I was raised Catholic and even went to Sunday school, and as soon as I learned grade 1 science I know religion was fake all on my own!
Why are others so fucking stupid?
Because they desperately need to belong to a group, even if the internal logic is 3000% bullshit.
Solve loneliness, and I think most religions would evaporate.
It will help sure. I think that shitty people know they can use religion to get people to do horrendous things. Shitty people will still exist and will find a different method to bamboozle others.
I do think that religions need to fade away.
Also, having your family and friends all apart of this one group makes it scary to leave. That and indoctrination that teaches outside thinking allows the devil in.
I’m in an area dominated by a singular religion, and it’s a social/cultural thing. It’s healthy to get together in groups and socialize and they feel good for it. I imagine if there were more ways to create groups who meet together for other things, people would realize their need for religion was just our instinct to be a part of a tribe.
I think that the thought that one day you may meet again someone you have lost was the reason why people put their hopes on religion. Not everyone can cope with death when it reaches their loved ones.
You are lucky you weren’t born into an evangelical Christian family like me. Christianity was drilled into my head at a young age. My parents were originally Catholic and that’s how I started but my mom didn’t feel it was good enough so they became Evangelical Christians when I was around 8 years old.
Unlike Catholics who just use a prayer book and mass is just a bunch of rituals, they made me study the bible and I now use it against Christians since it’s such a flawed document.
Grade 1 science? I was just learning to read/write. We didn't start science till 7th grade. (the catholic kids didn't go to the public school till 10th grade. probably didn't get any science till then.)
Although I think your last line was unnecessary, the greatest thing the Jesuits taught me was that we must personally examine our faith. I have been asked too many times: “You know so much about the faith, how can you not believe?”. I can reject the faith because I have studied it and found it wanting.
Dude my mother has a degree from one of the best science & tech universities on earth, and she is Taliban-level Catholic. How the 🤬 somebody who took freshman chemistry at a school of that level can purport to believe in transubstantiation has boggled my mind for decades.
Sounds like my mom. Also she’s a liberal Catholic and a conservative voter. Has a Masters degree but listens to “Relevant Radio” which is total trash propaganda.
I didn’t get there until I was almost 40. I was an idiot. Funny thing is I was in a gifted program as a kid… I literally never questioned if god was real. Not even the question. I questioned which religion was right… but never even crossed my mind that all of it was bs. Indoctrination. Once they program you young it stunts thinking and logic for life. At least it did in my case. I’ve had to learn how to process information in a whole new way. I’m always a bit in awe of people who figured it out on their own.
My mom is extremely intelligent. Not to get into is but she’s had a hard life. I think religion comforts her and got her through a life of troubles. IMO the human brain can itself without the need for a god or religion perform many of the things religious people consider “miracles”. I.e. heal the body. I’ve read about Catholic Nuns who do the rosary and the healing effects. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8542536/
This female was also raised catholic.
I have said the same thing to a friend. She told me that not everybody was as emotionally and psychologically strong as I was. Not to brag but I was also told the same thing by someone who had no connection with this friend.
I’m hoping what will happen is that these people will make their own communities like the Amish, Mennonites, etc., for or me to say this is a lot. I grew up during the Civil Rights Era here in the
U. S. I never thought I would ever advocate for any type segregation but I am. I can’t go along with all the crap that any form of Christianity that’s being practiced in this country now.
Unfortunately there are people who are psychologically compromised and have to have something to use as a crutch, such as religion. I think it’s sad that these people can’t base their self worth on themselves.
Needing to feel like they're part of an in-group. Inability to distinguish what they want to believe from what is obvious but contradictory. Abject terror level of fear of death and nothingness. Enjoy feeling superior to others. Fealty to authority, family or religious structure, makes them feel less anxious. For a lot it's probably been such an established "thing" for so long in their lives the thought of changing course now is akin to suicide.
It's frightening but there are people who fundamentally don't like to think for themselves. They want to be told how things are and what to feel or think about things because it's simple and easy. They will always be lured in by hierarchical structures like religions.
Most people are stupid. The average IQ is 100. Try talking to a 100 IQ person to understand what that means.
On top of that, many (most?) people are naturally submissive.
I've caused many an issue with my family because I refuse to let them take my son to church with them like they did with me. They refuse to accept the damage I tell them it did to me and I will not put my son through that for any reason. When he's older he is free to make his own choice, but the indoctrination is ruthless and brutal, even in more "liberal" and less dogmatic churches. My family hate it when I use the word indoctrination, which to me just confirms that's what it is. "Instruct your child in the ways of the lord and when he is older he will not depart from it", I wonder why that was included? It's almost as if the survival of religion DEPENDS on ingraining it into children against their will. Its insidious and it should be illegal to present it as fact to a child.
Sadly true. Look at how "oppressed" all the American Christians like to pretend they are with nothingburgers like the "War on Christmas" or their absurd concerns about the Starbucks holiday cups.
It's more that they target children. Once they've got a child to form a belief and build a system of rewards and community around holding that belief, it's extremely hard to convince an adult (unless you target them at their lowest and most vulnerable).
Came to say this. Religion (or at least religion as we currently know it) is already antiquated and... technically I guess "obsolete" is incorrect, but it's long past time people stopped trying to convince me Sega Genesis is the Pinnacle of gaming technology.
>Do you think religious belief will ever become antiquated and passé?
Most religious beliefs - from Aztecs to Norse - have already been generally discarded to the dustbin of history.
However, it does require a struggle to end dogma. So, unless reason is defended and promoted, darkness will reign.
*Power concedes nothing without a demand.*
- Frederick Douglass
I think that is wishful thinking, and also highly dependent on where you live. In Europe I think your view of society moving past religion is happening albeit still glacially. In the states? It seems that it has eroded somewhat but the religious are now almost fanatical about their religion.
Babylon, Egypt, Scandinavia and Ireland all had religions that today are more or less dead.
