Religion finally on the way out?

Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

It's about time!

I agree, religion is dying out and some are dying out more than others. People want their freedom and religion requires people to leave some of those freedoms. Another reason why this is happening is because a lot of people don't see logic in some religious claims (like you). Religion could disappear in the future.

However at the same time, not all people who don't have a religion don't believe in god... but belief is a different (but tied) topic.

I believe in the freedom of belief and thus everyone has the right to have or not to have a religion, it's their choice. I don't believe religion makes the world a better place, it gives an individual a spiritual and physical lifestyle to live by... it does not effect the good and evil in the world... humanity, ethics and values are the things that change the world. As long as we have our rights and values in this world I am not going to argue this with you. Meaning you don't want to have a religion, it's your choice. I want to have a religion, it's my choice. (not meaning you and me specifically, meaning people in general) I don't step on your rights, and you don't step on mine and we each practice our beliefs in freedom... I don't mind that one bit.

"Nothing religious is ever destroyed by logic; it is destroyed only by the god's withdrawal."

-Heidegger

Part of the article does mention that whilst there may be a general increase in the number of people putting no religion as their census choice, apparently there is an increase in the fundamentalist religios choices.

So, more hard core people, less general believers perhaps.

You are wrong about me Britt. I don't "dislike" religious people based purely on their religion. My girlfriend, the person I love most in the world is a devout roman catholic. I'm E-stalking Sibby, and she is a believer. I love lots of people of different faiths. People are not their religions though and that is where the line is drawn. I dislike religion, I like people.

Unless we have some 2nd cousins of the Phelps in here, then perhaps I'd hate you because of your faith.

Hmmm, then I have a question for you Kevin. Since you hate religion, do you agree on how some religion haters (specific or general) express their hate, like for instance, burning the Bible or Quran and horrible drawings which offend people who find these things sacred?

BTW, I don't think you agree, but just asking.

I believe the same

Religion can't die out because it will continue to explain the unexplainable, control the uncontrollable, help in coping with death... delineate moral codes and encourage social solidarity. It provides psychological and emotional security.
The more we understand, the more questions we have, and we cannot possibly know it all - especially answers to fundamental questions that humans of all cultures ask (what is my purpose? what happens after death? so on and so forth). Religion is present in every culture although not in every individual.
No, I'm not religious... but dream big if you think religion will cease to be one of the largest influences in the world so long as humans are around. It started prior to us as seen in burials with flexed bodies surrounded by goods (antlers and more importantly, flint! In the ICE AGE!) by Neandertals, estimated 150,000 years ago. Religion goes hand in hand with higher cognitive abilities. Logic does not stop faith.

Dark Secrets. I don't agree with burning religious books as a sensible statement about change, though at the same time I don't think the reaction to such actions should be more hatred, or violence, like when the danish newspapers printed slightly offensive mocking pictures about the Muslims. Sure, that wasn't very nice..but their embasses getting burned and physical violence was a dumb response.

Silvershoes I can totally understand why you think religion will always be with us...because it always has been from the first Sun worshippers to the very recent Scientologists. BUt the need you speak about, the need to explain the mysterious and unknowable, that need is being diminished with every scientific discovery.

Another piece of the puzzle slips from the hands of the divine, into our hands.

I mean no offence to anyone when I say, it's about fucking time and the sooner the better. The world can still be a mysterious, wonderful awe inspiring place without made up mysteries.

^ True... I don't agree with violent responses either. I mean protesting is enough. I don't agree with responding in the same way either... like they insulted us we'll do that too. That's just childish and the worst way to express your feelings.

I think Silvershoes has a point there though. I think it's more about having someone divine who can control everything, someone who's always there for you and someone who can hear you all the time. It's about having someone to restore justice and give everyone what they deserve according to their deeds. Religion has far more than one aspect and different people are religious for different reasons. Still, Religion could disappear, but not completely, because there are far more religions than we can count, and not all religions are based on having an unseen god and mysteries. The old religion is based on believing in mother nature, and mother nature is nature and the earth and science as it is, only the forces controlling nature (different sources of energy) are called mother nature... so if you look at it technically, believing in science is a sort of religion.

^ Absolutely. Nice to see someone else in here with some scholarly history on religion lol. I'm in a religions class right now so I feel temporarily knowledgeable on the subject.

I want to say I think being an extremist in atheism can be as dangerous as being an extremist in religion. Both extremes tend toward stereotyping, condescension, close-mindedness and self righteousness. Intense atheists don't want to take someone talking about their religious beliefs seriously any more than someone who is religious wants to take an atheist seriously... the two sides attribute fault and ignorance to one another, which doesn't help in conflict resolution and increased understanding or awareness.

Me, I like to stick to being an agnostic. It's safer and more realistic than saying I believe one way or another in somethng that cannot be proven. Many people forget that while science can't prove god exits, science likewise can't prove god doesn't exist.
Why claim to be better than the other when you both don't know?

Hehe... you're right. But Kevin is not an extremist, you don't have to worry about that. And an extremist is not always extreme in religion (or no religion), being extreme in anything has negative effects. It's in the nature of human beings and some people just have really strong opinions on something, with really hard heads... that's what creates wars.

^^
Agnostic is the way forward in my eyes, religion in Ireland is on the way out for many reasons that the media has covered extensively. Faith in our priest's has diminished, strict roman catholic ways in a globalized world seem no longer applicable or appropriate.

Education and an open mind have led myself and most of my friends to a crossroads with structured religion in the past and few different roads to go down now.

