Young people’s belief in God drops sharply: poll

Originally posted by windword

Maybe these young people never had a religious experience, or their parents never nurtured a spiritual context, or maybe these young people represent what happens when there is an open discourse of ideas.

edit on 14-6-2012 by windword because: grammer

Or maybe this poll is bs and faith in god is rising

reply to post by avatard


God shows himself every day and in several ways to me my friend. People want God to "prove" he exists, all you have to do is look.

reply to post by np6888


I would blame Darwin and Nietzsche.

Darwin provided the "science" and Nietzsche the "philosophy". Both had their works coursing through the Nazis heads.

Dumbasses.

Supermen and monkey men......sure.....

Glad some people know where the origins of our great age of horror originated from.

Originally posted by avatard
reply to post by Cancerwarrior

 

When GOD can do the simple task of showing himself, People will beleivbe in GOD. If he/she/it canrt simply do that then they dont exist.....and people get real ignant when they start making up stuff like, God lives in another dimension,,or GOd is on another plane,,,IF GOD were on another plane or dimension then he cant be a real on our plane if a plane exists or another dimension..People will come up with all sorts of childishness,,to claim a BETTER UNDERSTANDING of god is arrogant and sick.............

Actually, quantum physics has proved there are several dimensions. All existing simultaneously. You and I can't percieve them, but they are there. Whats to say that he does'nt live in all of them? Maybe God makes himself known all the time but we do not listen. Humans are more advanced than cockroaches, ever try revealing/explaining yourself to one? Maybe I'm being ignant as you say. God is not about the answers, just asking the right questions.

People who think Hitler was an atheist have obviously never read anything about him.

People who think Hitler believed in natural selection don't understand that Hitler himself was trying to force unnatural selection.

reply to post by Wertdagf


IMO assumptions are more illogical. Anyways, good day.

Originally posted by eksea3
Or maybe this poll is bs and faith in god is rising

Or maybe it's accurately reflecting the fact that the more educated a person is, the less he/she is to believe in God (at least in the sense that is preached by organized religion).

reply to post by AkumaStreak


So a child who makes the assumption that santa doesnt deliver the presents on christmas morning is illogical?

Or if a woman wants to murder her children because she hears god telling her its the only way to save them... then assuimg shes not hearing the voice of god is illogical...

Your point of veiw is fence sitting idiocy and EVERY $%^&ING day children are scared for life because of such pitifull apathy.

Originally posted by AkumaStreak
reply to post by Wertdagf

 

IMO assumptions are more illogical. Anyways, good day.

I like your assumption there.

Originally posted by CrimsonKapital

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by CrimsonKapital

 

Funny how when a woman has the morals of a man, she is slut. I think it is your antiquated morals that are the problem.

And to refute your claim, crime is at a 60 year low in the US.

No I agree with you, but back then in the olden days men were faithful to their wives and their wives were devoted to their husbands, it was called a "family structure".
Today, both men and women have become demoralized and promiscuous. However the women back then prized themselves on keeping their virginity for their husbands, any women who had sex before marriage was considered a slut, I don't make the rules tradition does.

And what about the men back in the olden days who slept around? All men were NOT faithful to their wives. What did they call a man who had sex before marriage? I suspect he would get a round of drinks and some high fives from his buddies. Men and women were just as demoralized and promiscuous back in the 'olden days', but it was more frowned upon if you were a woman than if you were a man doing the exact same thing.

reply to post by windword


Young people’s belief in God drops sharply:

Obviously

youtu.be...



I respected my elders, this sort of thing was unheard OF

My heart is heavy reading this thread. For the past few years I have been struggling with the existence of God. My inner voice/reason tells me that it does not make sense. My upbringing in the church leaves me feeling guilty and ashamed for doubting.

My mom and dad made us go to church every sunday, most sunday nights and some wednesday evenings. My father is a believer in the bible, literally. If it says God made the heavens and earth in 6 days, then it took 6 days. There was a world wide flood, and heaven and hell are real places.

