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Forums - General - Atheists on the rise in America

FinalEvangelion on 09 July 2010

I am very much on the border between agnosticism and athiesm.  If someone could prove to me that there is a god that is influencing day to day life, I'm on board.  Overwhelming evidence has shown that this is not the case for me.

I agree with the OP.  The words that Jesus said in the Bible are good ones to live by.  I don't think you have to believe in the virgin birth, bodily ressurection, and that he is really the son of god to realize that, though.  IMO, the institution of religion in general has caused more harm than good in the world with all the violence and killing associated with it.



"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY COUNTRY."  --Hermann Goering, leading Nazi party member, at the Nuremberg War Crime Trials 

 

Conservatives:  Pushing for a small enough government to be a guest in your living room, or even better - your uterus.

 

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FootballFan on 09 July 2010
sapphi_snake said:
FootballFan said:
 

Erm. There must be something... As I am a "Christian" is allows me to go to the school I am at.

FootballFan said:

Where is live all the "cool" kids go to church every sunday.

No disrespect man, but if that's the kind of grammar they teach you at that school, maybe you should change schools.

oops...seriously, I'm suppose to be good at English! :-/



sapphi_snake on 09 July 2010
FootballFan said:
sapphi_snake said:
FootballFan said:
 

Erm. There must be something... As I am a "Christian" is allows me to go to the school I am at.

FootballFan said:

Where is live all the "cool" kids go to church every sunday.

No disrespect man, but if that's the kind of grammar they teach you at that school, maybe you should change schools.

oops...seriously, I'm suppose to be good at English! :-/


Maybe you are... in a weird postmodern kind of way



"I don't understand how someone could like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but not like Twilight!!!"

"Last book I read was Brokeback Mountain, I just don't have the patience for them unless it's softcore porn."

                                                                               (The Voice of a Generation and Seece)

"If you cant stand the sound of your own voice than dont become a singer !!!!!"

                                                                               (pizzahut451)

alekth on 09 July 2010

I did have a certificate of baptism. A catholic one though, lost it at some point.
I was actually thinking of officially leaving the church, mostly because in Germany you pay some tax to the Catholic church. In the end though I just put "no religion" on all forms and they haven't come to claim their tax yet (but apparently can deny me services, which i'm not seeking anyway).

I think almost all my friends are technically christian but none are really religious. Most of them want to get married/have married in a church though.



sapphi_snake on 09 July 2010
alekth said:

I did have a certificate of baptism. A catholic one though, lost it at some point.
I was actually thinking of officially leaving the church, mostly because in Germany you pay some tax to the Catholic church. In the end though I just put "no religion" on all forms and they haven't come to claim their tax yet (but apparently can deny me services, which i'm not seeking anyway).

I think almost all my friends are technically christian but none are really religious. Most of them want to get married/have married in a church though.


So paying that tax is not mandatory if you're not a christian? And to what church does that money go to in your country?



"I don't understand how someone could like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but not like Twilight!!!"

"Last book I read was Brokeback Mountain, I just don't have the patience for them unless it's softcore porn."

                                                                               (The Voice of a Generation and Seece)

"If you cant stand the sound of your own voice than dont become a singer !!!!!"

                                                                               (pizzahut451)

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alekth on 09 July 2010

You select the church it goes to, not everything is included, just the ones that collect their taxes through the state. It's not all christian either, think there were some jewish ones and probably more. Though pretty sure muslim is not there, they were trying to do it but never got organized or something along the lines.

The church is supposed to finance itself... so you don't pay a tax to a church if you're not in that church. It's something like 30% catholic, 30% protestant, 30% nothing (mainly from previously Eastern Germany), 10% other.
The state still spends regular tax money on some church-related things... some hospitals for sure, some schools, but not on a religious basis.



pizzahut451 on 09 July 2010
sapphi_snake said:
pizzahut451 said:

Meh, atheists still are (and always will be) a very small minority in the world. Theres always gonna be a lot more relgious people than atheist people, and that puts smile on my face :)


You are aware that there are countries in Europe, where atheist are actually the majority right?


not a single one, except Estonia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eurobarometer_poll.png



pizzahut451 on 09 July 2010
Seece said:

At least that's a TRUE number. We'll never get a true number on christians. A "christian" that hasn't been to church in years and does what the fuck they like, isn't christian IMO.

This is why they're worried


who says you have to got to church every week to be a ''real'' christian?



sapphi_snake on 09 July 2010
pizzahut451 said:
sapphi_snake said:
pizzahut451 said:

Meh, atheists still are (and always will be) a very small minority in the world. Theres always gonna be a lot more relgious people than atheist people, and that puts smile on my face :)


You are aware that there are countries in Europe, where atheist are actually the majority right?


not a single one, except Estonia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eurobarometer_poll.png

And the Czech Republic and Sweden (according to that Eurobarometer Poll). It's a start. Plus there are also a lot of countries on that Poll where agnostics outnumbered the religious. Also atheists and agnostics combined outnumbered the religious in 19  out of the 32 countries featured in that poll.



"I don't understand how someone could like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but not like Twilight!!!"

"Last book I read was Brokeback Mountain, I just don't have the patience for them unless it's softcore porn."

                                                                               (The Voice of a Generation and Seece)

"If you cant stand the sound of your own voice than dont become a singer !!!!!"

                                                                               (pizzahut451)

FootballFan on 09 July 2010
sapphi_snake said:
pizzahut451 said:
sapphi_snake said:
pizzahut451 said:

Meh, atheists still are (and always will be) a very small minority in the world. Theres always gonna be a lot more relgious people than atheist people, and that puts smile on my face :)


You are aware that there are countries in Europe, where atheist are actually the majority right?


not a single one, except Estonia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eurobarometer_poll.png

And the Czech Republic and Sweden (according to that Eurobarometer Poll). It's a start. Plus there are also a lot of countries on that Poll where agnostics outnumbered the religious. Also atheists and agnostics combined outnumbered the religious in 19  out of the 32 countries featured in that poll.

20 years ago nobody would believed the massive decline in Christianity in Europe.

It is incredible that such a drastic change can happen over a short period of time. Who knows, maybe there will be some other drastic switch in the next 20 years.