Belief in God in U.S. Dips to 81%, a New Low

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yet somehow the other 19% is trying to call the shots and destroy this country

[Anonymous]

Still too high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

femininity doesn't have anything to do with god belief. Lots of females are not believers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

I’ve long thought the same, pp. Religious belief often leads to humility about our place in the world and our relationships with others. It can also lead to a lifetime of study and openness to challenging ideas.

I guess that follows if you think some some eternal big guy is in charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

Have you looked around at the religious people (Christians) in America? They are not known for their openness, humility or curiosity.

I don’t consider hateful “Christians” to be admirable in any way, nor do I think we should be emulating these people or their belief systems. My comment speaks to the fact that we consider a very narrow belief in god to be the only available way to believe, at the exclusion of innumerable other ways to explore faith - we all lose when this is the case.

Correct -- we can believe in fairies and goblins and all sort of imaginary beings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

Have you looked around at the religious people (Christians) in America? They are not known for their openness, humility or curiosity.

I don’t consider hateful “Christians” to be admirable in any way, nor do I think we should be emulating these people or their belief systems. My comment speaks to the fact that we consider a very narrow belief in god to be the only available way to believe, at the exclusion of innumerable other ways to explore faith - we all lose when this is the case.

Correct -- we can believe in fairies and goblins and all sort of imaginary beings.

Genuinely curious, why do you try to make every thread about yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe 81 is correct. That seems incredibly high to me.

people are reluctant to tell a pollster they don't really believe in God.
Most respondents have very weak views on this subject anyway, but most will just say "yes" even if they don't really care one way or the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

Have you looked around at the religious people (Christians) in America? They are not known for their openness, humility or curiosity.

I don’t consider hateful “Christians” to be admirable in any way, nor do I think we should be emulating these people or their belief systems. My comment speaks to the fact that we consider a very narrow belief in god to be the only available way to believe, at the exclusion of innumerable other ways to explore faith - we all lose when this is the case.

Correct -- we can believe in fairies and goblins and all sort of imaginary beings.

Genuinely curious, why do you try to make every thread about yourself?

NP -- I don't see how this comment elicits this response. This is not the view of one person. It is a commonly held view among non-believers that the supernatural is imaginary.

OK - so "faith" has been helpful to you. Many don't see it that way. That doesn't make them selfish or stupid or less evolved. It makes them different from you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

Have you looked around at the religious people (Christians) in America? They are not known for their openness, humility or curiosity.

I don’t consider hateful “Christians” to be admirable in any way, nor do I think we should be emulating these people or their belief systems. My comment speaks to the fact that we consider a very narrow belief in god to be the only available way to believe, at the exclusion of innumerable other ways to explore faith - we all lose when this is the case.

Correct -- we can believe in fairies and goblins and all sort of imaginary beings.

Genuinely curious, why do you try to make every thread about yourself?

NP -- I don't see how this comment elicits this response. This is not the view of one person. It is a commonly held view among non-believers that the supernatural is imaginary.

OK - so "faith" has been helpful to you. Many don't see it that way. That doesn't make them selfish or stupid or less evolved. It makes them different from you.

Snark about fairies and goblins is making it about themselves, just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe 81 is correct. That seems incredibly high to me.

people are reluctant to tell a pollster they don't really believe in God.
Most respondents have very weak views on this subject anyway, but most will just say "yes" even if they don't really care one way or the other.

Cite for any of this, please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

Have you looked around at the religious people (Christians) in America? They are not known for their openness, humility or curiosity.

I don’t consider hateful “Christians” to be admirable in any way, nor do I think we should be emulating these people or their belief systems. My comment speaks to the fact that we consider a very narrow belief in god to be the only available way to believe, at the exclusion of innumerable other ways to explore faith - we all lose when this is the case.

Correct -- we can believe in fairies and goblins and all sort of imaginary beings.

Genuinely curious, why do you try to make every thread about yourself?

NP -- I don't see how this comment elicits this response. This is not the view of one person. It is a commonly held view among non-believers that the supernatural is imaginary.

OK - so "faith" has been helpful to you. Many don't see it that way. That doesn't make them selfish or stupid or less evolved. It makes them different from you.

Snark about fairies and goblins is making it about themselves, just saying.

mention of fairies and goblins and other beings like God and angels is not snark and is not self centered. It's a fact that God and any beings beyond nature are in the same category. Some are good, some are bad -- according to the personalities that human have given them -- but they are all beyond nature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe 81 is correct. That seems incredibly high to me.

people are reluctant to tell a pollster they don't really believe in God.
Most respondents have very weak views on this subject anyway, but most will just say "yes" even if they don't really care one way or the other.

Cite for any of this, please

it's an opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t care whether or not anyone believes in God, I think a belief in the sacred and the divine leads to more openness, humility, and gentle curiosity in the world than not. A wholehearted belief in science is not better, it’s just more valued in a society that lionizes masculine qualities and characteristics and maligns feminine qualities and characteristics.

I’ve long thought the same, pp. Religious belief often leads to humility about our place in the world and our relationships with others. It can also lead to a lifetime of study and openness to challenging ideas.

I guess that follows if you think some some eternal big guy is in charge.

It leads to humility until one starts to do things because “it’s God’s will”, after which every sort of atrocity and abuse is all ok because “God”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe 81 is correct. That seems incredibly high to me.

What’s more likely, Gallup is bad at polling or your perspective is warped due to you living in a bubble

Gallup bad at polling for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspx

This is logical to me, and I believe religion does far more harm than good, so I view this as a positive development.

What are your thoughts?

It seems about right. I'm part of the 19%- it was a long road to admitting that I'm an atheist, even to myself. It's a pretty forceful stance to close off to the possibility that God (or a god) exists. It's different than being critical of organized religion.