Just read this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/10856665/Christianity-wi...
It may be that I'm just going through the "downy" swing in my mood but is it possible that things can or will get worse? What do you guys think?
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I do think people in bad or desperate situations often do turn toward religion I have stated elsewhere that religion is here to stay but I will also now state atheism will always have it's place among humanity. So I don't think atheism will ever entirely die out.
Atheism depends on skepticism and without that our survival itself will be at risk. But this current "new" atheism - unafraid (at least in most parts of the civilized world) and supported by science - was something I had assumed will solve the problem once and for all. Maybe this belief isn't as popular as I had thought. Maybe once we have conquered the final frontier and there's something along the lines of a global governance or welfare system a revived new "new atheism" will solve the problem.
I think that atheism is getting bigger every year and probably not in our lifetime but sometime in the future religion will die out. I know more people that became atheist than atheists that go back to religion and I try everyday to convince people that atheism is much more reasonable than religion.
That more religious people become atheists than atheists becoming religious is a thin silver lining. The dark cloud is the fact that the world's population is increasing and with the big push against religion in the recent years the religious have pushed harder. I don't mean the U.S. or Europe (I'm actually slightly worried about Europe with its secularism opening it up to crazy Islam) but the "backward" parts. We would be in prison in Saudi, LGBT would likely be put to death in several countries, girls are kidnapped for studying physics and now my country has a hardline hindu nationalist as its leader. I can't imagine how religion will die out.
This seems more and more impossible. Atheists are generally reasonable people. Maybe we need very unreasonable atheists.
I disagree, 3% of an atheists children on average ever go back to religion, 50% of the religious children stay religious. The ridiculousness of religion will cause it to die out quickly as education, and stability increases, unless we fail to deal with global warming, the extinction of religion is all but certain. Religion took over my life, I still mentally unstable, but I'm already more comfortable without the paranoia of an all seeing deity scaring me, Religion can be compare to people staying in abusive relationships, there are even rumors of woman having irrational fears of their partners being all-powerful and all-present.
It makes sense that an idea of our mind could control us in a similar way, controlling our every move and thought, however, as we find less abusive relationships, with more credible answers, we will realise our knowledge is incomplete, and revert to hypothesis.
Only 50% stay religious? Where are these numbers from? Surely does not apply where I am.
I see great hope in the younger generations; they are more questioning more likely to ask why.
I think the internet and social media make it almost impossible to ignore the fact that people of other beliefs are human too.. to me this is where atheism starts, recognising that there are good people in the world that do not believe the same dogma as you do.
So I think we will win this one in the end; it will just take a long long time.
Perhaps you are right.
According to this just a quarter of a century and we would have won: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201204/atheism-defea...
I liked this paragraph:
'Is the loss of religious belief something to fear? Contrary to the claims of religious leaders, godless countries are highly moral nations with an unusual level of social trust, economic equality, low crime, and a high level of civic engagement (4). We could do with some of that.'
Religious people are always claiming atheists are evil that the cant have morals or they are only atheists because they want to get away with sinning.
It saddens me to know that so many religious people believe the only thing stopping them from raping or killing is fear of god.
Not to mention its illogical to become atheist to get away with sinning all christians have to do to be forgiven is ask for forgiveness so theres really nothing stopping them from sinning.
Having proved inorganic matter can create life (see my science is awesome topic in the debate forum) i can safely say atheism is gonna kick religions ass.