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Losing Their Religion?

Started by AFK, March 09, 2009, 02:15:50 PM

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Cain

Quote from: Cainad on March 10, 2009, 01:49:28 PM
Quote from: Cain on March 10, 2009, 01:00:43 PM
There was a religious revival in most of the world (Europe aside) in the 1980s.

Connected to the economic depression at all?

Or political depression.  I know the religious revival in the Middle East was due to the failures of Arab nationalism and a response to the Iranian revolution.  The US, South America, Africa, Central Asia et al may have other explanatory factors.

Jenne

Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on March 09, 2009, 02:15:50 PM
I was reading this article over at MSNBC.com.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29585222/


1) Do you think this is a trend or a blip?  In either case, what do you think is precipitating what is being seen in the numbers?

2) A larger, "what if" kind of question.  Do you think it is possible for human kind to "outgrow" religion.  We look back on our histories and we see the Gods that have been worshipped in the past and that are worshipped no longer.  Could there be a point where the collected histories of dead deities leads us to a place where we no longer worship deities? 



Saw that yesterday.  I think it's a pendulum swing, much like politics.  It's true that money and fame are also worshipped, but as soon as we got well fed enough, that's always been the case.  Before that it was the natural elements that we thought fed us.  *shrug*

I think the "tired of the bullshit" is somewhat true, in that people thought they saw some genuine pull to "make a difference" in the religious reich, and found out it didn't happen, it was ssdd, and so turned back towards the shuffling "don't believe in NUTHIN' no more!" kind of mindset.  The "I believe in God but I'm not religious" set is back, and secularism attracts the pendulum again.

It doesn't mean they won't get fed up again, the "moral majority" that's out there, and swing back HARDER toward the right as they did in the early 00's.  That's always possible--took Baby Bush and his "hyuk, I'm a REAL MAN, y'all!" schtick and 9/11 to create the last right-wing-churchist backlash.  Who knows what events will presage the next one?

I do think the religious upswing and fundamentalist bent of the Muslim nations was way different than that of the US, but probably had the same sort of consequences in the main.

Requia ☣

Quote from: Cain on March 10, 2009, 01:00:43 PM
There was a religious revival in most of the world (Europe aside) in the 1980s.

Dunno about the numbers from the 80s, but the American numbers I've seen show the 90s as lower than the 70s.

Of course, that wouldn't have stopped the people who were religious from getting even more so (probably enhanced it even, since a lot of the more fundie types seem like they feel threatened by religion losing its hold on others).
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P3nT4gR4m

Quote from: Requia on March 11, 2009, 12:12:52 AM
Quote from: Cain on March 10, 2009, 01:00:43 PM
There was a religious revival in most of the world (Europe aside) in the 1980s.

Dunno about the numbers from the 80s, but the American numbers I've seen show the 90s as lower than the 70s.

Of course, that wouldn't have stopped the people who were religious from getting even more so (probably enhanced it even, since a lot of the more fundie types seem like they feel threatened by religion losing its hold on others).

The higher the incidence of people flaunting gods almighty will and not getting smitten for it, the more it makes their god look a bit impotent and kind of crap. Especially for the literalist who must be constantly staggered by the lack of flooding and biblical palaguery. Must have been much easier when the clergy had the power to smite the unbeliever without bothering the almighty with the task.

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