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Church attendance is low in Europe, but we have no idea how many Europeans believe in God, do we? Are there any statistics on that? Probably such a study has never been done, because Europeans don't care, ha!
Most of Europe church attandance is low, but in some parts it is moderate to high.
Just because weekly church attandance is low does not mean somebody don't believe in God.
I go to church 10 - 15 times a year only and I am still religious and love God.
On the east coast OR the west coast of the U.S., people generally don't make a big deal out of religion. Religion is considered to be a private matter in these places. There's a high percentage of non-religious folk as well. So... that's really upwards of 100 million people right there.
Basically, the regions in the U.S. where religion is taken more seriously are the south (especially the Bible belt), the midwest and parts of states like Utah.
Wrong.
Only 2-3% of Americans are Atheists/Agnostics, which equals roughly ~ 15 million people (which I doubt). Around 15% of Americans are not members of any religion (including me) however only few minority of those don't believe in God.
All of the U.S. is religious except parts of Pacific Northwest and small parts of northern New England.
Even in those places there are plenty of religious people, as well as many people from non-Abrahamic faith. I consider Buddhists and Hindus to be atheists since they do not believe in Abrahamic God.
I've been all over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, all churches were packed every Sundays (Including NYC and rest of the big cities), you see churches in 50 feet, lots of church signs, church billboards, scattered blue laws, etc.
Only 2-3% of Americans are Atheists/Agnostics, which equals roughly ~ 15 million people (which I doubt). Around 15% of Americans are not members of any religion (including me) however only few minority of those don't believe in God.
All of the U.S. is religious except parts of Pacific Northwest and small parts of northern New England.
Even in those places there are plenty of religious people, as well as many people from non-Abrahamic faith. I consider Buddhists and Hindus to be atheists since they do not believe in Abrahamic God.
I've been all over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, all churches were packed every Sundays (Including NYC and rest of the big cities), you see churches in 50 feet, lots of church signs, church billboards, scattered blue laws, etc.
On the east coast or west coast, it is not common for people to ask what church you belong to - as it is in parts of the south (from what I hear admittedly, since I never lived there). For example, people in the Washington D.C. area rarely discuss religion at all. It's simply not part of the everyday conversation of the vast majority of people. Even during Christmas and Easter, people are mainly caught up in the secular celebrations and rarely actually discuss God or religion.
Religion may be important to a lot of Americans on a personal level. But do Americans constantly shove their personal religious beliefs down other people's throats? For the most part no - not anywhere I have lived or visited. That would be quite an exaggeration and is not in accordance with experience. That's really what I was trying to get at, which is relevant to the discussion in this thread.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 06-26-2012 at 12:18 AM..
Church attendance is low in Europe, but we have no idea how many Europeans believe in God, do we? Are there any statistics on that? Probably such a study has never been done, because Europeans don't care, ha!
Actually, such a study has been done by the EU's Eurobarometer (p. 11). According to the survey, 52% of EU citizens believe in God. This number is highest in Malta (95%) and lowest in Estonia (16%). Theists are a minority in most Western European countries and in the Baltic states. The number of theists is likely to decline in the future because younger people are less likely to believe in God than the older generation. On p. 12 of the survey you see that less than half of the people between the ages of 15-54 believe in God, compared to 63% of those age 55+. As for religion, in another Eurobarometer survey (p. 41) 46% of respondents believed that the place of religion in society was too important, even though Europe is by far the most secular continent in the world. In yet another Eurobarometer survey, respondents were asked which values mattered most to them (p. 32). Religion ended last with just 6%. When asked which three values best represented the EU, only 3% mentioned religion (p. 33).
Quote:
Originally Posted by In God We Trust
I consider Buddhists and Hindus to be atheists since they do not believe in Abrahamic God.
Wait, so anyone who doesn't believe in your God is an atheist? I've never heard that definition before
Religion may be important to a lot of Americans on a personal level. But do Americans constantly shove their personal religious beliefs down other people's throats? For the most part no - not anywhere I have lived or visited. That would be quite an exaggeration and is not in accordance with experience. That's really what I was trying to get at, which is relevant to the discussion in this thread.
Then why does religion play such a huge role in American politics? Why are gay rights and abortion such important topics in every election? Why is someone who wants to ban contraception and porn even considered to be a good presidential candidate by a significant part of the population? Why is it virtually impossible for an atheist to get elected into public office? Why is it such a huge deal if Obama says he personally supports gay marriage? Why do studies show that atheists are the least trusted minority in the United States, behind Muslims, gays and even rapists? You can't seriously argue that US society on the whole is not very concerned with religious beliefs just because you didn't personally experience it when living in some ultra-liberal places.
Then why does religion play such a huge role in American politics? Why are gay rights and abortion such important topics in every election? Why is someone who wants to ban contraception and porn even considered to be a good presidential candidate by a significant part of the population? Why is it virtually impossible for an atheist to get elected into public office? Why is it such a huge deal if Obama says he personally supports gay marriage? Why do studies show that atheists are the least trusted minority in the United States, behind Muslims, gays and even rapists? You can't seriously argue that US society on the whole is not very concerned with religious beliefs just because you didn't personally experience it when living in some ultra-liberal places.
WOW! With misinformation like this, it's no wonder people dislike the US!
I'm one of the most conservative people I know, here in the Midwest, but I would never vote for someone that wanted to ban contraception. Nobody is even suggesting doing that, except the media that wants to exaggerate what the real topic is to stir up controversy. There was talk of banning the government from forcing insurance companies to offer free contraception, but that is COMPLETELY different than banning it.
The minute Santorum said something about laws against internet porn, I completed wrote him off, as did everyone I know.
It is a big deal when a Presidential candidate supports gay marriage, because he is the first to do so. This is a conservative country by European standards, but I think the country is starting to lean toward gay marriage more and more. I wouldn't believe any survey that claims people trust rapists more than atheists, that's just crazy talk.
Also, in my business, I have seen first-hand how churches all over the country are struggling. Their attendance has dropped off considerably in the last five years. Does this mean we are less religious? Who knows. But I would guess there are a lot more agnostic/atheist than 3%. Many people, when I define agnosticism to them say, "That's me! That's totally how I feel!"
I consider Buddhists and Hindus to be atheists since they do not believe in Abrahamic God.
Buddhists are atheists, because there is no deity in Buddhism. Or they're "non-theists", as the Dalai Lama calls them. Hindus are certainly theists. Indigenous people who believe in a Creator are theists, though they may not follow an Abrahamic religion.
The European study on religiosity is interesting. It seems that in almost every generation, someone declares that church attendance and belief in God will dwindle, because the younger generation doesn't believe in God, it's only the oldest generations who believe. And yet, as every generation grows and ages, the same trend occurs. They become believers after a certain age, and it's their grandchildren who are said to be the new atheist generation.
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