Belief in God found in decline worldwide...Can I get an Amen!

[웃 910]

Science, logic, and reason 1

Fairy Tales 0

Belief in God found in decline

CHICAGO, April 18 (UPI) -- Belief in God is declining gradually worldwide, with faith highest among older people, a report released by the University of Chicago Wednesday found.

The report, "Belief About God Across Time and Countries," found 13 percent of people living in the former East Germany expressed belief in God, while at the high end 94 percent of Filipinos say they have always been believers. The report said researchers found belief in God is higher among older people regardless of where they live.

"Belief in God has decreased in most countries, but the declines are quite modest especially when calculated on a per annum basis," said Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey of the social science research organization NORC at the University of Chicago.

The data came from 30 countries in which surveys about belief in God have been taken at least twice since 1991.

The study found atheism is strongest in northwest European countries and the former Soviet states, with the exception of Poland. Belief was found to be increasing in Russia, Slovenia and Israel.

On average, 43 percent of those 68 and older are certain God exists, compared with 23 percent of those 27 and younger, the report said.

"Looking at differences among age groups, the largest increases in belief in God most often occur among those 58 years of age and older," Smith said. "This suggests that belief in God is especially likely to increase among the oldest groups, perhaps in response to the increasing anticipation of mortality."

In the United States, 81 percent of those surveyed said they have always believed in God. The report said 54 percent of Americans younger than 28 said they were certain of God's existence, compared with 66 percent of the people 68 and older.

http://www.upi.com/T.../#ixzz1sQF3DgYS

Edited April 19, 2012 by ☠

[^_^ 5,021]

Science, logic, and reason 1

Fairy Tales 0

Fairy Tales have held sway for all of mankinds history. Science and logic are the new kids on the block. Yes, they're smarter and yes they will prevail (ultimately) but the history of our species does not bear out your score.

If anything, it should be Science logic and reason 1; Fairy Tales 259901*10^4

But we are now on the score board so you should celebrate!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Not believing in a higher power of some sort is foolish. However committing yourself to one set belief is foolish as well.

Science is no more than a religion in itself either. It's a Godless religion, but one none the less. Scientific evolution is one of the most amazing things that we have as human beings. Spending our lives not foolishly believing one thing, but trying to best the last person that had a theory as to the way things are. Don't get me wrong, there are fools who treat science as a true religion and believe current equations to be a "fact" accross the universe, but almost every scientific theory gets disproven and improved upon over time. That's why science wins the day.

[^_^ 5,021]

... almost every scientific theory gets disproven and improved upon over time. That's why science wins the day.

Yes, the ability to change as new knowledge is created is crucial. If religion can incorporate that, they'll win. They already have a huge fan base so if they can work that in, they're good to go.

[luckytxn 2,265]

The older I get the more I am drawn to God. Is strange because I felt God's presence more when I was younger. Even when I was in college and acing every course in science. I saw no incompatibility in believing in both.

[SMOKE 1,426]

Science, logic, and reason 1

Fairy Tales 0

people that believe they're an advanced form of chlamydia-1.

people that believe there is a higher power-don't need a scoreboard.

[웃 910]

Even when I was in college and acing every course in science. I saw no incompatibility in believing in both.

Depends. Science completely dismantles many of the made up lies in the bible (you can think of them as fairy tales if it makes you feel better).

Adam / Eve and a talking snake = lie

Moses and splitting an ocean into two so he can walk across = made up lie

Noah bringing a pair of every living species onto a boat for a month and a half = made up lie

The list goes on and on. Many people think the earth and universe were created by God a few thousand years ago. That is incompatible with science and basic logic.

Also it is a well established and documented fact that we are the product of evolution over 5,000,000,000 years. Last common ancestor the chimp from about 7 or 8 million years ago. All proven facts that people that believe in the fairy tales have a hard time accepting.

[^_^ 5,021]

Depends. Science completely dismantles many of the made up lies in the bible (you can think of them as fairy tales if it makes you feel better).

Adam / Eve and a talking snake = lie

Moses and splitting an ocean into two so he can walk across = made up lie

Noah bringing a pair of every living species onto a boat for a month and a half = made up lie

The list goes on and on. Many people think the earth and universe were created by God a few thousand years ago. That is incompatible with science and basic logic.

