I'm borrowing this from Sullivan;
The study shows that 16- to 29-year-olds exhibit a greater degree of criticism toward Christianity than did previous generations when they were at the same stage of life. In fact, in just a decade, many of the Barna measures of the Christian image have shifted substantially downward, fueled in part by a growing sense of disengagement and disillusionment among young people. For instance, a decade ago the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society. Currently, however, just 16% of non-Christians in their late teens and twenties said they have a "good impression" of Christianity.Remember.. I don't make a distinction between religions. I'd be very pleased to see the same trend lines and attitudes with Jews and Muslims, etc.
Fundamentally, religion fuels the hostility in mankind, and the sooner we're done with this silly superstitious crap, the sooner we'll live in a world driven by peace, and moved forward by human innovation.
This truly is the greatest blessing (har) of the Bush Administration. He's doing more to reduce the influence of religion in America then the ACLU could ever dream of. I don't expect the fundis will be pleased to see their market share dwindle... and after Hillary Clinton is elected, and we have a very solid majority in Congress - we can just ignore them.
I can't wait..
3 comments:
The only people in the churches in Europe are old women. It's going to happen here. Bush's base, the religious right, is only 30% of the population. They're a minority.
Think of where in the world religion has the strongest following:
Middle East
Latin American countries
Bible belt in the US
Indonesia
Even Ireland, once a stronghold of Catholicism, has rid itself of that yoke (James Joyce, are you listening?). The Catholic Church doesn't run things anymore in Ireland. Hell, it doesn't run things anymore in Italy!
The Pope isn't stupid, and neither are the Imams and Ministers here in the US. They know their influence is wanning, and nothing is going to change that. However, they can drag it out.. by.. encouraging their followers to fight with the other guy's followers.
Violence has been the preferred tool of religion for eons. Nobody really has much use for it beyond that. That's why it's vital we work to improve people's lives, and reduce tension, through sound liberal political policy.
What's left of Christianity in the US is based on the fear of the Islamic boogeyman. Once we crack that nut, the rest will fall away.
Am I the only one who noticed the numbers on this chart? What happened to the 51 to 60 year olds? Why are the 18 to 29 year olds counted twice?
This research comes from the Christians (the Barna group says, on its web site, that "The ultimate aim of the firm is to partner with Christian ministries and individuals to be a catalyst in moral and spiritual transformation in the United States. It accomplishes these outcomes by providing vision, information, evaluation and resources through a network of intimate partnerships.")
So, as good as this looks, I have to admit that I'm viewing it with more than a little skepticism. In my experience, Christians have always tried to get people to contribute more by claiming that they are "losing ground" and need more money to regain it, and save the lost souls.
All of which being said, everything I've read does seem to show that people, especially young people, are becoming disenchanted with organized religion.
Robin (Sorry, I don't have a blog, so I have to be Anonymous)
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