Are religious people happier than non-believers?

[pacer]

polls are not reliable stats. The articles are actually opinions. I provided the links to actual studies which prove those opinions are false.

plus I am not closed on US only and you should not be as well. Isolationism never works

The first two links you provided are from 2008. Old news. The last link is an "overview of the changing demographics of Christianity and Christians' activities over the past 40 years while looking forward to the next ten".

Here is a worldwide poll by WIN Gallup-International, GLOBAL INDEX OF RELIGIOSITY AND ATHEISM - 2012.

http://redcresearch.ie/wp-content/u...ress-release-Religion-and-Atheism-25-7-12.pdf

The poll -- which was based on interviews with more than 50,000 people selected from 57 countries -- asked participants, "irrespective of whether they attended a place of worship, if they considered themselves to be religious, not religious, or an atheist."

In Ireland, only 47 percent of those polled said they considered themselves religious -- a 22-point drop from the 69 percent recorded in a similar poll conducted in 2005. In addition, 10 percent self-identified as atheist.

The only country that registered a steeper decline in religiosity was Vietnam, which saw a 23-point drop from 53 percent to 30 percent.

However, Ireland and Vietnam were not unique in this dip in faith, Reuters notes.

According to the global index, there has been a notable decline in religiosity worldwide.

Current data shows that the number of people worldwide who call themselves religious is now 59 percent, while 13 percent self-identify as atheist.

However, according to trending data, religiosity has fallen by 9 points globally since 2005 and the number of people who identify as atheist rose from 4 percent to 7 percent. Note that only 40 countries were polled in both 2005 and 2012, so there are two different sets of data available.

The U.S., France and Canada joined Ireland on the top-10 list of countries to have experienced a "notable decline in religiosity" since 2005.

The number of people in the U.S. who self-identify as religious dropped 13 points to 60 percent. In addition, 5 percent of Americans declared themselves atheists, an increase of 4 points since 2005.

Complete article: Religiosity Plummets In Ireland And Declines Worldwide; Atheism On The Rise

 

[daws101]

Didn't read all of that but the premise that atheists don't feel like they belong to their belief is wrong.

And most who say they believe in a super being do not attend a church so that doesn't really do it either.

OTOH, I do think that religious people probably do get great comfort from their belief. But, that's because they don't have to take responsibility for their actions. They can do and say pretty much what they want and are still guaranteed a seat on the bus.

I say, go with whatever gets you through the night. If you need to believe in a magic sky fairy, go for it.

Bullshit, and a really ignorant response. First of all, for believers there are consequences for their behaviors, and not just on a spiritual level. Also, you're not considering the religious people who struggle with their faith and/or even feel stress by not being able to reconcile everything with God. It often takes a lot of work to maintain a healthy relationship between God, family, work, society, etc. In some ways it's a lot easier to be a non-believer.

bullshit! believers believe there are consequences above and beyond "earthly" consequences for their behaviors ..as if bad behavior and good behavior are not punished or rewarded in real life...
nonbelievers think that being punished twice is overkill.

 

[Vox]

polls are not reliable stats. The articles are actually opinions. I provided the links to actual studies which prove those opinions are false.

plus I am not closed on US only and you should not be as well. Isolationism never works

The first two links you provided are from 2008.

LOL. you think the world shrinked in the last 5 years

the study and statistics are about the 2010.

Old news. The last link is an "overview of the changing demographics of Christianity and Christians' activities over the past 40 years while looking forward to the next ten".

Here is a worldwide poll by WIN Gallup-International, GLOBAL INDEX OF RELIGIOSITY AND ATHEISM - 2012.

http://redcresearch.ie/wp-content/u...ress-release-Religion-and-Atheism-25-7-12.pdf

The poll -- which was based on interviews with more than 50,000 people selected from 57 countries -- asked participants, "irrespective of whether they attended a place of worship, if they considered themselves to be religious, not religious, or an atheist."

In Ireland, only 47 percent of those polled said they considered themselves religious -- a 22-point drop from the 69 percent recorded in a similar poll conducted in 2005. In addition, 10 percent self-identified as atheist.

The only country that registered a steeper decline in religiosity was Vietnam, which saw a 23-point drop from 53 percent to 30 percent.

However, Ireland and Vietnam were not unique in this dip in faith, Reuters notes.

According to the global index, there has been a notable decline in religiosity worldwide.

Current data shows that the number of people worldwide who call themselves religious is now 59 percent, while 13 percent self-identify as atheist.

However, according to trending data, religiosity has fallen by 9 points globally since 2005 and the number of people who identify as atheist rose from 4 percent to 7 percent. Note that only 40 countries were polled in both 2005 and 2012, so there are two different sets of data available.

The U.S., France and Canada joined Ireland on the top-10 list of countries to have experienced a "notable decline in religiosity" since 2005.

