Will the major religions eventually die out?
#76 Guest_Kate_*
Posted 13 August 2012 - 09:52 AM
I agree that religion won't die out of the states, but it won't die out in Canada either.
And by the way. Our government doesn't "focus" on being secular.
There is way too much shit to worry about, to sit there making sure they are not being religious. lol
#77
Posted 13 August 2012 - 09:56 AM
Edited by Mishelle, 13 August 2012 - 09:57 AM.
#78 Guest_Kate_*
Posted 13 August 2012 - 10:06 AM
You seriously need to spend some time here to realize that.
People get outraged if you say Happy Holidays.
They get outraged if you say "xmas".
It's /seriously/ not as different as you think it is, and I really don't think you're understanding that.
How many times have you been to Canada, and for how long each time? Serious question.
Also, if you look here (which I am assuming is where you got your statistics in the first place)
http://en.wikipedia....hics_of_atheism and pop down to the "Statistical problems" section, give that a read, and understand why it's likely that the statistics regarding Atheism in Canada are probably not very accurate.
"For example there's way more violence committed in the name of religion here."
-
There's way more violence in general. That's a population thing, not a religious thing.
Edited by Woug, 13 August 2012 - 10:06 AM.
#79
Posted 13 August 2012 - 10:20 AM
#80
Posted 13 August 2012 - 11:04 AM
There are solid historical/cultural facts that do make the US a much more religious nation than Canada. Albeit both should follow a pattern of secularization, religious conservatism is much more prevalent in the US due to both a traditionally protestant culture and the furthering of religious fervor during the Cold War.Eh I am inclined to disagree with you. My hometown has a population of less then 1000 and for some reason they feel the need to have 6 churches.
SIX. It's like this all over Canada, although the percentage of Atheists may be SLIGHTLY higher than in the U.S. it's not enough to make a difference. It's not enough to say someday Canada will no longer be religious. If that were the case, the U.S's religions would be near extinct as well by your logic. Based on the percentage of Atheists. Since it's only a minor difference. They'd both likely die out. Not just Canada.
#81 Guest_Kate_*
Posted 13 August 2012 - 11:10 AM
I am from NB and just because no one jumped down your throat in the short amount of time you visited, doesn't mean it does not happen.
It does. More often then not. Especially in the smaller provinces.
Regardless I don't see any reason why Canada poses more of a 'threat' (for lack of a better word) of religion going extinct. No solid justifiable reason.
#82
Posted 13 August 2012 - 11:17 AM
Okay so the States is more religious. But not a ridiculous amount more.
I am from NB and just because no one jumped down your throat in the short amount of time you visited, doesn't mean it does not happen.
It does. More often then not. Especially in the smaller provinces.
Regardless I don't see any reason why Canada poses more of a 'threat' (for lack of a better word) of religion going extinct. No solid justifiable reason.
She's saying one thing, and it's that nations tend to secularize as they modernize. This is true. Most Western nations should present rates of atheism similar to those of Canada. She makes the distinction that religion would show more resistance in both developing nations and the US. Also true, because religious identity is a big part of American life. The fact is that most Western nations have accepted and embraced the separation of church and state. In America, half of the vote is still based on largely religious phenomena.
#83 Guest_Kate_*
Posted 13 August 2012 - 11:44 AM
She's saying one thing, and it's that nations tend to secularize as they modernize. This is true. Most Western nations should present rates of atheism similar to those of Canada. She makes the distinction that religion would show more resistance in both developing nations and the US. Also true, because religious identity is a big part of American life. The fact is that most Western nations have accepted and embraced the separation of church and state. In America, half of the vote is still based on largely religious phenomena.
I understand what she is saying, but it's irrelevant.
It's true, but has no relevance to her initial post.
She said "In Canada religion might die out, but not the US"
She didn't post anything else to support that.
If you noticed the thread isn't about what countries have secular governments. It's pretty to the point.
Will religion die out? I just want to know on what basis is Canada the only country she feels it will disappear in.
#84
Posted 13 August 2012 - 12:48 PM
#85 Guest_coltom_*
Posted 13 August 2012 - 12:51 PM
Dude, it's the exact same way here.
You seriously need to spend some time here to realize that.
Ahem, some of us are banned from entering Canada, I mention that just because that is one of the things that makes me special.
#86
Posted 13 August 2012 - 01:18 PM
All animals develop a fear of the unknown. The unknown is dangerous. The unknown is dark shadows that can and often do hold a hungry, skulking panther. Human beings, with their far superior cognitive capabilities, have developed a way to combat this fear: through the provision of answers. We also anthropomorphize -- make the inhuman seem more human, so that we can better relate to and understand it.
Religion started out as a way to explain the inexplicable -- to make the terrifying unknown known. What is lightning to someone without science? Well, lightning brings light and a very loud and angry-sounding crash. It can also bring fire and death. What can we imagine getting so angry that it throws such things at us? Why, a very angry, very powerful human, of course. A god. And these gods all have reasons for what they do.
Very primitive explanation, of course, and one you've all heard. We all studied "cavemen" in grammar school.
Our cognitive abilities have definite downsides. For one, we understand that death is permanent -- that something we have known and loved will not be returning. The very earliest true humans carried out burial rites on those that passed away. Religion was a way of softening that blow: if you thought you would see your loved one again someday, or that they would at least be well taken care of, you were not as likely to dissolve into hysterics and risk the survival of your person or your tribe.
Once states were formed, religion became a way for the elite to maintain general control of the masses. In some cases (Taoism), the main interest was to guide citizens to a peaceful understanding of this life we must live. In other cases (Judeo-Christian religions), it became a tool for utter control. The Catholic Church's comprehension and manipulation of the very core of human nature utterly astounds me; I say in all seriousness, with no trace of sarcasm, that the Church is the greatest, wisest, most beautiful and most terrible villain the world has ever seen. To tell the general populace that they may not read because they might misinterpret the Scriptures, and thus must look to the elite for all answers... that if they pay all they have to the Church, they might buy their way into heaven... that each king, Pope, and member of the nobility was set in his place through some measure of divine intervention... to subdue fully half the population by interpreting the Scriptures to declare women to be the weaker and more inherently evil sex, thereby wiping out fully half their potential competition... to quietly yet forcefully encourage darkness of the mind, then prove to be the only source of light through art, hope, and salvation... it's all absolutely brilliant.
Now, as to today.
One of two things must happen before all major religions might die:
- We evolve past the need for answers.
- Science answers all our questions.
#2 will never come to pass because we will always find new questions, and thus there will always be answers to seek.
Religion is the easy path to those answers. It is, at its core, nothing short of immediate gratification (and if any of you have ever sneaked a piece of birthday cake when you're on a diet, you know first-hand how awesome instant gratification feels). Faith in science requires some measure of bravery as we face the unknown. Religion offers instant relief from those ever-dangerous shadows. As long as our reptilian brains tell us that danger lurks in the unknown... as long as science takes more than a generation to answer any "important" question... there will be a foothold for religion in our, and any, society.
These religions, specifically? They'll die out someday. Or they'll evolve so drastically as to be unrecognizable. As science and experience solidify our shared knowledge of the world and those beyond it, beliefs must morph to flow around that knowledge without shattering. Religion is forced to change with discovery; evolution is as key to religion's survival as it has to our own. In that way, religion may just be one of the single the most recognizable children of mankind.
I'll shut up now.
Edited by Alodielle, 13 August 2012 - 01:22 PM.
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