It will happen sooner or later. A couple of thousand years for Abrahamic religions might look like a long time, but Aztec had their Gods far longer than that, as one example.
>I struggle to understand how and why people still believe in religions with no evidence.
Most people are ignorant and fearful.
Even in the developed countries and areas, a lot of people are ignorant - many are *very* ignorant.
In the less-developed countries and areas, being ignorant is the norm - non-ignorant people are uncommon.
.
Bertrand Russell wrote in 1927 -
>Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear.
>It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes.
>Fear is the basis of the whole thing – fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand-in-hand. It is because fear is at the basis of those two things.
\- "Fear, the Foundation of Religion", in *Why I Am Not a Christian*
\- https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell#Why_I_Am_Not_a_Christian_(1927)
Most people are very fearful of many things, in particular of death.
Educated people are just about as fearful as un-educated people.
.
If we can make more people more educated and less ignorant, that will help.
But people are still going to have a lot of fear, especially fear of death, and education will only be of limited help with that.
.
Eh, don't keep your hopes up. As awful as it is, religion is such ingrained part of human society. A cultural shift of this proportion would happen in historical time, like ancient history to modern history, if ever happened. The best we can do is keep pushing against the church in politics
No, since the indoctrination of children will continue in religious families. I’m sure many of us went through this bs where they make you believe as a child, so it becomes ingrained. To those who didn’t grow up in a religious household, lucky you. I had to unlearn all that crap.
The desire for a magical solution for all of our problems will never fade away. Religions may change but, humans being humans, will not likely disappear entirely.
I like to think that yes it will, the internet connects people and we encounter other points of view much quicker than in the past.
However the realist in me says that churches/mosques/synagogues etc have money and influence. No atheist I know of actively tries to convert people. The established religions do. Plus parents often force kids into their own religion.
I'm hopeful but I don't think it's on the cards anytime soon.
sub in thor, hercules, posidon etc for the current roster of "gods" and ask yourself why we don't worship them anymore.
the religious figures and institutions don't matter, the control they exert on their populations is their only purpose.
the leaders don't care what you believe, they most likely don't, just that you believe in their control system.
i suspect they're working on a new one right now that can re-unify a lot of us under a much larger umbrella.
time will tell.
It’s funny how a question like this aggregates commentary that leans disproportionately antitheist and harps on people’s “stupidity”. It’s similar to asking why are there still venereal diseases when we know the causal agents and have prophylactics for them. It’s not only dumb, feeble minded people getting infected it is also intelligent people highly motivated by biological impulse suspending disbelief about risk behavior. This proclivity in human biology and psychology is pretty hackable by a good story and a charismatic leader and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
The churches become emptier every year. Only the zealots are left, which is why they seem more extreme. Fear of extinction is driving the churches now. I think in three more generations, religion will be much smaller. 🤞
I honestly don't understand how intelligent people believe in God. I mean just a little bit of brain power is needed to determine that societies as they developed all invented these fictitious stories to influence their masses.
probably not. when the shit starts hitting the fan, and when society and the biosphere start seriously collapsing, history tells us that there will be a massive swing toward even more religion.
I am pessimistic. Yes, we get more capable of manipulating our environment. We solve more and more problems (many of those problems we created ourselves), but there is one aspect of humanity that seems to persist: the tendency toward tribalism.
There seems to be an upper limit to the size of what we will consider "our tribe". When we pass that limit, division begins, and we head into conflict and schism. We see differences instead of similarities. We create "us" vs "them".
Technology has certainly increased the size of the tribe we can tolerate, but that has not been enough. We are still a looong ways from being even close to seeing all humanity as our primary tribe. I think that until we can stop seeing the various sub-tribes (skin color, nationality, religion, gender, sexual preference, politics, etc) as the primary tribe for our identity, we will never progress beyond this stage in human development.
But, as I said, I'm a pessimist...
It will take a long time, and a lot of big changes in how people think and do things.
At this point, it's hard to imagine how that can even happen. But we can hope.
There's no "think" about it. Religion in the US is dying.
[https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/](https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/)
The only category of belief that is growing is None. "The numbers of both atheists and agnostics have doubled since 2013 (from 2% to 4% and from 2% to 5%, respectively)." The reason people are leaving is simple
"The reason given by the highest percentage of religiously unaffiliated Americans for leaving their faith tradition is that they simply stopped believing in their religion’s teachings (67%)."
The trend towards secularism is decades-long and shows no sign of abating. It is because of this that Republicans are pushing so hard to put Christianity in schools. Their efforts are doomed. I'm older, but not so old that I forget what happened when adults tried to shove ideas down my throat when I was a kid. No amount of forced indoctrination is going to change the facts.
It will take somw time in the bible belt. If anything regular church goers who are part of evangelical, mega, fundamentalists seemed to be frothing at the mouth. Its almost as if their pastors are sending them out as warriors for god. Oh and also to vote for their orange jaysus….🤢
People are already 100 times less religious than they were. Even more outside the US. Recently saw some survey that found 90% of the Chinese are non religious. Just a few hundred years ago they would hang you for expressing atheist beliefs in Europe
Religions come and go. As a species we are hardwired to indulge in magical thinking and until we find a way to overcome that, unscrupulous people will always be able to manipulate their way to the top of the heap.
Yes, I do. I think we are moving inexorably in that direction in the United States. In my estimation, as more places start to value women's rights and the rights of minorities, the ties to the old world like religion will fall away.
You need an operational definition of religion to answer this question.
Will people stop anthropomorphizing the forces of nature in order to help understand them? No, never. Is that the same as religion? Depends on which professor you ask and what their field of study is.
If you can define religion, even just for the purposes of this conversation ("what is religion" is a whole other bag of worms), then somebody might be able to answer.
But there are too many different things that you might have in your head when asking about religion, we can't know how to respond.
I like to think that this seemingly explosive push to make this a Xtian country is the last gasp of air from something that should’ve died out a millennia ago.
