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TadeuszK Champion Author Manitoba Posts:4,718 Points:1,197,230 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Nov 22, 2009 6:15:15 PM Ignore TadeuszK Report Abuse An story in Skeptic (Vol.16 No.2 2009)on the Flynn effect(rising IQ scores)and the instability of religious commitment. Where are all those new atheists coming from?

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An story in Skeptic (Vol.16 No.2 2009)on the Flynn effect(rising IQ scores)and the instability of religious commitment. Where are all those new atheists coming from?

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ShanC Champion Author Rochester Posts:12,094 Points:405,945 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2013 10:18:49 AM Ignore ShanC Report Abuse I watched an interesting show today. It was an episode of the newer "Outer Limits" from about 12 years ago called "A New Life". A group of people join a religion led by a seemingly benevolent preacher. They go with him to live in a secluded village of their own, where they do not have the temptations of the modern world. (Removing things like Science and Technology from their lives.) But it turns out that the preacher is really a member of an alien race, who have abducted the people on an alien ship, and they are to be put into slavery when the ship reaches it's destination years in the future. (By then they'll be over 100,000 slaves.) The main character notes that humans do not take well to slavery. Before killing him, the aliens state that they know this is true when it is against the slaves' will. That is why they chose to use religion - to have people willingly give themselves up to being slaves who will do anything their religion and its leader says. To demonstrate the point, the Followers burn at the stake the remaining guy who knows the truth. Fascinating story. Nothing new, but still fascinating.
LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Feb 2, 2013 2:47:45 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse Reading assignments for neofinoy: Atheism on the upswing in America Rising atheism in America puts 'religious right on the defensive' Atheism Rises, Religiosity Declines In America
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Feb 1, 2013 11:03:21 PM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Why do you think that, neofinoy? There are lots of Atheists here, and we're not dead. In fact, Atheism is becoming more widespread these days.
neofinoy Sophomore Author Long Island Posts:182 Points:55,260 Joined:Dec 2012	Message Posted: Feb 1, 2013 9:34:43 PM Ignore neofinoy Report Abuse It seems atheism in America is now dead!
neofinoy Sophomore Author Long Island Posts:182 Points:55,260 Joined:Dec 2012	Message Posted: Jan 21, 2013 7:09:53 PM Ignore neofinoy Report Abuse What's the difference between a Modern Atheist and a Traditional one?
WRX1 Champion Author Providence Posts:9,880 Points:1,251,765 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Jan 20, 2013 8:16:27 AM Ignore WRX1 Report Abuse "Perhaps most striking is that one-third of Americans under 30 have no religious affiliation. When comparing this with previous generations under 30, there's a new wrinkle, says Greg Smith, a senior research[er] at Pew." --From a story on a Pew Research Center study released in Oct. 2012: Losing Our Religion [Edited by: WRX1 at 1/20/2013 11:17:50 AM EST]
WRX1 Champion Author Providence Posts:9,880 Points:1,251,765 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Dec 26, 2012 8:33:01 AM Ignore WRX1 Report Abuse I'm not going to continue a gun control thread on Atheism Rising, so I'll stop after pointing out that (a) Columbine, Texas, and Fort Hood were not gun-free zones when they were sites of mass murder, and (b) while an armed guard in every school may or may not be a good idea, the guard at Columbine was not able to stop its two shooters. The owner of the Jax sporting goods chain in Colorado recently announced he's ceasing to sell the kinds of weaponry that enable so many mass shootings: >> "I just don't feel that we need to be in the business of selling high-capacity magazines and military assault rifles," said Quinlan, who has three children ranging in ages from 11 to 14. "These weapons are designed for killing people -- that's just not something I want to sell. << How to Disappoint the NRA
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Dec 25, 2012 3:28:29 PM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse WRX1 - "Gosh, I dunno, Id, I guess if you check out the news media over the past several days you might pick up a few ideas. " I did. One idea is that these mass killings always seem to happen in gun free zones. We should outlaw those things so that people can defend themselves against crazy people.
WRX1 Champion Author Providence Posts:9,880 Points:1,251,765 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Dec 20, 2012 9:24:51 AM Ignore WRX1 Report Abuse >>What changes are you referring to, WRX1? It's already illegal to steal guns and shoot people...<< Gosh, I dunno, Id, I guess if you check out the news media over the past several days you might pick up a few ideas.
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Dec 20, 2012 8:28:12 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse What changes are you referring to, WRX1? It's already illegal to steal guns and shoot people...
ShanC Champion Author Rochester Posts:12,094 Points:405,945 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2012 2:28:08 PM Ignore ShanC Report Abuse >At least those poor kids are not just gone, they're in heaven. This causes problems in some cases. Some people have taken other people's lives thinking "They will be better off in heaven." Often these cases are people who murder their own children. >Atheists don't have that luxury, which I think means we should be even more determined >to get some changes that would help to prevent future carnage like that. It also means that people who truly believe the person is dead, as in fully gone dead, must fully deal with the grief of the tragedy. My personal opinion is that by believing they "are not truly dead" and are in "a better place" are not fully dealing with their loss.
