Study: Americans becoming less Christian, more secular: Pew Research Center study

[guno]

Good article in today's Raleigh news

NEW YORK — The number of Americans who don't affiliate with a particular religion has grown to 56 million in recent years, making the faith group researchers call "nones" the second-largest in total numbers behind evangelicals, according to a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday.

Study Americans becoming less Christian more secular WRAL.com

 

[usfan]

No surprise there. Secular humanism is the pop religion of the day, & has overtaken christianity as the defining philosophical outlook for America, as it has in europe as well. Almost all of our institutions, academia, entertainment, govt, are steeped in a naturalistic world view, devoid of God.. at least the Judeo/Christian God. The rise of moral relativism, increase in crime, breakdown of the family, corruption in govt & other collective entities all corroborate this trend. Divorce, greed, lying, & self absorption rule the modern 'religion', & the concept of christian morality is ridiculed & rejected.

With no basis for morality, it is no surprise that the culture would break down as it has. It is a natural consequence, even if unintended.

 

[Stephanie]

Wonderful, from what we've been seeing with you Seculars:

You also become less charitable (and give only lip service about how you are). the godless in this country are becoming more hateful. (we see it on here daily ). It seems the secular doesn't have a need for people, so you will be all on your own. filled with your hate, bitterness and empty inside and stewing about how damn wonderful it is to be "secular".

Well, by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah. which ever comes first I suppose

 

[JoeB131]

Wonderful, from what we've been seeing with you Seculars:

You also become less charitable (and give only lip service about how you are). the godless in this country are becoming more hateful. (we see it on here daily ). It seems the secular doesn't have a need for people, so you will be all on your own. filled with your hate, bitterness and empty inside and stewing about how damn wonderful it is to be "secular".

Well, by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah. which ever comes first I suppose

Uh, Staph, the only hateful people I see here are you Christians.

 

[Sonny Clark]

Good article in today's Raleigh news

NEW YORK — The number of Americans who don't affiliate with a particular religion has grown to 56 million in recent years, making the faith group researchers call "nones" the second-largest in total numbers behind evangelicals, according to a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday.

Study Americans becoming less Christian more secular WRAL.com

Today, religion has become a commodity, sold in our places of worship, on national TV, and door to door. Religion has become a multi-$Billion industry. We see it in the music industry, books, movies, TV series, and especially the collection of money in our places of worship during or after services. Religion leaders have become millionaires, have private planes for their travels, drive expensive cars, and live in expensive mansions. We see buildings where services are held with multi-$Million mortgages, employing full-time staff, and governed the same as any major corporation. Now, any question or doubt as to why people are moving away from religion?

Another thing to consider is the fact that most people have so much on their plate trying to deal with basic economic survival, that practicing one's faith has dropped down on their priority list of things to do. Also, religious services have become generic in nature and very repetitive. In my opinion, another reason for the decline might be the anti-religion push fed through social media, and labeled as mythology and nonsense. Creation by a supreme being is being mocked and ridiculed by science, and a lot of people are swallowing the propaganda. I also believe that social change is happening at a much faster pace than at anytime in recorded history. Our priorities have changed dramatically, and some changes have been forced on us by economics, including forced adaptation to our social environment.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

Wonderful, from what we've been seeing with you Seculars:

You also become less charitable (and give only lip service about how you are). the godless in this country are becoming more hateful. (we see it on here daily ). It seems the secular doesn't have a need for people, so you will be all on your own. filled with your hate, bitterness and empty inside and stewing about how damn wonderful it is to be "secular".

Well, by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah. which ever comes first I suppose

Uh, Staph, the only hateful people I see here are you Christians.

Not true at all.

 

[Correll]

Wonderful, from what we've been seeing with you Seculars:

You also become less charitable (and give only lip service about how you are). the godless in this country are becoming more hateful. (we see it on here daily ). It seems the secular doesn't have a need for people, so you will be all on your own. filled with your hate, bitterness and empty inside and stewing about how damn wonderful it is to be "secular".

Well, by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah. which ever comes first I suppose

Uh, Staph, the only hateful people I see here are you Christians.

Dude. Seriously?

You might want to edit that before many other people read it.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

...God shed his grace on thee...

 

[guno]

Christianity faces sharp decline


Millennials are growing even less affiliated with religion as they get older

The older generation of millennials (those who were born from 1981 to 1989) are becoming even less affiliated with religion than they were about a decade ago, the survey suggests. In 2007, when the Pew Research Center did their last Religious Landscape Survey and these adults were just entering adulthood, 25 percent of them did not affiliate with a religion, but this grew to 34 percent in the latest survey.

The trends among the aging millennials is especially significant, said Greg Smith, associate director of research at the Pew Research Center. In 2010, 13 percent of baby boomers were religiously unaffiliated as they were entering retirement, the same percentage in 1972.