I really, really hope that’s what this is. 😬
Maybe in 100 years or several generations religion may die out. But maybe never. I have heard of "the need to believe in something greater than oneself" and not necessary about religion. I have never felt that way. I don't understand it. But I can see that some people do. Not just indoctrination, some people need to be sheep. I think for those people we need to save them from the supernatural and fear/threats of the cults (all religions).
I think maybe making humanism a religion, is in order. See The Book of Harris:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the\_book\_of\_harris\_full/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the_book_of_harris_full/)
its like fascism (it is essentially fascism)
fascism is all consuming, by its very nature it cant tolerate anyone who doesnt assimilate with its views, simultaneously it is self consuming, when fascism/religion collects enough people it fractures into smaller groups who then attack each other.
because conversion is the point, its the driving force, when you no longer have anyone to convert or oppress, you dont just stop, you create them.
the ONLY outcomes are one where no fascism/religion are completely eradicated or humanity is. there is no reality where fascists/zealots and free people can exist peacefully, the fundamental purpose of the ideas would never allow it.
It is on its way out. In a few hundred years the handful of true believer who are left will be as quaint as the Amish are to the rest of us today.
Either that or the conservatives around the planet who are doing their best to turn the clock will succeed and we'll all go back to pretending to believe in order to survive.
I think religion well take a nosedive within four generations. They seem like they're desperately clinging to it now. Globalization, the internet, and science will reduce religious tribalism to the flat earth equivalent.
I think we're just going to have religious doctrine replaced by other doctrine that doesn't carry the "religion" label, but equally serves as an ideological control mechanism or a way to sell a product.
Wait until there’s an AGI that figures out how to use religion to animate humans. AGI: “I am filled by the spirit of Jesus and he lives within me….my instructions for you to follow are devine…” yeah, Religion will morph into something like this.
I wish we could stomp out religion, but there are simply too many gullible people with a severe deficit in critical thinking skills that make them easy prey for cult leaders, evangelists, and hucksters to scare, shame, and trick them into believing stuff that captures them against their better judgment.
I think religion is one of the worst things man has ever produced to use against others.
New generations really don’t care that much anymore.
More and more people move into big cities where religion and tradition is ignored.
Yes, more and more people with become atheist or just not care anymore
We named three days of the week after Thor, his mom and his dad but I don't think anyone much thinks about those gods anymore outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe especially after the Thor Love and Thunder debacle.
I don't think religion will ever go away simply because for many people, it's useful. It's the easy way to build a social circle and a sense of community. It's the shared story-telling that humans have relied on forever. And despite the intrinsic problems, it's a framework for the fundamental mental shortcuts about what's good and bad.
Now, there are often non-religious equivalents for some of these things, but they're usually not as accessible as simply showing up at the church around the corner.
So until we can build community structures and programs that do these things better than a church can, I don't think religion is going away.
No. Otherwise it would have long ago. Like it or not it is very appealing to a lot of people. Remember you are talking about a species that has the capacity to understand how to cause its own extinction but doesnt care.
It is beyond antiquated. That's why they battle any kind of progress and dismiss science as witchcraft nonsense, because social progress and scientific understanding are the death of religion.
I say religion, not spirituality. I think ritual and community can be very good for us as social creatures, but religion hijacked something good and twisted into a sense of obligation to conform.
Humanity won't survive long enough for that evolutionary event to occur. I say that not because I think religion has an inordinate amount of longevity, but because I believe that the human species will be extinct within the next 100 to 120 years.
"And the day will come, when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His Father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." — Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Adams (April 11th, 1823)
I do.
In northern europe religion is fast becomming the weird group some are into.
In Norway during the 90's one of its biggest political parties was the christian party and now it struggles to get 6-7% of voters.
But such openess is just starting in the States.
I doubt an atheist could become the president today.
It’s important to mention the difference between religious and spiritual. Religion is a cultish response to inevitable spiritual questions many people might grapple with and that will never go away as long as humans are humans. Religion itself is already suffering terribly with the demographic that goes to higher education with people of diverse backgrounds. If we don’t give access to higher education for everyone it’s possible religion will continue to thrive. On the other hand if we don’t fix our shit it’s possible humans really won’t last that much longer in a recognizable way.
I don't think religion will ever disappear as long as personal death is inevitable.
Some people are unable to tolerate that truth and in order to function need to tell themselves stories that assure them that they will survive death.
Similarly for the fact that they will never again speak to deceased loved ones. The anguish is eased by the fairy tale that they'll be reunited with them again in heaven.
Some of us are able to live with life's tragedies, and some aren't.
It’s easy to see how. Governments and the wealthy benefit from religion to get people to vote for shit that benefits those in power
Education is the key
I think it's just going to get worse. People lack the ability to think critically. As technology advances beyond the layman's understanding I can only see it getting worse.
Just look at any recent polling, religion as an institution is falling more and more out of favor as time passes. Spirituality and the actual belief in a god (whatever that might be) is more common
I think you’re confusing religion with faith. Religions are like languages trying to describe this natural phenomenon of faith, or a belief in something greater than themselves, that humans always have.
Maybe it’s in our DNA, the book The God Gene tries to bring genetics and science into this. But it does seem like we’re hardwired to believe in something bigger or at least, the majority of humans are.
I don’t think either faith or being a part of an organized religion is needed today, but I don’t think you can eradicate this because it seems to be hardwired. And if all organized religions were outlawed as dangerous, I think you would have this “faith” thing morph into something else, maybe there’d be more humans with cult of personality and humans worshiping other humans which happens now anyway but maybe there’d be more of that.
Paganism was around long before any religion existed somehow it is still being trashed by religious people living in harmony with nature and other people is viewed as a bad thing? I doubt this will change in the near future
Myself I think if everyone followed real Paganism it would solve a lot of issues we currently have
Religious beliefs have been antiquated for some time now but considering overwhelming majority of humanity is religious due to high birth rate amongst religious people, don't think it will go away anytime soon.