The number of people in the U.S. who self-identify as religious dropped 13 points to 60 percent. In addition, 5 percent of Americans declared themselves atheists, an increase of 4 points since 2005.

You seriously think I will consider Huff Post anything better than LA Times?

think again.

I provided the link to the study, not opinions. and I already told you - polls are not serving as studies as polls are easily manipulated.

GLOBALLY the amount of Christians is growing and the amount of atheists and agnostics is shrinking.

Even if one takes Europe as a WHOLE - the amount of Christians INCREASED from 1970 to 2010.
and that is all what matters - the GLOBAL tendency, not what happens in Suffolk county

 

[Destroyer2]

Belonging is a very powerful need. Man is a social animal so it is only logical that being around people would be uplifting and fulfilling. It is not religion, per se - belief in God or belief in the tenets of a faith, etc. - that makes people happier. It is the fellowship and supportive relationships that provide a sense of contentment.

Here is an article you may enjoy reading. It makes some very interesting points.

"Are religious people happier than atheists?"

During the past 30 years or so, a slew of studies have suggested that religious people tend to be happier and healthier, on average, than those who describe themselves as non-religious.

In fact, some research has found that people who regularly attend religious services can expect to live an average of seven years longer than their peers who never step inside a church, synagogue or mosque.

For years these kinds of studies have been construed as bad news for the 15 percent of Americans who cite “none” as their religious affiliation. But, as Sandra Upson points out in an article this month in Scientific American Mind, non-religious individuals and atheists (for they are not necessarily the same) needn’t worry.

New research has found “that the positive effects of religion depend enormously on where you live,” writes Upson. “Religious people may be happier than their godless counterparts, but only if the society they belong to values religion highly, which not all societies do.”

In other words, the “happiness premium" that previous research has found among religious people stems not from those individuals' religious beliefs, but from the social support they receive from being part of a community of like-minded people.



Are religious people happier than atheists? | MinnPost

Copyright. Link Each Only paste a small to medium section of the material

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

— George Bernard Shaw

 

[pacer]

the study and statistics are about the 2010.

The first two links are from 2008.

I provided the link to the study, not opinions.

The links to the studies was contained in the opinion pieces.

GLOBALLY the amount of Christians is growing and the amount of atheists and agnostics is shrinking.

I agree polls are not necessarily reliable but it is all we have and most recent polls suggest religions are on the decline.

 

[LittleNipper]

Belonging is a very powerful need. Man is a social animal so it is only logical that being around people would be uplifting and fulfilling. It is not religion, per se - belief in God or belief in the tenets of a faith, etc. - that makes people happier. It is the fellowship and supportive relationships that provide a sense of contentment.

Here is an article you may enjoy reading. It makes some very interesting points.

"Are religious people happier than atheists?"

During the past 30 years or so, a slew of studies have suggested that religious people tend to be happier and healthier, on average, than those who describe themselves as non-religious.

In fact, some research has found that people who regularly attend religious services can expect to live an average of seven years longer than their peers who never step inside a church, synagogue or mosque.

For years these kinds of studies have been construed as bad news for the 15 percent of Americans who cite “none” as their religious affiliation. But, as Sandra Upson points out in an article this month in Scientific American Mind, non-religious individuals and atheists (for they are not necessarily the same) needn’t worry.

New research has found “that the positive effects of religion depend enormously on where you live,” writes Upson. “Religious people may be happier than their godless counterparts, but only if the society they belong to values religion highly, which not all societies do.”

In other words, the “happiness premium" that previous research has found among religious people stems not from those individuals' religious beliefs, but from the social support they receive from being part of a community of like-minded people.



Are religious people happier than atheists? | MinnPost

Copyright. Link Each Only paste a small to medium section of the material

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

— George Bernard Shaw

Is a drunken man happier than a sober man? I seem to remember stories that my grandfather used to beat my grandmother and my mother when he got drunk... Of course my grandpop might have been having a grand time; however, I doubt my grandmom enjoyed it.

 

[pacer]

P.S.

You seriously think I will consider Huff Post anything better than LA Times?

The LA Times did write an article dated March 25, 2012:

"The Rise of the Nones" is one of 10 trends changing American life, according to Time magazine's March 12 cover story. That's because the "nones" — those who mark "none" on surveys that ask them to identify their religious affiliation — are the fastest-growing religious group in the United States."

Not surprisingly, the increase in the unaffiliated comes at the expense of America's mainstream religions, which means that Christianity is taking the biggest hit. Mainstream Protestant churches have lost more than a third of their members since 1960. Evangelical churches are also feeling the pinch; Southern Baptists are hurting. Various surveys illuminate this trend: About 75% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 now consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." Furthermore, all traditional forms of Christian practice have sharply declined from previous decades (including church attendance, Bible study and prayer), and doubts are much sharper regarding traditional Christian beliefs.