Christianity faces sharp decline as Americans are becoming even less affiliated with religion - The Washington Post

 

[PratchettFan]

No surprise there. Secular humanism is the pop religion of the day, & has overtaken christianity as the defining philosophical outlook for America, as it has in europe as well. Almost all of our institutions, academia, entertainment, govt, are steeped in a naturalistic world view, devoid of God.. at least the Judeo/Christian God. The rise of moral relativism, increase in crime, breakdown of the family, corruption in govt & other collective entities all corroborate this trend. Divorce, greed, lying, & self absorption rule the modern 'religion', & the concept of christian morality is ridiculed & rejected.

With no basis for morality, it is no surprise that the culture would break down as it has. It is a natural consequence, even if unintended.

That is a good thing.

 

[guno]

Americans Unaffiliated With Any Religion Outrank Catholics, Study Says


Americans Unaffiliated With Any Religion Outrank Catholics Study Says - WSJ

In 10-15 years logic will pass the bible thumping fundy cults

 

[guno]

No surprise there. Secular humanism is the pop religion of the day, & has overtaken christianity as the defining philosophical outlook for America, as it has in europe as well. Almost all of our institutions, academia, entertainment, govt, are steeped in a naturalistic world view, devoid of God.. at least the Judeo/Christian God. The rise of moral relativism, increase in crime, breakdown of the family, corruption in govt & other collective entities all corroborate this trend. Divorce, greed, lying, & self absorption rule the modern 'religion', & the concept of christian morality is ridiculed & rejected.

With no basis for morality, it is no surprise that the culture would break down as it has. It is a natural consequence, even if unintended.

The moral relativism of Christianity

Here comes another old favorite. Atheism, apologists claim, inevitably leads to moral relativism (assumed, but not demonstrated to be a bad thing), while Christianity has an objective and unchanging moral basis. Because Christianity has God’s teachings in the Big Old Book of Middle Eastern Tribal Behavior, which opens a window directly onto the only true, objective basis for morality. That’s why we stone adulterers, keep slaves, sell our children… hang on!

Well, isn’t that strange? The Bible doesn’t just permit certain things we find abhorrent, or look the other way – these are apparently direct commands from God, the ultimate arbiter and source of the objective morality that’s so very important. So when people describe Christian morality as objective, does that mean they actually do all this stuff? Occasionally, you get some nut who really does believe in some of this, but they’ll always be wearing mixed fibres, and won’t say no to a bacon butty. It all looks rather – dare I say – relativist.

It’s obvious that there are some pretty huge gaps between the general moral principles in the Bible and the practical application of those principles (which ddoesn'texactly help in an apparently objective basis for morality), but if even a direct command ends up being contradicted and ultimately ignored, what does that leave? Nothing of any great value, and certainly nothing objective.

The moral relativism of Christianity Recovering Agnostic


What does Christianity actually have to offer in terms of morality? If people use their Bible as a moral handbook, they become moral fetishists. If we perform good deeds out of a genuine desire to make people happy, then we don't need a moral handbook. In the domain of morality, Christianity is useless not to mention primitive and backward.


URL: Christianity is a poor source of moral guidance

 

[usfan]

I grew up in post ww2 time. It was a strange mix of optimism & impending doom. We practiced bomb drills, where a nuclear blast was expected. Some schools issued dogtags, so they could identify the charred remains after the holocaust. But there was optimism, too. People were buying every time & labor saving device they could. Automobiles got better every year... well, mostly. Technology was growing in leaps & bounds, & computers were changing everything. People were more religious, then, & many went to church, believed in god, AND revered science. There was no conflict in their minds. Faith was faith, & science was science. One did not try to be the other. My older step brother got a set of encyclopedias for a birthday gift.. he was like 9 or 10. I had friends who got chemistry sets, or telescopes. Inquiry was ENCOURAGED in grade school. By high school, if you were good at school, it was assumed you'd go to college & pursue engineering or a technical field. The dumb jocks got jobs at the factories, or went into construction, or other trades.

But then, there was the cultural revolution in america. The 60s. Vietnam. Civil rights. Disillusionment with the 'establishment'. Question authority. Tune in & drop out. The back to the land movement. Simplicity. Ecology. Anti war. Anti technology. Anti religion. Kids didn't get science sets for christmas anymore. Self actualization & the 'ME' generation was born. They would engineer a new society.. one without the failures of the previous generation. One of peace, harmony, & social justice. One with sex, drugs, & rock & roll. A generation that reinvented the wheel. Society could be molded, & the elite could usher in an era of Enlightenment. That was the dream, but like all dreams like this throughout human history, it can become a nightmare.

It was in this setting that the anti science trend began, imo. Feelings trumped reason. Psychobabble replaced common sense. Hysteria became evidence. Academia moved to teaching dogma, instead of fanning the flames of inquiry. God was ridiculed & reduced to a caricature, & pseudoscience took the place of religious beliefs, in the new enlightened society. All of these things combined for a perfect storm of national decline. Crime rose. The nuclear family disintegrated. Domestic policies changed & social engineering became the new 'science'. But instead of bringing peace & harmony, they have brought decline & destruction.

