Atheism to Defeat Religion By 2038

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
That right there is funny.I'm not the one complaining or pointing fingers,you are!!!

Comprehension, Im sure, is included in Asath's statistics also.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
by Craig A James
Is Christianity Dying?
The other day I wrote about the shortage of young priests in Ireland, which started me thinking (again) about the more general question: Why is Christianity slowly dying? It's clearly on the wane, especially in Europe but even in America things look grim. Just google for "decline of Christianity" and you'll even find major Christian writers lamenting this trend.

There are many hypotheses, most of which include news reports of pedophile priests, "militant" atheists, or a vague "decline in morals" of some sort. And I'm sure these are all contributing to some degree.

But I have my own theory, which I can sum up in one word: Education.

Education is the enemy of religion, plain and simple. Hundreds of years ago, it was easy to keep people "in the fold," because many couldn't read, and priests could pretty much tell them anything plausible and they'd believe it. The Bible's many inconsistencies and immoralities were easy to cover up.

Then came literacy, and with it a lot of questions. My fellow blogger Sarah Trachtenberg writes wonderful stories of people's journey from religion to atheism, and a large number of them tell of how, when they really read the Bible, it raised more questions than it answered, and when they tried to ask for help, were rebuffed, told to pray for guidance, or that "God works in mysterious ways." Julia Sweeney's Letting Go of God is a wonderful example of this.

So literacy itself proved a problem, but that was just the beginning. I believe the real decline of Christianity (and all organized religion) started in the 1950's when science became a priority in our schools. World War II had shown the world's leaders that scientists were critical to the war, on every front. Submarines, nuclear bombs, jet engines, cryptography, radio, and so many more scientific contributions were crucial to defeating the Nazi and Japanese war machines. That was followed by Sputnik and the "space race." American children started learning about science in record numbers.

And the simple fact is that, in spite of what the Pope and Francis Collins claim, Christianity is incompatible with science. You can believe one, or you can believe the other, but very few people (Collins being a notable exception) who truly understand science can believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God, performed miracles, and was resurrected. It just makes no sense.

Furthermore, the most fundamental rules of science teach us that amazing claims require amazing proofs, and the Christian religion is full of amazing claims that have no proof whatsoever. When someone is given a solid education in science, they almost inevitably begin to question what they learned in church.

To me, the decline of Christianity is no mystery at all. As long as we, as a society, continue our quest for knowledge, and continue to educate our children, to fill their heads with the latest wonders of science and mathematics, religion will continue to fade. I doubt it will ever disappear, but I predict that within my lifetime, America will become at least 50% non-Christian.

Is Christianity Dying? New evidence hints that Christianity is quickly losing its grip on America and may become a minority religion within a single generation. If you found this blog provacative, we've collected the very best ninety nine of these essays into a book: Is Christianity Dying? Ninety-Nine Reflections in Religion, Science and Morality – just $0.99 on Kindle! Also check out my Amazon bestseller, The Religion Virus. "Ingenious! Educational and entertaining, packed
 

Miguel Cervantes

Jedi Master

And if an Atheist accepts 1st amendment rights for religious protection under the constitution does that make Atheism a religion? The courts certainly think so, and by admission and acceptance of the ruling, so does the plaintiff.

Ergo, a religion cannot abolish, or overtake religion.

http://www.wnd.com/2005/08/31895/
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
And if an Atheist accepts 1st amendment rights for religious protection under the constitution does that make Atheism a religion? The courts certainly think so, and by admission and acceptance of the ruling, so does the plaintiff.

Ergo, a religion cannot abolish, or overtake religion.

http://www.wnd.com/2005/08/31895/

If someone does not believe in a God they are labeled an Atheist. It might be too broad of a word. Somebody is always looking for an angle to beat the system. If he(and the courts) want to make Atheism a religion then what is everyone else supposed to do?
 

Miguel Cervantes

Jedi Master
If someone does not believe in a God they are labeled an Atheist. It might be too broad of a word. Somebody is always looking for an angle to beat the system. If he(and the courts) want to make Atheism a religion then what is everyone else supposed to do?

Please do not confuse the term theism with religion. ;)

The act of not believing in a God or Deity is fine for your beliefs, whether you be an agnostic or atheist. The act of aggressively and religiously attacking, working against, striving to abolish all of those that do believe, is a religion. It is a trend that has come to the forefront of Atheism over the last couple of decades, and is direct violation of the pendulum theorem. Ignoring nature and physics is a bad idea, regardless of what you do or do not believe.;)
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
Please do not confuse the term theism with religion. ;)
Noted

The act of not believing in a God or Deity is fine for your beliefs, whether you be an agnostic or atheist.
Agreed
The act of aggressively and religiously attacking, working against, striving to abolish all of those that do believe, is a religion.
Also Agreed. That might be the most accurate and honest statement I have ever heard a believer make on here. And that is EXACTLY what believers of one religion do to believers of another religion. They try to do all those things you mention in order to strengthen their own. IF Atheism is a religion then it fits right in.
It is a trend that has come to the forefront of Atheism over the last couple of decades, and is direct violation of the pendulum theorem.
Your gonna have to explain that one a little better for me.
Ignoring nature and physics is a bad idea, regardless of what you do or do not believe.;)
Agreed x3
 

Miguel Cervantes

Jedi Master
Also Agreed. And that is EXACTLY what SOME believers of one religion do to believers of another religion. They try to do all those things you mention in order to strengthen their own. IF Atheism is a religion then it fits right in.

