Pew 2024 religious landscape survey

[Dutch Uncle]

Yes, no tangible evidence of an afterlife.

What I'm saying is there is overwhelming evidence the physical parameters of the universe are so finely tuned, and that in itself is so mathematically unlikely at the level of probability, it seems curious.

You're basing your conclusions on a single example. Same goes for life in the Universe. While we can guess about the odds of other lifeforms, we only have a single example to go by.

 

[Into the Night]

I'm a data guy.

No, you are a random number guy, that thinks random numbers are 'data'.

Data can answer many questions.

Random numbers are not data.

The number of atheists and agnostics are pretty much holding steady, they are not increasing.

Argument from randU fallacy.

I was told atheism was surging.

Argument from randU fallacy.

The Evangelical Protestants continue to outperform the mainline Protestants.

Argument from randU fallacy.

The overwhelming majority of people maintain some kind of spiritual belief even though many people are unaffiliated with a religion or church.

Islam may be a fast growing religion in USA, but it's absolute numbers are miniscule.

There are about two billion questions that can be answered by this data.

Argument from randU fallacy. Random numbers are not data.

 

[Into the Night]

It doesn't really answer the important questions. It doesn't tell us a thing about why any of it's happening.

It doesn't even tell IF it's happening. Random numbers are not data.

 

[Into the Night]

You have to have data before you can even ask the 'why' questions. Asking the right questions is as important as searching for the right answer.

You have no data.

 

[Into the Night]

The trend over the past few decades in most of the West is to move to a more "secular" society. We certainly see it in Europe. I don't know if it moves to a more "atheistic society" or just one where people have a sense of spirituality but they don't align with a given faith.

Atheism isn't a faith, Gunky.

I think it's an obvious outgrowth of how society is changing. Education and increased knowledge push back more and more of the magical thinking and superstition. God becomes more of a concept and less of a "bearded guy in the clouds" as our collective musings on the nature of who and what God is grow and evolve.

Random numbers aren't data. God does not change. See the Bible.

It's easy to see that humans, given a concept, will build it out over time. That's why we have so many variants of Christianity (not to mention the even larger number of religions in general). People tend to take a God they are given and mold him to be compliant to our personal needs. With increased individualization we can expect people to retreat to an almost personal God. A world in which each individual worships God in their own unique way and no huge overarching "organized religion" garners significant plurality in the society.

God Himself does not change. People try to push their various distortions as the 'True Religion'.

America is also quite special in that we are still FAR more religious than most of western Europe (our peers in terms of economic development). America is a bit behind the trend.

What 'trend', Gunky?? It's not possible to measure the religious beliefs of everyone.

 

[Into the Night]

So, God as a fascist dictator, in Trump.

Trump is not a fascist, Hugo. DEMOCRATS ARE. Trump is a capitalist.
Trump is not a dictator, Hugo, but it's what Democrats WANT.
Trump is not God.

 

[gmark77]

Atheism isn't a faith, Gunky.

Random numbers aren't data. God does not change. See the Bible.

God Himself does not change. People try to push their various distortions as the 'True Religion'.

What 'trend', Gunky?? It's not possible to measure the religious beliefs of everyone.

I read your post and honestly I don't see any real point in engaging with any of the points you raise because your points are so vapid. I am surprised a functioning adult would post something quite that insipid.

So I'm going to ignore it but just wanted to let you know that you aren't impressing me. Nor should you care if you are, but just be aware that your points are meaningless.

Try again.

 

[Cypress]

You're basing your conclusions on a single example.

We only have evidence for one universe. There is no evidence at all for a multiverse, or for physical constants which can change values. Sure, we can wildly speculate.

Same goes for life in the Universe. While we can guess about the odds of other lifeforms, we only have a single example to go by.

Life coming from non-life is another mystery we simply don't have any viable answer for. I personally believe it's very possible we are the only example of advanced sentient life in the galaxy.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

We only have evidence for one universe. There is no evidence at all for a multiverse, or for physical constants which can change values. Sure, we can wildly speculate.

Life coming from non-life is another mystery we simply don't have any viable answer for. I personally believe it's very possible we are the only example of advanced sentient life in the galaxy.

All correct. Which is why all such discussions are theories unless evidence is provided.

Physicists, not ufo wackadoodles, have postulated the multiverse theory. Still, like life after death, a supernatural creator of the Universe and other such theories, they are just theories.

