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Why Atheism Will Replace Religion

Started by Sophus, June 14, 2010, 12:59:08 AM

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Sophus

This is an interesting read from Psychology Today on Why Atheism Will Replace Religion.
The underlying idea is that the more the world becomes modernized the more atheism will spread. Although, I'm not convinced atheism will one day be the majority view. America is an industrial nation and religion runs rampant. The fear many religious Americans experience is not typically to the extent of "I'm afraid my child be kidnapped in our sleep to be raised in a child army" if you're in Uganda, or "I fear I can't find food today", but a very irrational fear of any number of things, which by comparison are quite silly. In fact it's not always fear that draws them to religion but simply keeps them from leaving it because of the impact it would take on their life. Still, it's understandable what draws Americans to religion but why aren't the same factors true in European countries whose standard of living isn't far different?
‎"Christian doesn't necessarily just mean good. It just means better." - John Oliver

FTLebanon

I came across this discussion on ThinkAtheist.com the other day, which talks about how some atheists teach their children to believe in God. I had always thought that the number of Atheist in the world will increase exponentially, since every Atheist will raise his or her children to become atheists themselves. It seems, however, that this can't be taken at face value; which is really sad to know  :/
Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?"
Priest: "No, not if you did not know."
Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?"

http://freethinkinglebanon.blogspot.com/

Businessocks

Quote from: "Sophus"In fact it's not always fear that draws them to religion but simply keeps them from leaving it because of the impact it would take on their life. Still, it's understandable what draws Americans to religion but why aren't the same factors true in European countries whose standard of living isn't far different?

I think part of the answer lies in how many Americans have no other way to find community.  The American way of life typically leaves little time for families to spend much quality time together.  So few families in the US even manage to have dinner together.  Also, leisure time is spent staring at a television screen, computer screen  :hide: , or video game screen, rather than spending time out and about actively involved in their neighborhood/community.  And more and more families lived spread all over the place making regular family get togethers a rare occasion.  Add all of that together and organized religion with its regular meeting times, picnics, phone chains, meal services, etc. fill those voids.  

I think of the movie about the Lost Boys.  When they came to the US, they felt extreme loneliness and lack of community.  They had food, electricity, clothes, clean water, safety, but they didn't have the sense of close community they were used to having.  The result?  Loneliness and depression.  One mentioned that in the US people have "things" but not each other.  I think that's the difference.  Religion is the only sense community for many Americans.
The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant.  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Davin

I hope the day comes when the word "atheism" becomes obsolete.
Always question all authorities because the authority you don't question is the most dangerous... except me, never question me.

Sophus

Quote from: "Businessocks"I think part of the answer lies in how many Americans have no other way to find community.  The American way of life typically leaves little time for families to spend much quality time together.  So few families in the US even manage to have dinner together.  Also, leisure time is spent staring at a television screen, computer screen  :up:

QuoteI hope the day comes when the word "atheism" becomes obsolete.
Me too.

@FTLebanon That's bizarre but suppose I shouldn't be too surprised because my father was kind of the same way in the sense that he wasn't a believer but had no problem with my mother trying to make me a religious nut. Makes you wonder....
‎"Christian doesn't necessarily just mean good. It just means better." - John Oliver

karadan

Quote from: "Sophus"This is an interesting read from Psychology Today on Why Atheism Will Replace Religion.
The underlying idea is that the more the world becomes modernized the more atheism will spread. Although, I'm not convinced atheism will one day be the majority view. America is an industrial nation and religion runs rampant. The fear many religious Americans experience is not typically to the extent of "I'm afraid my child be kidnapped in our sleep to be raised in a child army" if you're in Uganda, or "I fear I can't find food today", but a very irrational fear of any number of things, which by comparison are quite silly. In fact it's not always fear that draws them to religion but simply keeps them from leaving it because of the impact it would take on their life. Still, it's understandable what draws Americans to religion but why aren't the same factors true in European countries whose standard of living isn't far different?


I think globalisation has helped a heck of a lot. Religion has always seemed to be quite adaptive. Initially they tried to stifle Galileo but eventually his ideas caught on and enlightened the masses. Religion had to adapt to stay alive. It seems, wherever a religious enclave is under pressure from outside forces, it is resistant to a point (where enough people start to learn the truth and question what they have been taught), then has to relent to change, or die out. The US seems to have created a nice cosy religious enclave for itself since the 50's and has been pretty impenetrable till this last decade. The internet has created a shit storm that we are beginning to see shine through. There's no escaping reality unless you actually unplug from it completely.

I don't think atheism will be the norm eventually, rather, some kind of equilibrium between spirituality and science. I do believe the god theory will die out almost entirely although the small pockets of believers will have to become incredibly hard on its followers in order not to change - think Amish type settlements but with added brimstone, etc.

Also, I think there is a positive correlation between the level of hardship on a population and intensity of religious adherence. As long as there is poverty, famine and war, there will be vast swathes of people turning to god for comfort. As soon as these kinds of hardships are eradicated, we will see the decline of hardcore religion.

