The British Social Attitudes survey of religious belief in Britain shows the decline in Christianity generally and Anglicanism in particular continuing. But what it does not show is any concommitant rise in atheism. “Religious decline in Britain is generational” say the authors, David Voas and Rodney Ling:
“the gap between age groups arises not because individuals become more religiously committed as they get older, but because children are less religious than their parents. The results suggest that institutional religion in Britain now has a half-life of one generation, to borrow the terminology of radioactive decay. Two non-religious parents successfully transmit their lack of religion. Two religious parents have roughly a 50/50 chance of passing on the faith. One religious parent does only half as well as two together.”
Guardian (thanks, Tiram)
I am sure that is buddy christ (dogma). Well I’m still deciding on whether to tell my little one santa is made up and doesn’t exist. He is basically the same as god in that way. My mum was bought up in the church way but as soon as her ten year old questions couldn’t be answered by a man in his forties she changed her ways. Saying that she is a member of the WI and unfortunately attends church for “social networking” rather than praising baby jesus. My dad is more of an atheist. I couldnt give a hoot as in my mind it’s all rubbish. I shall be telling my child that but I must live with the consequences if she turns to scientology or which ever faith.
then I must be a blip! I have a completely non religious family and yet have been a christian since i was very young! but then i’m just werid in every respect
‘A world without religion is a world without a prayer!’
This phrase fits most articles concerning religion.
Another bonus is that it pisses off angry people who don’t get the ambiguity!
Lillyringlet, you’re not the only blip – my parents are both non-religious as am I, but my brother went and found himself religion when he left home.
I see the logic of the article, however life experiences also have a great impact on a person’s religious nature i would say.
Funnily enough I woke this morning thinking that religion worked on a service-oriented version of the santa principle to control & protect people from the concept that death means death, not lots of harps and clouds (or eternal damnation in a Lanzarote climate if they don’t do what they are told).
Therefore, I thought, a certain ‘coming of age’ is required when unsubstantiated beliefs must be first questioned, then discarded if lacking validity; or at least accepted as unsubstantiated wish.
I still wholly believe in santa; but santa has changed from a person to a symbol. Religion fits the same place. But the purveyors of it are reduced to the level of Hollywood producers who have a vague idea of what they are involved in but an unrealistic concept of how it applies to people and a nasty habit of twisting it to ensure their own power.
When one person is delusional, its called insanity.
When many people are delusional its called religion.
Religious and spiritual are extremely different things… that is all I can say.
But unpredictable as humans are .. you never know what those youngsters in the future will seek for …. maybe not the same religions as we know now … but still .. sort of religion … it serves a purpose at times … not the god or such .. but something inside of theirselves ofcourse, as it always has done.
people dont object to god so much, they’re just sick & tired of his fan club!
luv the jesus picture, tho…hehe.
@ Jake
@ Lillyringlet
My mum is an atheist who comes from a Catholic family, and my dad is a believer who comes from an Evangelical family….and I’m a pagan. I think I’m a pretty impressive blip.
P.s. LOL, it’s the Jesus statue from Dogma!
Jung was right, religious/superstitious/magickal thinking is an evolutionary trait, a biological function which supported fitness. Religious thinking and the invention of morals, rituals, saints, and Gods is inherent and inescapable for functioning humans.
So, naturally the rates of religiosity aren’t going down, they are simply becoming things that are not otherwise defined as religious. The new militant atheism, for instance, is rapidly becoming a religion, complete with doctrine and dogma.
Unless people recognize what’s going on, we wont actually alleviate the problems of religious thinking, we’ll simply pass them on to new systems of faith.
Out of six kids my parents didn’t manage to get any good catholics… and a couple of total atheists, mind you I do have a feeling that they weren’t really all that invested in religion themselves…
One thing I do have to question is the Santa comments above – obviously Santa is entirely real, (go on – prove he isn’t… but remember, you won’t get any presents…)
“The new militant atheism, for instance, is rapidly becoming a religion, complete with doctrine and dogma.”
IMHO, from my pagan viewpoint, i always thought it was.
oh my, is that gonna piss off derren or what! :0
“The new militant atheism, for instance, is rapidly becoming a religion, complete with doctrine and dogma.”
thats a stupid point and wrong. now there are people who are more vocal of the dangers of religious thought (and these are nothing new) in the public eye, thats it.
also how can a lack of belief be anything but a lack of belief.
there are no dogmas or doctrines attached to atheism. thats the point.
you can have irreligious atheists, or you can have ones who dont care, or even some who think religion is good or at least useful
but then you can have irreligious agnostics or irreligious people of belief (william blake believed but was irreligious through his hatred of organised religion)
its not set up as parrellel to religious beliefs; its that there arent any.
you cant believe in atheism
@ greg
No, I get what roz is saying. Militant atheism can be like organised religion in the respect that militant atheists (not all atheists, mind you,) do try to ‘convert’ people with faith to atheism because they believe their way of thinking is right or better (very much like some Christians believe their beliefs to be morally right, and try to convert atheists or people of other religions.) So the doctrine of the militant atheists is that religion is sin.
And I can’t help but feel that there are similarities between organized religion and the more extreme form of atheism when I get the same sort of abuse from both a Christian and an atheist.
Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color. –Don Hirschberg
Finally some hope!!
”When one person is delusional, its called insanity.
When many people are delusional its called religion.”
Interesting that you say that, yet God can be proven by science, manuscript evidence, statistical probability and archeology. Get a darn good lawyer, a historian, a scientist, a philosopher and have them study all of the materials available and watch what happens.
The chances of our universe being created by chance is a nearly infinite number and this can be proven by science alone so now something had to create the universe for purpose, interesting.
”Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color”
You have to have faith in order to believe there is no God, that is a religion.