My mom is a little more flexible in her beliefs, but holds steadfast to them.

My 2 brothers both believe and have gone so far as to tell my husband that because he was not fully emersed when baptized that he is going to hell.

The more I think about it, the more confused I get. For example, I think that the whole Garden of Eden story makes no sense at all. If God didn't want them to eat the fruit, why put the damn tree in the Garden in the first place? Only to damn them for eternity when they do eat it? It's like putting an arsenic laden candy bar in front of a child, telling them not to eat it, and then walking out of the room. I have a hard time with the concept of hell also. A creator that will condemn a soul, his creation, to burn in hell simply for not going to the right church, or for not going at all. We have free will but will only be saved if we use it to fulfill his will? Then, good ol guilt starts to visit. I start wondering if it 's just the devil trying to make me doubt.....and I get all confused all over again.

reply to post by Stormdancer777


That is disgusting and very painful to watch.

When I was about 45, working as a waitress, I started to wear glasses My younger co-workers started rudely calling me 4 eyes. At the time I thought, "Wow, 6th grade mentality in the work place!" But this is so much more extreme and such a disturbing trend!

reply to post by Stormdancer777


I got 42 seconds into that video before I had to stop it. The way those little monsters treated that woman is unconscionable. However, I don't see how it relates to the decrease in the belief in God. I was raised without religion or faith in God, but my parents would have put the fear of the supernatural in me if they had ever seen me treat someone the way those kids treated that woman. Morality without faith is possible.

Another issue to consider is the age of these kids. They appear to be 8th graders, mostly boys. Without condoning or excusing their behavior, I can tell you that cruel and merciless actions are commonplace amongst young males of that age. Their bodies are in an awkward stage which can lead to extreme self-consciousness. The prefrontal cortex of the brain (which is responsible for decision making and behavior control) is not fully developed (SOURCE), and the social pressure to be part of the "in" group can be overwhelming and all-encompassing. Add elevated testosterone and the "pack" mentality that so often permeates the social structure of adolescents, and this type of situation then falls under a new light. Not one of morality, but of physiology and sociology.

reply to post by draco49


Where are the bears when you need them!

Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. "Go away, baldy!" they chanted. "Go away, baldy!"

He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
2 Kings 2:24-23

Your'e right draco49, morality isn't based on religion or the belief in god. It's based on upbringing. I bet most of those kids come from homes that have some sort of religious background and I bet if you asked them, most of them believe in god.

reply to post by GmoS719


I "blame" it on people growing a pair and questioning the very existence of organized religion, a juggernaut that controls our societies and at its' worst, has destroyed entire cultures/civilizations over the course of human history.

There's a big difference between faith and organized religion. You don't need the latter to have the former.

reply to post by Stormdancer777


I don't see the connection.

And I don't see how "god" will help those boys either, especially if they're catholic. That's Father Touchums' job!

reply to post by aimlessly


Have you tried to simply take your relationship with Him to a personal level instead of with the church? What I mean is, is your church teaching the Word of God, the gospel of Christ? You can't be sure until you yourself are familiar with scripture. Has anyone shared with you that He applies pressure and testing in your life to correct and grow your faith? That He guides you? What if He needs you out of a false church, and is moving you to seek these answers from Him instead of man?

Originally posted by aimlessly
My heart is heavy reading this thread. For the past few years I have been struggling with the existence of God. My inner voice/reason tells me that it does not make sense. My upbringing in the church leaves me feeling guilty and ashamed for doubting.

My mom and dad made us go to church every sunday, most sunday nights and some wednesday evenings. My father is a believer in the bible, literally. If it says God made the heavens and earth in 6 days, then it took 6 days. There was a world wide flood, and heaven and hell are real places.

My mom is a little more flexible in her beliefs, but holds steadfast to them.

My 2 brothers both believe and have gone so far as to tell my husband that because he was not fully emersed when baptized that he is going to hell.