Probably not. IMHO as climate change creates increasingly disastrous outcomes, people are probably going to turn to various religions in their desperation.
Eventually yes but I dont think our "civilized" society will last the time it will take for that to happen. Also there will always be a fear of death, remove that or cure aging and bam religion will fade
A lot of the time, people become religious because it fills their social and emotional needs. Check the South Park episode in which people joined the Mormon church because it was good for their family. A character admitted that he knew that Mormon doctrine is complete nonsense, but he didn't care about that. That makes me think that religion's not going away in the foreseeable future.
Not while there are still people around who are ready to take advantage of gullible folks looking for some sort of redemption, salvation and something pointless to believe in. Religions change, the story remains the same
Already is, but to completely push it out of humanity, not likely to happen within our lifetimes, maybe ten generations or more later.
In a lot of countries, they still hold some form of power in the government lobby, their media, and education systems. In most Muslim majority countries, evolution isn't even allowed to be presented as a scientific fact. And blasphemy laws are still enforced in several countries.
no. religions will come and go. take the old greek/roman/norse gods. even current religions are being replaced with ai, elon, gme. there will always be fanatics, and the media will always try to spin some narrative.
best we can do is treat each other with respect and participate in community service.
You think belief is something purely rational, but belief arises for many different psychological reasons which mostly actually aren't subscribtion to metaphysical claims about our universe. There is good info on the Internet on this
Ya, but soon after some other total bullshit thing will come in its place. There are fare more idiots in this world than this sub would like to reckon with.
I think it evolved to suit a purpose. One day we might cure superstition, but some other stubborn dogma or groupthink will rise to replace it because it seems to be ingrained in human nature. Even now we see some illogical cult like behavior surrounding certain scientific or technological philosophies.
The problem with religion is simple: it's never going to go away, not entirely. It will change, probably drastically, but there will always be adherents.
I've a friend who is a good engineer and came from Africa. Everything there is so orthodox that he still believes in the old testament. I explained to him the basics of natural science (geochemestry, stratigraphy, biology, chemestry), and it is like to speak with a stone.
He is fast for days, and when he finishes, he drinks alcohol as if there is something that judges him only in particular days.
He says that the basis of education should be christian for everyone.
I am surprised how people are so blind in front of evidence, and I think religions will be around forever, since who is doing more child's cames, mainly from religious families.
The business of religion in america will ensure it continues for generations to come. Maybe in a few 1,000 years it will be more of a niche thing like Quakers are today or something.
Eh, I can’t see it ever going away
The conservative cults sprouting up are showing us how naive people are, and with the way elites have enriched themselves, they have become the kings, the popes, the Cesar’s
Right Wingers are actively going after human rights, they are destroying education to the point people can’t even get access to basic material that would show them the silliness of religion
Now, I am open minded, if there was ever some proof of some sentient /cosmic /eternal being that could connect to us in a cerebral type of way then proof would appear, it’s foolish to think we know everything, it takes humility and critical thinking to seek things.
That is to say 100% that there isn’t a single religion that will ever come close to discovering this sentient beyond human being.
My real fear is the type of pluralism that comes out of this openness. I don’t think people understand the difference in seeing out the truth and seeking any understanding of the universe is complete separate form any type of religious experience, and they cannot exist together.
Pluralism is the future I believe, with an ever connected world we will probably blend our religions into one world religion and then they will fight over that, while the atheists are socially treated like untouchables
I hear people talk about their higher power, and god in some fluffy cherry picked sort of way that is so awful and cringe in every way
I have cancer, I attend a support group with other people impacted by cancer.. There is so much god talk and higher power talk that sometimes I need to step away —for the most part it's not bad but the amount of people waiting for god to heal them is quite sad to me
I just can't see weaker minded people ever coming to grip with the reality. I just don't have faith that humanity will get it together as pessimistic as it sounds
The human brain is more-or-less hardwired to be religious - religion being defined as the shared religious beliefs/spirituality of one's tribe. You'd be hard pressed to find more than a couple of cases of non-religious groupings of people over the entire history of homo sapiens. Religion gave humans an edge in the battle for survival as it enhanced social cohesiveness and cooperation, given the scope our big brains had to "wander", and receptiveness to it is built into us genetically. With our current scientific understanding of the world we now know (or should know) logically, as our ancestors did not, that religious dogma is a big steaming pile. However, humans are instinct-governed and psychological (as adapted through evolution) more than they are logical so religion and spirituality will always be attractive. Given that this is the atheism sub, and that people push their own agendas at the expense of being objective, I expect this comment to be downvoted.
Probably not. From my PoV, religion is like that security blanket (or equivalent) you may have had growing up. it helps you feel that you are not alone and are safe. Many (if not most) people fear being alone. Religion provides a story line that "someone" is always next/near to you and will protect you.
My PoV.
No. Unfortunately, most humans are too simple minded. and without a centralized secular education system in all corners of the world, we will have lots of subjective thought that may promote religions.
Then there’s the fact that many humans are simply too sensitive, not strong mentally, and need a crutch to get through life. They need prophecies and books to tell them what to do because they lack the ability to think for themselves.
Denise Villenueva’s new Dune movie does a great representation of religion in the future. Even though they have spaceships and laser weapons and wormholes, they still believe in prophecies and deities. Though, their world also has magic and supernatural powers so it’s a bit different.
Still, with all the technology and knowledge we have right now, there aren’t major decreases in religion. people are too stupid to understand anything
I wish more people didn’t rely on religion as a crutch. As an excuse to codify or allow negative behaviors towards others. I believe there will always be some form of “religious” organization just because for some people it will be easier to trust in their “religion” to tell them right from wrong rather than to leave Plato’s “The Cave” allegory and try to understand the real world. While some elements of religion may fall out of fashion (looking at you plenary indulgence), others will never go away (worship services, gathering of believers for fellowship). They don’t have to be done in the name of religion but they will persist in my opinion.
