What Americans believe the next 40 years hold

[SSY]

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/22 ... e-in-2050/

I provide the most depressing section for your perusal

Forty-six percent do not believe that Jesus Christ will return while 41 percent say it probably will happen. Fifty-four percent of Protestants overall believe it will happen, as do 58 percent of white evangelical Protestants. Fifty-seven percent of Catholics don't believe it. Seventy-two percent of those who identified themselves as unaffiliated with any religion also don't believe it. Sixty-four percent of college grads dismissed the possibility while 59 percent of those with a high school education or less believe Jesus' return is likely to happen.

Honestly, this is madness, I had always thought that most Christians believed in a more vague, airy fairy way than this, but believing the end is nigh, in such high numbers is truly worrying to me. It never ceases to amaze me how determined people are to believe they are special, I suppose living in special times is an outlet for those needs.

Do you think many of them would be up for a bet? Rapture in next 10 years or you pay up sort of thing? I know that guy who promises to deliver messages must be making a killing, I want a slice of the action.

[pinkocommie]

This is embarrassing.  

[skwurll]

Sometimes I get the suspicion I'm surrounded by idiots.

Other times I know I am.

[Will]

I predict a slow decrease in religiosity in the United States over the next 40 years.

I also predict 6 wars, a further divide between rich and poor, 3 more Wall Street bubbles, 15 seasons of American Idol, a celebrity actor being elected president again, and a housing crash that makes this one look like a joke.

But don't worry. I also predict the return of sexy low-rise jeans for ladies, eco-friendly technology exploding meaning way more energy efficiency, gay marriage passing, single-payer healthcare popping up on a state level in Washington, Oregon, California, and New England, the Twilight series becoming infamous as how not to write characters, and the RIAA and MPAA being dissolved.

Farther into the future, I predict the eventual colonization of the solar system, ice cream that burns calories, and an iPod that gets injected into your brain that has a 20 exabyte hard drive and a quantum processor.

[skwurll]

I also predict the return of sexy low-rise jeans for ladies, eco-friendly technology exploding meaning way more energy efficiency, gay marriage passing, single-payer healthcare popping up on a state level in Washington, Oregon, California, and New England, the Twilight series becoming infamous as how not to write characters, and the RIAA and MPAA being dissolved.

Farther into the future, I predict the eventual colonization of the solar system, ice cream that burns calories, and an iPod that gets injected into your brain that has a 20 exabyte hard drive and a quantum processor.

All of that sounds awesome.

Especially the sexy low-rise jeans!

[KDbeads]

I guess these people haven't read Mark 9:1

[Cite134]

I predict a slow decrease in religiosity in the United States over the next 40 years.

I also predict 6 wars, a further divide between rich and poor, 3 more Wall Street bubbles, 15 seasons of American Idol, a celebrity actor being elected president again, and a housing crash that makes this one look like a joke.

But don't worry. I also predict the return of sexy low-rise jeans for ladies, eco-friendly technology exploding meaning way more energy efficiency, gay marriage passing, single-payer healthcare popping up on a state level in Washington, Oregon, California, and New England, the Twilight series becoming infamous as how not to write characters, and the RIAA and MPAA being dissolved.

Farther into the future, I predict the eventual colonization of the solar system, ice cream that burns calories, and an iPod that gets injected into your brain that has a 20 exabyte hard drive and a quantum processor.

This made me smile.

[Thumpalumpacus]

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/22/what-americans-think-the-world-will-look-like-in-2050/

I provide the most depressing section for your perusal

Forty-six percent do not believe that Jesus Christ will return while 41 percent say it probably will happen. Fifty-four percent of Protestants overall believe it will happen, as do 58 percent of white evangelical Protestants. Fifty-seven percent of Catholics don't believe it. Seventy-two percent of those who identified themselves as unaffiliated with any religion also don't believe it. Sixty-four percent of college grads dismissed the possibility while 59 percent of those with a high school education or less believe Jesus' return is likely to happen.

