NationStates

Okay, I wanted to do a thread like this without it coming off as flamebait. So I want a nice adult discussion/debate here.

I am not a religious person, and although I have no issue with anyone being religious, but with church attendance falling in the US http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html, and in other parts of the world http://www.whychurch.org.uk/trends.php, are we going to see a great decline in the number of people who are religious in the world?

Now I know that the sources I posted were Christian, so here are some others http://www.examiner.com/article/european-mosque-attendance-declining, and http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/united_synagogue_turns_inward.

Now I am sure that all of the corruption coming to light (especially in the Christian community) is not helping matters much, but the real question I wish to ask is, have we evolved as a society to the point where religion is no longer necessary?

Science is probably not helping the religious community as well. Atheism is becoming more and more popular as of late (source:http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2012/0815/Atheism-on-the-rise-around-the-globe) due to people turning to science and reason over faith. Now is this a sign of we as a global society evolving past our old way of life? I personally believe that yes this is the case

I myself was raised Catholic, and although I never really attended church on a regular basis, stayed with my faith until about high school when I started getting into the idea of applying reason instead of faith into my everyday life. And sooner than later my love for science drew me away from my faith, and now I am an full fledged Athiest.

But even though my faith dissipated, I never lost my respect for religion. I still see the good it can do, and the good it still does. But it just stopped doing anything for me.

Now again this thread is not an attack on anyone who is religious, nor is it me telling anyone who is religious that their beliefs are wrong, but I would really like the opinions of everyone on NSG both religious and not on what they think about the decline in religion in our society.

Please once again, I want a fair and nice debate on this.

Your thoughts, NSG?

I think religion is fading, yes. Slowly, but I think it's happening.

It depends on the region. In most of Europe, yes - but in Eastern Europe it's on the rise.

I don't have any problem in its fading, anyway. I consider it hardly necessary or useful or beneficial for humans.

Risottia wrote:It depends on the region. In most of Europe, yes - but in Eastern Europe it's on the rise.

Source?




I just want to read up on it.

Maybe but this is what people have been saying literly forever but it has never died.....

Minoriteeburg wrote:

Risottia wrote:It depends on the region. In most of Europe, yes - but in Eastern Europe it's on the rise.

Source?




I just want to read up on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_i ... _Orthodoxy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_i ... Irreligion

I'm lazy today.

Warinemachine wrote:Maybe but this is what people have been saying literly forever but it has never died.....

Which people have been saying this forever?

Minoriteeburg wrote:

Warinemachine wrote:Maybe but this is what people have been saying literly forever but it has never died.....

Which people have been saying this forever?

The newer generation. The proggresives ALways.

Warinemachine wrote:

Minoriteeburg wrote:
Which people have been saying this forever?

The newer generation. The proggresives ALways.

So the new generation has been saying this forever?


How can a new generation say something forever?

Divair wrote:

Warinemachine wrote:The newer generation. The proggresives ALways.

So the new generation has been saying this forever?


How can a new generation say something forever?

The new generation of the time.

Warinemachine wrote:

Divair wrote:So the new generation has been saying this forever?


How can a new generation say something forever?

The new generation of the time.

Which one? Generation X? Generation Y? Or maybe even Generation Z?

Warinemachine wrote:

Divair wrote:So the new generation has been saying this forever?


How can a new generation say something forever?

The new generation of the time.

And the romans said the cult of Christ wouldn't expand past Judea-Palestine.

I wonder if the cult of Mithras became the dominant religion.

We'd all be wearing strange robes and practicing complex ceremonies from Persia. Unless Dagon, Baal, and Asteroth make a mysterious comeback.

What? No David Hasselhoff jokes, Minoriteeburg? I'm disappointed.

Risottia wrote:

Minoriteeburg wrote:

Source?




I just want to read up on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_i ... _Orthodoxy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_i ... Irreligion

I'm lazy today.

Thanks

Ainin wrote:What? No David Hasselhoff jokes, Minoriteeburg? I'm disappointed.

I don't know if you have noticed, but religion is a very sensitive subject, and I don't want my thread locked.

In the UK it certainly is.

Religions wane and wax. Msot of them do. Some religions fade but religion will always be around. Current religions are just replaced eventually by either updated ones or brand new religions. However, religion will never fade. There will never be a time without religion in the entire world. Thats simply impossible

Divair wrote:

Warinemachine wrote:The newer generation. The proggresives ALways.

So the new generation has been saying this forever?


How can a new generation say something forever?

Maybe if they were a new generation of Highlander?

Nationalist State of Knox wrote:In the UK it certainly is.

Irreligion grew quite a bit the last poll, iirc.

Tunasai wrote:Religions wane and wax. Msot of them do. Some religions fade but religion will always be around. Current religions are just replaced eventually by either updated ones or brand new religions. However, religion will never fade. There will never be a time without religion in the entire world. Thats simply impossible

Says who?

Religion may be experiencing a decline in the Western world, but religion will not go away for at least several hundred years. Look at places like Africa and the Middle East, where faith is not just encouraged but mandatory.

Tunasai wrote:Religions wane and wax. Msot of them do. Some religions fade but religion will always be around. Current religions are just replaced eventually by either updated ones or brand new religions. However, religion will never fade. There will never be a time without religion in the entire world. Thats simply impossible

There was a time without religion, albeit a very very long time ago. If it has happened before, it can happen again. Even if it isn't anywhere in the near future.

Divair wrote:

Nationalist State of Knox wrote:In the UK it certainly is.

Irreligion grew quite a bit the last poll, iirc.

In the 2011 Census, certainly. Christianity went from 74% to 59%, and atheism increased from 14% to 25% of the population.

Nationalist State of Knox wrote:

Divair wrote:Irreligion grew quite a bit the last poll, iirc.

In the 2011 Census, certainly. Christianity went from 74% to 59%, and atheism increased from 14% to 25% of the population.

Woo, UK!

Catan wrote:Religion may be experiencing a decline in the Western world, but religion will not go away for at least several hundred years. Look at places like Africa and the Middle East, where faith is not just encouraged but mandatory.

And that is something that I have a problem with. If there is any reason not to be religious, that is one right there.

Religion should never be mandatory.