Comments on: Gallup Poll: Americans Are Becoming Less Religious http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/ by Hemant Mehta Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:48:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Narune http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-537456 Narune Sun, 22 Aug 2010 06:50:28 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-537456 I know this article is old but I found it while skimming late at night. I'm what you'd call a spiritual person, not religious. I do not require being identified with a major group. Perhaps more Americans are discovering you can believe in something without subscribing to a large group. Science cannot explain everything, faith cannot either. A perfect mix of the two can do wondrous things for a person's mental health. This anti-gay mumbo jumbo must come to an end if we are going to advance as a species. I know this article is old but I found it while skimming late at night. I’m what you’d call a spiritual person, not religious. I do not require being identified with a major group. Perhaps more Americans are discovering you can believe in something without subscribing to a large group. Science cannot explain everything, faith cannot either. A perfect mix of the two can do wondrous things for a person’s mental health. This anti-gay mumbo jumbo must come to an end if we are going to advance as a species.

]]> By: Aj http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-422795 Aj Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:53:25 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-422795 Friendly to religious <strong>people</strong> does not equal friendly to religion. Friendly to religious people does not equal friendly to religion.

]]> By: Anna http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-422788 Anna Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:07:32 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-422788 <blockquote>Cheering over the decline of religion is not a particularly “friendly” thing to do to the religious, and simply reinforces the concept that atheists are not really open-minded towards the religious.</blockquote> That's a rather odd assertion. Are you telling me evangelical Christians would not be cheering about a similar poll showing a dramatic rise in people adhering to the Christian faith? I rather doubt it. I can be perfectly friendly with religious people and respectful of the right they have to hold their beliefs. It doesn't follow that I think religion is a good thing or that I wouldn't like for it to decline and eventually disappear. I simply don't want the decline or disappearance to be the result of force or coercion. If religion is to lose its grip on the human race, it must happen naturally.

Cheering over the decline of religion is not a particularly “friendly” thing to do to the religious, and simply reinforces the concept that atheists are not really open-minded towards the religious.

That’s a rather odd assertion. Are you telling me evangelical Christians would not be cheering about a similar poll showing a dramatic rise in people adhering to the Christian faith? I rather doubt it.

I can be perfectly friendly with religious people and respectful of the right they have to hold their beliefs. It doesn’t follow that I think religion is a good thing or that I wouldn’t like for it to decline and eventually disappear. I simply don’t want the decline or disappearance to be the result of force or coercion. If religion is to lose its grip on the human race, it must happen naturally.

]]> By: TheChristian http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-422763 TheChristian Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:44:54 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-422763 Sigh... This is exactly the kind of post that will make the fundies in the USA get riled up, and the kind of post that discredits the title of this blog. Cheering over the decline of religion is not a particularly "friendly" thing to do to the religious, and simply reinforces the concept that atheists are not really open-minded towards the religious. And again ... these data only apply to America. America is not the standard for the world. And also, "religion" is a poorly-defined term. Sigh…

This is exactly the kind of post that will make the fundies in the USA get riled up, and the kind of post that discredits the title of this blog. Cheering over the decline of religion is not a particularly “friendly” thing to do to the religious, and simply reinforces the concept that atheists are not really open-minded towards the religious.

And again … these data only apply to America. America is not the standard for the world.

And also, “religion” is a poorly-defined term.

]]> By: tbrucia http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-420024 tbrucia Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:54:44 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-420024 As religion is 'taken over' by extremists (note: by definition an extreme is a minority at the end of the bell curve) one can expect folks NOT at the extremes (i.e. moderates) to become alienated from religion. It follows that the more 'radicalized' religion becomes, the more likely the 'moderate center' will reject it. The politicization of religion simply adds to this tendency. So the 'religious right' is actually a boon to those of us who are secularists, since they discredit their belief system among the general public.... P.S. I consider myself a Bokononist (cf Kurt Vonnegut, 'Cat's Cradle') As religion is ‘taken over’ by extremists (note: by definition an extreme is a minority at the end of the bell curve) one can expect folks NOT at the extremes (i.e. moderates) to become alienated from religion. It follows that the more ‘radicalized’ religion becomes, the more likely the ‘moderate center’ will reject it. The politicization of religion simply adds to this tendency. So the ‘religious right’ is actually a boon to those of us who are secularists, since they discredit their belief system among the general public…. P.S. I consider myself a Bokononist (cf Kurt Vonnegut, ‘Cat’s Cradle’)

]]> By: "the church is the only place that shoots its wounded" http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-419351 "the church is the only place that shoots its wounded" Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:28:04 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-419351 This one's for MarkPlus. I am a Christian who has been deeply wounded by "the church". I rarely ever go anymore, because I see so much manipulation and hyprocrisy, which has caused me to struggle enormously in my own faith. But I do believe that God never says, "Mark who?" Just wanted you to know that. As for the poll, I don't consider myself religious. If you read the Bible, God doesn't ask for "religion", just faith in his Son and love. This one’s for MarkPlus.

I am a Christian who has been deeply wounded by “the church”. I rarely ever go anymore, because I see so much manipulation and hyprocrisy, which has caused me to struggle enormously in my own faith.

But I do believe that God never says, “Mark who?” Just wanted you to know that.

As for the poll, I don’t consider myself religious. If you read the Bible, God doesn’t ask for “religion”, just faith in his Son and love.

]]> By: Mark Plus http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-415024 Mark Plus Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:25:19 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-415024 I look forward to the "Jesus who?" era, like in those advanced civilizations I've read about in science fiction. I look forward to the “Jesus who?” era, like in those advanced civilizations I’ve read about in science fiction.

]]> By: Rational Being http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-414963 Rational Being Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:43:24 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-414963 Keep it up, American heathens, you still have a long way to go. Contrast polls in UK, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6818004/Just-half-of-Britons-now-call-themselves-Christian-after-a-sharp-decline-in-faith-over-past-25-years.html. Keep it up, American heathens, you still have a long way to go. Contrast polls in UK, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6818004/Just-half-of-Britons-now-call-themselves-Christian-after-a-sharp-decline-in-faith-over-past-25-years.html.

]]> By: Sue D. Nymme http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-414957 Sue D. Nymme Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:15:37 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-414957 <strong>@Nihilist:</strong> <blockquote>These polls are notoriously skewed. Who commissioned it?</blockquote> I was under the impression that Gallup doesn't take sponsored or commissioned polls, so as to (endeavor to) maintain their integrity. @Nihilist:
These polls are notoriously skewed. Who commissioned it?

I was under the impression that Gallup doesn’t take sponsored or commissioned polls, so as to (endeavor to) maintain their integrity.

]]> By: hoverfrog http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/12/27/gallup-poll-americans-are-becoming-less-religious/#comment-414947 hoverfrog Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:21:04 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/?p=19836#comment-414947 How long before the answer is "Religion? What's that?" or somethign equivalent? How long before the answer is “Religion? What’s that?” or somethign equivalent?

]]>