Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nonetheless, the conventional narrative that religion is dying out is more wrong than right. Indeed, although the percentage of the people in the United States who identify as Christian is declining, the actual total number of Christians is increasing—just not as quickly as the population. Meanwhile, worldwide, the percentage of people who are Christian is actually growing. Christianity may be declining overall in the western industrialized world, but it is actually rapidly growing in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Quote:
Interestingly, the survey found that 65% of self-described agnostics and 18% of self-identified atheists said that they believed in some kind of “higher power” or “spiritual force.” This is fascinating because it shows that, apparently, a substantial number of people who see themselves as atheists or agnostics haven’t totally rejected the idea of a higher power, but rather merely the Christian conception of God.
Quote:
The survey also found that 85% of people with a high school education or less who said that they believed in God also said that they believed that God had protected them at some point in their life. Sixty-six percent of college graduates who said they believed in God said the same.
Quote:
One area in which American religiosity is especially evident is in the realm of politics. The United States government may ostensibly be secular, but almost everything about American patriotic culture is, in some sense, religious. Sociologists have a name for the religious manifestation of American patriotism; they call it “American civil religion.”
American civil religion is rather syncretic and it has been heavily influenced by both Christianity and Greco-Roman polytheism. It’s also not always explicitly religious; sometimes the religious ideas are hidden just below the surface and only become evident when they are closely examined.
Quote:
Even if we look at the events going on right now, we can see the enormous influence that religion (especially Christianity) is having. On the one hand, conservatives who oppose the Black Lives Matter movement are trying to portray themselves as pious Christians and the protesters as radical atheist fanatics.
...
Despite conservatives’ best efforts to paint the protesters as godless communists, it is clear that there is a very strong Christian element within the Black Lives Matter movement itself. Far from calling for the “cancellation” of Christianity, many of the protesters are devout Christians themselves.
My thought is that the modern is and indeed the ancient world was, based on the secular, and religion was (as is) to a greater or lesser degree plastered over the top of it to make us think it's all due to religion. We can only hope the Dues are not too high.
I further suspect that people are really not religious, as often as not, but they have been fooled into thinking they are or ought to be.
I'm talking here about organised religion rather than the mystical musings and speculations that some engage in, until it becomes an Authority structure.
Separation of church and state is key to a healthy society. That includes separation of anti-church and state also.
Pushing a belief in nothing or just bashing any and all beliefs tend to push people into religion because it counters science. Instead of offering another choice, some think its better to remove all choices because their sect of belief will lose recruits.
I can't tell you how many people say "I can believe that" when I say why don't you just say your god did it through evolution? they often say I thought evolution means no god; right?
The look on their face when I say you really need to be careful of what "sage" you listen too.
Separation of church and state is key to a healthy society. That includes separation of anti-church and state also.
Pushing a belief in nothing or just bashing any and all beliefs tend to push people into religion because it counters science. Instead of offering another choice, some think its better to remove all choices because their sect of belief will lose recruits.
I can't tell you how many people say "I can believe that" when I say why don't you just say your god did it through evolution? they often say I thought evolution means no god; right?
The look on their face when I say you really need to be careful of what "sage" you listen too.
Separation of church and state is key to a healthy society. That includes separation of anti-church and state also.
Pushing a belief in nothing or just bashing any and all beliefs tend to push people into religion because it counters science. Instead of offering another choice, some think its better to remove all choices because their sect of belief will lose recruits.
I can't tell you how many people say "I can believe that" when I say why don't you just say your god did it through evolution? they often say I thought evolution means no god; right?
The look on their face when I say you really need to be careful of what "sage" you listen too.
The nice ones I feel need a hug.
Theism is default of human consciousness.
Despite of there always was correct takes on God and aberrations.
It is normal, imo, for evolution of consciousness.
Religions will not go away, until it will be proven beyond any doubt, what happens after death.
You really think death is the primary driving force? Hmmm, maybe because I don't fear it like that I just can't understand that as the primary driving force.
Theism is default of human consciousness.
Despite of there always was correct takes on God and aberrations.
It is normal, imo, for evolution of consciousness.
We would have to look at what we are calling theism. Science supports the belief in something more than humans and that something looks like it may be alive. So that is commonsense and could be labeled "default" by most people.
But deity things take a little force , as we have seen, to have us all believe in them so I wouldn't call those beliefs default.
Religions will not go away, until it will be proven beyond any doubt, what happens after death.
That depends on what is proven. One of them might astonish me by being correct.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That depends on what is proven. One of them might astonish me by being correct.
