roadrunner Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 The topic title is controversial and could easily be misconstrued. But consider.... When i was a xian, we used to think that we were on a mission but we saw progress and took comfort in the progress we had made. Now that the tables have turned and Im not a believer, I find myself doing the same wishful thinking. "Everybody is catching on" "We are the beginning of a new movement" "Soon all this non-sense will be a thing of the past" The phrases sound all too familiar. Im still applying them but Im on the other side of the argument. Another thing. Since losing faith, I find myself following a "CODE". this code requires you NOT to evangelize but point people in the right direction (maybe its leftover bitterness form being indoctrinated so I refuse to force my belief on anyone). With this mindset how can the idea of freethought outgrow xianity who stands and pickets, openly discriminates, and do all kinds of nonsense on the basis that "god likes it this way". Truly "in your face, whether you like it or not". Has anybody else though about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I am an atheist. But I am not on a quest to change the world. Nor was I when I was a Christian. I have a business to run and bills to pay, so that's where most of my energy is going at the moment. The world is always evolving, so even if you change it it's just going to change again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 i flip between tolerance and hate for religion and this is a hate night 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Babylonian Dream Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Wishful thinking would sure brighten my day, but I'm quite the cynic. My life hasn't been the best so far. Guess I'm not in a situation that creates wishful thinking. I'm an atheist. Though my life is improving. People are wishful thinkers sometimes, and sometimes they aren't. I wasn't much different as a theist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 In all reality we are in the verge of a new movement because of the internet, i dont think its just wishful thinking because we actually have empirical evidence to support that atheism and agnosticism is growing far faster than anything else. We are growing at the same speed as Christianity did in the first and second century AD. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Babylonian Dream Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 In all reality we are in the verge of a new movement because of the internet, i dont think its just wishful thinking because we actually have empirical evidence to support that atheism and agnosticism is growing far faster than anything else. We are growing at the same speed as Christianity did in the first and second century AD. Well in that sector I'd have to agree with you. Especially since before the internet, the trend was in the opposite direction. Knowledge and information is readily available to everyone, and people are able to communicate more freely than ever before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 In all reality we are in the verge of a new movement because of the internet, i dont think its just wishful thinking because we actually have empirical evidence to support that atheism and agnosticism is growing far faster than anything else. We are growing at the same speed as Christianity did in the first and second century AD. We're blowing those bastards out of the water at rate of speed. I don't have the numbers, but I just *know* it. I can * feel * it. I have FAITH. AND FAITH IS EVIDENCE. OF THONGS UNSEEN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 In all reality we are in the verge of a new movement because of the internet, i dont think its just wishful thinking because we actually have empirical evidence to support that atheism and agnosticism is growing far faster than anything else. We are growing at the same speed as Christianity did in the first and second century AD. We're blowing those bastards out of the water at rate of speed. I don't have the numbers, but I just *know* it. I can * feel * it. I have FAITH. AND FAITH IS EVIDENCE. OF THONGS UNSEEN. Kaiser is unhappy at "thongs" unseen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 In all reality we are in the verge of a new movement because of the internet, i dont think its just wishful thinking because we actually have empirical evidence to support that atheism and agnosticism is growing far faster than anything else. We are growing at the same speed as Christianity did in the first and second century AD. We're blowing those bastards out of the water at rate of speed. I don't have the numbers, but I just *know* it. I can * feel * it. I have FAITH. AND FAITH IS EVIDENCE. OF THONGS UNSEEN. Kaiser is unhappy at "thongs" unseen. Good night my fellow arkansian. May the holy razorback grant you peace and prosperity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 In all reality we are in the verge of a new movement because of the internet, i dont think its just wishful thinking because we actually have empirical evidence to support that atheism and agnosticism is growing far faster than anything else. We are growing at the same speed as Christianity did in the first and second century AD. We're blowing those bastards out of the water at rate of speed. I don't have the numbers, but I just *know* it. I can * feel * it. I have FAITH. AND FAITH IS EVIDENCE. OF THONGS UNSEEN. Kaiser is unhappy at "thongs" unseen. Good night my fellow arkansian. May the holy razorback grant you peace and prosperity. And to you my son, may the pork be with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Babylonian Dream Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Piepiece be upon you my brother from another mother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Oh my goodness, I didn't realize I wandered into the comedy section at Ex-C. You all crack me up. 1000 points for everyone and their camel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Atheism becoming the flavor of the generation may well be happening, but I don't think for a second that any religion will die out of human culture. The wishful thinking would be the dominionist type thinking that Christians certainly do indulge in - that any one belief/non-belief will rule every mind and heart. Just remember, some people consider worship in the old pagan gods to be dead, and they're all kinds of wrong. I intimately know how wrong they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingLife Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 America seems to be the only place where teh woo is strong. Here it has taken very much a back seat as they no longer get to spew their crap on national TV and radio. The demographic of attendees is folk older than 55 mostly. 