7.5 Million Americans Lost Their Religion in the Past Two Years

[Bunyip]

As I see it there is a cliff effect coming here. A century ago in Australia, most people identified as Christian and went to Church. Today only 3% or so attend Church, but most still identify as Christian when asked to tick a box on the census for example. What we see in the statistics is only the tip of the iceberg - those who are no longer identifying as Christian. I believe that a high proportion of those not attending Church, but who identify as Christian because of family tradition, habit and so on have already abandoned their faith. It would be interesting to poll non-Church going Christians to uncover what proportion still have faith, and which proportion are Christian in name only.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Today only 3% or so attend Church, but most still identify as Christian when asked to tick a box on the census for example.

Dude!!! I so wanna go to Australia now. Here in rural, RURAL (this cannot be emphasised enough because there are more acres of farm land than anything else) Indiana I live within walking distance of three churches, and a short drive away from at least ten. As you go into one town nearby there are three or four churches right next to each other, and a ton of them once you actually get into town (20-something was the count I heard about 10 years ago, a number to only be out done by the number of bars in town). Here not just being a Christian but actual church affiliation tends to play way too important of a role.

 

[Bunyip]

Dude!!! I so wanna go to Australia now. Here in rural, RURAL (this cannot be emphasised enough because there are more acres of farm land than anything else) Indiana I live within walking distance of three churches, and a short drive away from at least ten. As you go into one town nearby there are three or four churches right next to each other, and a ton of them once you actually get into town (20-something was the count I heard about 10 years ago, a number to only be out done by the number of bars in town). Here not just being a Christian but actual church affiliation tends to play way too important of a role.

In Australia whether you are an atheist or a believer may never even come up in conversation.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

In Australia whether you are an atheist or a believer may never even come up in conversation.

How much does a one-way plane ticket cost and what are the job prospectives for someone with a bachelors in general studies with strong emphasis on English writing? Where I live it's pretty much assumed you are a believer, and if you don't believe you may end up scaring people.
I don't know if I'd know what to do with myself if other people really didn't care either way about my religious views.

 

[Bunyip]

How much does a one-way plane ticket cost and what are the job prospectives for someone with a bachelors in general studies with strong emphasis on English writing? Where I live it's pretty much assumed you are a believer, and if you don't believe you may end up scaring people.
I don't know if I'd know what to do with myself if other people really didn't care either way about my religious views.

Flights are cheap, I'll even buy you yer first beer. Job prospects would be very good.


My front yard .....

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Flights are cheap, I'll even buy you yer first beer. Job prospects would be very good.


My front yard .....

View attachment 8614

It almost kinda looks like where I live before the ******* farmers tore the trees down. With that well post (or at least here that's what the white PVC pole indicates) it almost seems like that picture could have been taken here about 20 years ago.
Really though I don't care where I end up just as long as there aren't outrageous hoops to jump through for medical care and people aren't so economically and socially conservative. I've suffered for far too long through both to find an area with either on to be desirable. Even the harsh cold of Scandinavian countries, which would no doubt cause a lot of pain for me knee, would be better than being stuck in an area where non-believe in the Abrahamic god and non-theism is generally associated with devil-worship.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

And opportunities for a career that doesn't involve customer service or factory or warehouse work is also highly desirable. In just two years enrolled at a university I have learned of far more career choices than I ever realized possible than the rest of my entire life where "real work" (meaning hard labor) is the measuring stick of character and all that other stuff is just dreams that need to pushed aside so you can make a "real" living from this "real work."

 

[Bunyip]

It almost kinda looks like where I live before the ******* farmers tore the trees down. With that well post (or at least here that's what the white PVC pole indicates) it almost seems like that picture could have been taken here about 20 years ago.
Really though I don't care where I end up just as long as there aren't outrageous hoops to jump through for medical care and people aren't so economically and socially conservative. I've suffered for far too long through both to find an area with either on to be desirable. Even the harsh cold of Scandinavian countries, which would no doubt cause a lot of pain for me knee, would be better than being stuck in an area where non-believe in the Abrahamic god and non-theism is generally associated with devil-worship.

You're a country girl fer sure. You would love Northern New South Wales I think. I lived there long ago. Don't forget though that it is the conservative areas that need people like you the most.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

You're a country girl fer sure. You would love Northern New South Wales I think. I lived there long ago. Don't forget though that it is the conservative areas that need people like you the most.

The state I live in, Indiana, it gives more to corporate wellfare than the other 49 states, homosexuals are only allowed to wed because the Supreme Court struck down the state's laws prohibiting it, Right-to-work was ran through the state senate despite massive protests outside of the state building, state lawmakers are trying to work Creationism into the school curriculum, and the state has tried to assume the guilt of those applying for welfare by requiring drug screenings. Actually I have come to learn over the past couple of months that it is a trend for Indiana college grads to leave to state once they graduate, and the lack of opportunities, save for smoking meth, farming, or working at an auto-factory or some warehous is probably the main and primary reason for this. I really actually do wish I could stay here, but unless I author a novel that lands me a million dollar contract that is just not an option unless I want to keep bouncing from one job to another that I hate because my skills and talents are going to waste and I want to reach through the window or across the counter and strangle someone.
But if you want to pitch me a tent out those woods, I'll happily live there until I can afford something else. Assuming I ever even decide to come out of those woods that is.

