Christian Right Hastens the Decline of the Christian Right

[stromboli]

http://www.alternet.org/belief/religion-america-great-decline-christian-right-has-major-role-hastening-it

Of those aged 18 to 35, three in 10 say they are not affiliated with any religion, while only half are “absolutely certain” a god exists. These are at or near the highest levels of religious disaffiliation recorded for any generation in the 25 years the Pew Research Center has been polling on these topics.

As encouraging as this data is for secular humanists, the actual numbers may be significantly higher, as columnist Tina Dupuy observes. “When it comes to self-reporting religious devotion Americans cannot be trusted. We under-estimate our calories, over-state our height, under-report our weight and when it comes to pietyâ€"we lie like a prayer rug.”

Every piece of social data suggests that those who favor faith and superstition over fact-based evidence will become the minority in this country by or before the end of this century. In fact, the number of Americans who do not believe in a deity doubled in the last decade of the previous century according to both the census of 2004 and the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) of 2008, with religious non-belief in the U.S. rising from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 14.2 percent in 2001. In 2013, that number is now above 16 percent.

If current trends continue, the crossing point, whereby atheists, agnostics, and “nones” equals the number of Christians in this country, will be in the year 2062. If that gives you reason to celebrate, consider this: by the year 2130, the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as Christian will equal a little more than 1 percent. To put that into perspective, today roughly 1 percent of the population is Muslim.

The fastest growing religious faith in the United States is the group collectively labeled “Nones,” who spurn organized religion in favor of non-defined skepticism about faith. About two-thirds of Nones say they are former believers. This is hugely significant. The trend is very much that Americans raised in Christian households are shunning the religion of their parents for any number of reasons: the advancement of human understanding; greater access to information; the scandals of the Catholic Church; and the over-zealousness of the Christian Right.

Good, but not good enough. Every time something like "Cosmos" or other science based shows air, it is a thorn in their side. The more the merrier.

[Savior2006]

In this particular fight LGBT rights can't be stressed enough. Part of the reason there are so many people falling away from religion (especially young people) is the anti-gay retardation of the Christian Right.

And yes I think people overstate their Christianity. Once again, this is a young people thing. Sure they may believe in God, but that doesn't stop them from drinking and fucking outside of marriage the same as everyone else.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I think you're being wildly optimistic discounting churches abilty to lie and mislead people and to prey on human weakness.

[Savior2006]

I'm optimistic because that ability to lie ain't helping them like it used to.

[Atheon]

Let's do what we can to hasten the demise of religion. I don't think I'll live to see 2062.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

As encouraging as this data is for secular humanists, the actual numbers may be significantly higher, as columnist Tina Dupuy observes. “When it comes to self-reporting religious devotion Americans cannot be trusted. We under-estimate our calories, over-state our height, under-report our weight and when it comes to pietyâ€"we lie like a prayer rug.”

I've said for years that Merkins are only religious 1/168th of a week, if that much. They claim to be religious because they're supposed to say that. The reality is far different.

[Mister Agenda]

Let's do what we can to hasten the demise of religion. I don't think I'll live to see 2062.

I don't think there's much we could do to speed it up faster than they're doing on their own.

[stromboli]

I don't think there's much we could do to speed it up faster than they're doing on their own.

Maybe not, but the more exposure there is of the idiocy of it certainly can't hurt.

[The Skeletal Atheist]

I think you're being wildly optimistic discounting churches abilty to lie and mislead people and to prey on human weakness.

Yes, but thanks to the internet those lies and preying upon human weaknesses are being countered in a major way. Atheists and various other skeptics may be largely disorganized (aside from the various skeptical societies), but in some ways that is working in our favor. We're not some monolithic bloc you can simply attack then assume your job is done. We each have our own arguments and ways of debating. At the same time we collaborate with each other and learn from each other how to counter specific arguments and lies.

We also, thanks to the internet, have easily verifiable evidence on our side. One no longer has to go to a library to see if our sources are legit (though if more people went to the library that would be a good thing). Simply put, the only reason someone would not check our sources is laziness. I'm not saying the internet in and of itself will end religion's hold upon humanity, a large cultural and societal change is needed for that, but that the free exchange of ideas and information is the spark that will lead humanity to that cultural and societal change where religion is no longer relevant.

Information is poison to those who hold power. Some may see the fact that more Americans are leaving organized religion than ever before as a sign that the current generation is more lazy or some bullshit like that, but I see it as a sign that many younger Americans are rejecting the rigid, monolithic nature of churches and preferring something where different ideas are debated whole heartily instead of being automatically suppressed. I'm not saying that there isn't a problem of people who simply don't care about education and don't think about such pressing matters, they must certainly is, but rather that those who do have that yearning for knowledge are no longer satisfied with the empty answers organized religion has to offer. "Because God" isn't satisfying anymore when there is so much information readily available. Religion is falling behind because it fails to answer the questions posed to it.

I'm sure the medieval church regretted the invention of the printing press, and that the modern church bemoans the internet in the same way.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Yes, information is toxic to power and is the reason the powerful want laws such as SOPA and others. You forget those fucks have billions of dollars at their disposal to advertise and believe before they dwindle to irrelevancy they'll dump tons of money into massive public relations campaigns that we simply won't be able to compete against and that doesn't even take into account that almost zero politicians self identify as atheist or agnostic.

[josephpalazzo]

I'm sure the medieval church regretted the invention of the printing press, and that the modern church bemoans the internet in the same way.

The proliferation of the media does not always translate into a more educated citizenry. I only wish it would. However religions can easily adapt the new tech to spread their doctrines. And most people, when they go on the internet, more often than not, they want to confirm their worldview, and so they look for those places they can agree with. From my experience, very few are willing to do the hard work that may lead to enlightment, or an epiphany that would radically change their worldview. If there is going to be progress on that front, it has to be with the young ones - get them before they succumb to their parents' brainwashing. But that is easier said than done.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

They certainly adapted to the printing press. The words best selling book other than Bugs Bunny coloring books..the buybull.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

They certainly adapted to the printing press. The words best selling book other than Bugs Bunny coloring books..the buybull.

Only "Best Selling" in the Religion category during the 20th Century. They do play a game with numbers by trying to say "most printed" equals "best selling". But giving books away doesn't count as sales.

And, of course, in the "most read" category it comes in after "Ulysses".

[AllPurposeAtheist]

They still adapted and print a lot of shit..

[Gawdzilla Sama]

They still adapted and print a lot of shit..

Yep. But the "best seller" crap is just another example of "Lying for Jesus"©.