Fixed it for you. To stereotype all, is to say all atheist have a bent for abolishing any religion.

As the old judge once said, "It just ain't so". ;)
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
Fixed it for you. To stereotype all, is to say all atheist have a bent for abolishing any religion.

As the old judge once said, "It just ain't so". ;)

No need to fix anything for me. I worded it exactly as I wanted it worded and in fact I added some to it.
I don't mess with your posts, don't mess with mine.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
Fixed it for you. To stereotype all, is to say all atheist have a bent for abolishing any religion.

As the old judge once said, "It just ain't so". ;)

As a whole, each religion is doing everything possible to make theirs the one and only. History backs that up ten fold.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
Off to work. Will chat tonight.
 

Miguel Cervantes

Jedi Master
No need to fix anything for me. I worded it exactly as I wanted it worded and in fact I added some to it.
I don't mess with your posts, don't mess with mine.
That's a shame.

As a whole, each religion is doing everything possible to make theirs the one and only. History backs that up ten fold.

In this, you are either absolutely mislead in what you have been taught or are simply wrong in your belief. History proves nothing of the sort and I challenge you to lend credibility to your statement.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
That's a shame.



In this, you are either absolutely mislead in what you have been taught or are simply wrong in your belief. History proves nothing of the sort and I challenge you to lend credibility to your statement.

I am totally off base. There are no examples within the Major religions in the past 5000 years that show how any had a believe or be killed rule. My bad.

food for thought:
Some critics of religion such as Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer argue that all monotheistic religions are inherently violent. For example, Nelson-Pallmeyer writes that "Judaism, Christianity and Islam will continue to contribute to the destruction of the world until and unless each challenges violence in "sacred texts" and until each affirms nonviolent power of God".[32]

Hector Avalos argues that, because religions claim divine favor for themselves, over and against other groups, this sense of righteousness leads to violence because conflicting claims to superiority, based on unverifiable appeals to God, cannot be adjudicated objectively.[33]

Similarly, Eric Hickey writes, "(t)he history of religious violence in the West is as long as the historical record of its three major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with their involved mutual antagonisms and struggles to adapt and survive the secular forces that threaten their continued existence."[34]

Regina Schwartz argues that all monotheistic religions, including Christianity, are inherently violent because of an exclusivism that inevitably fosters violence against those that are considered outsiders.[35] Lawrence Wechsler asserts that Schwartz isn't just arguing that Abrahamic religions have a violent legacy, but that the legacy is actually genocidal in nature.[36]

Bruce Feiler writes that "Jews and Christians who smugly console themselves that Islam is the only violent religion are willfully ignoring their past. Nowhere is the struggle between faith and violence described more vividly, and with more stomach-turning details of ruthlessness, than in the Hebrew Bible"
 

Miguel Cervantes

Jedi Master
I am totally off base. There are no examples within the Major religions in the past 5000 years that show how any had a believe or be killed rule. My bad.

I didn't say that. When you can start taking peoples word at face value and stop interjecting your emotions and own meanings then this discussion might make some fruitful gains.

Until then, enjoy your clearly decided agenda.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
That's a shame.
In this, you are either absolutely mislead in what you have been taught or are simply wrong in your belief. History proves nothing of the sort and I challenge you to lend credibility to your statement.

Crusades, Inquisition, Witch Hunts? What were they about?
 

Miguel Cervantes

Jedi Master
Crusades, Inquisition, Witch Hunts? What were they about?

Your statement several posts ago was that they (religions) all do it to each other. How many religions do you suppose their are in the world and how many do you believe have been involved in such competitive practices?

If you wish to do what most atheist and agnostics do and make this a "end of Christianity" discussion, contrary to the thread title and article, then we can, for what you are trying to prove does cover the Christian religion. However, we are discussing ALL religion, which encompasses all faiths and belief systems.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
Your statement several posts ago was that they (religions) all do it to each other. How many religions do you suppose their are in the world and how many do you believe have been involved in such competitive practices?

If you wish to do what most atheist and agnostics do and make this a "end of Christianity" discussion, contrary to the thread title and article, then we can, for what you are trying to prove does cover the Christian religion. However, we are discussing ALL religion, which encompasses all faiths and belief systems.

I'm not picking on one in particular, just giving examples of some of the better known religions.
 
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