Religion and the 'rise of the nones' - Los Angeles Times

 

[Destroyer2]

Belonging is a very powerful need. Man is a social animal so it is only logical that being around people would be uplifting and fulfilling. It is not religion, per se - belief in God or belief in the tenets of a faith, etc. - that makes people happier. It is the fellowship and supportive relationships that provide a sense of contentment.

Here is an article you may enjoy reading. It makes some very interesting points.

"Are religious people happier than atheists?"

During the past 30 years or so, a slew of studies have suggested that religious people tend to be happier and healthier, on average, than those who describe themselves as non-religious.

In fact, some research has found that people who regularly attend religious services can expect to live an average of seven years longer than their peers who never step inside a church, synagogue or mosque.

For years these kinds of studies have been construed as bad news for the 15 percent of Americans who cite “none” as their religious affiliation. But, as Sandra Upson points out in an article this month in Scientific American Mind, non-religious individuals and atheists (for they are not necessarily the same) needn’t worry.

New research has found “that the positive effects of religion depend enormously on where you live,” writes Upson. “Religious people may be happier than their godless counterparts, but only if the society they belong to values religion highly, which not all societies do.”

In other words, the “happiness premium" that previous research has found among religious people stems not from those individuals' religious beliefs, but from the social support they receive from being part of a community of like-minded people.



Are religious people happier than atheists? | MinnPost

Copyright. Link Each Only paste a small to medium section of the material

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

— George Bernard Shaw

Is a drunken man happier than a sober man? I seem to remember stories that my grandfather used to beat my grandmother and mother when he got drunk... Of course my grandpop might have been having a grand time; however, I doubt my grandmom enjoyed it.

Dunno, but it isn't the point of the quote.

 

[Vox]

P.S.

You seriously think I will consider Huff Post anything better than LA Times?

The LA Times did write an article dated March 25, 2012:

"The Rise of the Nones" is one of 10 trends changing American life, according to Time magazine's March 12 cover story. That's because the "nones" — those who mark "none" on surveys that ask them to identify their religious affiliation — are the fastest-growing religious group in the United States.

Not surprisingly, the increase in the unaffiliated comes at the expense of America's mainstream religions, which means that Christianity is taking the biggest hit]Mainstream Protestant churches have lost more than a third of their members since 1960. Evangelical churches are also feeling the pinch; Southern Baptists are hurting. Various surveys illuminate this trend: About 75% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 now consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." Furthermore, all traditional forms of Christian practice have sharply declined from previous decades (including church attendance, Bible study and prayer), and doubts are much sharper regarding traditional Christian beliefs

and you seriously consider that 2012 differs from 2010 much?

repeating - the data based on POLLS is useless. Christianity is growing as are other religions, and atheists and agnostics are disappearing. That's the FACT. Deal with it

I provided the peer reviewed RESEARCH. Neither Huff post, nor LA times, nor even WSJ article superseded peer reviewed research.

If you do not understand it - there is no point in continuing.

 

[Vox]

the study and statistics are about the 2010.

The first two links are from 2008.

I provided the link to the study, not opinions.

The links to the studies was contained in the opinion pieces.

not true. It was a separate link - you simply did not check it.

 

[Destroyer2]

?Nones? on the Rise | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project

Non-affiliated (atheist, agnostic, and god-believing but without religion) is growing -- and quickly at that.

EDIT: It also says Protestantism is declining as well.

 

[Vox]

LOL

all you boneheads which worship "god of science" either genuinely can not understand or pretend not to "understand" that polls in the US are irrelevant to the global tendencies in religion.

And globally Christians are growing - and atheists are declining.

http://wwwgordonconwell.com/netcommunity/CSGCResources/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf

In 1970, nearly 82% of the
world’s population was religious. By 2010 this had grown
to around 88%, with a projected increase to almost 90%
by 2020. In addition,
in 1970 Christianity and Islam represented 48.8% of the
global population; by 2020 they will likely represent 57.2%.

Deal with it

 

[Sherry]

Didn't read all of that but the premise that atheists don't feel like they belong to their belief is wrong.

And most who say they believe in a super being do not attend a church so that doesn't really do it either.

OTOH, I do think that religious people probably do get great comfort from their belief. But, that's because they don't have to take responsibility for their actions. They can do and say pretty much what they want and are still guaranteed a seat on the bus.

I say, go with whatever gets you through the night. If you need to believe in a magic sky fairy, go for it.

Bullshit, and a really ignorant response. First of all, for believers there are consequences for their behaviors, and not just on a spiritual level. Also, you're not considering the religious people who struggle with their faith and/or even feel stress by not being able to reconcile everything with God. It often takes a lot of work to maintain a healthy relationship between God, family, work, society, etc. In some ways it's a lot easier to be a non-believer.

bullshit! believers believe there are consequences above and beyond "earthly" consequences for their behaviors ..as if bad behavior and good behavior are not punished or rewarded in real life...
nonbelievers think that being punished twice is overkill.

