Will religion ever die out?

[Terxpahseyton]

Err... the number of Atheists may be overall rising. But the numbers of Religious people is, too. Faster.
To put in a more catchy frame: Atheists share of world population is on the decline. Not the other way around.
A God who orders people to breed was an idea of much foresight after all.

 

[gugalpm]

Unfortunately, not.

 

[The Imp]

I think it is possible, but it will take a long long time.

 

[Labtec600]

Will there be a time when people stop following some make believe person that is made out to be more than they are? A time when people stop creating a myth of what this person accomplished? A time when people stop blindly following a belief/person?

Nah, I don't ever see Politics - I mean religion dieing out.

 

[shadow2k]

Err... the number of Atheists may be overall rising. But the numbers of Religious people is, too. Faster.
To put in a more catchy frame: Atheists share of world population is on the decline. Not the other way around.
A God who orders people to breed was an idea of much foresight after all.

Sorry, I forgot where I'm posting, should have been more specific. It is starting its decline in the US, the same way it started in Western Europe 40yrs ago. The nations with more educated individuals tend to see the decline. The countries still riddled in poverty...yeah, they still believe god is going to make it all better.

 

[warpus]

Err... the number of Atheists may be overall rising. But the numbers of Religious people is, too. Faster.
To put in a more catchy frame: Atheists share of world population is on the decline. Not the other way around.
A God who orders people to breed was an idea of much foresight after all.

It's on the decline in the west, going strong elsewhere.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

It's on the decline in the west, going strong elsewhere.

Are you sure? I've heard the religious folks are outbreeding atheists due to pro-life and pro-family tendencies.

 

[The Imp]

Are you sure? I've heard the religious folks are outbreeding atheists due to pro-life and pro-family tendencies.

Is there any stats on the retention of religiosity in Christian mega-families?

 

[warpus]

Are you sure? I've heard the religious folks are outbreeding atheists due to pro-life and pro-family tendencies.

Even if that was true, the religious don't always have religious kids, and the non-religious don't always have non-religious kids.

In the west kids are generally sent to school (except for Texas, I guess), where they are educated greatly about the natural world - which tends to produce an agnostic/atheist/non-practicing society on average.

I suppose the older people get after their schooling is done, the more likely they are to dabble in religion, so I'm not sure how that all affects the above.

I *was* under the impression that religion is on the decline in the west, though, especially in the non-U.S. parts of the world.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Sorry, I forgot where I'm posting, should have been more specific. It is starting its decline in the US, the same way it started in Western Europe 40yrs ago. The nations with more educated individuals tend to see the decline. The countries still riddled in poverty...yeah, they still believe god is going to make it all better.

It is not just a matter of reach and poor. Religious people tend to have more kids in the West as well while at the same time Atheist people tend to have two or only one child.

But even if this could be overcome. I would believe an extinction of religion only to be possible if accompanied by an never-ending improvement of living and educational conditions. IMO as soon as there is big trouble (for whatever reasons) religion will be flourishing again. And I don't believe the former to be possible in the next centuries or even millennia.

 

[Bill3000]

Seeing as how God exists and the rapture will eventually occur, I kinda doubt it.

Considering that the rapture is a heresy invented by the Puritans in 1788, I kinda doubt it.

 

[aronnax]

Even if that was true, the religious don't always have religious kids, and the non-religious don't always have non-religious kids.

In the west kids are generally sent to school (except for Texas, I guess), where they are educated greatly about the natural world - which tends to produce an agnostic/atheist/non-practicing society on average.

I suppose the older people get after their schooling is done, the more likely they are to dabble in religion, so I'm not sure how that all affects the above.

I *was* under the impression that religion is on the decline in the west, though, especially in the non-U.S. parts of the world.

I disagree here. A good education that teaches natural science does not eradicate religion. I know plenty of Christians and a few Muslims to believe that God was responsible for evolution that took millions and millions of years to achieve. Many of them also think that the universe was created by the Big Bang, only that God was the mythical force that created it. Now yes, it sounds illogical to have something create everything out of nothing, but at a certain point, religion is just taking a leap of faith.
Religion can be morphed into a more science friendly form but its eradication from education is a bit extreme.

 

[warpus]

I disagree here. A good education that teaches natural science does not eradicate religion. I know plenty of Christians and a few Muslims to believe that God was responsible for evolution that took millions and millions of years to achieve. Many of them also think that the universe was created by the Big Bang, only that God was the mythical force that created it. Now yes, it sounds illogical to have something create everything out of nothing, but at a certain point, religion is just taking a leap of faith.
Religion can be morphed into a more science friendly form but its eradication from education is a bit extreme.

I think at least in North America colleges and universities are seen as a place where liberal values get instilled in students, leading on average to less religiousness. Maybe that's just here.

 

[shadow2k]

It is not just a matter of reach and poor. Religious people tend to have more kids in the West as well while at the same time Atheist people tend to have two or only one child.

But even if this could be overcome. I would believe an extinction of religion only to be possible if accompanied by an never-ending improvement of living and educational conditions. IMO as soon as there is big trouble (for whatever reasons) religion will be flourishing again. And I don't believe the former to be possible in the next centuries or even millennia.

It doesn't matter how many kids religious people have, or how many atheists have kids. If that held true, then atheism would continually be on the decline, at least in terms of the percentage vs religion.

Every atheist I personally know grew up in a Christian or Jewish family. That will change as we have kids, and then our kids have children of their own. And I'm sure some of those kids will be religious as well. I just hope they aren't mine!

 

[SillyGoat]

What do you think? Do you think people will finally get over their superstitions left over from ancient times and religion as a whole will die out(there could still be cults here and there, but for the most part the world becomes Atheist), or do you think faith is a natural aspect of humans and people will always try to use religion to explain things?

I personally feel that the majority of the world will be Atheist in about 50 years(as it already is in a lot of countries), and religion will spiral downwards from there. It will never completely die out, because some people will inevitably believe just because.

What do you think?

So long as there are gullible people willing to let others do their thinking for them, religion will prosper. I expect it to die out sometime after the heat-death of the Universe.

 

[Karalysia]

I think it will die out and is already dying in the developed world though many fundies are doing all they can to give it a last gasp.

But it will die, and then the world will be at peace, advanced, secure, safe, prosperous and unified.

 

[Dachs]

This thread has more unintentional comedy than a Republican dance party

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Nope, christianity and communism will never die out.

 

[West 36]

When people die out?

 

[Lone Wolf]

"Ateism is like thin ice. A single person can stand on it, but a whole people can't".

Discuss.