I hope that we can hold onto at least some of the benefitial attributes the church has given us; community awareness and spirit, a place to gather once a week and get dressed up :)
I would like this to continue in a secular way, maybe have community leaders that speak instead of priest, referencing all the gospels or quoran as storeis of our past that have a moral message and guide us in a way that is against hatred and promotes tolerance. Teach everyone where there religions came from, what attrocities were commited in its name, where there is overlap between religions etc...

Extremeists in either direction i agree is not constructive to peaceful existence.

Bring all religions together under one roof and atheists, share experiences and realize we are all in this together whoever may be watching or not. Make it fun and community based, not strict and limiting.

We all could really go on an on, I am rambling a bit now haha, good topic Kevin.

I agree with both of your posts, and I didn't mean to target Kevin, hahaha! I was writing generals.

I notice when I'm happy and want to give thanks to nothing in particular, I thank God. When I'm struggling and need help that can't be had from any natural source, I pray to God. It gives me a feeling of wholeness. I like sitting in empty churches too.

I don't believe in God but I do believe there is some further sense that humans can tap into if they have blind faith. I don't think of God as an old man with a long beard sitting in a chair in the clouds. I think of God as a placebo effect. If you believe that something beyond you is in control of your life, sometimes your mind or body can surpass what it would otherwise be capable of.
I also have a groundless belief that every natural thing has some sort of personality or feeling. Trees, bushes, rocks... It's why when I pick up a rock and hold it for a while, it's sad for me to put it down again. We've bonded :) but now I'm going off topic.

Reporter: What do you think of western civilization? Mahatma Gandhi:" I think it would be a good idea." If we take a closer look at civilization we may always find a primal instinct of one ape trying to control another ape whether it be a pharaoh or Cleopatra there is usually a source of alpha control. Try doing a relative simple math problem without using Arabic numbers or try to do any scientific experiment without referring to Greek or Roman gods. When all language becomes totally binary in nature that is the day we will all lose our souls

If the OP would answer just one quesion in our many years of debate I would feel special
Who would you turn to for freedom Sir William Wallace or Sir Isaac Newton Sir?

Isaac \i-saac\ as a boy's name is pronounced EYE-zik. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Isaac is "laughter". Biblical

They were said to have attended mass on Sun/day. Freedom is a spirit that rises while gravity holds our bones close to the ground

What to share some beautiful laughter?

BTW Silvershoes, my god as a Muslim is not a bearded guy in the sky. In islam, god is a being before beings, a being after beings, with many names and characteristics... we do not know how he looks like and we do not draw him down. He usually describes himself in the Quran as energy (or light).

*waves bye to god*

and good riddance :)

I thank God because it seems like the right word for what my thoughts are directed toward, but my ideas of "God" are completely my own and not from a big face religion. When I pray, I'm directing the prayers to my own inner strength, but sometimes I use the word God. Yes it's a learned behavior. Also, since it can't be proven there is no God, I figure using the name can't hurt.

Nope, not a bad thing. So I guess our religious beliefs are sorta similar, Britt. You may believe in God a little more than me, but we're close on the scale.
Religion and any belief system can only be bad when used to justify hurting others (or things). Am I right or am I right?

I could've said "is that right or or is that right?" because it's not really my idea... I just agree with it.

"God is the wind, the sun, the trees, a road..etc."

That's lovely.

Britt you have a fantastic view on religion. I strictly go by thou without sin shall cast the first stone and there are many religions who do not abide by this. Faith of any kind is what we all need to get us through the day or else we'll go mad. Let's not push ourselves to hate something such as religion or lack of it. Let's just try and look past it because in the end, it is just all words we are spewing out and no one ever really knows where they end up.
I do hate it though when people come up to me on the street and try to convert me though. That annoys me endlessly.

I was reading my copy of new scientist today, and there is an article about evolution, and how it's actually happening much much quicker than anyone thinks, which is why..by looking for clear signs of it over long periods of time...it's possible to miss it.

Did you know there is a species of freshwater stickleback, native to loberg Lake in alaska which have evolved, as a localized group to have 80% less armoured scales than just 20 years ago? 90% of them now have 80% less scales than they did 20 years ago, with regular samples and readings being taken every 6 months to test the data.

It's not just isolated weird fish, humans are evolving too by natural selection, which I know many of you think is a myth..or a "theory".

There is a tribe called Fore, from papa new Guinea, who up until the 1950's used to eat their dead relatives as a an act of love. This cannabalism lead to a degenerative brain disease called Kuru, caused by a rogue prion protein. Kuru killed nearly all the young women in some villages, but a few survived because they were found to be descendants of a person born 200 years ago with an unusual mutation in their prion ptotein that stops it going rogue.

They were, in other words genetically immune. As Kuru spread, and more and more people died, those with the immunity in their genes survived, as did their children and their childrens children, passing on the immunity. If the practice of eating their relatives hadn't stopped in the 50's, it would be safe to asume Kuru would have killed off all the families without the special mutation, effectively evolving a new version of the Fore....Fore 2.0, with added cannabalism immunity.

This is not an isolated case. Around 3000 years ago the Tibetans split from the population that gave rise to the Han people of China. As soon as they began living at altitude, the people began to adapt, or..evolve. On variant in the gene pool was controlling the production of red blood cells, giving more oxygen to the body to cope with the extreme heights...they found this gene in 78% of tibetans, but only 9% of the Han people, who they'd split off from only a few hundred years before.

Evolution of every species, is not a theory, or a myth..it's certain fact.

You may think "what does this have to do with humans coming from Apes?".

Think about it. Evolution can clearly happen very quickly when the environment changes or surviving is favoured by a certain physical trait or skill. Is it really so hard to believe that being able to stand up and run, or use complex tools would become so important in certain locations or situations..only the generation of that species who could do it well, would survive...and their children would be born with, a straighter spine...or, slightly more dexterous fingers etc etc.

It's not rocket science.