What part of "and not just on a spiritual level" was lost on you, Skippy. Don't pretend to know what believers believe...and I don't have any concern what a non-believer believes. I think it's amusing when non-believers accuse believers of being so judgmental, as they sit on their holier than thou little pedestals looking down at the poor misled fairy in the sky believers.

 

[LittleNipper]

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

— George Bernard Shaw

Is a drunken man happier than a sober man? I seem to remember stories that my grandfather used to beat my grandmother and my mother when he got drunk... Of course my grandpop might have been having a grand time; however, I doubt my grandmom enjoyed it.

Dunno, but it isn't the point of the quote.

My point is that though George Bernard Shaw was a very talented person, he was about as correct about God as he was about Stalin and the U.S.S.R.

 

[LittleNipper]

?Nones? on the Rise | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project

Non-affiliated (atheist, agnostic, and god-believing but without religion) is growing -- and quickly at that.

EDIT: It also says Protestantism is declining as well.

Society is falling apart also, so maybe you are onto something. However, it isn't that God doesn't exist, but that disbelief, in general, brings about despair and not joy.

 

[vanityofvanitys]

Atheists value reason over superstition; they are passionate about reality. They do not pretend to believe in an afterlife or hope for an afterlife and, for that reason, are purpose driven in the one life of which they are certain...this one!

Kind of like the fable of the ant and the grasshopper then. We are the ant and you are the grasshopper. Cool.


Also, why don't you go preach your philosophy of to the starving and oppressed in Africa reminding them there is no God or hope for a better life, based on your hunch? I'm sure your teachings will be a blessing to their lives.

 

[Truthmatters]

This information all depends on which liars made the studies.

You're right! Here's another study published April 10 [2013] in the Journal of Religion & Health which showed that "people who believe in an angry, vengeful god are more likely to suffer from social anxiety, paranoia, obsessional thinking, and compulsions."

Researchers reached this conclusion after analyzing responses of 1,426 Americans to a 2010 poll on religion. Poll respondents who indicated belief in a deity were placed in three categories -- those who believed in a punitive god, those who believed in a benevolent god, and those who believed in a deistic (uninvolved) god. Then the researchers looked at the prevalence of emotional problems in each group. What exactly did the researchers find? Symptoms of mental illness were more common among those in the punitive god group than in the deistic god or benevolent god groups. Does that mean believing in an angry god can make you crazy?
Not necessarily.

Religion & Mental Health: New Study Links Belief In 'Punitive God' To Emotional Problems

I'm talking about the liars who MADE the studies, not the groups they were studying.

It's very easy to set up various test groups and make comments from your own lying perspective. If a Christian was used in studying other Christians, how do you think the results will be?

If a depressed scientist sets up a study about depression, how do you think the results will be?

If a happy go lucky atheist sets up a study on who ( theists or atheists ) is happy or not, what do you think the results will be?

All studies are set up by liars who have no idea what the Truth is.

yeah its sciencey so it must be bad

 

[Truthmatters]

Atheists value reason over superstition; they are passionate about reality. They do not pretend to believe in an afterlife or hope for an afterlife and, for that reason, are purpose driven in the one life of which they are certain...this one!

Kind of like the fable of the ant and the grasshopper then. We are the ant and you are the grasshopper. Cool.


Also, why don't you go preach your philosophy of to the starving and oppressed in Africa reminding them there is no God or hope for a better life, based on your hunch? I'm sure your teachings will be a blessing to their lives.

yeah teach them silly myths instead of provable truths

 

[GibsonSG]

Religious people are dumber, and people who can't tell that they're dumb are usually pretty happy.

 

[Truthmatters]

Bullshit, and a really ignorant response. First of all, for believers there are consequences for their behaviors, and not just on a spiritual level. Also, you're not considering the religious people who struggle with their faith and/or even feel stress by not being able to reconcile everything with God. It often takes a lot of work to maintain a healthy relationship between God, family, work, society, etc. In some ways it's a lot easier to be a non-believer.

bullshit! believers believe there are consequences above and beyond "earthly" consequences for their behaviors ..as if bad behavior and good behavior are not punished or rewarded in real life...
nonbelievers think that being punished twice is overkill.

What part of "and not just on a spiritual level" was lost on you, Skippy. Don't pretend to know what believers believe...and I don't have any concern what a non-believer believes. I think it's amusing when non-believers accuse believers of being so judgmental, as they sit on their holier than thou little pedestals looking down at the poor misled fairy in the sky believers.

because you religious often USE your religion to rationalize NOT HELPING OTHERS