WRX1 Champion Author Providence Posts:9,880 Points:1,251,765 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2012 1:10:32 PM Ignore WRX1 Report Abuse Reaction to the recent horror in Newtown CT shows how some people are believers in part because it can provide some degree of solace: At least those poor kids are not just gone, they're in heaven. Atheists don't have that luxury, which I think means we should be even more determined to get some changes that would help to prevent future carnage like that.
ShanC Champion Author Rochester Posts:12,094 Points:405,945 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2012 10:44:34 AM Ignore ShanC Report Abuse >Were you just swearing, or what? I figured it was due to being upset at something. Possibly a recent event or something in another topic.
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2012 5:52:54 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Were you just swearing, or what?
drivingmrz Veteran Author Omaha Posts:355 Points:122,250 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Dec 18, 2012 10:08:55 AM Ignore drivingmrz Report Abuse hell
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Sep 16, 2012 6:46:32 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Ricardus - "the dalai lama said the other day that humanity should get passed religion all together and focus more on ethical behavior, im paraphrasing but thats basically what he said... i couldn't agree more. " You might want to check out Secular Humanism.
Ricardus Rookie Author Los Angeles Posts:66 Points:56,575 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Sep 16, 2012 2:38:23 AM Ignore Ricardus Report Abuse my grandma used to make me go to catholic church every week when i lived with my grandparents; i considered brainwashing then, and i consider it brainwashing to this day.... also incidentally the dalai lama said the other day that humanity should get passed religion all together and focus more on ethical behavior, im paraphrasing but thats basically what he said... i couldn't agree more.
JCClark2012 Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:1,409 Points:396,870 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2012 4:28:02 AM Ignore JCClark2012 Report Abuse I scored 26 right. Lots of hard questions.
catspaw Champion Author Toronto Posts:29,929 Points:3,149,735 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Aug 29, 2012 12:46:10 PM Ignore catspaw Report Abuse I got 31 out of 32 on the quiz. Like HypGnosis, I just guessed on the John Edward question but got it correct. The one I missed was the same mistake also, about reading the Bible as an example of literature. That was really more of a US law question than it was one of religion, although since I doubt if English of that period is taught in US schools, I question whether a teacher using the Bible is really trying to English and not religion.
catspaw Champion Author Toronto Posts:29,929 Points:3,149,735 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Aug 29, 2012 12:41:48 PM Ignore catspaw Report Abuse That's good news LTVibe.
LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Aug 9, 2012 11:14:04 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse This article appeared in HuffPo yesterday: Religiosity Plummets In Ireland And Declines Worldwide; Atheism On The Rise "According to the global index, there has been a notable decline in religiosity worldwide."
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:10:16 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse I tended to miss the Hindu/Buddhist ones, as I know less about them.
ShanC Champion Author Rochester Posts:12,094 Points:405,945 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Apr 20, 2012 9:09:46 AM Ignore ShanC Report Abuse I admit, it was a pretty lame joke. The "Crossing Over" guy is John Edward. (Without the "s" on the end.)
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 20, 2012 6:14:10 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse ShanC - "Yeah, I mean he just communicates with the dead, right? ;-) " Now THERE'S a religious belief....
ShanC Champion Author Rochester Posts:12,094 Points:405,945 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Apr 19, 2012 8:48:49 PM Ignore ShanC Report Abuse > Guessed at Jonathan Edwards. Yeah, I mean he just communicates with the dead, right? ;-)
hypGnosis Champion Author Missouri Posts:1,995 Points:319,915 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Apr 19, 2012 12:06:30 PM Ignore hypGnosis Report Abuse You answered 31 of 32 questions correctly for a total score of 97%. Drat, silly mistake about reading from Bible as example of literature. Guessed at Jonathan Edwards. "On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right." So... am I "smarter than an atheist?" Am I smarter than myself? Oh well, 'twas interesting to see what the C/S Monitor considers relevant, no? Whoops!... what the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life considers relevant. [Edited by: hypGnosis at 4/19/2012 3:08:55 PM EST]
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 18, 2012 5:43:59 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse I missed the Catholic/Protestant one and a Hindu/Buddhism one. It never hurts to "know thine enemies"... But THEY missed the definitions of "atheist" and "agnostic". [Edited by: ldheinz at 4/18/2012 8:46:05 AM EST]
LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Apr 18, 2012 4:39:59 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse That makes three of us. I missed the Greek gods question. Not surprising since I never spent much time studying ancient pagan religions. But I also missed the Catholic communion one. Inexcusable, because I was raised a Catholic.
ShanC Champion Author Rochester Posts:12,094 Points:405,945 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Apr 17, 2012 4:54:15 PM Ignore ShanC Report Abuse Same here. I missed the Catholic vs Protestant one, and The Great Awakening one. But... is a high score on this necessarily a good thing???
