Poll shows atheism on the rise in the U.S.

Originally posted by dominicus
Neither religion nor atheism can solve the problems of the world.

Exactly!

Originally posted by chrismarco
we have moved so far away from religion but who has been enlightened? more war, more killing, people eating people, parent killing their kids...

People are more religious than ever, it's GOD we have moved away from, not religion.

Religion and God are opposed: Religion hates & kills, God loves...

Religion HIDES truth, God EXPOSES lies (religion)...

Originally posted by Kharron
People post about Awakening, but then they fail to realize that masses moving away from religion IS Awakening. What else could it be?

THATS what I'm talkin' about!

Originally posted by InfiniteConsciousness

I hear a lot of atheists say that they were raised with strict religious upbringing and then they realized it was all just BS so they became atheists. I can definitely see how someone could come from strict religiousity, self-realize it as BS and then jump to "there is no God". But, it's not that easy. There is no evidence either way and there never will be, for the living.

That's how it was for me, however instead of just taking it one way or the other after 17 years of Christianity, and a year of Atheism I realized both are to bias. Look at the bigger picture, we don't really know too much, but enough to say there are endless possibilities in this universe. But the earlier comment on the atheist spike compared to religious to non-religious is very interesting and may be something to do with New Age movement.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

previous generations were not only forced to study religion ( whether they liked it or not

reply to post by Hefficide


Incredibly and to my utmost disgust this is still actually going on in the UK, allthough relgion is having a right battering here (and rightly so in my book) the deluded are still hanging out in positions of influence ready to groom little children and warp their minds at the earliest oportunity.

I think YouTube with items such as (see below vids) is really galavanizing the young people of the US to give the big finger to the invisble psychopaths that live in the sky.

reply to post by silent thunder

At the same time, the number of Americans who say they are atheists rose, from 1 percent to 5 percent.

lol seriously? Only 5% of Americans are Atheists? Haha... wtf...

edit: and how come the number of religious people has dropped so much then? Are they turning agnostic or something?

That's my only solution. Forced Enlightenment. I think we're heading there no matter what, because we come from there

Forced Enlightenment?

Otherwise known as an oxymoron.

Here's some interesting trivia for those interested.

reply to post by Kharron

Forced Enlightenment? Otherwise known as an oxymoron.

not necessarily. It's merely the ego/mind that creates bias/division/stances/likes/dislikes. At the very core and behind this illusion complex is where we all have direct access to Enlightenment ...

...ego/mind (and everything that they create) are imaginary illusions. So there can come an event which instantly dissolves all illusion, which then would leave everyone with instant access to the underlining Enlightened reality. It would be utter shock but eventually lead to Utopia.

No One would ever be able to say I am right or hide behind bias or agendas ..it would be pure instant knowingness of the equality of all things. No need for either religion or atheism or any other stance cause everything would be known right then and there.

So yes, an event that would force Enlightenment on everyone ....which is basically just seeing reality without and filters of ego/division/separation/illusion

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder
...and how come the number of religious people has dropped so much then?

Maybe they have all been reading the posts on ATS about the real agenda behind religion:

All false religions were created by the Illuminati to enslave and brainwash society. In essence, religion was the first form of mind control.

Religion is a major tool of the Illuminati agenda

reply to post by Murgatroid


No I mean if the number of atheists has only risen from 1 to 5 percent then how come the number of religious people has dropped so much? I'm guessing it must be people who are no longer religious but don't yet call themselves atheists... or something? I'm just asking why the numbers don't seem to add up.

reply to post by SpearMint


I totally agree with your last statement, if its organized by man its probably full of crap (concerning religion). I still believe their is a God or very intelligent creator. Looking at DNA makes me think its no accident.

Fact is, man is too weak on his own. He needs a spiritual philosophy to buttress his existential condition, otherwise, well, he'll succumb to his lowest passions and feelings of despondency.

The question ultimately is: spiritual atheism, ala Buddhism? Or a traditional theism??

reply to post by benrl


and that generation is soooooooo educated in areas of philosophy and theology. They are a true signal of cultural progression.... NOT!

well this is the best news i've heard in donkeys! Australia has always had a large melting pot of faiths so to speak, and christianity has been on the rapid decline since around the turn of the millenium here.

