Religion STUDY: AMERICANS BECOMING LESS CHRISTIAN, MORE SECULAR

Doesn't look a thing like Jesus.

 

"whites are God's chosen people"

Ha! That makes him a real Christian? The whitest guy Jesus would have know was probably an Italian(Roman). I doubt he would have picked them to replaces the Jews as God's chosen people. Most of us white folk were still known as the pagans. Mine were probably praying with the Druids some where in a glen wishing the knew how to make something better than mead out of their barley malt.
Sly is really reaching.

 

Back to the original topic of the secularization of America. We tend to lump people together who don't fit in our personal groupings. But in most cases there is a spectrum, as with both the religious and the atheist. When I think about fewer religious people I tend to go straight towards the zealots, that wish to deny science, education and progress. However, the vast majority of the religious in America don't wish to deny others, they simply believe what they do about God and find a way to make that fit into the modern world. I really don't know if these masses, the ones who aren't so dogmatic, would be better off with or without religion. I know religion gives hope and community and provides a path towards acting kind with ones neighbors, and those are generally good things. Atheists also get lumped together, but in the vast majority are also caring community members who don't wish to stifle the religious freedoms of others.

I want fewer zealots who want religious teachings to be forced in society and who reject science. But I really don't care at all if people believe in God, Jesus, or pray for loved ones.

 

Further, for the non-zealots, the reasons you mention are exactly why they stay in their church/synagogue/mosque/temple etc. A sense of community and shared history, ethics - usually not the ones in the Bible with all the rape and murder! - place to meet, place to get support in times of need. I agree these are important. I just would like to see us find the sense of community beyond our "in group". Numerous studies have shown the more secular societies tend to be the better places to live - more equality, better education, better health, planned births - but cause/effect are murky. Are Danes happier than Somalis because they are more secular? Are they more secular because they are happier? Or are there complex social and economic factors that make Danes both happier and more secular than Somalis? Probably door #3. And the pastries, of course!

I also don't care what people believe; I care if they expect me to follow their beliefs or want their beliefs written into secular law.

But even among those believers who consider themselves "enlightened" there can be blind spots about their own faith. Two weeks ago there was a family Bat Mitzvah, and somehow the subject of Tay Sachs came up. My believing relatives argued there must be some "meaning" in a genetic defect that causes children to die in agony by age 2, maybe to teach compassion? My nephew said that seemed awfully selfish, an innocent person should suffer so another could be compassionate. In fact from my atheist position there is no "meaning" in Tay Sachs at all. It's a genetic mutation, no "moral" to it, and would have died out had being ghettoized and stigmatized not resulted in in-breeding among Jews, marrying cousins or nieces because there were no unrelated people of their age. Pure crap luck.

Being a family of Jews, naturally, we had a knock-down drag-out screaming argument for 2 hours.

 

Do you suggest these marriages should not be permitted?

 

Very good sir. What are you studying now?

 

No, I am not saying "these marriages should not be permitted". I did not say that. Can you read? I said that intermarriage kept going a mutation that might otherwise have died out. I blamed persecution and isolation, not individuals with limited choices. Good luck trying to get me to condemn other's marriages like you do.

 

Sigh.[/QUOTE]

Ha! Well done, stubborn to the end! I imagine you do know that most states do not permits first cousins or siblings to marry. It follows you would be against any law that is prohibits people from executing unwise choices that could result in a burden to society.

 

That tree remindes me of where I used to have a ranch, near Elgin Oregon. The area was settle by Dutch farmers around a 150 years ago.
One family in particular was very wide spread, Risedom. There must be over hundred of them in the phone book, most married to another Dutch desendent and many to another Risedom.