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Have you heard the good news?


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P1234567890
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:29 pm    Post subject: Have you heard the good news? Reply with quote

Religion Survey
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admin
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ironic, I just posted this for discussion in the main forum!

I'll bet you James Randi comments on this Friday on his weekly post.
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Luvnlife
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Religion Survey

What part is good news, that fewer people are going to church or that atheists make up about 4% of the population?

Luv
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P1234567890
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

luvnlife wrote:
Religion Survey

What part is good news, that fewer people are going to church or that atheists make up about 4% of the population?


That religion seems to be waning a bit; that's the good news.
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"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous.
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Ana
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think it's good that people are starting to actually think about their faith instead of just blindly following along like sheep. I also think it good that the survey didn't count children, because children don't really choose.
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wilber
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I think it's good that people are starting to actually think about their faith instead of just blindly following along like sheep. I also think it good that the survey didn't count children, because children don't really choose.


Couldn't have put it better.


wilber
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P1234567890
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ana wrote:
I think it's good that people are starting to actually think about their faith instead of just blindly following along like sheep. I also think it good that the survey didn't count children, because children don't really choose.


Most people don't choose. Religion is distributed geographically. If you're born in the Middle East, then with high probability you will be Muslim. If you're born in southern India, then with high probability you will be a Hindu. If you're born in Italy, then you'll be a catholic, and so on.

If people actually chose their religions, then I wouldn't be able to (correctly) make the claim that religion is a function of the latitude and longitude of where you grew up. The distribution would look a lot different.
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"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous.
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JB
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

P1-0,
Did you know that Turkey was once a Christian country as well as, Ethiopia and I am sure that there were many more. Are you sure that most people don't chose? Why would a Christian nation lose its status as a Christian nation? I also believe that the US is well on its way to becoming a non-Christian country. I am not sure that I agree that religion is totally a geographical thing.

Just food for thought
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Pete
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everyone chooses, consciously or, for the most part, unconsciously. This modern world, and especially the younger folks he been drenched in materialism. "Gotta have this, and gotta have that." Bigger TVs, cars, idiotic devices to put in their ears on a 24/7 basis. All of which spews out garbage and pure crap.

Since WW2 this world has become a cesspool of materialism. Folks have no idea of what the good life was really like. They've had their brains fried by dingbat college professors, the media, Hollywood, television, brain dead rap musicians, and thieving, career politicians. Oh yah, let's include the self-serving TV evangelists.

Did I forget anyone? There's no escaping the racket made by today's materialistic society.
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Ana
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

P1234567890 wrote:

Most people don't choose. Religion is distributed geographically. If you're born in the Middle East, then with high probability you will be Muslim. If you're born in southern India, then with high probability you will be a Hindu. If you're born in Italy, then you'll be a catholic, and so on.

If people actually chose their religions, then I wouldn't be able to (correctly) make the claim that religion is a function of the latitude and longitude of where you grew up. The distribution would look a lot different.


Well, sure, I absolutely agree. However the article is about people hopping from one branch to another within Christianity, for the most part, it seems, suggesting there is some level of choosing going on, even if it's only about the details under the Christian umbrella. The children, however, don't hop from this church to that unless their parents are. This hopping means that people are starting to change their minds about just being whatever they were raised to be. They're starting to think a little, is what this hopping indicates to me. Some of them are hopping out of the religion wagon altogether as well.
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atoz
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since all religions and the religion of no religion are all right,
there is no need for anyone to choose another religion---even if they did, they wd stil be in another right religion.

The real solution and problem is attitude,
no matter what religion is at whatever latitude & longitude.

With the wrong attitude of Hate for the religions that are not our own,
our own and all religions are wrong no matter what the latitude and longitude.

With the right attitude of Love for all religions as well as our own,
all religions and our own are right no matter what the latitude and longitude.

with L&R,
the attitude that works at all latitudes and all longitudes and for all seasons and at all times for all time,
atoz
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P1234567890
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

JB wrote:
P1-0,
Did you know that Turkey was once a Christian country as well as, Ethiopia and I am sure that there were many more. Are you sure that most people don't chose? Why would a Christian nation lose its status as a Christian nation?


By military conquest, for example.
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous.
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe



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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pete wrote:
Everyone chooses, consciously or, for the most part, unconsciously.


Not really. Kids don't really have a choice; their parents can easily make them go to church or Sunday school even if they don't like it. Then over the years they get sucked in and are part of the social network, and there are serious social penalties for trying to pull away, especially if you live in a small town.

Pete wrote:

This modern world, and especially the younger folks he been drenched in materialism. "Gotta have this, and gotta have that." Bigger TVs, cars, idiotic devices to put in their ears on a 24/7 basis. All of which spews out garbage and pure crap.

Since WW2 this world has become a cesspool of materialism. Folks have no idea of what the good life was really like. They've had their brains fried by dingbat college professors, the media, Hollywood, television, brain dead rap musicians, and thieving, career politicians. Oh yah, let's include the self-serving TV evangelists.

Did I forget anyone? There's no escaping the racket made by today's materialistic society.


This I agree with. Materialism is very bad. I would argue that most North Americans don't worship Jesus or God; they worship Mammon, even if they don't know it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammon
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"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous.
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RevJP
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

P... were (are) your parents atheists? Are your neighbors and the people in your childhood community?
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe



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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RevJP wrote:
P... were (are) your parents atheists?


It depends on your definition, I suppose. The most accurate characterization of my father is that he just never thought of religion. It wasn't that he believed in God or didn't believe in God; he just never cared enough one way or the other.

My mother used to go to church with her mother, who was Catholic. But then the Catholic church excommunicated her for marrying my grandfather, who was divorced. My mother knew that her mother was a good person, and at that point realized that a religious institution which condemns good people isn't worth very much. I don't know if that turned her into an atheist, but it got her to question stuff. I think that now she's probably an atheist, though.

RevJP wrote:

Are your neighbors and the people in your childhood community?


I don't really know. It never came up. The closest I ever got to religion was a couple of times when my grandmother tried to get me to pray before going to bed, and a handful of occasions at school when we said the Lord's Prayer in assembly and I didn't know what was going on. I remember being confused at how so many people knew the words, and I didn't, so I suppose that many of them must have had at least some religious background, although I didn't know it at the time.
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"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous.
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