I personally am of an Anti-organised-religion view, whilst i don't mind what people think, i have a problem with them trying to force beliefs and celebrating in mass. FYI in a large gospel church with hundreds singing and carrying on, there is a massive relese of energy and secretion of hormones, and they can actually enter a "High" like state. (This is the opinion of one of my medical professionals and i'm inclined to agree with him)

I attempted to study religion in primary school out of curiosity, but every time i asked a question that the teacher couldn't answer they simply kicked me out of the class, and by the second term of school they actually requested to have me sent to the Athiest group.

to quote the dream theater song "in the name of god":
"Hundreds of believers, lured into our doomsday cults, all will perish in the name of god
self proclaimed messiah, led his servants to their death, 80 murderd in the name of god
40 sons and daughters, un-consenting plural wives, perversions in the name of god
underground religion, turning towards the main-stream light, blind devotion in the name of god
justifying violence, sighting from the holy book, teaching hatred in the name of god"

Love, light, and all that crap....

well this is the best news i've heard in donkeys! Australia has always had a large melting pot of faiths so to speak, and christianity has been on the rapid decline since around the turn of the millenium here.

I personally am of an Anti-organised-religion view, whilst i don't mind what people think, i have a problem with them trying to force beliefs and celebrating in mass. FYI in a large gospel church with hundreds singing and carrying on, there is a massive relese of energy and secretion of hormones, and they can actually enter a "High" like state. (This is the opinion of one of my medical professionals and i'm inclined to agree with him)

I attempted to study religion in primary school out of curiosity, but every time i asked a question that the teacher couldn't answer they simply kicked me out of the class, and by the second term of school they actually requested to have me sent to the Athiest group.

to quote the dream theater song "in the name of god":
"Hundreds of believers, lured into our doomsday cults, all will perish in the name of god
self proclaimed messiah, led his servants to their death, 80 murderd in the name of god
40 sons and daughters, un-consenting plural wives, perversions in the name of god
underground religion, turning towards the main-stream light, blind devotion in the name of god
justifying violence, sighting from the holy book, teaching hatred in the name of god"

Love, light, and all that crap....

reply to post by dontreally

Fact is, man is too weak on his own. He needs a spiritual philosophy to buttress his existential condition, otherwise, well, he'll succumb to his lowest passions and feelings of despondency.

You may be too weak on your own, but you don't speak for everyone else because not all people are the same as you. Not everyone needs a religious crutch to stand on. Stop placing everyone into the little box you have developed based on your own limited understanding of humane nature.

reply to post by SpearMint


You got my agreement on that. There is no way that anyone could convince me that there is no possibility of there being a god. I prefer to leave it open. I do think there is something structuring the universe that we perceive, it could possibly be referred to as god. I don't believe we look like it though. How could everyone be in god's image when we all look so different?

reply to post by ChaoticOrder

You may be too weak on your own, but you don't speak for everyone else because not all people are the same as you.

You simply haven't tasted the lows of life. Not just I, but EVERYONE is too weak on their own - they need something, some 'god' or transcendental referent to hold onto.

You may think - quite arrogantly - that you can stand on your own, proud of your power - but you can't. You simply cannot. You haven't tasted chaos, despite your name. Once you're brought low enough, oh, you will repent of your earlier presumptions. I find it hilarious that people could be so ignorant to think they're strong enough - but hey - as you said, were all different. That's true. But nobody is superman. Nobody can outrun the demons of obsessions, the unconscious rumblings of chaos within you, stifling all mental effort against it, until, lest you succumb to the dark powers, you beg for help, cry out from the core of your being for strength - but from whom?? Whom do you call to? God? Your self? Whatever term you use, you're speaking to a higher reality, a referent beyond you the individual. The non-self, the NOT YOU.

Man is disabled, which is why he needs the 'crutch' of God to help him walk.

reply to post by silent thunder


i disagree with you're statement that this is breaking news.

anywho.

good. I think our species has been hurt and held back enough by idiots who are afraid of the big white guy in the sky who watches them in the bedroom.

reply to post by dontreally

You simply haven't tasted the lows of life. Not just I, but EVERYONE is too weak on their own - they need something, some 'god' or transcendental referent to hold onto.

lol I love he fact that you think you can assume what I have experienced in my life and that my mind is too weak to handle any hardships and would be forced to latch onto some "transcendental referent". Once again you are making nothing but a bunch of assumptions based off of your limited understanding of human nature derived from your own nature and your own life experiences. Even when I am upon my death bed I will not let sadness or fear sway me to latch onto such beliefs. Simply because you can't imagine such a mentality or nature doesn't make it impossible. Your perspective is flawed.