 

[Bunyip]

The state I live in, Indiana, it gives more to corporate wellfare than the other 49 states, homosexuals are only allowed to wed because the Supreme Court struck down the state's laws prohibiting it, Right-to-work was ran through the state senate despite massive protests outside of the state building, state lawmakers are trying to work Creationism into the school curriculum, and the state has tried to assume the guilt of those applying for welfare by requiring drug screenings. Actually I have come to learn over the past couple of months that it is a trend for Indiana college grads to leave to state once they graduate, and the lack of opportunities, save for smoking meth, farming, or working at an auto-factory or some warehous is probably the main and primary reason for this. I really actually do wish I could stay here, but unless I author a novel that lands me a million dollar contract that is just not an option unless I want to keep bouncing from one job to another that I hate because my skills and talents are going to waste and I want to reach through the window or across the counter and strangle someone.
But if you want to pitch me a tent out those woods, I'll happily live there until I can afford something else. Assuming I ever even decide to come out of those woods that is.

Done!

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Done!

What kind of animals live in those woods? Here it would be a diet of berries, squirells, rabbits, raccoons, and ground hogs, but I don't know if kangaroos hop through the woods or not. Dingos maybe? Are there any streams nearby? I can feed myself from fishing until I figure out what sort of odd creatures inhabit that part of the world and learn how to hunt kuala bears, maybe. Does Australia have deer?

 

[Bunyip]

What kind of animals live in those woods? Here it would be a diet of berries, squirells, rabbits, raccoons, and ground hogs, but I don't know if kangaroos hop through the woods or not. Dingos maybe? Are there any streams nearby? I can feed myself from fishing until I figure out what sort of odd creatures inhabit that part of the world and learn how to hunt kuala bears, maybe. Does Australia have deer?

Well just this week I had kangaroos, emus, wallabies, rabbits, foxes and pigs on the lawn. Creeks are full of yabbies (crays), bush is full of snakes, lizards, goannas and the occasional bunyip. There is also 500 acres of peaches. My son and I bowhunt for rabbits. Rabbits raised on peaches -mmmmmmm. Deer are rare here in the west, but I have a friend who raises elk. In the east there are plenty of deer.

 

[Eliab ben Benjamin]

It's not lost. It was stolen. There's a leprechaun with a big pot o' religion at the end of a rainbow somewhere. I would have the CIA start in Ireland, if these things were up to me.

Nah, sorry to disagree but i believe the actual theft was the fairies at the bottom of the garden,
they delivered it somewhere over the rainbow ,,,, and i think the leprechaun just gets a cut ...

 

[Cephus]

As I see it there is a cliff effect coming here. A century ago in Australia, most people identified as Christian and went to Church. Today only 3% or so attend Church, but most still identify as Christian when asked to tick a box on the census for example. What we see in the statistics is only the tip of the iceberg - those who are no longer identifying as Christian. I believe that a high proportion of those not attending Church, but who identify as Christian because of family tradition, habit and so on have already abandoned their faith. It would be interesting to poll non-Church going Christians to uncover what proportion still have faith, and which proportion are Christian in name only.

I would argue that most are Christian in name only. The same goes for a lot of so-called Christians in the U.S. They're what I call "social Christians", they claim to believe because they think it makes them look good to the neighbors.

 

[Bunyip]

I would argue that most are Christian in name only. The same goes for a lot of so-called Christians in the U.S. They're what I call "social Christians", they claim to believe because they think it makes them look good to the neighbors.

Yes, I agree. I would think it accounts for 90% of people who identify as Christian.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I would argue that most are Christian in name only. The same goes for a lot of so-called Christians in the U.S. They're what I call "social Christians", they claim to believe because they think it makes them look good to the neighbors.

Just for the neighbors? Honestly that's ridiculous.

 

[Bunyip]

Just for the neighbors? Honestly that's ridiculous.

Not really. Especially when you could get ostracised. Or your kids could be bullied.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Not really. Especially when you could get ostracised. Or your kids could be bullied.

Mmm. That's bad. 90% though? I think that's a little bit too high a number.

 

[Bunyip]

Mmm. That's bad. 90% though? I think that's a little bit too high a number.

It would be fascinating to find out.

 

[Mindmaster]

Religion is dying because it fails to meet the fundamental needs of humanity, and if that is the case rightly so. Lack of religion doesn't indicate a lack of spirituality just rejection of traditional dogma - dogmas which are teaching divisiveness, and relying predominately on history to legitimize themselves cannot live in a modern world. And what happens when technology allows us to be effectively immortal? What good will rewards in the afterlife be then? It is my opinion that if your spiritual path cannot weather that notion it will not stand the test of time and cannot be ultimately true -- might as well get off the bandwagon wasting your time right now.

Thus there are more atheists, anti-theists, agnostics, pagans, occultists (secular), and whatnot than ever. These paths all focus on immediate rewards and co-exist with a society which increasingly becoming more tolerant due to the proliferation of knowledge via the Internet. We know more about people that come from different cultures than ever before and that has _a lot_ to do with the decline of religious membership as well. People are exposed to different approaches and philosophies more than ever. =)