Soon Those Who Believe Will Become A Laughing Stock:

[BluePhantom]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Always assuming that history progresses linearly, and not cyclically is foolish. There have been periods of religious torpor and fervor that alternate for centuries now.

LOL...like the Crusades, the Inquisitions, Witch hunts, beheadings, wars etc. The Church is/was a man made thing to benefit the few and screw the masses....end of story!

The crusades were a response to Islamic aggression in Europe. Had they not occured the whole world would probably be muslim by force. What exactly was bad about stopping that?

Interesting, I see arguments like this all the time, but if Muslims had taken over, and you were Muslim because of that, you would be happy, you would believe as they do, you would think christianity to be a perversion of your laws.

It's all context, and while you may believe in free will, how is a person choosing if he is born Muslim, or Christian? It is a no win dilemma that the religious ignore, and why the biblical accounts killed people of other religions. People do not like change, and if they were fed it from youth, only in rare circumstances do they ever convert to another religion, they will maintain their root views until they die.


So you view Muslims wrong and think you hold the higher ground because you "know" you are "right".

They look at you with the same context.

I contend that both your views are wrong, because it relies on ignorance and acceptance, without thought or understanding, you both agree, to fit in and find views that only agree with the premise of which you were led to believe. You do not really know why you believe the way you both do, but you both know it has to be right because that is all you ever knew.

And yes I know that the lds wait until a "child" is of age to accept the gospel. But that is a form of bullying. You have a child, 8 years old I believe, and they have to go in front of their peers and community leaders and say that they believe and get baptized, I admit it sounds good wait until they can "decide". But what that is doing is making it a significant and powerful experience for the child when he accepts. As if he or she would decline in front of their parents and peers. And it leads them to believe they are actually deciding, when it is the power of pressure that they feel the power of an audience that they look up to. It is wrong but it stays with the child and is a huge impact in his or her life. Because of the forced acceptance that is relayed as their agreement. It is bullying plain and simple. To fit in.

An interesting perspective but I would point out a few things.

1) Sticking with your roots is hardly a religious thing. People do that with tons of stuff. Most people, for example, choose their political party based upon what their parents were. Most racists were raised in a racist environment. So holding views and attitudes from your upbringing isn't characteristic of religion, it's characteristic of being human.

2) While I would agree that most people don't have a clue about what their own religion is all about, I disagree that theists "know they are right". I know VERY few Christians who claim to know they are right and most of them are posters on these boards who represent a pretty extreme element of the Christian faith. Most people I come into contact, myself included, don't profess to "know the truth" so to speak. .Most say "here is what I believe" and that's it. Personally, my beliefs are radically different from what I was taught as a child, and while they represent my...oh...."best guess as to the nature of God" I suppose, I could be, and probably am, totally wrong. I strongly doubt that any religion has it right on the nose. So I think you don't leave nearly enough room for those who do have an advanced faith that is based upon honest reflection, thought, education, and communicating with their core values. I agree that they are the minority, but there are more than you might think.

 

[TimothysAlaska]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Always assuming that history progresses linearly, and not cyclically is foolish. There have been periods of religious torpor and fervor that alternate for centuries now.

LOL...like the Crusades, the Inquisitions, Witch hunts, beheadings, wars etc. The Church is/was a man made thing to benefit the few and screw the masses....end of story!

The crusades were a response to Islamic aggression in Europe. Had they not occured the whole world would probably be muslim by force. What exactly was bad about stopping that?

Interesting, I see arguments like this all the time, but if Muslims had taken over, and you were Muslim because of that, you would be happy, you would believe as they do, you would think christianity to be a perversion of your laws.

It's all context, and while you may believe in free will, how is a person choosing if he is born Muslim, or Christian? It is a no win dilemma that the religious ignore, and why the biblical accounts killed people of other religions. People do not like change, and if they were fed it from youth, only in rare circumstances do they ever convert to another religion, they will maintain their root views until they die.


So you view Muslims wrong and think you hold the higher ground because you "know" you are "right".

They look at you with the same context.

