• Welcome to the Internet Infidels Discussion Board.

Australian Bureau of Statistics releases the 2016 Census 'Religion' data

No such increase in drug use exists; It is purely a figment of your imagination (or an expression of your counter-factual expectations). Reality doesn't care what you think SHOULD happen.

(Source). Note that the over 40s are the most religious cohort of the population, with atheism most prevalent in younger Australians.

There was a slight increase in cocaine use among the general population in 2007 (from 1% in 2004 to 1.6% in
2007) and again in 2010 to 2.1%. However cocaine use in the broader population remains relatively low. The rise in
2010 was mainly accounted for by 20 to 29 year olds.

Frequency of cocaine use in the general population remains sporadic, with the majority of Australians reporting
monthly or less frequent use in 2010.
(Source).

Use of ecstasy in the general population has declined for the first time since 1995. The decline from 3.5% in 2007
to 3% in 2010 was statistically significant, and was driven by a significant decline in use among males over 14
(from 4.4% in 2007 to 3.6% in 2010), and young Australians aged 14 to 19 (particularly among females where use
declined from 6% in 2007 to 2.5% in 2010).

The decline in recent ecstasy use in Australia mirrors a downward trend in ecstasy markets recorded
internationally around 2010.

In 2010 the majority of Australians who used ecstasy reported using once every few months or less.
(Source)

General population

Past year heroin use remains low among the broader Australian population at less than 1% in 2010.
Sentinel Groups

Among people who inject drugs there has been a decline in the prevalence of past 6 month heroin use over
time (from 79% 2000 to 58% in 2013), however daily heroin among heroin users in this group has increased to one
quarter (25%) in 2013.

Very small proportions of regular ecstasy users (4% in 2013) reported recent heroin use.
(source)

Prevalence of past year methamphetamine use remains stable in Australia at 2.1% in 2010.

Weekly methamphetamine use has remained stable between 2001 and 2010 (9.3% reported weekly or more use
in 2010, with the majority of Australians across all age groups reporting use every few months or less frequently.

Powder methamphetamine continues to be the form most used in the general population.
Sentinel groups

Among IDRS respondents, prevalence of past 6 month methamphetamine use overall remained stable between
2001 and 2011, however a decline was recorded between 2009 and 2010.

Among regular ecstasy users there was a decline in past 6 month methamphetamine use between 2003 (84%)
and 2009 (54%) and a decline in frequency of use. This decline is across all forms of methamphetamine but most
marked for crystal methamphetamine. Use has stabilised at a lower level in 2010 and 2011.

Shorter term trends show that crystal methamphetamine use in particular increased significantly between 2010
and 2011 among both IDRS and EDRS respondents
(Source).

Suicide rates have not been increasing, despite media reports; according to a 2015 report by John Snowdon, in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (source)

The Australian Institute of Criminology data show that domestic violence declined between 2002 and 2012 (source); The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence said it was not clear whether the prevalence of family violence was increasing, but it noted that greater reporting of family violence had led to an increase in incidents being recognised. (Source).

So, in brief, your claims are false..

Of the four things you cite as rising along with atheism, only the last - family breakdowns - actually might be rising; the others are stable or in decline. And family breakdowns - by which I presume you mean divorce or separation of married couples - are not actually a bad thing. When two people who don't want to live together are pressured to do so, that's a directly harmful situation; and the greater incidence of 'family breakdowns' of this kind are likely a major contributor to the decline in domestic violence.

You are not entitled to your own facts - No matter how much you might want these 'bad' things to correlate with increased atheism, they do not, in reality, do anything of the sort.

This just needed to be quoted. :)

How fucking pathetic is it that people don't just believe but seek out blatant, inhumane, dangerous falsehoods about their fellow human beings just to protect themselves from the discomfort of developing a conscience instead of an ideological identity.

I noticed LionIRC did not mention abortion. Probably because 70% are requested by Christian women. Talk about embarrassing!

And nothing in this world, NOTHING, breaks down families better than religion. Talk to teenagers living in the streets and find out how many of them were abused or thrown out by religiously-addled parents.

Yeah - I did forget to mention abortion (aka contraception)
 
No such increase in drug use exists; It is purely a figment of your imagination (or an expression of your counter-factual expectations). Reality doesn't care what you think SHOULD happen.

(Source). Note that the over 40s are the most religious cohort of the population, with atheism most prevalent in younger Australians.

There was a slight increase in cocaine use among the general population in 2007 (from 1% in 2004 to 1.6% in
2007) and again in 2010 to 2.1%. However cocaine use in the broader population remains relatively low. The rise in
2010 was mainly accounted for by 20 to 29 year olds.

Frequency of cocaine use in the general population remains sporadic, with the majority of Australians reporting
monthly or less frequent use in 2010.
(Source).

Use of ecstasy in the general population has declined for the first time since 1995. The decline from 3.5% in 2007
to 3% in 2010 was statistically significant, and was driven by a significant decline in use among males over 14
(from 4.4% in 2007 to 3.6% in 2010), and young Australians aged 14 to 19 (particularly among females where use
declined from 6% in 2007 to 2.5% in 2010).

