Don't you think so? I mean, back in ancient times, we would consult religion for everything. If there's a war, we consult an oracle for what to do. If someone is accused of a murder, then we would use a technique like "I'll stick your hands in fire and if your hands are burnt then you're guilty and if you're innocent then God will protect you".
And before, the church was very powerful. And before, you had to worship X religion. And before, almost none had doubts about the existence of God(s).
Now however, the church no longer has any political power in most major countries. We no longer consult oracles to make decisions. And we use forensics to find criminals, not religious faith. And now there are more Atheists than there are Hindus and Jewish people combined.
people will always have subjective experiences that are too personally important and formative and will have existential questions, neither of which can be answered in a really significant way without some form of spirituality or religion.
New religious movements are quickly growing, new age and personalistic spiritualism is growing, while the church may not have as much direct power over political establishments (and there is reason to think they still do have significant control of some political bodies) religion is still going strong, and probably will be forever.
actually the number of atheists is understated. most christians will not admit it, but they have severe doubts about their faith. theres a bunch of people who have doubts about theyre religion, but wont share it. although the guys statistic is non-existant, it doesnt mean the basic premise is wrong.
only because they have more children then the wrest of the world.
as for converts, people ine the west sick of rape/sexualisation{it isnt a bad thing if it isnt objectification thoough}/liberalism are turning towards it kinda like the nazis turned towards facism due to opression. its a counter poison. and funny how these convert statistics never show the number of muslims turning out of islam to atheism etc. and really, being marginally ahead of relegions who are losing members in the CONVERT race is no big feat. as i said, more babies=more muslims.
I wish this were true but it isn't. People will always look to this crutch. As world conditions continue to deteriorate look for there to be an upswing in people joining religions
__________________ There are more humans in the world than rats.
Chances are that even Christians who doubt their faith but won't admit it are, at best, agnostic. There's doubtless a little bit to be said for this, but not a whole lot. Non-religious adherents wouldn't jump by more than a percentage point or two worldwide if we removed such affects.
As to the question, it seems silly to me. There's actually strong reason to believe that somewhere along our evolutionary track, a certain credulity in relation to paranormal matters was a boon. So we have an ingrained tendency toward religion. Its affects will change, certainly, and technology's globalization of the world has yet to see its extended outcome in the religious world, but I feel fairly confident that religion will remain a strong force in the world for the foreseeable future.
I find that rather fascinating, but considering that the question is whether religion will die out, it's pointless to wonder religious expansion is dependent on birthrate or conversion.
Religious doubters in denial are an equally null factor. They've always existed and they'll always be in denial. It’s kinda funny when you think about it, actually.
The reason there is doubt is because 1. People are afraid of a torment after life and believe this to be too evil an act for a merciful God to have in the renewed universe 2. The source is so obscured from the interpretations of man that it seem doubtful that the Bible is of any real knowledge from a supreme being. Interpreted by ,What became to be, the Orthodox church 1054AD So you had Catholic and Orthodox and then again interpreted by Luther 1517AD then you had Lutheran(beginning of Protestant) Then you have Calvin,s interpretation then you had Calvinist (contemporary to Luther) Ect.Ect. Catholic and Most Protestant denominational believe in a lake of fire. Eternal torture Physically and Mentally . But some Christians believe that ,according to Paul, ALL are saved not mater what you do in this life "Universalism" this is the Apocatostasis school of theological thought. The Orthodox believe Satan will be destroyed and the people who do not worship God are destroyed in the end. So.....We get confused and think its all crapp. THe reality of it is these religions are all valid. If you try and live your life to the philosophy of Jesus Christ, which very much coincides with Buddhism, Zoroastrianism etc. We are all spiritual no mater what your intellect tells you you feel as a spiritual being so understand Evil and do what you can to a good person, caring,self sacrificing,gracious hosts, and honest . Imagine a world like that. So don't stay ignorant to all aspects and to what you really are. I don't mean ignorant as a slander i mean educated you self be it Science or religion you will find yourself still having a spiritual being.
__________________
"To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!" - Khan (reciting Melville)
In the US the number of people reporting to follow no religion has been growing, slowly. And many religion's numbers are declining.
As we learn more from science, we're less dependent on religion to explain the unknown. But science will never be able to explain everything. I think eventually most people will focus on general beliefs, without the dogma that will be proven wrong by science. This of course will be a long long long time from now.
Actually, 0.2% of the world is Jewish, and about 27% or so is Hindu based on this poll I saw. About 30-35% are non religious.
__________________ Introduce a little government. Upset the established gangs, and everything becomes order...
Democracy is the very definition of awesome.
In pre-classical societies, agriculture gave a boost to a society's birthrate, among other benefits. The increase in food supply allowed for a population expansion. With an increased populace, the society would be at an advantage in terms of competition with local enemies.
In contemporary first world societies, there is a general trend towards small families, with some European countries even experiencing population decline.
In a strange reversal of cause and effect, where once population expansion fueled the spread of religion, now religion is spurring population growth. It is a fascinating subject, but I'm most interested in why, with the Catholic Church's opposition to birth control and abortion, the Muslim seems to be 'Out Breeding' the West.
Oh and the influence of religion is still evident- one must only look at the sponsors of Prop. 8 to see that. When also considering the Monkey trials, Kansas School board fiasco, (I think those were separate) and the influence that the Religious Right has with the Conservative party, to see that religious influence in politics is far from finished.
To quote Blaxican: "Not religious does not mean atheist."
Many people identify as "spiritual" but don't like the dogma or creed of a specific church. I've met tons of people who identify themselves as nondenominational Christians.
I'm not entirely sure what your stance is here. You say that science will abolish the need for religion, but will not be enough to dispel superstition? General beliefs 'without dogma' would mean that a religion admitted that their rituals and tradition were worthless- ineffectual at best, damaging at worst- but that there was still a god! In my experience, the ritual and community of a faith is more rewarding than the abstract beliefs themselves. I don't see people abandoning the community but retaining their faith in god.
If we got to such a point where "science had disproved dogma" (which is ironically, a very un-scientific phrase) then as a side effect it would also have had evidence that suggested a lack of the Deity. (or Deities)
KMC Community Forums
Nov 8th, 2008 03:14 PM