1994 was our defining moment in time and since then interest in religion has dwindled. It is now pretty much like what I grew up with in Zimbabwe where it is a persona thing and not influencing politics. For the US, Jan 1 2013 maybe your defining moment when the tards realise teh wurlde is not going to end and jeebus is not coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thought2Much Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I don't know about atheists in general, but I think I tend to take a realistic view of things. While atheism or non-belief seems to be on the upswing in the U.S., does that mean that Christianity is going away anytime soon? No. Can the internet help get more information to more people to help them make rational decisions? Yes. Will I see the fall (or at least a decline) of the power of the "religious right" in my lifetime? I don't know; they came to their current position of power during my lifetime, so it's quite likely I'll live long enough to see them lose a lot of their influence. Hopefully demographics is working against them, as it seems that most of the people speaking for the religious right these days are older, and I hope enough young people see them as hateful dinosaurs in need of going extinct. So I would conclude by saying I'm cautiously optimistic, but I'm not under any illusions that things are changing for the better overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 America seems to be the only place where teh woo is strong. Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenerGal Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I think there is a movement, and it's been in motion for some time and we are just opening our eyes to it as recent deconverts. I even saw the nontheist movement as a Christian, because my husband and I were one of the only couples under the age of 30 I knew who went to church. I read a statistic that said gen y-ers are on average leaving the church for good by 29, and I am 28. I think there is validity to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted June 30, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted June 30, 2012 ...how can the idea of freethought outgrow xianity... Atheism is nothing more than finding no reason to believe in gods. It's not a cause or movement with an agenda. It is simply a state of non-belief. That said, there are those few who would actively fight religion, but I think they just cause theists to dig in deeper. Regardless, non-belief is growing, and that's a good trend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 No-one has a crystal ball. However, that being said, I think a lot of religious values are very much influenced by culture, and as each new generation emerges into adulthood, the culture of the previous generations dies off. For many of our great-grandparents generation, church was a part of life all through life. But the last century has seen many rapid changes. And not just the internet, either; that's just one of many. The feminist movement has had an impact on religion and the religious values of many. Science, of course. Better medical services, and understandings of disease and how it spreads. We have less reasons to appeal to a god now. When we are sick, we don't pray, we see the doctor. We don't see a witch doctor for potions to make us feel better, we see a pharmacist and fill out a script. We no longer think the gods are causing thunder and lighting; we understand basic stuff about what causes weather conditions. We don't assume if we make sacrifices to a deity that we will fall pregnant; we discuss issues like that with a gynaecologist. Of course every nation is at a different pace with these changes. The fact is though, on the whole, and in many countries, people are turning less and less to deities for their issues. The less we need deities, the less relevant they become. One day they probably will fizzle out. I just hope that they aren't replaced by pseudo-science or something lol. Edited to correct spelling; kept spelling deity wrong. D'oh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Anything that's a trend in America is a fad. Americans love them a good fad. If you look closely, there's probably even a marketing firm behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atkegar Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Actually, when it comes to non-belief, the US is behind most of the western world. But it in the US, the traditional mainline Protestant Churches have been in decline in membership for over 40 years, and are now mostly in sharp decline. Younger folks are not in Church anymore. We know now the the SBC is in decline, and I think in time that AOG and non-denominational Churhes will be in decline. As part of it, there are more atheists, but I think it is more related to the decline of Christianity than the other way around. I know that I do not expect to die as an active Church goer. I decided this before I determined that I am an atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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