The decline in recent ecstasy use in Australia mirrors a downward trend in ecstasy markets recorded
internationally around 2010.

In 2010 the majority of Australians who used ecstasy reported using once every few months or less.
(Source)

General population

Past year heroin use remains low among the broader Australian population at less than 1% in 2010.
Sentinel Groups

Among people who inject drugs there has been a decline in the prevalence of past 6 month heroin use over
time (from 79% 2000 to 58% in 2013), however daily heroin among heroin users in this group has increased to one
quarter (25%) in 2013.

Very small proportions of regular ecstasy users (4% in 2013) reported recent heroin use.
(source)

Prevalence of past year methamphetamine use remains stable in Australia at 2.1% in 2010.

Weekly methamphetamine use has remained stable between 2001 and 2010 (9.3% reported weekly or more use
in 2010, with the majority of Australians across all age groups reporting use every few months or less frequently.

Powder methamphetamine continues to be the form most used in the general population.
Sentinel groups

Among IDRS respondents, prevalence of past 6 month methamphetamine use overall remained stable between
2001 and 2011, however a decline was recorded between 2009 and 2010.

Among regular ecstasy users there was a decline in past 6 month methamphetamine use between 2003 (84%)
and 2009 (54%) and a decline in frequency of use. This decline is across all forms of methamphetamine but most
marked for crystal methamphetamine. Use has stabilised at a lower level in 2010 and 2011.

Shorter term trends show that crystal methamphetamine use in particular increased significantly between 2010
and 2011 among both IDRS and EDRS respondents
(Source).

Suicide rates have not been increasing, despite media reports; according to a 2015 report by John Snowdon, in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (source)

The Australian Institute of Criminology data show that domestic violence declined between 2002 and 2012 (source); The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence said it was not clear whether the prevalence of family violence was increasing, but it noted that greater reporting of family violence had led to an increase in incidents being recognised. (Source).

So, in brief, your claims are false..

Of the four things you cite as rising along with atheism, only the last - family breakdowns - actually might be rising; the others are stable or in decline. And family breakdowns - by which I presume you mean divorce or separation of married couples - are not actually a bad thing. When two people who don't want to live together are pressured to do so, that's a directly harmful situation; and the greater incidence of 'family breakdowns' of this kind are likely a major contributor to the decline in domestic violence.

You are not entitled to your own facts - No matter how much you might want these 'bad' things to correlate with increased atheism, they do not, in reality, do anything of the sort.

This just needed to be quoted. :)

How fucking pathetic is it that people don't just believe but seek out blatant, inhumane, dangerous falsehoods about their fellow human beings just to protect themselves from the discomfort of developing a conscience instead of an ideological identity.

I noticed LionIRC did not mention abortion. Probably because 70% are requested by Christian women. Talk about embarrassing!

And nothing in this world, NOTHING, breaks down families better than religion. Talk to teenagers living in the streets and find out how many of them were abused or thrown out by religiously-addled parents.

Yeah - I did forget to mention abortion (aka contraception)

<Scrambles to find a gif of Anderson Cooper rolling his eyes>
 
It's not really true to say 'No Religion' is the largest category.
According to my understanding of maths...
Religion - 70%
No Religion - 30%
 
It's not really true to say 'No Religion' is the largest category.
According to my understanding of maths...
Religion - 70%
No Religion - 30%
Is 'Religion' a category on the census, though?
IF not, then it really is true to say that there is a largest category of the categories that actually exist.

I always find it amusing how hypocritical the Faithful can be. Half the time, they resent being lumped in together, Catholics and Mormons and Jews and Muslims. Each considers at least one of the others to be practicing a falsehood that will be their doom... But whenever it's necessary to pretend to superiority through numbers, they'll gladly lump themselves together. Then Buddhists and Baptists will proclaim themselves one single gatecory...
 
It's not really true to say 'No Religion' is the largest category.
According to my understanding of maths...
Religion - 70%
No Religion - 30%

OK, now I am wondering whether you don't know what a category is, or whether you are just hoping that other people don't.

If there are three blue cars, two red cars, and two white cars, would you say that the most common colour of car in that set is 'not blue'?
 
It's not really true to say 'No Religion' is the largest category.
According to my understanding of maths...
Religion - 70%
No Religion - 30%
Is 'Religion' a category on the census, though?
IF not, then it really is true to say that there is a largest category of the categories that actually exist.

I always find it amusing how hypocritical the Faithful can be. Half the time, they resent being lumped in together, Catholics and Mormons and Jews and Muslims. Each considers at least one of the others to be practicing a falsehood that will be their doom... But whenever it's necessary to pretend to superiority through numbers, they'll gladly lump themselves together. Then Buddhists and Baptists will proclaim themselves one single gatecory...

The out-there fundamentalists I know claim the Pope is the anti-Christ.
 
The out-there fundamentalists I know claim the Pope is the anti-Christ.
That's pretty much what i was taught in Sunday School. Any good he did was just to get more people to trust him for his Dark Master.

That, and if a black man was a really, really, really, really good Mormon, God would reward him by turning him White.
 
Back
Top Bottom