I contend that both your views are wrong, because it relies on ignorance and acceptance, without thought or understanding, you both agree, to fit in and find views that only agree with the premise of which you were led to believe. You do not really know why you believe the way you both do, but you both know it has to be right because that is all you ever knew.

And yes I know that the lds wait until a "child" is of age to accept the gospel. But that is a form of bullying. You have a child, 8 years old I believe, and they have to go in front of their peers and community leaders and say that they believe and get baptized, I admit it sounds good wait until they can "decide". But what that is doing is making it a significant and powerful experience for the child when he accepts. As if he or she would decline in front of their parents and peers. And it leads them to believe they are actually deciding, when it is the power of pressure that they feel the power of an audience that they look up to. It is wrong but it stays with the child and is a huge impact in his or her life. Because of the forced acceptance that is relayed as their agreement. It is bullying plain and simple. To fit in.

An interesting perspective but I would point out a few things.

1) Sticking with your roots is hardly a religious thing. People do that with tons of stuff. Most people, for example, choose their political party based upon what their parents were. Most racists were raised in a racist environment. So holding views and attitudes from your upbringing isn't characteristic of religion, it's characteristic of being human.

2) While I would agree that most people don't have a clue about what their own religion is all about, I disagree that theists "know they are right". I know VERY few Christians who claim to know they are right and most of them are posters on these boards who represent a pretty extreme element of the Christian faith. Most people I come into contact, myself included, don't profess to "know the truth" so to speak. .Most say "here is what I believe" and that's it. Personally, my beliefs are radically different from what I was taught as a child, and while they represent my...oh...."best guess as to the nature of God" I suppose, I could be, and probably am, totally wrong. I strongly doubt that any religion has it right on the nose. So I think you don't leave nearly enough room for those who do have an advanced faith that is based upon honest reflection, thought, education, and communicating with their core values. I agree that they are the minority, but there are more than you might think.

Yeah I was implying that is how most people operate, habitual tendencies with religion and generally most things, I did notice you used examples that have a negative connotation such as racism. As I said people do not like change either religious and cultural, they believe it gives them their identity.

I was speaking to avatar, and the LDS, to be a Mormon you can have no doubt, and each Sunday revovles around for the most part, testimonials about their faith and why they believe it to be true. Which is similar to how Muslims operate. So yes a Mormon knows they are right and that their church is true. You cannot be LDS and not believe that, since you have to do testimonials each month.

I hope you are right that there are more people that think that way. but if they did read the bible critically I doubt most people would follow the religion. Examples satan is the snake in genisis although it never said it was satan, yet if it was, God was duped to punish the snake instead of satan. Yet everyone has to use gnostic text and beliefs outside the bible to even come to that conclusion. Or popular culture, Dante, and medival artwork.

 

[BluePhantom]

Yeah I was implying that is how most people operate, habitual tendencies with religion and generally most things, I did notice you used examples that have a negative connotation such as racism. As I said people do not like change either religious and cultural, they believe it gives them their identity.

I would agree.

I was speaking to avatar, and the LDS, to be a Mormon you can have no doubt, and each Sunday revovles around for the most part, testimonials about their faith and why they believe it to be true. Which is similar to how Muslims operate. So yes a Mormon knows they are right and that their church is true. You cannot be LDS and not believe that, since you have to do testimonials each month.

I know you were talking to him and I apologize for breaking into the conversation. I am not a big fan of Mormonism myself. By sheer coincidence I have lived in mostly Mormon communities most of my life. My home when i lived in Arizona was a completely Mormon subdivision. I was literally the only non-Mormon there. We all got along fine. it wasn't a problem, although I did raise some eyebrows when I went as a Mormon missionary for Halloween one year. It was great. Black pants and tie, white shirt, name tag that said "elder" on it, bicycle helmet, backpack and a Book of Mormon in my hand and I was good to go. Most of them laughed their asses off and took it in good humor, but a few were pissed. Anyhow....I am familiar with the pressuring that goes on in the Mormon faith but I also know that a lot of it is bullshit because there is sometimes/often a difference between what they profess on Sunday and what they do the rest of the week. You know the old joke "Why do you always take two Mormons fishing? Because if you only take one he will drink all your beer." A Mormon told me that joke BTW.

