Religion poll - Harris

[mu_hilltopper]

I found this interesting .. a global survey on religion .. it caught my eye for the rapidly increasing numbers of atheists/agnostics in the US .. but what did surprise me was the numbers out of Europe.  I really had no idea.

Believer in any form of God or any type of supreme being:
UK:       35%
France: 27%
Spain:  48%
Germany:41%
Italy:    62%
US:     73%

The remainder are atheists/agnostics or "not sure".    I just had no idea that, for example, France and the UK were dominated by the atheist/agnostics.   Learn something new every day.


Lots of other stats/questions from the poll:

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131

[Hards Alumni]

I found this interesting .. a global survey on religion .. it caught my eye for the rapidly increasing numbers of atheists/agnostics in the US .. but what did surprise me was the numbers out of Europe.  I really had no idea.

Believer in any form of God or any type of supreme being:
UK:       35%
France: 27%
Spain:  48%
Germany:41%
Italy:    62%
US:     73%

The remainder are atheists/agnostics or "not sure".    I just had no idea that, for example, France and the UK were dominated by the atheist/agnostics.   Learn something new every day.


Lots of other stats/questions from the poll:

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131

This doesn't suprise me at all actually... except spain.

Spain used to be the second most catholic place in the world... now just 48%?  Wow.

Also, its spelled "religion". 

[mu_hilltopper]

This is a good 3 year old thread!

.. Funny, I barely remember this .. but the numbers still astound me.  65% of the UK is atheist/agnostic.   Amazing.

[NYWarrior]

This is a good 3 year old thread!

.. Funny, I barely remember this .. but the numbers still astound me.  65% of the UK is atheist/agnostic.   Amazing.

92% here according to this latest poll


http://www.gallup.com/poll/147887/Americans-Continue-Believe-God.aspx


PRINCETON, NJ -- More than 9 in 10 Americans still say "yes" when asked the basic question "Do you believe in God?"; this is down only slightly from the 1940s, when Gallup first asked this question.

[HouWarrior]

This doesn't suprise me at all actually... except spain.

Spain used to be the second most catholic place in the world... now just 48%?  Wow.

Also, its spelled "religion".  

I lived in Spain while they transitioned from Franco dictatorship to constitutional democracy. Free to speak, most Spainards had come to view the church as allied/attached to the old guard fascist govt.
 Now, 30 plus years later, Spain is reinvented--divorce laws are the quickest in Europe, etc.....and the church is sort of a vestige of bygone, ill viewed times...rightly or wrongly.

[GGGG]

PRINCETON, NJ -- More than 9 in 10 Americans still say "yes" when asked the basic question "Do you believe in God?"; this is down only slightly from the 1940s, when Gallup first asked this question.

I wonder how many of the 92% are regular church goers.  Believe me, I don't believe that you have to go to church to be Christian, because I believe in God, but I am not so sure I believe in Church any longer.  (I'm not Catholic BTW)

[Lennys Tap]

I wonder how many of the 92% are regular church goers.  Believe me, I don't believe that you have to go to church to be Christian, because I believe in God, but I am not so sure I believe in Church any longer.  (I'm not Catholic BTW)

Agree, Sultan, but my guess is you're a first generation non church going believer. Once the US gets into third and fourth generations of non church goers (see Europe) I suspect you'll see a large dropoff in "believers".

[ChicosBailBonds]

Considering some of the laws we have now, no prayers in schools, not allowed to say a prayer at a graduation ceremony, some people pushing to take God off of money and removed from the national anthem.  This shouldn't be surprising to anyone.


http://www.youtube.com/v/CMErHrinwFU&playnext=1&list=PL5A6DCAE576306BDA

[brewcity77]

92% here according to this latest poll


http://www.gallup.com/poll/147887/Americans-Continue-Believe-God.aspx


PRINCETON, NJ -- More than 9 in 10 Americans still say "yes" when asked the basic question "Do you believe in God?"; this is down only slightly from the 1940s, when Gallup first asked this question.

I'm stunned that it's still over 90% here. I expected it to be higher in the US than anywhere else, our country more than any other western nation is founded on religion, but figured it'd be closer to 70%. Maybe it's just being agnostic myself, but I don't get how it remains that high, even in the most Christian nation on earth.

[mu_hilltopper]

Considering some of the laws we have now, no prayers in schools, not allowed to say a prayer at a graduation ceremony, some people pushing to take God off of money and removed from the national anthem.  This shouldn't be surprising to anyone.

Just goin' where society is leading!  3-4 more generations, and the churches will close up shop.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Just goin' where society is leading!  3-4 more generations, and the churches will close up shop.

Yup, and society sure is "going" places.  I keep hearing how we are progressing, and we certainly are in many areas (race relations, etc), but we have also taken some serious u-turns in a many areas as well.  Just talk to your grandparents about civility today, crime today, treatment of humanity today, vs what it was decades ago.  I'd love to overlay data with emergence of secularism over those societal changes.

Can't say we weren't warned this was going to happen, because we certainly have been going back thousands of years.  And yes, I agree with you, society is taking us there except for a few brave souls that attempt to slow it down....they're being publicly massacred for the attempt and marginalized for their efforts.  It's too bad, in my opinion, there are a lot of negatives about church (any religion) which are drum beated to death daily by the media, and anti-religious folks.  There is also a world of good that has impacted so many lives for the better, seems that story is rarely told these days.  