This kind of change takes centuries but I believe right now, seeds of reality are being sown. Today's children are going to grow up knowing, or at least acknowledging the outside world because of what the internet has shown them. Their parents didn't have that opportunity because they were at the mercy of what their tiny world told them to believe and they had nothing to counter that.
QuoteI find it mistifying that in this age of information, some people still deny the scientific history of our existence.

Gawen

I honestly think that some sort of religion will always be around.
The essence of the mind is not in what it thinks, but how it thinks. Faith is the surrender of our mind; of reason and our skepticism to put all our trust or faith in someone or something that has no good evidence of itself. That is a sinister thing to me. Of all the supposed virtues, faith is not.
"When you fall, I will be there" - Floor

karadan

Quote from: "Gawen"I honestly think that some sort of religion will always be around.

I agree.
QuoteI find it mistifying that in this age of information, some people still deny the scientific history of our existence.

Tank

Quote from: "karadan"
Quote from: "Gawen"I honestly think that some sort of religion will always be around.

I agree.
Always is a long time. We are maybe just decades from 'The Singularity' the turning point when our computers are brighter than us. What happens in the century following that? Maybe we will all be kept in little zoo's and laughed at by robots.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

karadan

Well, there are so many different ways the human race could go, we could literally be here for centuries discussing it. If we were to take a more conservative view of how the future will unfold, ie, no mules to radically change future history, then i'd be happy to contend that enclaves of religion, no matter how small, will exist for as long as humanity does in its current form.

Ie, when we start talking about being able (through technology) to create Dyson Spheres or relinquish our physical form to that of pure energy, then yeah, i think religion will be moot by then.
QuoteI find it mistifying that in this age of information, some people still deny the scientific history of our existence.

Gawen

Quote from: "karadan"If we were to take a more conservative view of how the future will unfold, ie, no mules to radically change future history, then i'd be happy to contend that enclaves of religion, no matter how small, will exist for as long as humanity does in its current form.

This is how I see it. Some people will always be gullible. Some people will always let someone else do their thinking for them. And some people will remain ignorant or willingly unable to adjust to reality.
The essence of the mind is not in what it thinks, but how it thinks. Faith is the surrender of our mind; of reason and our skepticism to put all our trust or faith in someone or something that has no good evidence of itself. That is a sinister thing to me. Of all the supposed virtues, faith is not.
"When you fall, I will be there" - Floor

pinkocommie

Quote from: "Gawen"
Quote from: "karadan"If we were to take a more conservative view of how the future will unfold, ie, no mules to radically change future history, then i'd be happy to contend that enclaves of religion, no matter how small, will exist for as long as humanity does in its current form.

This is how I see it. Some people will always be gullible. Some people will always let someone else do their thinking for them. And some people will remain ignorant or willingly unable to adjust to reality.

I think the crux of the matter is the fact that neurologists are discovering parts of the human brain that are essentially made for magical thinking.  I think if there is a biological predisposition for religion (which it looks like there may be) than of course religion (or religious thinking at the very least) will always exist in some form.
Ubi dubium ibi libertas: Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
http://alliedatheistalliance.blogspot.com/

The Black Jester

Quote from: "pinkocommie"
Quote from: "Gawen"
Quote from: "karadan"If we were to take a more conservative view of how the future will unfold, ie, no mules to radically change future history, then i'd be happy to contend that enclaves of religion, no matter how small, will exist for as long as humanity does in its current form.

This is how I see it. Some people will always be gullible. Some people will always let someone else do their thinking for them. And some people will remain ignorant or willingly unable to adjust to reality.

I think the crux of the matter is the fact that neurologists are discovering parts of the human brain that are essentially made for magical thinking. I think if there is a biological predisposition for religion (which it looks like there may be) than of course religion (or religious thinking at the very least) will always exist in some form.

...and, of course, religious apologists will claim it was specifically put there by god, as our biological "connection" to the divine.  This argument was even made by famed neurologist (admittedly playing devil's advocate) V. Ramachandran.
The Black Jester

"Religion is institutionalised superstition, science is institutionalised curiosity." - Tank

"Confederation of the dispossessed,
Fearing neither god nor master." - Killing Joke

http://theblackjester.wordpress.com

Shine

Quote from: "Davin"I hope the day comes when the word "atheism" becomes obsolete.

It would be so nice if people who believed in supernatural deities were the anomaly.

Gawen

Quote from: "Shine"
Quote from: "Davin"I hope the day comes when the word "atheism" becomes obsolete.

It would be so nice if people who believed in supernatural deities were the anomaly.
I really don't care if people believe in make believe. I just wish they would be quiet about it and leave it out of government.
The essence of the mind is not in what it thinks, but how it thinks. Faith is the surrender of our mind; of reason and our skepticism to put all our trust or faith in someone or something that has no good evidence of itself. That is a sinister thing to me. Of all the supposed virtues, faith is not.
"When you fall, I will be there" - Floor