What is multiverse theory?

Do we live in a multiverse? Maybe, maybe not.

www.livescience.com

The concept of the multiverse arises in a few areas of physics (and philosophy), but the most prominent example comes from something called inflation theory. Inflation theory describes a hypothetical event that occurred when our universe was very young — less than a second old. In an incredibly brief amount of time, the universe underwent a period of rapid expansion, "inflating" to become many orders of magnitude larger than its previous size, according to NASA.

Inflation of our universe is thought to have ended about 14 billion years ago, said Heling Deng, a cosmologist at Arizona State University and an expert in multiverse theory. "However, inflation does not end everywhere at the same time," Deng told Live Science in an email. "It is possible that as inflation ends in some region, it continues in others."


Thus, while inflation ended in our universe, there may have been other, much more distant regions where inflation continued — and continues even today. Individual universes can "pinch off" of larger inflating, expanding universes, creating an infinite sea of eternal inflation, filled with numerous individual universes.

 

[Cypress]

Living in a predominantly Catholic / lapsed Catholic area,
I've definitely had more Jewish acquaintances than Protestant ones.

We have old Yankee Protestants who came here by sail,
but they tend to be in cluster neighborhoods and their numbers steadily drop.

Also, they're mostly Episcopalian or Presbyterian or predominantly black denominations
more than hard core fundy or Evangelical types.

The latter often find Boston uncomfortable and migrate to rural New Hampshire..

There were a lot of Jewish kids in my high school. Washington DC and it's suburbs have a pretty good Jewish representation. I doubt that would be true in the small communities of Kansas and Wyoming.

I have even been to a couple weddings of Jewish friends where I got to wear the yalmulka!

 

[anonymoose]

I didn't say anything about the Pope.

I know. I did.

Why can't you answer if Jesus and Paul were teaching political ideologies?

Same reason you can't. Nor anybody else, unless you can find some old YouTube vids of their teachings.

Is it really because it's an unanswerable question?

Correct.

Or is it really because you don't like the answer?

I don't care one way or the other. But poops seem to be more politicians than religious figures lately. Or at least they're more concerned w/ politics . Don'tja think?
I kinda liked that Polish guy. He was cool.

 

[Into the Night]

I read your post and honestly I don't see any real point in engaging with any of the points you raise because your points are so vapid.

Random numbers are not data, Gunky.

I am surprised a functioning adult would post something quite that insipid.

So I'm going to ignore it but just wanted to let you know that you aren't impressing me. Nor should you care if you are, but just be aware that your points are meaningless.

Try again.

I'm not trying impress you, Gunkly. You are not the king. You are a nothing.

 

[gmark77]

Random numbers are not data, Gunky.

I'm not trying impress you, Gunkly. You are not the king. You are a nothing.

As I said your points seldom seem to amount to much of anything. Not sure why you bother posting at all, unless the goal is to show everyone how shallow a thinker you are.

 

[Into the Night]

We only have evidence for one universe.

'Uni' means ONE, Sybil.

There is no evidence at all for a multiverse, or for physical constants which can change values. Sure, we can wildly speculate.

'Uni' does not mean more than ONE, Sybil.

Life coming from non-life is another mystery we simply don't have any viable answer for.

Not a mystery. A religion.

I personally believe it's very possible we are the only example of advanced sentient life in the galaxy.

Argument of ignorance fallacy.

 

[Into the Night]

All correct. Which is why all such discussions are theories unless evidence is provided.

Theories usually have evidence for them, Sybil.

Physicists, not ufo wackadoodles, have postulated the multiverse theory.

Physicists are not wackadoodles, Sybil. A buzzword is not a theory.

 

[Into the Night]

As I said your points seldom seem to amount to much of anything. Not sure why you bother posting at all, unless the goal is to show everyone how shallow a thinker you are.

Inversion fallacy.

 

[gmark77]

Inversion fallacy.

No, not really.

 

[Into the Night]

No, not really.

Denying your fallacies does not make them go away, Gunky.

 

[gmark77]

Denying your fallacies does not make them go away, Gunky.

Simply stating incorrect things does not make them correct, Into the Night.

 

[Into the Night]

Simply stating incorrect things does not make them correct, Into the Night.

Your fallacies are your problem, Gunky. You can't make them disappear by denying them.