CookieAcct Champion Author London Posts:33,833 Points:3,190,005 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Apr 17, 2012 1:57:10 PM Ignore CookieAcct Report Abuse I scored 30 out of 32 or 94%
WRX1 Champion Author Providence Posts:9,880 Points:1,251,765 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Apr 17, 2012 1:19:20 PM Ignore WRX1 Report Abuse Here's a religion quiz with very interesting results: >> Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups in a 32-question survey of religious knowledge by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right. << Are you smarter than an atheist? - quiz Not to brag, but I scored 91%.
LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Apr 14, 2012 6:34:15 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse Renowned classical musician facing prison time in Turkey "One of Turkey’s renowned classical musicians is hearing a sour note from his government after nonchalantly tweeting about his atheism..." "If charged and found guilty, Say faces a prison sentence of six months to three years."
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 13, 2012 12:31:54 PM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Man faces 5 years in prision for posting "God does not exist" on Facebook.
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 10, 2012 5:20:12 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse I was fired from a good job for being an atheist. Not officially, of course, but it was pretty obvious.
catspaw Champion Author Toronto Posts:29,929 Points:3,149,735 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2012 9:03:07 PM Ignore catspaw Report Abuse You have a point there Eugenian (and ldheinz too). It wasn't really all that long ago that atheists were shunned in society as a whole and in some parts, people who don't go to church are still discriminated against.
LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Apr 8, 2012 8:58:54 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse True, ldheinz, thus the proverb 'ignorance is bliss'. The religious are much more comfortable not knowing the absurdity of their religions. :)
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 8, 2012 7:40:50 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Yes, LTVibe, but we're used to xtians who don't know anything about xtianity.
LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Apr 8, 2012 4:43:19 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse >>>This you will believe: Today I saw GOD<<< Of course that was a joke. Otherwise he wouldn't be around to post it... "You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live." - Exodus 33:20 ;-)
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 7, 2012 6:23:39 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse I think that both are true, Eugenian. More atheists are being public about their atheism, and this makes others more likely to consider it themselves.
Eugenian Champion Author Oregon Posts:1,867 Points:363,105 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Apr 6, 2012 1:59:52 AM Ignore Eugenian Report Abuse I'm not sure that atheism is becoming more common. What I think is more common is people publicly admitting to being atheists. We've just become bolder about "coming out" as atheists.
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 5, 2012 10:24:04 PM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Neither do I, greydog13. Atheism doesn't require belief. It's not based on faith, after all.
greydog13 Veteran Author Iowa Posts:272 Points:493,145 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Apr 5, 2012 7:24:01 PM Ignore greydog13 Report Abuse I don't believe in atheism----------
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 2:59:13 PM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Sometimes I overreact. Oh, well.
johnsell Champion Author Portland Posts:19,734 Points:3,312,355 Joined:Jan 2004	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 1:35:29 PM Ignore johnsell Report Abuse ld - "Didn't check the link. Funny. " You made my day! Didn't expect to put one over on you, of all people. Glad you liked it.
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 10:47:26 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Didn't check the link. Funny.
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 10:41:20 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Johnsell, you didn't perhaps remember to take a picture of god with your cell phone, did you? Or are you just telling us a bald-faced lie in a pitiful attempt to make us believe the same lie that you tell yourself? [Edited by: ldheinz at 4/1/2012 1:46:36 PM EST]
johnsell Champion Author Portland Posts:19,734 Points:3,312,355 Joined:Jan 2004	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 9:59:08 AM Ignore johnsell Report Abuse This you will believe: Today I saw GOD, I spoke to Him, I touched Him and everything that was every said about him is TRUE!
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 6:48:23 AM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Suzzoom - "That would make them true atheists, because to deny the existence of a supreme being would force one to accept its existence. " I consider myself a "true" atheist, and I don't "know" that there isn't a god, just like I don't "know" that there aren't fairies or leprechauns or gnomes and so forth. I just don't believe in things that nobody's seen and there is no evidence for. Produce some evidence and I'll reconsider my position. Also, what do you mean by "because to deny the existence of a supreme being would force one to accept its existence". Clearly, that isn't even remotely true. Why do you feel that way? Would you please explain your reasoning?
ldheinz Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,038 Points:2,359,845 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 31, 2012 5:34:25 PM Ignore ldheinz Report Abuse Suzzoom - "You can't deny something that doesn't exist." Why not? Of course you can. Or do you still believe in Santa Claus?
Suzzoom Champion Author Nevada Posts:2,368 Points:506,140 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Mar 31, 2012 4:26:11 PM Ignore Suzzoom Report Abuse I'm not sure all these people identify as atheists or agnostics. Perhaps they have better things to do than debate endlessly about the unknowable. That would make them true atheists, because to deny the existence of a supreme being would force one to accept its existence. You can't deny something that doesn't exist.