Number of Protestant Americans Is in Steep Decline

[Cormac]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

It's a waffle, they are on the verge of saying they don't believe, but have yet to make that step. Same with "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian". More and more people are disowning the myths. Hell, I may yet live to see atheism made legal in the US.

[Cormac]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

It's a waffle, they are on the verge of saying they don't believe, but have yet to make that step. Same with "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian". More and more people are disowning the myths. Hell, I may yet live to see atheism made legal in the US.

Is there an emptier and more tragically comical statement than this: "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian"?



Do people actually say this?

(Oh and by the way, we get that "I'm not religious, but I am spiritual"shite here in Ireland too.

[Tero]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

Superstition. They think there has to be "something". I have heard this from hundreds of people. They also buy lottery tickets, a slightly more logical belief.

[klr]

They are also likely to be worried about what "others" think of them. Little do they realise that a lot of the "others" are thinking along the same lines as them.

[Ian]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

It's a waffle, they are on the verge of saying they don't believe, but have yet to make that step. Same with "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian". More and more people are disowning the myths. Hell, I may yet live to see atheism made legal in the US.

Is there an emptier and more tragically comical statement than this: "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian"?



Do people actually say this?

(Oh and by the way, we get that "I'm not religious, but I am spiritual"shite here in Ireland too.

The "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" line doesn't bother me much. It's kind of shite, but it's also serves as a harmless cop-out, a way of admitting that you're done with all the nonsense of the church without offending Grandma or anyone else who might be listening - including oneself. People at first don't like to admit that they've become heathens, so they figure they'll just be spiritual and accept that there are facts about the universe they will never know, while at the same time turning their back on the superstitious crap promulgated by preachers. It's basically a stop on the way to atheism, on a road that doesn't allow much room for turning around. I used to talk that way about twenty years ago.

[Cormac]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

Superstition. They think there has to be "something". I have heard this from hundreds of people. They also buy lottery tickets, a slightly more logical belief.

I buy lottery tickets - but in the full knowledge of the odds.

As the saying used to go "If you're not in, you can't win!".

But, meantime, I'm resigned to having to work for a living...

[Cormac]

It is a pity that they've only taken that first step. That whole "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" thing is something I find hard to understand. Why is it that the belief in the supernatural doesn't completely unravel when people abandon their church?

Ah well. Here's hoping.

It's a waffle, they are on the verge of saying they don't believe, but have yet to make that step. Same with "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian". More and more people are disowning the myths. Hell, I may yet live to see atheism made legal in the US.

Is there an emptier and more tragically comical statement than this: "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not a Christian"?



Do people actually say this?

(Oh and by the way, we get that "I'm not religious, but I am spiritual"shite here in Ireland too.

The "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" line doesn't bother me much. It's kind of shite, but it's also serves as a harmless cop-out, a way of admitting that you're done with all the nonsense of the church without offending Grandma or anyone else who might be listening - including oneself. People at first don't like to admit that they've become heathens, so they figure they'll just be spiritual and accept that there are facts about the universe they will never know, while at the same time turning their back on the superstitious crap promulgated by preachers. It's basically a stop on the way to atheism, on a road that doesn't allow much room for turning around. I used to talk that way about twenty years ago.

I think it is a stop at a fork in the road. One way is to atheism, the other way is to magical crystals, magnets, fairies, angels, and all that shite.

(I'm glad you took the right road!).

[amused]

When I don't know much about the other person or group, I say I'm agnostic and wait to see how they respond. A lot of people don't really know what that means, so it's usually an awkward silence before moving on to another topic. For those who do know what agnostic means, it's a more gentle way of letting them know that their beliefs may run into rough treatment if they push it.

[Kristie]

The Southern Baptists shall rise again!

At least I was never a member of your religion, if you even had one.

Um, no. And I'm not from the south. I just wanted to use that smiley.

I like this one

Dunno what the FIO stands for tho.

Figure It Out yet?

[SteveB]

I already knew.

I was just being a tease.

[Kristie]

I already knew.

I was just being a tease.

I know, I told you a while ago!

[hiyymer]

I once was talking to an acquaintance, a geologist who had lived all over the world, and the subject of Ethiopia came up. He had been there for six months or so working on a resource assessment for the UN or something. Without any prompting from my part he observed that Ethiopia was the most religious country he had ever encountered. The statistics bear him out. It is also the poorest country in the world. As western ascendancy reaches its zenith, I would say that the trend away from religious participation in the west has probably run its course. I am not saying we are going back to the bad old days, for certainly the advent of mass communication and urbanization has changed the ball game. But rationalism and anti-religious sentiment have generally been, in the past, artifacts of affluence and personal security. The secularization of Europe, I would also opine, is somewhat misleading. Basically the state churches were stripped of their secular power, but still enjoyed monopoly restrictions. As those restrictions are being lifted, evangelists are starting to make some inroads and that trend will probably pick up steam. The myth of rational enlightenment only gets one so far.