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#1

Current Events / Re: "No Religion" largest grou...

Last post by Recusant - May 08, 2024, 10:57:26 PM

More on the "nones" and atheists in the US  .  . .

"The number of religious 'nones' has soared, but not the number of atheists – and as social scientists, we wanted to know why" | The Conversation

The number of individuals in the United States who do not identify as being part of any religion has grown dramatically in recent years, and "the nones" are now larger than any single religious group. According to the General Social Survey, religiously unaffiliated people represented only about 5% of the U.S. population in the 1970s. This percentage began to increase in the 1990s and is around 30% today.

At first glance, some might assume this means nearly 1 in 3 Americans are atheists, but that's far from true. Indeed, only about 4% of U.S. adults identify as an atheist.

As sociologists who study religion in the U.S., we wanted to find out more about the gap between these percentages and why some individuals identify as an atheist while other unaffiliated individuals do not.

[. . .]

[R]ejecting a belief in God is by no means a sufficient condition for identifying as an atheist. So why do some individuals who do not believe in God identify as an atheist while others do not?

Our study found that there are a number of other social forces associated with the likelihood of an individual identifying as an atheist, above and beyond their disbelief in God – particularly stigma.

Many Americans eye atheists with suspicion and distaste. Notably, some social science surveys in the U.S. include questions asking about how much tolerance people have for atheists alongside questions about tolerance of racists and communists.

This stigma means that being an atheist comes with potential social costs, especially in certain communities. We see this dynamic play out in our data.

[Continues . . .]

The paper is behind a paywall (though linked at "our study found" in the quoted text).

#2

Laid Back Lounge / Re: What's on your mind today?

Last post by Tank - May 08, 2024, 04:55:04 PM

...

Does each of those chimneys represent a separate dwelling, and your daughter's place is three normal people's (whose dogs don't have gardens) houses wide?

Good observation. It must be an odd optical illusion as all the houses are the same widths.

#3

Laid Back Lounge / Re: What's on your mind today?

Last post by The Magic Pudding.. - May 08, 2024, 03:15:27 PM

I think their is a reality.
I usually find my beer glass where I think I left it.

#4

Religion / Re: Christian Nonduality

Last post by Old Seer - May 08, 2024, 01:35:06 PM

Reality cannot change. If one thinks it changed then what was wasn't reality. One was/is merely deceived. 

#5

Laid Back Lounge / Re: What's on your mind today?

Last post by The Magic Pudding.. - May 08, 2024, 01:21:53 PM

Wednesdays are Popoe and Granddaughter days
Years ago I grabbed a bargain, five long sleeve bright green cotton tee shirts for $15, each with an embroidered Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel, where pockets on normal shirts go.
I've taught her to point, textures fascinate.
She loves Cletus.
She has one tooth, two more and she can be a slack jawed yokel too.

#6

Laid Back Lounge / Re: What's on your mind today?

Last post by The Magic Pudding.. - May 08, 2024, 12:43:57 PM

The dog on the right is their old dog who never had a garden when he was alive.

Poor old bastard, though no doubt the angels are tossing balls for him till his people join him.

Does each of those chimneys represent a separate dwelling, and your daughter's place is three normal people's (whose dogs don't have gardens) houses wide?

#7

Religion / Re: Christian Nonduality

Last post by Me_Be - May 08, 2024, 11:35:25 AM

What one believes to be true has nothing to do with reality but to that person his/her truth is indisputable.  We can easily observe that reality within the realm of politics and religion.

I totally agree.

For the observer (I) the known conceptual (I)...it is a fact that as I am looking at something; that act of looking actualises the something as absolutely existing, else I couldn't know it, or speak about it conceptually.
And so the truth of something is always going to be about the self-evidence of I's truth, because  that which is looked at, or looked upon, exists objectively regardless of what the I believes. And so yes, ''belief'' has nothing to do with reality.

I presume, respectfully, that Me_Be is a well educated Brit who may have been sufficiently insulated from the behaviors and mind sets of the common man.

Well, I know I am self-taught in the subject of nondual discourse.  I made the choice to introspect into the infinite field of potential possibility that is the Self I mean, where else was I going to attain that knowledge, except straight from the sources mouth itself? 

Try the American MAGA person or the deeply religious ones. They are conditioned to fight you, perhaps even kill you, for doubting or disputing their closely held beliefs. That is absolutely true even if their beliefs are based on absurdity as they often are..

Yes, I agree. We still have to take full responsibility for the beliefs we hold dear to us, taking care not to force them onto someone else; who may or may not share the same belief. Opposing beliefs often manifest the appearance of conflicting energies, where a 'me' verses 'them' mentality may or may not ensue, according to our reactions, of which carry inevitable consequences for the different believers. Any belief clash could bring about a sudden disturbance, where there was none previously, in other words, it takes two to tango, when it comes to belief sharing.

please continue. I enjoy your most erudite commentary. 

Thanks. 

I can be rather clumsy at putting nonduality into words, but I will venture to try my best, which I understand may be a tad difficult for some people to hear. Why, because it's pointing to the illusory nature of the separate self. Not denying it it's place, it does have a place, but only as a character like in a dream, so all nonduality does, is simply point to the identified character's illusory nature.

Not to confuse the word ''illusory'' as a 'someone' who does not exist, of course there is a 'someone' who exists, that 'someone is reflected back at the observing eye whenever it looks in a  mirror. But the mirror image reflecting back at the observing eye, is never the actual one who is looking. There's never two of us here, there is only one of us here - In other words, there is no one BEING because there is no other than BEING.

#8

History / Re: What's this?

Last post by Tank - May 08, 2024, 07:34:11 AM

I don't think the "knitting tool" hypothesis is conclusive. Some of those dodecahedrons are only about 4 centimeters tall (1.5 inches). Seems unlikely that they were knitting gloves for infants (or toddlers for that matter). Some of them are made of stone and solid as well--would not work for the purpose. Then there are the smaller versions made of gold that were found in Asia.

Similarly enigmatic ancient objects: the carved stone balls from the British Isles.

Damn! Spoil sport! 

#9

Laid Back Lounge / Re: What's on your mind today?

Last post by Tank - May 08, 2024, 07:32:53 AM

WOW ! Nice work.  A tribute to the dog pleases me.

Her husband cried his eyes out

#10

Science / Re: Oral Insulin

Last post by Tank - May 08, 2024, 07:31:04 AM

Hear hear! No question I would have died of sepsis if it hadn't been for antibiotics.