A Little Help - The Decline of Religiosity in the United States

[TheLonelySkeptic]

So I'm writing an expository piece on the decline of Religiosity in the United States among people twenty-five and younger. I was wondering if any of you had anything to add to my reasoning. What are some of the key things in society that are leading to a more secular culture?

 

[stella]

i did an essay like this when i was in school. Can't remember what i wrote now though.

 

[MiKeY]

What about the rise in traumatic events in society? Many people lose their faith when they see things crumbling around them, and they don't feel the presence of an intervening diety.

 

[Nyktimos]

What about the rise in traumatic events in society? Many people lose their faith when they see things crumbling around them, and they don't feel the presence of an intervening diety.

Although the increasing propagation of information through technology may play a part in that. People are subjected to images of terrible events around the world about which they would have known much less in previous times. They are also subjected to a view of the world in which many religious views are held, weakening the probability that they will resign themselves to one faith. Because faith requires that resignation, people become more secular.

We also have more options in our world today, meaning we don't want to be restricted by archaic religious beliefs. Many religions are associated (often erroneously) with fascist beliefs, and in a world where we have to be able to associate with other races, cultures and sexual preferences we don't want to have to deal with bigotry as well.

I'd like to think endless documentaries about physics, history, astronomy and evolution have also played a part in shaking the faith of the western world.

Good luck with your essay.

 

[Steel]

How about:

Religous Freedom
Multi-culturalism
The conflict between Science and Religion
Religous scandal

Probably in that order of importance.

 

[Unacceptance]

I blame the Devil.

 

[bookbinder]

What about the rise in traumatic events in society? Many people lose their faith when they see things crumbling around them, and they don't feel the presence of an intervening diety.

Although the increasing propagation of information through technology may play a part in that. People are subjected to images of terrible events around the world about which they would have known much less in previous times. They are also subjected to a view of the world in which many religious views are held, weakening the probability that they will resign themselves to one faith. Because faith requires that resignation, people become more secular.

I don't think this is necessarily true. When people see human interaction going to honeysuckle and chaos all around, very often they do turn to some sort of higher power and a stronger grasp of faith.

I think the key reason people 25 and younger are less religious has to do with education. Pedagogical methods are different; students are encouraged to question things; to examine honeysuckle from every perspective. More folks are going to college than ever before; this means more opportunities to get opinions beyond their parents' dinner table; to discover who they and how they feel about different ideas.

 

[Nyktimos]

I don't think this is necessarily true. When people see human interaction going to honeysuckle and chaos all around, very often they do turn to some sort of higher power and a stronger grasp of faith.

I think the key reason people 25 and younger are less religious has to do with education. Pedagogical methods are different; students are encouraged to question things; to examine honeysuckle from every perspective. More folks are going to college than ever before; this means more opportunities to get opinions beyond their parents' dinner table; to discover who they and how they feel about different ideas.

Good point! The rules of scientific reasoning have steadily made their way into all academic fields. And I think it is the insular environment of the family that produces most religious people.

 

[Papabear]

Religion has failed most people, and as we are becoming a more intelligent species we are understanding more and more of the flaws in believing in something for which we have absolutely no real proof.

 

[Nyktimos]

Religion has failed most people, and as we are becoming a more intelligent species we are understanding more and more of the flaws in believing in something for which we have absolutely no real proof.

I would like to think that is true, and it may be the case. But people allow other political loyalties to distort their vision the same way they do religion. I'm not convinced we are evolving away from the need for religion. I think we are simply finding more relevent things to place our faith in. After all, the laws of an inscrutable figure from thousands of years past make little sense in the modern world.

 

[Four_in_the_morning]

A sharp rise in public atheist discourse and an increase in its visibility. Recognition of the disadvantages of religious fundamentalism, separation between church and state.

Abandoning religious institutions for other forms of spirituality not affiliated with churchs, temples etc.

Education. Technology: Access to alternative information than what is formerly preached by their religious environment, therefore more opportunities to switch teams etc.

Disillusionment from political figures cashing in votes on the Christian agenda only to discover they certainly had alterior motives.

Arguing from the point of evolution, religion was a means to rationalize distant information that was unattainable at the time. It was a way for human beings to 'survive' by using stories to explain what was happening and why. It's almost a very old fashion way of being scientific, now that our brains are big enough and knowledgable enough religion is obsolete in our daily functions.

Or we need a new faith/religion that is relevant.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

Religion is not obsolete or in decline.

Try going to church or visit the verious churches avaliable in your community.
Millions upon millions still attend church and practice and worship their beliefs.
There's all kinds of religion and belief system in the USA. Whatever flavor you want.
Some religion or beliefs dons't belive in the concept of a Higher Power or GOD.

Just becuase some people dosn't belive in a HP/GOD/Divine intelligent say it dosn't exist dosn't
nessecary means it dosn't exist. Just becuase some people say it's obsolete dosn't mean it's obsolete.

It's freedom of religion or lack of religion. You don't need to defualt anyone or anything to belive what you
belive in. Do what works for you.

It all comes back to freedom and being able to make your own chioce. Religion teaches me that.
The USA Goverorment Reserved that as a right for everyone...or rather states the simple truth.
The core of religion...FREEWILL. Divine intelligent grant me FREEWILL.

It comes back to my self worth and self esteem..Am I going to belive in something or not belive in
other things just becuase someone saids so...

It's simple...Just becuase you don't think chicks with big ass titays turns you on...dosn't mean it dosn't
trun millions of other people on...lmao

To not belief is a belief or a religion in itself.
Science is a religion in itself.
Atheist is a belief system or religion in itself.

Science still don't have all the answers nor know all and be all...

FFS...man havn't stepped a foot on Jupitor. Sceince of have yet to figure that honeysuckle out.
Measuring the spectrum of light to determind what the fresia Jupitor is actaully made of is totally inconclusive.

Sceince simply term honeysuckle an anomalies for things they can't fucken figure out. Bascailly throw honeysuckle out the window
for things that dosn't fit nicely into thier theroy or quations.

Eienstein had plenty of theories and quations that conflicts with one another.
Eienstein himself belives in a Higher power or devine intelligents.
As intelligent as Entien was ..he knew he didn't have all the answers.
He used that same power of imaginations to come up with his theroies.
Eienstien nevered step a foot off of planet earth..so how in the fresia would he know or have seen from his own eyes
what the universe is? He used math to tried to explained what was in his imaginations/awareness/consiousness.

That's why the term DISCOVERY is use when man discover something.
It has always been there. Man discovered it or became intelligent to be aware or awaken to it.
Such as Fire...lmao
As man evolved in his intelligents or higher consiousness. Man learned how to harness the power
of fire or energy to use for his purpose.

Everything man uncovers a fossile that man has seen before...Man rewrites history..Errr wtf ?

Science and religion are still both openminded

Mankind or man is still Evolving.

FREEWILL...it's been reserved. Use it , apply it.

 

[Qui]

Well, science and technology are doing things that, from a religious standpoint, shouldn't be possible. Science is disproving some of the cornerstones of religion. Not that this is new, it's just happening more and the information is far more readilly available. For example, where religion may say that god created everything, Miller-Urey's experiment on the formation of organic compounds from inorganic materials proved that in an environment similar to that of early earth the most basic components of organic life could spontaneously occur. When faced with that, religion definitely loses legitimacy.

 

[spuzzwink]

Ironically the decline of mainstream religion is arguably due to one of the theist's main refutations: evolution!
This is an excellent resource.