Do you think the end of religion is near?
Jacksane
2012/05/03 23:29:50
In the last decade, numerous atheist/agnostic authors have stepped forth to write books which have sold millions of copies. The End of Faith, God is Not Great, The God Delusion, and The Believing Brain to name a few.
Over the last few centuries, the number of non-believers has also been on the rise (or at least those who could publish their works), beginning in the 17th century with deists like Gallileo and Spinoza and continuing to the more recent past in men like Einsten.
As these authors continue to publish their work with greater frequency and fervor, will religious sentiments fade away? Will human being adapt to discard primitive cognitive mechanisms like agenticity and patternicity and become a strictly logical species?
Over the last few centuries, the number of non-believers has also been on the rise (or at least those who could publish their works), beginning in the 17th century with deists like Gallileo and Spinoza and continuing to the more recent past in men like Einsten.
As these authors continue to publish their work with greater frequency and fervor, will religious sentiments fade away? Will human being adapt to discard primitive cognitive mechanisms like agenticity and patternicity and become a strictly logical species?
Top Opinion
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giggity giggity 2012/05/04 01:34:50
Right off the bat you have a mis-statement of FACT here..
A Deist is NOT a non believer.. The very word Deists suggest a BELIEF in a Deity..
No.. Despite the HYPE surrounding the so called increased popularity of Atheism and the CONSTANT attacks on Religion by those very same people and,, even with the Support of the GODLESS Left Wing Media Conglomerate pushing a Socialaist's Agenda,, The Ratio of Believers vrs. NON believers in America remains at a constant 80% with the population of America continuing to be religious..
More and more people seem to be rejecting the "Churches" of man but still hold FAST to the Religions of their Faith..
The fact of the matter is,, the existance of the modern concepts of Religion suggests exactly the opposite..
Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
Albert Einstein
God always takes the simplest way.
Albert Einstein
God does not play dice.
Albert Einstein
God may be subtle, but he isn't plain mean.
Albert Einstein
Einstein made many such comments about GOD who he obviously believed in.. MANY of his quotes make referrences to GOD.. Some positive,, some negative but a study of his quotes in their totality would seem to indicate that his negative views on Religion are based MORE on the PRACTICE of it by Man then the reality of it as a whole..
"I'm a deeply religious nonbeliever...This is a somewhat new kind of religion." Einstein in a letter to Has Muehsam, March 30, 1954; Einstein Archive 38-434; from The Expanded Quotable Einstein, p. 218
"My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid conciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment." Einstein in a letter to M. Berkowitz, October 25, 1950l Einstein Archive 59-215; from Alice Calaprice, ed., The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2000, p. 216
"The idea of a personal God is quite alien to me and seems even naive." Einstein in a letter to Beative Frohlich, December 17, 1952; Einstein Archive 59-797; from The Expanded Quotable Einstein, p. 217
"I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it." Einstein, in a letter to a Baptist pastor in 1953; from Albert Einstein the Human Side, p. 39
"Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that ta...
"I'm a deeply religious nonbeliever...This is a somewhat new kind of religion." Einstein in a letter to Has Muehsam, March 30, 1954; Einstein Archive 38-434; from The Expanded Quotable Einstein, p. 218
"My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid conciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment." Einstein in a letter to M. Berkowitz, October 25, 1950l Einstein Archive 59-215; from Alice Calaprice, ed., The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2000, p. 216
"The idea of a personal God is quite alien to me and seems even naive." Einstein in a letter to Beative Frohlich, December 17, 1952; Einstein Archive 59-797; from The Expanded Quotable Einstein, p. 217
"I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it." Einstein, in a letter to a Baptist pastor in 1953; from Albert Einstein the Human Side, p. 39
"Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a supernatural Being." Einstein in response to a child who had written him in 1936 and asked if scientists pray; from Albert Einstein, the Human Side, p. 32.
From a list of quotes by Albert Einstein..
If Einstien were a Buddhist he'd STILL be a member and an adherant of a Religion..
SOME of his quotes indicate that he was a non believer,, OTHERS indicate that he was a Deist.. A Deist is a BELIEVER.. He believes in a Deity.. He just doesn't believe that that deity has a personal interrest in the workings of man..
So I'll say yes, Christainity is in decline in America.....which is matching the moral decline in America, which is why we are in this mess we are in today.
I am certain that there are decent Christians, but they are not in the majority!
No, there is no reason to believe theism, deism, spirituality and religions will do anything but return to their usual popularity.
There IS a peculiar western 'anomaly' that happened when western scholars were able to easily travel vast distances - they brought back eastern religious beliefs such as atheism and popularized them, coincidentally, with the perfections of technology.
Basically: A belief (as seen in your post) that somehow increased education, knowlede and technology lead to 'atheism'.
This is not true in the other 90% of the planet. It isn't even true in the western world anymore.
Chinese and Indians only become more 'religious' as they develop much more educated, technologically advanced societies. True everywhere else.
And for the record: Galileo was not a 'Deist'. He was a hardcore highly dedicated Roman Catholic who loved his Church and considered his work dedicated to the glory of the God of the Bible.
and no, the big fad of 'new atheism' and its mini-publishing boom peaking some 5 years ago won't make a difference.
I personally find some of the less believable stories in the old testament interesting historically. I believe there is no evidence that "the whole world flooded" and when you think about it that seems unbelievable....but there is evidence of a great flood in the middle east that hasn't re-occurred. Likely, to the people the "world flooded" and it got recorded as such. I find this much more interesting b/c it gives a realistic view of what happened...it isn't "just a story" but a possibility.
Anyway, that is my take on the whole thing.
Why do you believe its dying? And have so much confidence that you are guffawing, slapping people upside-the-head and being a big cool teen about it?
In the past, as an example, my one Grandfather would have said 'Lutheran' even though, at the time, he basically didn't believe in any of that stuff.
He also attended weekly.
Yes, there has been a trend where what we might call more 'conservative' types of churches are seeing growth but more 'liberal' denominations have seen losses.
Another big difference in the last 30 years is that idea of regular 'Sunday morning' attendance. And usually at only 1 church. Whereas now it is very common (especially in our youth group) where they may go to a Wednesday night event, go to a conference one weekend, another friends church another weekend... only actually attend theirs 1 'regular sunday morning' in a month.
Yet.. they are 'at church' in some form far far more often.
One of the biggest 'returns of religion' in my lifetime is easily China. About 1.4 billion people. I'm losing track of in-laws converting to Christianity. (of course folk religions buddhism etc too).
This is happening at the same time they are experiencing huge advances in education (often higher standards than ours) technological innovations, advances in sciences and social reforms etc.