Instead of a generation of thoughtful analysts, we have bred feeling based, propaganda driven ideologues, who reject critical thinking, skepticism, & the scientific method for emotion based methods. Fantasy & utopian dreams of how things 'ought' to be displace reality. Hard solutions to problems are rejected outright, since they don't 'feel' good. Simple cause & effect principles are dismissed for more happy explanations, or a simpler scapegoat that requires no responsibility or work from the individual.

 

[usfan]

Morality & an agreed set of values is an essential part of any society. The decline of morals & increase of corruption has historically been one of the major indicators of the fall of a culture. So while it is clear that morality is important, the question of 'what' morality, its basis, & definitions become imperative.

This is not a call for a specific religion, but a general observation that morality in a people is essential to a successful society. Morality, to function, MUST have a logical basis, or it is just opinions. You cannot teach morality without some kind of appeal to a higher power. Without a basis in religious values, morality becomes relative.. subject to the whims of the moment.

In the American experiment, Christianity & the bible were the main drivers of morality in this culture. As those influences have waned, the decline of morality & the increase of corruption have taken place. It is impossible NOT to see the correlation. As morality has declined, crime, corruption, & decadence has increased. Morality & social values used to be taught.. sometimes right from the bible, to the general public. People were taught morals, & the basis for the morals from an early age.

"The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other." ~Alexis de Tocqueville

In the last 50-80 yrs, there has been a steady decline in moral values in America. Moral relativism has become the new basis for morality. The 'feeling' of the moment is the foundation of morality, which is no foundation at all. Expediency & convenience are bigger factors in questions of morality, rather than absolutes. This restructuring of morality has brought increases in negative elements for society:
1. Crime
2. Divorce
3. Abortion & unmarried childbirths
4. Public & corporate corruption & graft
5. Lies & deceptions increasing
6. Substance abuse
7. Suicides & increases in mental health disorders
8. Dependency over work ethic

The changes in cultural icons are also indicators of the changes in values. Science, engineering, & industry were highly esteemed by the culture as recently as the 50s & 60s. Kids got microscopes or encyclopedias for gifts. But we have seen a slow transition to other values. Sports & celebrity worship are bigger influences, & show a change of cultural values. Wealth & fame are valued more than honest work or bettering mankind. Scheming & grifting are accepted & even elevated as virtues.

"As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: You liberate a city by destroying it. Words are used to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests." ~Gore Vidal

 

[Wildman]

...by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah.

i believe they are doing that now, thus the hate of Christianity and Conservatives.

 

[jknowgood]

Wonderful, from what we've been seeing with you Seculars:

You also become less charitable (and give only lip service about how you are). the godless in this country are becoming more hateful. (we see it on here daily ). It seems the secular doesn't have a need for people, so you will be all on your own. filled with your hate, bitterness and empty inside and stewing about how damn wonderful it is to be "secular".

Well, by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah. which ever comes first I suppose

Uh, Staph, the only hateful people I see here are you Christians.

You are not a very good observer then.

 

[guno]

Christianity shrinking in U.S.; Mormon numbers essentially flat


The share of Americans who consider themselves Christian is falling fast, while the ranks of the "nones" — atheists, agnostics and "nothing in particulars" — continue to swell, according to a major new study.

The Pew Research Center's 2014 Religious Landscape Study, released Tuesday, found the proportion of adults who consider themselves Christian fell nearly 8 percentage points — from 78.4 percent in 2007 to 70.6 percent last year. The share of those unaffiliated with religion jumped nearly 7 percentage points, from 16.1 percent to 22.8 percent of adults during the same seven years.

It's an acceleration of a trend first noted in the late 1980s and represents more than just a generational shift. It's also about switching sides: Americans are increasingly willing to discard religious identities and take on new ones.


Christianity shrinking in U.S. Mormon numbers essentially flat The Salt Lake Tribune

 

[bodecea]

Wonderful, from what we've been seeing with you Seculars:

You also become less charitable (and give only lip service about how you are). the godless in this country are becoming more hateful. (we see it on here daily ). It seems the secular doesn't have a need for people, so you will be all on your own. filled with your hate, bitterness and empty inside and stewing about how damn wonderful it is to be "secular".

Well, by then you all could be bowing down and praying to Allah. which ever comes first I suppose

Well, another Ironic post from "Let's Roll!" Stephanie.

 

[Wildman]

Uh, Staph, the only hateful people I see here are you Christians.

of course you would say that, being a Satanist you see the good as bad.


.... ..........+........

 

[guno]

Looks like the perfect storm with the demographic shift and people fleeing Christianity and using logic and reason.