Survey: Millennials' views of religion increasingly negative

[Matadora]

Originally Posted by mordant

We can argue about whether or not that's a correct assessment (I would argue not) but it is clear that even many people who aren't that enamored of religion fear a world without it.

I fear the direction the health of the planet is headed now , and I fear the evil souls that lurk in this world alongside religion. I truly believe without religion the world would be a more peaceful place.

People would evolve, learning how to be mindful of their actions as well as taking responsibility for their actions vs. thinking it's a divine plan or that they can commit evil and still get a free pass.

Originally Posted by mordant

And as Freak points out, what happens when they find out that there's no one to punish them when they're naughty?

It's this fear that needs to be reckoned with. We will never experience a paradigm shift as long as we allow fear to limit our grasp of achieving one.

[Freak80]

Originally Posted by mordant

I can only imagine what would happen if the whole world realized at once that what they now only suspect is actually true: that there is no personal interventionist god watching over them, no heavenly McMansion awaiting them ... they have been telling themselves all their lives that god's love for them and his ironclad promise to make everything right eventually rationalizes everything. What happens when they suddenly find out otherwise?

I think all hell would break loose, based on my own deconversion experience. I needed actual medical intervention for serious anxiety problems. I don't know how common that is when deconvering from fundamentalist religions, but I'm probably not the only one.

[MartinEden99]

Originally Posted by mordant

And as Freak points out, what happens when they find out that there's no one to punish them when they're naughty? I'm not as worried about that because I think a person who can't bring themselves to cheat on their wife or their taxes probably doesn't calculate god's anger into it ... I think they already have a moral compass of their own without god's help, whether or not they credit god with it. But I would hate to be proven wrong.

I think thats true for the vast majority as well...but I do think Freak is right about some. And we all know it only takes a couple dozen "some" to make some really bad things happen.

I think it does require quite a bit of attrition, one argument at a time...one fallacy at a time...and perhaps one generation at a time. I actually have no desire to live in a world which says "no speculating without proof" else you'll be shouted down (or worse). But the concept of putting faith in imaginary things, over the proven and verified things we continue to evolve, has to end at some point. At least if we're to avoid self-annihilation, in my opinion.

[mordant]

Originally Posted by Freak80

I think all hell would break loose, based on my own deconversion experience. I needed actual medical intervention for serious anxiety problems. I don't know how common that is when deconvering from fundamentalist religions, but I'm probably not the only one.

I think it's probably a minority who need psychological intervention but as Martin points out, it only takes a few of those to overwhelm the system and cause disproportionate harms to themselves and others.

I have long thought that nihlism (the belief that life has no inherent objective externally bestowed meaning) does not lead inevitably to despair, but the initial realization in someone accustomed to believing otherwise is pretty brutal and destabilizing. I would not want the whole world to go through it at once. Happily that's not the case, it goes through it one individual at a time. And the more individuals that get past it, the more steady hands there are to help the queasy make the transition to making their own meaning and purpose in life.

There are also people permanently damaged by the false promises of theism who probably will never function independently of the ideology. Those will have to go away by attrition. It is a bit like the recent dustup over the confederate flag. A whole generation clings to it and what it symbolizes but their children and especially their grandchildren are now asking, wait a minute ... what exactly is so all fired important about this symbol?? And what exactly is so all fired horrible about racial tolerance??