Contemporary Statistics -- Half of Americans Believe in God (Article)

[TheLightWithin]

What are some thoughts about the role of religion in contemporary society?

When I was a kid, my mom distrusted organized religion. She used to be in the minority.

Half of Americans believe in God – the lowest number in history

 

[moralorel]

The richer a society is, the less they believe they need help from God. Tragedy strikes, and belief in gods rises. Just look at September 11th.

 

[TheLightWithin]

The richer a society is, the less they believe they need help from God. Tragedy strikes, and belief in gods rises. Just look at September 11th.

Is there more to it though, than good fortune? The change in world view? In a generation?
In some ways, our society has less good fortune lately than it did a generation or two ago. More open strife anyway. As to material fortune, the economy is always up and down and has been for a good while.

 

[Thomas]

I tend to agree with @moralorel that when 'comfortable' there's less need to look for/seek/feel the presence of God.

I would also factor in, against an increasing atheism, that alternatives are looked for, other than traditional religion.

A lot of people claim "I am spiritual, but not religious" or look to alternative waters they can dip their toes into ... as a Buddhist once said to me, "If you're a Buddhist, you meditate, but meditation doesn't make you a Buddhist."

I've said before, I wonder whether the emergence of modern conspiracy theory arises from the same place as religious superstition, just finding a non-religious outlet? I mean, no-one ever thought the world was flat, did they? None of Columbus' crews thought they risked sailing off the edge ... that whole thing was a 1930s spoof that has run amok ...

 

[wil]

The richer a society is, the less they believe they need help from God. Tragedy strikes, and belief in gods rises. Just look at September 11th.

Stats? I see a couple percent uptick in the middle of a steady decline.

Religion

How important would you say religion is in your own life -- very important, fairly important, or not very important? At the present time, do you think religion as a whole is increasing its influence on American life or losing its influence?

news.gallup.com

 

[TheLightWithin]

I've said before, I wonder whether the emergence of modern conspiracy theory arises from the same place as religious superstition, just finding a non-religious outlet? I mean, no-one ever thought the world was flat, did they? None of Columbus' crews thought they risked sailing off the edge ... that whole thing was a 1930s spoof that has run amok ...

Conspiracy theorists are no longer just the UFO and JFK and Xfiles crowd of the past. Conspiracy theorists nowadays often ARE fervently religious: Here's a video and there are way more where that came from:

Believe it or not, some contemporary people might actually be flat earthers. I didn't think it was anything more than a few "out there" types but..

 

[moralorel]

Is there more to it though, than good fortune? The change in world view? In a generation?
In some ways, our society has less good fortune lately than it did a generation or two ago. More open strife anyway. As to material fortune, the economy is always up and down and has been for a good while.

There's more to it, I'm sure.

 

[moralorel]

Stats? I see a couple percent uptick in the middle of a steady decline.

Religion

How important would you say religion is in your own life -- very important, fairly important, or not very important? At the present time, do you think religion as a whole is increasing its influence on American life or losing its influence?

news.gallup.com

It was a general statement.

 

[wil]

It was a general statement.View attachment 3409

Oops, I agree with the general statement, just disagreed with the the Sept 11th significant change.

In the US a lot of the blame (in my eyes) falls to the very public televagelists.and their flaunted opulence. Folks are also leaving churches as pedophile preachers get exposed and churches who hide/relocate alleged pedo preachers pay billion dollar settlements for coverups. Other folks get disenchanted with religious orphanages from those good old days when morality was high that we are finding surrounded by child graves.

There are a ton of reasons folks are leaving the church, or organized religion...and most of the reason lays squarely at the feet of all organized religion.

(I left in elementary school, accused of asking to many questions and not steadfastly bowing to the authority figures...surely no one here is surprised)

 

[TheLightWithin]

Other folks get disenchanted with religious orphanages from those good old days when morality was high that we are finding surrounded by child graves.

There are a ton of reasons folks are leaving the church, or organized religion...and most of the reason lays squarely at the feet of all organized religion.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.
The good, the bad, and the ugly have been with us for a long, long time.
I've never felt convinced that there ever were a real good ol' days of true morality.
When I was a teen in the 80s, people were saying "hohoho, these days are terrible, nobody knows what's right anymore, the 50s, the 40s, the really good old days. It all went to hell in the 60s"
In recent times people have waxed nostalgic about the 80s and the Reagan years and mumbling something about it all going to hell in the Clinton years or the Obama years (never under Bush though!)
It's a perennial thing, nostalgia.
But rarely more than partly true at best.

(cue the Billy Joel song)

 

[moralorel]

Oops, I agree with the general statement, just disagreed with the the Sept 11th significant change.

In the US a lot of the blame (in my eyes) falls to the very public televagelists.and their flaunted opulence. Folks are also leaving churches as pedophile preachers get exposed and churches who hide/relocate alleged pedo preachers pay billion dollar settlements for coverups. Other folks get disenchanted with religious orphanages from those good old days when morality was high that we are finding surrounded by child graves.

There are a ton of reasons folks are leaving the church, or organized religion...and most of the reason lays squarely at the feet of all organized religion.

(I left in elementary school, accused of asking to many questions and not steadfastly bowing to the authority figures...surely no one here is surprised)

I left my family's faith because they couldn't answer my questions, yet steadfastly told me I had to believe in Jesus or end up in Hell. So I understand.

 

[wil]

When I was a teen in the 80s, people were saying "hohoho, these days are terrible, nobody knows what's right anymore, the 50s, the 40s, the really good old days. It all went to hell in the 60s"

When i was hitchhiking around the country in the 70s folks would say "oh that was OK in the 50s but not today...too dangerous" in 92 I hitched coast to coast.again and my mom said.sure it was OK in the 70s. Only place I've seen hitchhikers lately was Hawaii and Australia...felt good.to be back home. In 2016 I hitched from south Dakota to DC...laat.time on my thumb for a long trip. I hope I got one more coast.to coast in me... I enjoy arguing with cops on the road.


But it is the never ending saga of "kids these days"

Best one was a newspaper article about the driving bass and drum beats in modern music was such a tempo it was leading the kids to sex and violence. They were complaining about the music of Richard Wagner in the 1800s.