Sand Dancer
Currently catless
I am curious if there is a site that shows how many atheists were former believers in one religion or another. It sounds interesting.
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Atheists' former religions
- Thread starter Sand Dancer
- Start date
dust1n
Zindīq
The atheist alliance have launched a campaign to get some numbers on the sorts of people worldwide who describe themselves as atheist. So far the sample group size is 69,798 and counting, with 64% describing themselves as atheist, with the second largest group preferring the term ‘Humanist’.
A whopping 34% are former Catholics, with a further 36% from other Christian denominations. The numbers also reveal that almost 60% have a University or College level education.
The recently published 2011 Office of National Statistics census, here in the UK, shows that the number of people describing themselves as Christian has fallen dramatically since the census of 2001, while the number of atheists has risen sharply from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011...
But perhaps the most surprising data from the on-going atheist alliance census, when broken down by region, is that of the 28,798 North Americans who responded as of 18th December 2012, the vast majority are former Christians over the age of 34 — suggesting that far from being a phenomena more to do with fashion trends and social pressures among the young and internet savvy, as detractors of the so-called new atheist movement are prone to suggest, the actual reason for the rise in people describing themselves as atheist could in-fact be more to do with the time it takes for doubting Christians to carefully unpick what they have been told all their life to believe, before eventually becoming comfortable with the realisation none of it is true in their more contemplative years.
https://howgoodisthat.wordpress.com...re-ex-christians-with-a-university-education/
http://www.atheistcensus.com/
A whopping 34% are former Catholics, with a further 36% from other Christian denominations. The numbers also reveal that almost 60% have a University or College level education.
The recently published 2011 Office of National Statistics census, here in the UK, shows that the number of people describing themselves as Christian has fallen dramatically since the census of 2001, while the number of atheists has risen sharply from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011...
But perhaps the most surprising data from the on-going atheist alliance census, when broken down by region, is that of the 28,798 North Americans who responded as of 18th December 2012, the vast majority are former Christians over the age of 34 — suggesting that far from being a phenomena more to do with fashion trends and social pressures among the young and internet savvy, as detractors of the so-called new atheist movement are prone to suggest, the actual reason for the rise in people describing themselves as atheist could in-fact be more to do with the time it takes for doubting Christians to carefully unpick what they have been told all their life to believe, before eventually becoming comfortable with the realisation none of it is true in their more contemplative years.
https://howgoodisthat.wordpress.com...re-ex-christians-with-a-university-education/
http://www.atheistcensus.com/
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
Thanks!
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
Wow, I am sure you have some interesting perspectives on things.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Not that Im aware of. If you want quick answers, you can add a poll to the post.
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I <sniff> feel so left out <sniff>.
I never had a religion.
I never had a religion.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
To answer your question.
Raised not believing
Fell into witchcraft at young age
Joined christian church younger 12
Left the church at 18
Went to Zen Buddhism
Joined the Catholic Church 7 years ago
Left 5 years ago
Went back to Buddhism (Nichiren) 3 years ago
Was iffy about the theology of both denomini.
Grandmother passed last year; went into learning about ancestors
Visited family and talked with them more, spirits as well as living (family believes real spirits always existed)
Went back into witchcraft practices and nature focused faith.
Mostly communicate with family spirits; life foundation. (Spiritualist)
Never believed in god/s
Im a Gypsy Soul (Although, not a religion, it describes me completely)
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MARCELLO
Transitioning from male to female
More over I am a gemini. Giving a decision is the hardest thing for me
MARCELLO
Transitioning from male to female
I have more or less the same story. Coming from a catholic origin but very atheist family,religion was never on the table in my childhood and in fact I was scared to stay in a church,if I had to visit ,icons feared me a lot. But since 15 I always questioned religions. I am 40 now and back to faith. Of course I am still very very secularist.
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
You sound like a renaissance woman. Fun!!
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
More over I am a gemini. Giving a decision is the hardest thing for me
Tell me about it. I'm a Libra.
MARCELLO
Transitioning from male to female
Whenever I give a decision I always hesitate it to be the wrong one ,though I hesitate to know what is the right one for me. There are 2 horses racing and riding at the same time in my mind. One of the horses tell me go left while the next tells me go right. If I buy the black shoes, the next horse always eats my brain that why I did not take the brown one. Nowadays these horses are trying me on religion and there are not 2 but many.Tell me about it. I'm a Libra.
Rick O'Shez
Irishman bouncing off walls
I'm a Libra.
I'm one of those too, but I can't decide whether it means anything.
Not sure I understand what you mean?
Was raised loosely Church of England, but I don't remember ever actually being a 'believer'.
Still, I was quite young when I started attending Church, so I would assume I was initially accepting and questioned later. But as far back as I can remember, God made no sense to me, regardless of my Church attendance, or ability to recite memorized prayers, etc.
Still, I was quite young when I started attending Church, so I would assume I was initially accepting and questioned later. But as far back as I can remember, God made no sense to me, regardless of my Church attendance, or ability to recite memorized prayers, etc.
