Re: What age group do you fall into?

[Tank]

Just entered the 50's band at the last birthday.

[Mike M.]

16 here.  Youngest?  Maybe?  Didn't have enough time to read pages 4-6  

[Whitney]

16 here.  Youngest?  Maybe?  Didn't have enough time to read pages 4-6  

We have a couple 12 and 13 year old members but I can't remember who they are because they don't act their age...they might not be active anymore either.

[EssejSllim]

15. Atheist for about 2.5 of those. Can't wait till I can finish High School.

[Gawen]

Well, being I'm in my 50's, I'll only fall into her age group of 35-55...*wicked evil grin*

[Beast]

I am liking the way these numbers are going.

(23)

[Tank]

I am liking the way these numbers are going.

(23)

Why?

[Beast]

Based purely on these numbers, more critical thinking and questioning of "authority" in the younger generation. Maybe when it is time for us to take charge of washington it wont be soo backwards.

[Tank]

Based purely on these numbers, more critical thinking and questioning of "authority" in the younger generation. Maybe when it is time for us to take charge of washington it wont be soo backwards.

Fair points but you should consider at least these two factors.
1) This is not an exclusively atheist forum, there are theists as well so they will also be represented in the results.
2) I would expect that if one took a profile of any discussion forum (as opposed to a social netwoking forum) the profiles would be very similar to this one.

I say this because my wife and I at 50 represent the very first people to experience personal computing. People 5 years older than I didn't even have access to calculators at school. So I think the curve you are seeing here is much more representative of the demographic of users of discussion forums than any innate quality of young atheists. I think the age profile at a serious Christian discussion board would be very similar.

[Beast]

Based purely on these numbers, more critical thinking and questioning of "authority" in the younger generation. Maybe when it is time for us to take charge of washington it wont be soo backwards.

Fair points but you should consider at least these two factors.
1) This is not an exclusively atheist forum, there are theists as well so they will also be represented in the results.
2) I would expect that if one took a profile of any discussion forum (as opposed to a social netwoking forum) the profiles would be very similar to this one.

I say this because my wife and I at 50 represent the very first people to experience personal computing. People 5 years older than I didn't even have access to calculators at school. So I think the curve you are seeing here is much more representative of the demographic of users of discussion forums than any innate quality of young atheists. I think the age profile at a serious Christian discussion board would be very similar.

I thought about those factors as well, but I like to be one for optimism. To be honest there isn't a 50 or over person that I know personally with out access to a computer or internet and use it frequently.

[Tank]

I thought about those factors as well, but I like to be one for optimism.

An optimistic view is good and I share it with you. I am very glad to see the high number of atheist under 20 who are so knowledgeable about religion and the arguments against it. But statistics should inform one's view and only support it if that is the correct interpretation. It's like the old joke 'Politicians use statistics in the same way a drunk uses a lamp post, for support rather than illumination!'  

To be honest there isn't a 50 or over person that I know personally with out access to a computer or internet and use it frequently.

Again I agree with you, but in my experience people around my age use the internet in a more pragmatic way than those up to there 30's. People my age, in my experience use the Internet as an information source and not as part of their social life. Additionally older people have often "Been there, done that, got the T Shirt!" and can't be arsed with this sort of thing. Being older often means having enough experience to have formed a crusty world view that they don't feel the need to promote nor defend.  I have 3 kids 26, 23 & 23. They all have MYFace pages but none of the are members of discussion forums. I am considered odd by my peers (for more than one reason  :raised:  It's the individual that matters. I think that the quantity and to a lesser extent the quality of information made available to people below the age of 30, while they have been growing up, is vastly improved by comparison to those who were born 20 years earlier. It has open informed, and bigoted, discussion in a way that the 1st world has never known before. When I was 15/16 I would not have discussed theism/atheism in the way that I have seen people of that age discuss those issues today.

People in there teens are now exposed to issues that I never even knew about. I think that is the important thing. We are seeing almost a couple of generations now where believing what you parents believed is challenged by readily available information, and the old views are being found wanting. And at the forefront of those challenges is personal sexuality. There have always been homosexuals and always will be, the thing is that the old views are now recognised by more and more people as just plain bigotry written in an old book by a bunch of homophobes.

Times change, but I think they are changing faster and with far wider ramifications than ever before in human history. The Internet supports the dissemination of Memes and it is the perfect growth medium for them and I thing the under 30s are being subjected to an intellectual environment second to none and are responding with logic in a way that is going to make the future very different from the past. Just as the harnessing of physical power drove the industrial revolution, the harnessing of the power of information is driving the intellectual revolution that we a living through right now.

[Beast]

The Internet supports the dissemination of Memes and it is the perfect growth medium for them and I thing the under 30s are being subjected to an intellectual environment second to none and are responding with logic in a way that is going to make the future very different from the past. Just as the harnessing of physical power drove the industrial revolution, the harnessing of the power of information is driving the intellectual revolution that we a living through right now.

I wasn't trying to get into a lengthy discussion here just that these numbers are optimistic especially in regards to the above. I can't even call these statistics because they are obviously biased towards on side of the discussion. So in that respect I wouldn't even try to pretend that this is a representation of the rest of the world and please don't think I am.

By having that drastic increase in numbers favoring the younger people that means the information is getting out and discussed, not just on the internet but in real life.

[Icarus]

I'm reading these posts with an avucular smile. You are all mere children. Most of you appear to be pretty bright kids though. Yeah, I'm just about the oldest dude on the forum.

I sometimes defend my ancient being by telling little stories. Abraham lincoln left home when he was 19 years old. He returned when he was twenty five and was absolutely amazed at how much his father had learned in the mean time.

[Tank]

I'm reading these posts with an avucular smile. You are all mere children. Most of you appear to be pretty bright kids though. Yeah, I'm just about the oldest dude on the forum.

I sometimes defend my ancient being by telling little stories. Abraham lincoln left home when he was 19 years old. He returned when he was twenty five and was absolutely amazed at how much his father had learned in the mean time.

How old are you?

[Tank]

The Internet supports the dissemination of Memes and it is the perfect growth medium for them and I thing the under 30s are being subjected to an intellectual environment second to none and are responding with logic in a way that is going to make the future very different from the past. Just as the harnessing of physical power drove the industrial revolution, the harnessing of the power of information is driving the intellectual revolution that we a living through right now.

I wasn't trying to get into a lengthy discussion here just that these numbers are optimistic especially in regards to the above. I can't even call these statistics because they are obviously biased towards on side of the discussion. So in that respect I wouldn't even try to pretend that this is a representation of the rest of the world and please don't think I am.

By having that drastic increase in numbers favoring the younger people that means the information is getting out and discussed, not just on the internet but in real life.

Sorry if I sound a bit heavy. I'm a business analyst in real life and get a bit fetishal about numbers

I am also delighted that the 18-30 age range are discussing theism in depth and detail, it can only be a good thing.