I hope you are right that there are more people that think that way. but if they did read the bible critically I doubt most people would follow the religion. Examples satan is the snake in genisis although it never said it was satan, yet if it was, God was duped to punish the snake instead of satan. Yet everyone has to use gnostic text and beliefs outside the bible to even come to that conclusion. Or popular culture, Dante, and medival artwork.

Yes, you are correct about the snake, but that's because of how the history of Judaism and Christianity unfolded and how the concept of Satan got developed. By your statements I am assuming you are aware that Satan wasn't developed until centuries had passed so it was real easy to go back and reinterpret certain things and assign them to Satan well after the fact. The snake in the Garden of Eden is a perfect example and I have made the point that if the snake was Satan it would be news to the author of Genesis because the concept of Satan didn't exist when Genesis was written.

I think it's possible to follow the religion while recognizing these things as true, but it demands the willingness to constantly alter your beliefs and your concept of God as you learn new things. My faith, for example, is constantly evolving as I learn new things about God and the history of Christianity and Judaism,scripture, etc.

If you are not familiar with it, I urge you to do some research into James Fowler's stages of faith. I find it to be very accurate and what i think you are describing in your earlier posts are people in stages 1-3. Unfortunately, stage three is where most people tend to get stuck. But lots of people DO advance to stages 4-6. They are the minority for sure, but again, there are far more of them than you think

 

[BluePhantom]

Just a quick follow up Timothy...one of the reasons why you may not notice people in stages 4-6 is because once you reach stage four you begin to internalize your faith. That's not a condition of advancing to stage four, it's just a consequence of the progression that tends to happen. Thus, when people evolve from stage three to stage four (which is the hardest transition btw...it's frequently called the "stage four crisis") they tend to stop getting in other people's faces so much and pressing their view on others. They stop putting on displays for other people and their faith becomes far more personal. Just as a consequence, you don't see it as much because they tend to stop being demonstrative. But it doesn't mean they aren't there.

 

[westwall]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Why do you care?

 

[TimothysAlaska]

Just a quick follow up Timothy...one of the reasons why you may not notice people in stages 4-6 is because once you reach stage four you begin to internalize your faith. That's not a condition of advancing to stage four, it's just a consequence of the progression that tends to happen. Thus, when people evolve from stage three to stage four (which is the hardest transition btw...it's frequently called the "stage four crisis") they tend to stop getting in other people's faces so much and pressing their view on others. They stop putting on displays for other people and their faith becomes far more personal. Just as a consequence, you don't see it as much because they tend to stop being demonstrative. But it doesn't mean they aren't there.

You bring up good points and I enjoy this conversation.

Yes christian has evolved drastically each generation, from Calvinism predestination and Lutheran philosophy. And it is the constant changing, even the Catholics have changed. It gives me the impression that they make it up as they go.

I do not believe in it though, but I have a love of history, and appreciate religious compositions from Mozart Bach and numerous others. As well as ancient temples and cathedrals from every religion from the Romans Greeks to Muslims, and Christian temples. The craftsmanship is awesome.

I just disagree on the use of force, and now the use of fear and promise of a reward to convert, that seems evil to me. I can be a good person without religion. Nor do I need the Ten Commandments to be a good person like some people propose, we would be evil without it. Besides half the Ten Commandments are not even followed. Graven images, use of idols, adultery. Heck even pagans knew these concepts of being good to people, and strangers, as seen in the Iliad, and odyssey, or even the Nordic mythology. And Rome which borrowed heavily from the Greeks.

Anyway i enjoyed the conversation, it is refreshing that some people do not resort to insults, it is rare in this forum,

I will read up on this fowler guy, I am always interested in different views.

 

[Bonzi]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

There won't be any laughing when you meet your Maker.
Think about this then..... or if you are awake/aware while taking your last breath...