Honestly, this is madness, I had always thought that most Christians believed in a more vague, airy fairy way than this, but believing the end is nigh, in such high numbers is truly worrying to me. It never ceases to amaze me how determined people are to believe they are special, I suppose living in special times is an outlet for those needs.

Do you think many of them would be up for a bet? Rapture in next 10 years or you pay up sort of thing? I know that guy who promises to deliver messages must be making a killing, I want a slice of the action.

I'm not sure why this is bad news; compared to my youth, these are starkly positive numbers.

This is a process, and not an event.  Give it time.

[Asmodean]

I suppose living in special times is an outlet for those needs.

Our time is not a fraction more special than that when Seventh Day Adventists were formed... Any one knows that story?

I'd say that the need to feel special and unique is the same need that drives people to call their time special. What's so special about 2010? There are wars, yet there are always wars. There is an economic crisis, yet that's not new. People can go to space, but I imagine the frst windmill was an even more momentous achievement. Thye Earth is crawling with bigots and lunatics, but then again, didn't it always..? So how the is our time so special that we need a sky zombie to return and deliver us salvation, damnation and a touch of apocalypse..?

[Businessocks]

I predict a slow decrease in religiosity in the United States over the next 40 years.

I also predict 6 wars, a further divide between rich and poor, 3 more Wall Street bubbles, 15 seasons of American Idol, a celebrity actor being elected president again, and a housing crash that makes this one look like a joke.

But don't worry. I also predict the return of sexy low-rise jeans for ladies, eco-friendly technology exploding meaning way more energy efficiency, gay marriage passing, single-payer healthcare popping up on a state level in Washington, Oregon, California, and New England, the Twilight series becoming infamous as how not to write characters, and the RIAA and MPAA being dissolved.

Farther into the future, I predict the eventual colonization of the solar system, ice cream that burns calories, and an iPod that gets injected into your brain that has a 20 exabyte hard drive and a quantum processor.

Great post!  

I think fear is going to get the better of many people in the next couple of years until 2012 passes.  But I wonder what the tour guides in Mexico are going to use as their intriguing hook about Mayan history once that passes?!?

I think religiosity is first going to see a big rise as things get worse. ---------> I agree that another housing bubble is going to burst.  It has to.  There are too many people living in $300,000.00 + plus homes on stagnant incomes.  I think China is going to dominate econmically more and more.

[GAYtheist]

I hope to see an end to religion. With that I think alot of the bigotry would be put to rest. I also think, in the next few years, that not only will NOM be disbanded and Gay marriage fully accepted in this country, but Maggie Gallagher will be in jail.

I also hope that Fred Phelps dies a nice peaceful death, so his idiotic family cannot claim him a martyr.

In the next forty years, we could have a woman, maybe even a black woman sitting at the head of the table at the White House, may the great Noodly One also may her Atheist.  In the next fifty, a gay man could be there as well.

This is all hopeful, and highly unlikely, but hey, its my brain damn it.

John  

[Sophus]

I'm hoping religion declines too but I'm not allowing my hopes to get up. Religion plays more of a role in American politics now than it did in Jefferson's days.

[maninorange]

I agree in that is genuinely frightening...

I went to a Bible study recently... instead of going over God's supposed purpose in our life, the leader of the group's first words were, "So... End Times... what do you people think?"
/facepalm
While I did find some pleasure in correcting him on the date of the book of Daniel, the fact that Hitler was a Roman Catholic, and the contents of the Dead Sea scrolls, I'm fairly certain that he's still among those 40something% you mentioned...  

[KDbeads]

Let's educate them on the prophecies that DIDN'T work out so well... like Mark 9:1 that someone mentioned  

Yep, that one is my favorite.  Along with Revelations 7:4-7:8.

[Byronazriel]

I wonder how many people believe that the events of the Terminator, or the Matrix will happen within forty years?