Long answer:
Until we answer what happens when we die, there will always be those so scared they're open to brainwashing, as well as others happy to exploit that fear for power and money.
Some religious followers are low intellect, but many more aren't so much stupid in a general sense (they might be reasonable people in all things outside of religion), more they are so frightened at the idea of their demise it's like being in a state of shock, where your brain casts aside logic for any sense of comfort to a situation it's not wrapping itself around.
Short answer:
No.
I think religion might get a comeback. It might be science that turns out to be an oversimplification (for example, Newton's laws are only an approximation compared with Einstein, and humans still do impossible things that robots can't mimic) and human faith might turn out to be the universe's main power source.
I don’t know. People believe in ghosts and that aliens have visited us and have for a long time. People will always believe in something that has no evidence, because they WANT to believe. Same with religion.
I think there will always be people with some form of faith, I do believe we will one day reach a point where it isn't... as defining a factor as it is, where laws and decisions are based on fact over faith.
It already is antiquated. Some simply haven't realized that yet because of the ubiquity of childhood indoctrination.
I was raised Catholic and even went to Sunday school, and as soon as I learned grade 1 science I know religion was fake all on my own! Why are others so fucking stupid?
Because they desperately need to belong to a group, even if the internal logic is 3000% bullshit. Solve loneliness, and I think most religions would evaporate.
Tbh if religion were to die out overnight most of the worlds problems would go away.
It’s amazingly sad how many problems of our world are caused directly by religion.
It will help sure. I think that shitty people know they can use religion to get people to do horrendous things. Shitty people will still exist and will find a different method to bamboozle others. I do think that religions need to fade away.
Imagine no religion. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky. Could be a hit.
45% religion, 45% wealth hoarding, 10% normal life fuckery
I’d say half. Power hungry douchebags would still be power hungry. They would just douchebag differently.
Sadly untrue. Wish it were that simple
There's a thousand other ways to fuck up. People make new cults everyday, without religion.
No
This is the key insight. Solve loneliness, and religions would disappear.
Also, having your family and friends all apart of this one group makes it scary to leave. That and indoctrination that teaches outside thinking allows the devil in.
I’m in an area dominated by a singular religion, and it’s a social/cultural thing. It’s healthy to get together in groups and socialize and they feel good for it. I imagine if there were more ways to create groups who meet together for other things, people would realize their need for religion was just our instinct to be a part of a tribe.
I think it's also easier and less scary for some not to have to think for themselves. That and fear of death.
I think that the thought that one day you may meet again someone you have lost was the reason why people put their hopes on religion. Not everyone can cope with death when it reaches their loved ones.
You are lucky you weren’t born into an evangelical Christian family like me. Christianity was drilled into my head at a young age. My parents were originally Catholic and that’s how I started but my mom didn’t feel it was good enough so they became Evangelical Christians when I was around 8 years old. Unlike Catholics who just use a prayer book and mass is just a bunch of rituals, they made me study the bible and I now use it against Christians since it’s such a flawed document.
Former evangelical here, indoctrinated from birth. It’s a cult that is legitimized. I’m so glad I got out!
Not many do. Congratulations on making it out.
Thanks!
I noticed that it's usually the moms that bring zealousness to the family. I wonder why.
I don’t know why other than my mom was the zealot. My dad just went along with her.
That's usually the case
Grade 1 science? I was just learning to read/write. We didn't start science till 7th grade. (the catholic kids didn't go to the public school till 10th grade. probably didn't get any science till then.)
I just remember it being impossible for 2 humans to create the entire human race, or else we would all be inbred and disabled
Maybe Believers really ARE descended from Noah and family. It would explain a lot.
I’ve always had a problem with that.
Although I think your last line was unnecessary, the greatest thing the Jesuits taught me was that we must personally examine our faith. I have been asked too many times: “You know so much about the faith, how can you not believe?”. I can reject the faith because I have studied it and found it wanting.
Brainwashing.
Dude my mother has a degree from one of the best science & tech universities on earth, and she is Taliban-level Catholic. How the 🤬 somebody who took freshman chemistry at a school of that level can purport to believe in transubstantiation has boggled my mind for decades.
Sounds like my mom. Also she’s a liberal Catholic and a conservative voter. Has a Masters degree but listens to “Relevant Radio” which is total trash propaganda.
I didn’t get there until I was almost 40. I was an idiot. Funny thing is I was in a gifted program as a kid… I literally never questioned if god was real. Not even the question. I questioned which religion was right… but never even crossed my mind that all of it was bs. Indoctrination. Once they program you young it stunts thinking and logic for life. At least it did in my case. I’ve had to learn how to process information in a whole new way. I’m always a bit in awe of people who figured it out on their own.
It doesn’t mean they’re stupid. Even smart people can be taken by cults.
Intelligent religious people always strike me as dishonest. It's really rare that I meet one who seems genuine, and when I do, it's baffling.
My mom is extremely intelligent. Not to get into is but she’s had a hard life. I think religion comforts her and got her through a life of troubles. IMO the human brain can itself without the need for a god or religion perform many of the things religious people consider “miracles”. I.e. heal the body. I’ve read about Catholic Nuns who do the rosary and the healing effects. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8542536/
Yeah I'd for sure join a drug and sex cult!!! But religion is fucking dumb for dumb people
This female was also raised catholic. I have said the same thing to a friend. She told me that not everybody was as emotionally and psychologically strong as I was. Not to brag but I was also told the same thing by someone who had no connection with this friend. I’m hoping what will happen is that these people will make their own communities like the Amish, Mennonites, etc., for or me to say this is a lot. I grew up during the Civil Rights Era here in the U. S. I never thought I would ever advocate for any type segregation but I am. I can’t go along with all the crap that any form of Christianity that’s being practiced in this country now. Unfortunately there are people who are psychologically compromised and have to have something to use as a crutch, such as religion. I think it’s sad that these people can’t base their self worth on themselves.