The more I think about it, the more confused I get. For example, I think that the whole Garden of Eden story makes no sense at all. If God didn't want them to eat the fruit, why put the damn tree in the Garden in the first place? Only to damn them for eternity when they do eat it? It's like putting an arsenic laden candy bar in front of a child, telling them not to eat it, and then walking out of the room. I have a hard time with the concept of hell also. A creator that will condemn a soul, his creation, to burn in hell simply for not going to the right church, or for not going at all. We have free will but will only be saved if we use it to fulfill his will? Then, good ol guilt starts to visit. I start wondering if it 's just the devil trying to make me doubt.....and I get all confused all over again.

It is a conundrum. To believe, or not to believe? You should know that, on the topic of God (or lack thereof), all of us are just guessing. To me, the lunacy of religion is in living your entire life on the premise of what is to come after we die. So much so, that it interferes with and dictates how we spend the short time we have here on Earth. As humans, we have an insatiable desire to know and understand everything. To combat that reality, Man has constructed a framework (generally described as 'religion') to neatly explain that which is unknowable. Out of that framework comes faith, or belief, that it is true. Whether it is or not makes little difference because faith satisfies that human need to understand.

One of the most dangerous things about religion is that it interferes with the equally-human ability of reason and critical thinking. Dogmatic indoctrination imprints upon the mind ideas and concepts that cannot be accepted by the logical & rational mechanisms of the "left brain", and impedes the holistic and unifying reconciliation that should be provided by the "right brain". This diametric opposition results in continued internal struggle between what you have been indoctrinated into, and your natural tendency to seek out logic and reason.

Atheism or creationism. Just like the charade of the two-party US political system, these are not your only two options. It is my contention that there is, indeed, a 3rd position to take on the matter, and that is spiritual deism. In this structure, or should I say 'lack of structure', there is a God or supreme power responsible for the existence of anything and everything (the true Alpha and Omega), but it is not an omniscient, anthropomorphized character who lives in the sky and watches over us, casting judgment, determining where our souls will spend eternity. Instead, it is merely the concept and understanding that there is more than what we can know, that our reason for being is of no importance, and that as humans, we should focus on our lives here and now, and not on some unknowable future beyond our realm of physical existence.

I'm not going to go into every religion, but the general premise of most world religions (and all Abrahamic religions) is that if you don't follow their teachings, you are going the hell. You could be the best Cristian in the world, but if Islam is right, you're going to hell. You can be the best Jew in the world, but if Christianity is right, you're going to hell. I propose that none of them are 'right'. Given the massive numbers of people around the world born into a multitude of cultures, do you really think that this God-figured supposed by the major faiths would banish them all to an eternity of conscious suffering simply because they didn't follow a faith that was prevalent in another part of the world? God may work in mysterious ways, but I don't think that the malicious condemnation of billions of souls on the basis of their Earthly faith is part of the plan.

There is true solace in accepting that the matter of God is one we, as humans, will never understand. It clears the mind of paralyzing internal struggles and allows our physical lives, here and now, to be lived to the fullest.

Originally posted by WhoKnows100
reply to post by aimlessly

 

Have you tried to simply take your relationship with Him to a personal level instead of with the church? What I mean is, is your church teaching the Word of God, the gospel of Christ? You can't be sure until you yourself are familiar with scripture. Has anyone shared with you that He applies pressure and testing in your life to correct and grow your faith? That He guides you? What if He needs you out of a false church, and is moving you to seek these answers from Him instead of man?

I think you may have missed the point that aimlessly was trying to make. She is questioning the existence of God. In that context, suggesting that she take her relationship with God to a more personal level ignores the fact that she's questioning God's very existence. I can tell you are a Christian by your repeated capitalization of "He", when referencing God, and your assertion that the gospel of Christ is factually the word of God. You cannot possible know this to be a fact, and it is this type of assumed righteousness and narcissistic Christian arrogance that encompasses the majority of what is wrong with organized religion.

I do agree that soul-searching and other such theological reasonings should happen within, and not under the constraints of any church. After all, Christianity has more sects than the ancient Greeks had Gods, and if you pick the wrong one.... you're going to hell.