Cheerful Charlie
Contributor
Latest Pew Survey - Belief In God
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/12/13/18-striking-findings-from-2018/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/12/13/18-striking-findings-from-2018/
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Latest Pew Survey - Belief In God
- Thread starter Cheerful Charlie
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ideologyhunter
Contributor
I'm impressed with the 19% -- that's higher than I'd've predicted -- but it must be higher in reality because of the strong negative connotation of atheism. I didn't identify as atheist to anyone until my 40s -- and the first person I uttered the word to, praised me for my candor. Anymore I strictly don't care who knows, but there are a lot of closeted atheists in this country.
Underseer
Contributor
Perceptions are changing rapidly.
If you read a lot of deconversion stories, you notice that a lot of younger atheists often begin their journey from theism to atheism because they don't want to be associated with the immorality of Christendom.
ideologyhunter
Contributor
OK but I question how rapidly we're changing. Piety is still the American default. We're not nearly at a tipping point.
Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
The vast majority of people believe in the existence of brainless minds, i.e. "spirits" that don't inhabit physical bodies. If you believe that, then it becomes much easier to believe in good and bad spirits, including gods. Because religion plays a role as a coping mechanism, belief in God (or gods, if one is inclined towards polytheism) is likely to rise as climate change places greater and greater stress on people's lives.
Cheerful Charlie
Contributor
I wonder a lot about the idea of no god, but a "higher power/ spiritual force". Or those who think God is that a higher power or spiritual force. Where is this idea coming from? What do people mean by that? 33% of people hold this proposition. Something a bit weird is going on here.
Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
The modifier "higher" is a clue as to what they are thinking. They are obviously thinking of a social hierarchy in which humans occupy a position below that of another entity. Gods are first and foremost beings that humans interact with.
I wonder at what point we'd consider some regions of the U.S. to be regressing away from atheism. Speaking of 'American Adults' isn't very meaningful.
lpetrich
Contributor
Or simply "higher" in the form of very powerful. Like gravity.
Seems like many people believe in forms of
Ietsism -- Dutch ietsisme "somethingism", belief in vague spiritual forces. It is sort of like being Spiritual but not religious.
Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
Or simply "higher" in the form of very powerful. Like gravity.
Seems like many people believe in forms of
I'm somewhat skeptical of fuzzy claims about the "something" that people often claim to believe in. In many cases, they just seem to use that as a defense against having to justify the belief to themselves and others. If they feel that they can communicate with the "something" through prayer or mental discourse, or if they profess feelings of love and loyalty, then that is a pretty solid indication that they have anthropomorphized their "something" beyond what they want to admit. The less human gods are, the less useful they are as explanations and coping mechanisms. The more human they are, the less believable they are.
ideologyhunter
Contributor
I just read an interesting piece that nudges me away from my stance above -- if this guy's stats are correct, then his conclusions are sensible. (And after all, who would've dreamed 20 years ago that we'd have marriage equality?)
Find it at patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2018/09/hail-the-rising-secular-age/
The essay also ran in Freethought Today's Oct. '18 issue.
Find it at patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2018/09/hail-the-rising-secular-age/
The essay also ran in Freethought Today's Oct. '18 issue.