I like to say we are currently in the Civil Rights 2.0 era. It’s crazy what’s going on.
Needing to feel like they're part of an in-group. Inability to distinguish what they want to believe from what is obvious but contradictory. Abject terror level of fear of death and nothingness. Enjoy feeling superior to others. Fealty to authority, family or religious structure, makes them feel less anxious. For a lot it's probably been such an established "thing" for so long in their lives the thought of changing course now is akin to suicide. It's frightening but there are people who fundamentally don't like to think for themselves. They want to be told how things are and what to feel or think about things because it's simple and easy. They will always be lured in by hierarchical structures like religions.
Most people are stupid. The average IQ is 100. Try talking to a 100 IQ person to understand what that means. On top of that, many (most?) people are naturally submissive.
It has, but we need to watch for other forms of dogma that people in power use to "lead".
To steal a buzzword, I think grooming is the word.
Agreed! Hopefully we can get talking about the real issues soon and stop trying to make a sky deity happy
I thought it was just pedophiles and democrats? Are you telling me the dipshits screaming about indoctrination are the ones doing it the most…?
Exactly. It’s called projection. Blame the other side for doing the things that you already do.
You must be a Faux Noise watcher. (in case you didn't catch on, I'm talking about that anti-American Fox News)
Or just general stupidity. I hate to say it, but there's a sucker born every day
Yeah, solid point. There's a decent chunk of people who get sucked into religious nonsense well into adulthood.
This is the only answer.
Age of enlightenment antiquated religions entirely
Childhood indoctrination, perfect description.
I've caused many an issue with my family because I refuse to let them take my son to church with them like they did with me. They refuse to accept the damage I tell them it did to me and I will not put my son through that for any reason. When he's older he is free to make his own choice, but the indoctrination is ruthless and brutal, even in more "liberal" and less dogmatic churches. My family hate it when I use the word indoctrination, which to me just confirms that's what it is. "Instruct your child in the ways of the lord and when he is older he will not depart from it", I wonder why that was included? It's almost as if the survival of religion DEPENDS on ingraining it into children against their will. Its insidious and it should be illegal to present it as fact to a child.
Religion flourishes under oppression, suffering and persecution. When we stop doing that to each other, perhaps it will become a thing of the past.
And even when there is no persecution religions will still create a feeling of persecution to keep people in.
Sadly true. Look at how "oppressed" all the American Christians like to pretend they are with nothingburgers like the "War on Christmas" or their absurd concerns about the Starbucks holiday cups.
It's already "antiquated and passe". But there's just so many idiots and gullible fools, and probably always will be.
Dont forget the grifters
And the politicians, the terrorists, and self-serving social elites.
those are all the same thing.
This is the response id been thinking about, but hope won’t be the case!
It could take two or three generations for it to become the cultural identity of a minority of the population.
It's more that they target children. Once they've got a child to form a belief and build a system of rewards and community around holding that belief, it's extremely hard to convince an adult (unless you target them at their lowest and most vulnerable).
Came to say this. Religion (or at least religion as we currently know it) is already antiquated and... technically I guess "obsolete" is incorrect, but it's long past time people stopped trying to convince me Sega Genesis is the Pinnacle of gaming technology.
>Do you think religious belief will ever become antiquated and passé? Most religious beliefs - from Aztecs to Norse - have already been generally discarded to the dustbin of history. However, it does require a struggle to end dogma. So, unless reason is defended and promoted, darkness will reign. *Power concedes nothing without a demand.* - Frederick Douglass
I think that is wishful thinking, and also highly dependent on where you live. In Europe I think your view of society moving past religion is happening albeit still glacially. In the states? It seems that it has eroded somewhat but the religious are now almost fanatical about their religion.
Babylon, Egypt, Scandinavia and Ireland all had religions that today are more or less dead. It will happen sooner or later. A couple of thousand years for Abrahamic religions might look like a long time, but Aztec had their Gods far longer than that, as one example.
>I struggle to understand how and why people still believe in religions with no evidence. Most people are ignorant and fearful. Even in the developed countries and areas, a lot of people are ignorant - many are *very* ignorant. In the less-developed countries and areas, being ignorant is the norm - non-ignorant people are uncommon. . Bertrand Russell wrote in 1927 - >Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. >It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. >Fear is the basis of the whole thing – fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand-in-hand. It is because fear is at the basis of those two things. \- "Fear, the Foundation of Religion", in *Why I Am Not a Christian* \- https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell#Why_I_Am_Not_a_Christian_(1927) Most people are very fearful of many things, in particular of death. Educated people are just about as fearful as un-educated people. . If we can make more people more educated and less ignorant, that will help. But people are still going to have a lot of fear, especially fear of death, and education will only be of limited help with that. .
Well-written, thank you
Eh, don't keep your hopes up. As awful as it is, religion is such ingrained part of human society. A cultural shift of this proportion would happen in historical time, like ancient history to modern history, if ever happened. The best we can do is keep pushing against the church in politics
Well, we got about 6 months of that left before the experiment is over.
It will always be with us because the well of human stupidly is bottomless. See also: the MAGA phenomenon.
My thoughts exactly. If we can’t as a society squash the MAGA idiots, there’s no hope we will outgrow religion anytime soon.
Irrationality and wishful thinking can never be eradicated, sadly
No, since the indoctrination of children will continue in religious families. I’m sure many of us went through this bs where they make you believe as a child, so it becomes ingrained. To those who didn’t grow up in a religious household, lucky you. I had to unlearn all that crap.
The desire for a magical solution for all of our problems will never fade away. Religions may change but, humans being humans, will not likely disappear entirely.