[Henry Sugar]

Yup, and society sure is "going" places.  I keep hearing how we are progressing, and we certainly are in many areas (race relations, etc), but we have also taken some serious u-turns in a many areas as well.  Just talk to your grandparents about civility today, crime today, treatment of humanity today, vs what it was decades ago.  I'd love to overlay data with emergence of secularism over those societal changes.

Can't say we weren't warned this was going to happen, because we certainly have been going back thousands of years.  And yes, I agree with you, society is taking us there except for a few brave souls that attempt to slow it down....they're being publicly massacred for the attempt and marginalized for their efforts.  It's too bad, in my opinion, there are a lot of negatives about churn (any religion) which are drum beated to death daily by the media, and anti-religious folks.  There is also a world of good that has impacted so many lives for the better, seems that story is rarely told these days. 

And stay off my lawn

[Pakuni]

Yup, and society sure is "going" places.  I keep hearing how we are progressing, and we certainly are in many areas (race relations, etc), but we have also taken some serious u-turns in a many areas as well.  Just talk to your grandparents about civility today, crime today, treatment of humanity today, vs what it was decades ago.  I'd love to overlay data with emergence of secularism over those societal changes.

Can't say we weren't warned this was going to happen, because we certainly have been going back thousands of years.  And yes, I agree with you, society is taking us there except for a few brave souls that attempt to slow it down....they're being publicly massacred for the attempt and marginalized for their efforts.  It's too bad, in my opinion, there are a lot of negatives about churn (any religion) which are drum beated to death daily by the media, and anti-religious folks.  There is also a world of good that has impacted so many lives for the better, seems that story is rarely told these days. 

Who doesn't love a good public massacre now and again?

My grandparents, who are no longer with us, lived through a civil war (Irish, not American), Great Depression, two world wars, the Jim Crow era, the Holocaust and communism (the latter two as distant and mostly unaffected observers only, thank goodness).
I'm sure they could tell us all about civility and the treatment of humanity decades ago.

[Coleman]

I have to agree with Pakuni here. Violent crime is actually at record lows in cities such as New York. Chicago's murder rate is down from 20 years ago.

If you don't see real progress from the genocides of the 20th century, women who weren't able to vote, blacks who couldn't get a cup of coffee next to a white man, well, I guess I don't know what to tell you.

EDIT: I'm not saying these things are tied to religion one way or the other. I just think the correlation that Chicos is trying to make doesn't really hold water.

[Henry Sugar]

When my grandparents were growing up, there were no homosexuals.

[NYWarrior]

When my grandparents were growing up, there were no homosexuals.

+1

[Henry Sugar]

When my grandparents were growing up, a woman's place was in the home.

[mu_hilltopper]

http://www.youtube.com/v/zgvTIyATCOU?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

[Pakuni]

When my grandparents were growing up, there were no homosexuals.

Except in the rectory.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

http://youtu.be/y1_NhnXMCKw

http://youtu.be/y1_NhnXMCKw

"And we LIKED IT!"

[GGGG]

Who doesn't love a good public massacre now and again?

My grandparents, who are no longer with us, lived through a civil war (Irish, not American), Great Depression, two world wars, the Jim Crow era, the Holocaust and communism (the latter two as distant and mostly unaffected observers only, thank goodness).
I'm sure they could tell us all about civility and the treatment of humanity decades ago.

What Chicos fails to reconcile is western Europe has bascially gone through the longest peaceful time pretty much ever...in correlation with the decline in church attendance.

[GGGG]

Considering some of the laws we have now, no prayers in schools, not allowed to say a prayer at a graduation ceremony, some people pushing to take God off of money and removed from the national anthem.  This shouldn't be surprising to anyone.

Chicos, this is exactly what the problem is in my opinion.  Prayer in public school, in a graduation ceremony, "In God we Trust" on money, etc. are all more hot-button political issues than they are substantive religious issues.  Honestly, what good does "In God we Trust" really do?  The phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Alligiance?  (God isn't in the National Anthem by the way.)

The most "religious" experiences I have had have not really been in Church...which I find rather stale and dull.  (Yeah, I need to find a new one.)  Clearly, I am not the only one who feels similarly.

[Coleman]

Right. I highly doubt superficial things like "In God We Trust" or "Merry Christmas" is really a sign of religiosity, or more importantly, the moral character of its citizens.

Rather, these things are being used as political wedges to try to rally a base by today's "culture warriors."


Anyway, its always tempting to look and the past and see better days. The human brain is wired to wax nostalgic. But I don't see that reality here.

[LA]

Just talk to your grandparents about civility today, crime today, treatment of humanity today, vs what it was decades ago. 

Glad other people brought it up because I think this is complete hogwash. My grandparents (African American) wouldn't have been able to attend MU, were often scared for their lives just traveling back and forth to work, and knew many people that were assulted or killed while the crimes went unreported.

This was all in an extremely religious area of Louisiana. Not quite sure where this kind, crimeless utopia was but it certainly wasn't in the south or large urban areas in America.

[Henry Sugar]

Except in the rectory.

That never happened when my grandparents were growing up. 

It only started with the "progress" of today's society.