 

[mdk]

Give it a rest. I may have lost my faith years ago but if people find solace in their faith than whom am I to try and take it away from them?

 

[BluePhantom]

You bring up good points and I enjoy this conversation.

Yes christian has evolved drastically each generation, from Calvinism predestination and Lutheran philosophy. And it is the constant changing, even the Catholics have changed. It gives me the impression that they make it up as they go.

I do not believe in it though, but I have a love of history, and appreciate religious compositions from Mozart Bach and numerous others. As well as ancient temples and cathedrals from every religion from the Romans Greeks to Muslims, and Christian temples. The craftsmanship is awesome.

Well thank you. For me, it's cool if you don't believe in it. I am walking my path and you are walking yours. No worries. I think it's a mistake when theists or atheists try to force people to walk a path that they are not interested in. I wish more atheists would understand this. Many atheists claim they resent when theists press their views on them, but they overlook that they tend to press their views on theists as well.

You will find that there are a few posters on these boards (theist and atheist alike) that are a lot more interested in discussing the points rather than thrusting their viewpoint.

I just disagree on the use of force, and now the use of fear and promise of a reward to convert, that seems evil to me. I can be a good person without religion. Nor do I need the Ten Commandments to be a good person like some people propose, we would be evil without it. Besides half the Ten Commandments are not even followed. Graven images, use of idols, adultery. Heck even pagans knew these concepts of being good to people, and strangers, as seen in the Iliad, and odyssey, or even the Nordic mythology. And Rome which borrowed heavily from the Greeks.

I would agree. I think the fear factor is a major problem with Christianity and the Abrahamic religions in general. You should not have to be terrified into loving God. If you love God because of fear do you really love God or are you just acting from a sense of self-preservation? I don't want people to like me because I have terrified them to the point of panic if they don't. I don't think God wants that either.

Anyway i enjoyed the conversation, it is refreshing that some people do not resort to insults, it is rare in this forum,

I will read up on this fowler guy, I am always interested in different views.

Yeah, great talk. I look forward to having more of them and exchanging ideas.

 

[BluePhantom]

Give it a rest. I may have lost my faith years ago but if people find solace in their faith than whom am I to try and take it away from them?

MDK, I really wish more non-theists took this attitude. I also with more theists would leave atheists alone and let them walk their path as well

 

[CremeBrulee]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

This survey and several like it have been going around for a couple months now. Yes, fewer Americans are professing a belief in gods. However, the number of religious people is increasing overall throughout the rest of the world. Muslims are on pace to outnumber Christians in the not too distant future. As far as being "laughingstocks" are concerned I find that to be a bit crass. I certainly don't begrudge someone their belief system because I choose not to have faith in God, Buddha, Mother Earth, etc. Without Christianity, Western culture would certainly be impoverished as the many works of art, architecture, literature, and music it has given us would not exist.

 

[BluePhantom]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

This survey and several like it have been going around for a couple months now. Yes, fewer Americans are professing a belief in gods. However, the number of religious people is increasing overall throughout the rest of the world. Muslims are on pace to outnumber Christians in the not too distant future. As far as being "laughingstocks" are concerned I find that to be a bit crass. I certainly don't begrudge someone their belief system because I choose not to have faith in God, Buddha, Mother Earth, etc. Without Christianity, Western culture would certainly be impoverished as the many works of art, architecture, literature, and music it has given us would not exist.

I tend to agree. I don't think the world would fall apart without religion. I think that's an exaggeration. But I do think it would be worse than it is now. I endorse 'moral behavior for the sake or morality and being true to yourself', but that assumes that people are inherently moral to begin with. I am not so sure that is the case.

As far as the "laughing stock" thing you have to keep in mind this is Campbell and he is not very educated on this subject. He thinks he is smart, but he is really quite ignorant about this topic so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[CremeBrulee]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Always assuming that history progresses linearly, and not cyclically is foolish. There have been periods of religious torpor and fervor that alternate for centuries now.

