever increasing pace at which the world of information is exploding, God is still God. He doesn't change, though we do. They have now figured out that the starting point for the big bang, might actually be Light? Hmm, what does the Bible say about that?

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."

So the closer we get to unveiling that which is hidden from our minds, actually, the closer we get to God. Some by way of science. Others through God just revealing Himself, to those who Love and follow Him.

[GCSTroop]

Originally Posted by HotinAZ

. They have now figured out that the starting point for the big bang, might actually be Light?

I hate to sound like a jerk but could you point me to a paper or scientific resource that explains this? Everything I've read about the Big Bang posits that light did not come around for about 300,000 years after the Big Bang itself because the universe was basically too hot for atoms to form. As a result of this, charged electrons and protons blocked light.

Here's a neat little chart.

[Leana76]

I have noticed that too, lately. There are a lot more Atheist now than there used to be. I don't know what to say about it. To each his/her own.