LINK The Number of Americans with No Religious Affiliation Is Rising - Scientific American
Even among atheists and agnostics, belief in things usually associated with religious faith can worm its way through fissures in the materialist dam. A 2014 survey conducted by the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture on 15,738 Americans, for example, found that of the 13.2 percent who called themselves atheist or agnostic, 32 percent answered in the affirmative to the question “Do you think there is life, or some sort of conscious existence, after death?” Huh? Even more in-congruent, 6 percent of these atheists and agnostics also said that they believed in the bodily resurrection of the dead. You know, like Jesus.
What's going on here? The surveys didn't ask, but I strongly suspect a lot of these nonbelievers adopt either New Age notions of the continuation of consciousness without brains via some kind of “morphic resonance” or quantum field (or some such) or are holding out hope that science will soon master cloning, cryonics, mind uploading or the transhumanist ability to morph us into cyber-human hybrids.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I submit we are not the biggest baddest smartest critters in the universe, just by analogy to not being in the center of the solar system, nor our sun the center of the galaxy or universe.
There May be bigger, badder ‘evolveder ‘ critters in the universe, they will be interesting , and may have messed with us in the past.that doesn’t make them worship-worthy, nor will they be likely to hear - or care about- prayer...
Therein may lie how some people are hedging their bets in their answers, a-d doesn’t cover everything...
Edgeward
Level 6
May 13, 2018
1
There is a large gulf between agnostics and atheists. Agnostics could allow for all those spooky things, but remain presently unpersuaded. It’s shoddy to mix agnostics and atheists into the same category.
ArturoS
Level 6
Apr 23, 2018
3
I disagree, I think they're essentially the same thing, and in the very same category. The category I speak of is NON BELIEVERS. An agnostic doesn't have a belief in a god, therefore an agnostic is also an atheist. On the other hand an atheist is in the same boat as an agnostic, in that they don't 'know' if there is god or not.
I'm an agnostic atheist and also an anti-theist.
Why create a gulf Arturo, when there really isn't one?
I'm an agnostic atheist!
Back in 2005, there was an urgent call by some religious organizations to get more members because attendance nationwide was at 17.7% (https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html). That was in 2005, so now it's even lower. Ironically, the religious types tend to lie about their attendance, especially when asked face-to-face. Add another hypocrisy notch to their belt.
dokala
Level 7
Apr 19, 2018
2
The Christians organized the "Moral Majority" and as a voting bloc achieved great political power. The "Nones" need to organize and start being a power bloc. First on the agenda is to start having churches pay property taxes and eliminate the income deduction for money donated to a church.
nicknotes
Level 8
Apr 16, 2018
3
Taxing churches is a nice idea and it should be repeated on occasion, but it is a non-starter. Only a few televangelist churches have any money worth taxing.
Organizing the None's is a much better idea. I believe a majority do recoil at the hypocrisy of the Evangelicals for supporting the wholly degenerate, wholly unrepentant Trump. The Nones have a Golden Opportunity to seize the moral high ground by listing and embracing DOABLE political objectives that are described by social justice.
Another arena to recruit the middle is to focus on the necessity of holding those with power to a higher standard, which does turn the current moral landscape on its head. The #metoo shaming is a good start and an excellent formula. Shaming and ostracizing the corrupt using social media and financial leverage are effective tools, but surely more are available?
@nicknotes I would just be happy with the Pastor across the street with his 7 cars and trucks would get eliminated, and his business on the side of selling scrap metal too.
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