Also it is a well established and documented fact that we are the product of evolution over 5,000,000,000 years. Last common ancestor the chimp from about 7 or 8 million years ago. All proven facts that people that believe in the fairy tales have a hard time accepting.

As long as there are things science can't explain (and there are), there will be room for religion.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Depends. Science completely dismantles many of the made up lies in the bible (you can think of them as fairy tales if it makes you feel better).

Adam / Eve and a talking snake = lie

Moses and splitting an ocean into two so he can walk across = made up lie

Noah bringing a pair of every living species onto a boat for a month and a half = made up lie

The list goes on and on. Many people think the earth and universe were created by God a few thousand years ago. That is incompatible with science and basic logic.

Also it is a well established and documented fact that we are the product of evolution over 5,000,000,000 years. Last common ancestor the chimp from about 7 or 8 million years ago. All proven facts that people that believe in the fairy tales have a hard time accepting.

How do you know positively they are made up lies? How do you know that it is not attempts by man to explain things that happened in the best way they could at the time.? How do you explain why some of us feel Gods presence and even witnesses things?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Depends. Science completely dismantles many of the made up lies in the bible (you can think of them as fairy tales if it makes you feel better).

Adam / Eve and a talking snake = lie

Moses and splitting an ocean into two so he can walk across = made up lie

Noah bringing a pair of every living species onto a boat for a month and a half = made up lie

The list goes on and on. Many people think the earth and universe were created by God a few thousand years ago. That is incompatible with science and basic logic.

Also it is a well established and documented fact that we are the product of evolution over 5,000,000,000 years. Last common ancestor the chimp from about 7 or 8 million years ago. All proven facts that people that believe in the fairy tales have a hard time accepting.

I'm not trying to argue any of those as true, but you can't prove any of them as false either...

and the evolutionary trail is no where near a "proven fact" - it's still a theory that evolves itself over time.

[luckytxn 2,265]

I'm not trying to argue any of those as true, but you can't prove any of them as false either...

and the evolutionary trail is no where near a "proven fact" - it's still a theory that evolves itself over time.

Yes you are. You said these are made up lies. Now explain how you know positively they are made up lies or you are trolling here and need to be reported as doing so.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I call B.S. Even my atheist friends that say they don't believe in the God of Abraham, to a person say they believe in the Goddess, or Dharma, or some universal connection between all living things, or worship trees, or think the Earth is a living, breathing, emotional entity, or shop at Walmart.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Yes you are. You said these are made up lies. Now explain how you know positively they are made up lies or you are trolling here and need to be reported as doing so.

You're responding to the wrong poster.

[xebec 195]

Depends. Science completely dismantles many of the made up lies in the bible (you can think of them as fairy tales if it makes you feel better)...

Many people think the earth and universe were created by God a few thousand years ago. That is incompatible with science and basic logic.

Also it is a well established and documented fact that we are the product of evolution over 5,000,000,000 years. Last common ancestor the chimp from about 7 or 8 million years ago. All proven facts that people that believe in the fairy tales have a hard time accepting.

Hmmmm.... you sling around words like "fact" and "documented" awful carelessly. In fact these issue you raise are acknowledged to be extremely speculative. The orthodox timelines put the beginnings of life on earth at 3.85 billion years at the extreme outside- not 5 billion years. And the human family didn't make an appearance any earlier than 6 million years. We certainly aren't the "product of evolution over 5,000,000,000 years." And where did you read that the chimp was the last common ancestor? (presumably the "missing-link" between between apes and hominids? Wow, the science-cultist formerly known as lord infamous has discovered the missing-link! Will you sign the cover of "Nature" for me when your ground-breaking discoveries are published?) If you are going to continue your silly little "attacks" on believers, you should get your sh_t straight, and cease being such a complete charlatan.

Edited April 19, 2012 by xebec

[mawilson 2,133]

Science is no more than a religion in itself either.

It really isn't. Science accepts new information; religion only accepts what's written in one book - typically written by Middle Eastern desert dwellers.