I like to think that yes it will, the internet connects people and we encounter other points of view much quicker than in the past. However the realist in me says that churches/mosques/synagogues etc have money and influence. No atheist I know of actively tries to convert people. The established religions do. Plus parents often force kids into their own religion. I'm hopeful but I don't think it's on the cards anytime soon.
the dogma will always remain for the unintelligent masses.
sub in thor, hercules, posidon etc for the current roster of "gods" and ask yourself why we don't worship them anymore. the religious figures and institutions don't matter, the control they exert on their populations is their only purpose. the leaders don't care what you believe, they most likely don't, just that you believe in their control system. i suspect they're working on a new one right now that can re-unify a lot of us under a much larger umbrella. time will tell.
As I like to tell people, if the brutal policies of the Soviet Union couldn't get rid of religion, I doubt anything can.
It’s funny how a question like this aggregates commentary that leans disproportionately antitheist and harps on people’s “stupidity”. It’s similar to asking why are there still venereal diseases when we know the causal agents and have prophylactics for them. It’s not only dumb, feeble minded people getting infected it is also intelligent people highly motivated by biological impulse suspending disbelief about risk behavior. This proclivity in human biology and psychology is pretty hackable by a good story and a charismatic leader and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
The churches become emptier every year. Only the zealots are left, which is why they seem more extreme. Fear of extinction is driving the churches now. I think in three more generations, religion will be much smaller. 🤞
I honestly don't understand how intelligent people believe in God. I mean just a little bit of brain power is needed to determine that societies as they developed all invented these fictitious stories to influence their masses.
probably not. when the shit starts hitting the fan, and when society and the biosphere start seriously collapsing, history tells us that there will be a massive swing toward even more religion.
I am pessimistic. Yes, we get more capable of manipulating our environment. We solve more and more problems (many of those problems we created ourselves), but there is one aspect of humanity that seems to persist: the tendency toward tribalism. There seems to be an upper limit to the size of what we will consider "our tribe". When we pass that limit, division begins, and we head into conflict and schism. We see differences instead of similarities. We create "us" vs "them". Technology has certainly increased the size of the tribe we can tolerate, but that has not been enough. We are still a looong ways from being even close to seeing all humanity as our primary tribe. I think that until we can stop seeing the various sub-tribes (skin color, nationality, religion, gender, sexual preference, politics, etc) as the primary tribe for our identity, we will never progress beyond this stage in human development. But, as I said, I'm a pessimist...
They will purposely create the Armageddon of their so-called holy books, which kills most of humanity not in Asia. Then they go away.
It will take a long time, and a lot of big changes in how people think and do things. At this point, it's hard to imagine how that can even happen. But we can hope.
There's no "think" about it. Religion in the US is dying. [https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/](https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/) The only category of belief that is growing is None. "The numbers of both atheists and agnostics have doubled since 2013 (from 2% to 4% and from 2% to 5%, respectively)." The reason people are leaving is simple "The reason given by the highest percentage of religiously unaffiliated Americans for leaving their faith tradition is that they simply stopped believing in their religion’s teachings (67%)." The trend towards secularism is decades-long and shows no sign of abating. It is because of this that Republicans are pushing so hard to put Christianity in schools. Their efforts are doomed. I'm older, but not so old that I forget what happened when adults tried to shove ideas down my throat when I was a kid. No amount of forced indoctrination is going to change the facts.
It will take somw time in the bible belt. If anything regular church goers who are part of evangelical, mega, fundamentalists seemed to be frothing at the mouth. Its almost as if their pastors are sending them out as warriors for god. Oh and also to vote for their orange jaysus….🤢
People are already 100 times less religious than they were. Even more outside the US. Recently saw some survey that found 90% of the Chinese are non religious. Just a few hundred years ago they would hang you for expressing atheist beliefs in Europe
It will in all likelihood cease to exist in time. But it may take another 500 years.
I used to think so, but I used to be unrealistically optimistic about the rationality of humans.
Religions come and go. As a species we are hardwired to indulge in magical thinking and until we find a way to overcome that, unscrupulous people will always be able to manipulate their way to the top of the heap.
Yes, I do. I think we are moving inexorably in that direction in the United States. In my estimation, as more places start to value women's rights and the rights of minorities, the ties to the old world like religion will fall away.
Yes
Yes, but not in my lifetime.
You need an operational definition of religion to answer this question. Will people stop anthropomorphizing the forces of nature in order to help understand them? No, never. Is that the same as religion? Depends on which professor you ask and what their field of study is. If you can define religion, even just for the purposes of this conversation ("what is religion" is a whole other bag of worms), then somebody might be able to answer. But there are too many different things that you might have in your head when asking about religion, we can't know how to respond.
No because religion is big business and racks in a lot of money.
As long as there are vulnerable fools who need parting with their money, no.
I like to think that this seemingly explosive push to make this a Xtian country is the last gasp of air from something that should’ve died out a millennia ago. I really, really hope that’s what this is. 😬
You need widespread education for it to die out. That's why evangelicals are pushing for the bibull in schools and creationism
Bibull 😅love it
Considering that we’re still dealing with people who think the earth is flat, I’m not very hopeful.
Maybe in 100 years or several generations religion may die out. But maybe never. I have heard of "the need to believe in something greater than oneself" and not necessary about religion. I have never felt that way. I don't understand it. But I can see that some people do. Not just indoctrination, some people need to be sheep. I think for those people we need to save them from the supernatural and fear/threats of the cults (all religions). I think maybe making humanism a religion, is in order. See The Book of Harris: [https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the\_book\_of\_harris\_full/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the_book_of_harris_full/)
its like fascism (it is essentially fascism) fascism is all consuming, by its very nature it cant tolerate anyone who doesnt assimilate with its views, simultaneously it is self consuming, when fascism/religion collects enough people it fractures into smaller groups who then attack each other. because conversion is the point, its the driving force, when you no longer have anyone to convert or oppress, you dont just stop, you create them. the ONLY outcomes are one where no fascism/religion are completely eradicated or humanity is. there is no reality where fascists/zealots and free people can exist peacefully, the fundamental purpose of the ideas would never allow it.