LOL...like the Crusades, the Inquisitions, Witch hunts, beheadings, wars etc. The Church is/was a man made thing to benefit the few and screw the masses....end of story!

Might want to compare that death count to Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, etc.

The problem with that is claiming atheism as cause for Stalin's purges, Pol Pot's killing fields, or Mao's Great Leap Forward would be incorrect . While atheism is a similarity in all, it is not the definitive cause many theists claim when responding to the equally absurd claims of Christianity's body count. They were also men, poor, and in the case of Mao and Stalin; had abusive fathers. One could just as easily assume that those characteristics were the root. Rapid forced industrialization of agricultural societies is the more likely reason for the death's of tens of millions in those countries. The same applies to Christianity. While there were many Crusaders that believed they were doing God's will; there was also politics, greed, and the desperate need of Urban II to relieve internal pressure on the extremely violent, feudal system that was Western society at that time, by giving them an external enemy. I like your objectivity Blue. Just try not to fall into the same tit for tat, tu quoque, many New Atheists seem to revel in.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Those who believe have ALWAYS been laughing stock to those who do not.

And it has always mattered little what belief or beliefs are the subject of discussion.

______________________

Those who don't believe have ALWAYS been laughing stock to those who do.

And it has always mattered little what belief or beliefs are the subject of discussion.

Well there is a lot of history we have to explore there regarding your statement. Non-believers haven't been laughing stocks historically. They have been dead. LOL. They were burnt at the stake. Atheism in antiquity was virtually non-existent and I am not talking about Christianity...I am talking about pagan Romans and other cultures as well. Atheism is actually a relatively modern concept.

The point being the tendency of Monkeys to ridicule the Monkeys who're different.

Especially in groups.

 

[BluePhantom]

Those who believe have ALWAYS been laughing stock to those who do not.

And it has always mattered little what belief or beliefs are the subject of discussion.

______________________

Those who don't believe have ALWAYS been laughing stock to those who do.

And it has always mattered little what belief or beliefs are the subject of discussion.

Well there is a lot of history we have to explore there regarding your statement. Non-believers haven't been laughing stocks historically. They have been dead. LOL. They were burnt at the stake. Atheism in antiquity was virtually non-existent and I am not talking about Christianity...I am talking about pagan Romans and other cultures as well. Atheism is actually a relatively modern concept.

The point being the tendency of Monkeys to ridicule of the Monkeys who're different.

Especially in groups.

I am not sure I am following you. Can you expand on that please?

 

[AVG-JOE]

People from different groups often have negative feelings about other groups. Some folks even bond over expressing those feelings.


Sad but true through out history. I don't write it, I just report it.

 

[Campbell]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion

By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Well you are already a laughing stock so I guess according to you we are progressing toward the lowest common denominator. Praise atheism. (rolling eyes)

I just quoted a piece and started a thread. Nobody asked you to participate. If you don't like it....move along.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Is this why you think it's ok to be a hateful bigot?

are you looking to be more numerous so you can hate on people publicly knowing you have the numbers to back you up?

are you such a coward that you need to have numbers?

 

[Campbell]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Why do you care?

I'm on a mission:
By the time I was four or five years old my maternal grandmother was already brainwashing me. If I did something a little naughty or against her personal belief she would tell me, "Old Scratch Will Get You!" Old Scratch being her name for Satan. In grammar school, 3rd and 4th grades my west TN teachers would begin each day with the pledge of allegiance and the Lord's Prayer. On Mondays they assigned each student a bible verse to memorize and recite back to the class on Thursday or Friday. Let them try that bullshit now!!

Young people today talk and reason and religion is at the bottom of their priority list. Basically.....folks are smarter than to believe in some ancient god who always wants money.

What else can I say?

 

[Campbell]

Survey: One in five Americans has no religion


By Dan Merica


Washington – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.


The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.


The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.


Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.


Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.

Is this why you think it's ok to be a hateful bigot?

are you looking to be more numerous so you can hate on people publicly knowing you have the numbers to back you up?

are you such a coward that you need to have numbers?

No....what did I write which leads you to believe I'm a coward?