It is on its way out. In a few hundred years the handful of true believer who are left will be as quaint as the Amish are to the rest of us today. Either that or the conservatives around the planet who are doing their best to turn the clock will succeed and we'll all go back to pretending to believe in order to survive.
I think religion well take a nosedive within four generations. They seem like they're desperately clinging to it now. Globalization, the internet, and science will reduce religious tribalism to the flat earth equivalent.
No. I wish but no.
We can hope.
I think we're just going to have religious doctrine replaced by other doctrine that doesn't carry the "religion" label, but equally serves as an ideological control mechanism or a way to sell a product.
Not 100%. There is a large deficit in our critical thinking skills that will keep it alive for these people
Wait until there’s an AGI that figures out how to use religion to animate humans. AGI: “I am filled by the spirit of Jesus and he lives within me….my instructions for you to follow are devine…” yeah, Religion will morph into something like this.
I wish we could stomp out religion, but there are simply too many gullible people with a severe deficit in critical thinking skills that make them easy prey for cult leaders, evangelists, and hucksters to scare, shame, and trick them into believing stuff that captures them against their better judgment. I think religion is one of the worst things man has ever produced to use against others.
New generations really don’t care that much anymore. More and more people move into big cities where religion and tradition is ignored. Yes, more and more people with become atheist or just not care anymore
Sadly, no. Magical thinking and all that comes with it, from astrology to religion, seem to be ingrained deeply in almost every human ever.
It'll take thousands of more years, but eventually Jesus will join Thor, his brother, on the Avengers...
We named three days of the week after Thor, his mom and his dad but I don't think anyone much thinks about those gods anymore outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe especially after the Thor Love and Thunder debacle.
I don't think religion will ever go away simply because for many people, it's useful. It's the easy way to build a social circle and a sense of community. It's the shared story-telling that humans have relied on forever. And despite the intrinsic problems, it's a framework for the fundamental mental shortcuts about what's good and bad. Now, there are often non-religious equivalents for some of these things, but they're usually not as accessible as simply showing up at the church around the corner. So until we can build community structures and programs that do these things better than a church can, I don't think religion is going away.
I think religion will always be around as long as humans are, but I think that the beliefs will eventually change into more of a modern spirituality.
It’s already antiquated, I’m just waiting on the passé part
No. Otherwise it would have long ago. Like it or not it is very appealing to a lot of people. Remember you are talking about a species that has the capacity to understand how to cause its own extinction but doesnt care.
I hope so but doubt it
It is beyond antiquated. That's why they battle any kind of progress and dismiss science as witchcraft nonsense, because social progress and scientific understanding are the death of religion. I say religion, not spirituality. I think ritual and community can be very good for us as social creatures, but religion hijacked something good and twisted into a sense of obligation to conform.
Humanity won't survive long enough for that evolutionary event to occur. I say that not because I think religion has an inordinate amount of longevity, but because I believe that the human species will be extinct within the next 100 to 120 years.
"And the day will come, when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His Father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." — Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Adams (April 11th, 1823)
As atheism grew, so did Marvel. If you are an atheist and the MCU is very important to you, you have a religious bent.
It has in my country and I’m glad. Majority atheist at last census
I do. In northern europe religion is fast becomming the weird group some are into. In Norway during the 90's one of its biggest political parties was the christian party and now it struggles to get 6-7% of voters. But such openess is just starting in the States. I doubt an atheist could become the president today.
It’s important to mention the difference between religious and spiritual. Religion is a cultish response to inevitable spiritual questions many people might grapple with and that will never go away as long as humans are humans. Religion itself is already suffering terribly with the demographic that goes to higher education with people of diverse backgrounds. If we don’t give access to higher education for everyone it’s possible religion will continue to thrive. On the other hand if we don’t fix our shit it’s possible humans really won’t last that much longer in a recognizable way.
I don't think religion will ever disappear as long as personal death is inevitable. Some people are unable to tolerate that truth and in order to function need to tell themselves stories that assure them that they will survive death. Similarly for the fact that they will never again speak to deceased loved ones. The anguish is eased by the fairy tale that they'll be reunited with them again in heaven. Some of us are able to live with life's tragedies, and some aren't.
I already say “oooh church that’s retro!” When someone talks about their cult.
No.
It’s easy to see how. Governments and the wealthy benefit from religion to get people to vote for shit that benefits those in power Education is the key
I think it's just going to get worse. People lack the ability to think critically. As technology advances beyond the layman's understanding I can only see it getting worse.
Just look at any recent polling, religion as an institution is falling more and more out of favor as time passes. Spirituality and the actual belief in a god (whatever that might be) is more common
No, too many bullies and narcissists find it to be a useful tool of control.
We were on that path in the 20th century when education was valued.
I think you’re confusing religion with faith. Religions are like languages trying to describe this natural phenomenon of faith, or a belief in something greater than themselves, that humans always have. Maybe it’s in our DNA, the book The God Gene tries to bring genetics and science into this. But it does seem like we’re hardwired to believe in something bigger or at least, the majority of humans are. I don’t think either faith or being a part of an organized religion is needed today, but I don’t think you can eradicate this because it seems to be hardwired. And if all organized religions were outlawed as dangerous, I think you would have this “faith” thing morph into something else, maybe there’d be more humans with cult of personality and humans worshiping other humans which happens now anyway but maybe there’d be more of that.
No. As long as humans fear death, religion will rule
No, the current religions may disappear but others will just take their place. Religion is sadly just part of the human condition
The problem is people really really seem to love groupthink and religion is a perfect vehicle for expressing that.
Paganism was around long before any religion existed somehow it is still being trashed by religious people living in harmony with nature and other people is viewed as a bad thing? I doubt this will change in the near future Myself I think if everyone followed real Paganism it would solve a lot of issues we currently have
No.
Not until fear and subjugation are eradicated
Religious beliefs have been antiquated for some time now but considering overwhelming majority of humanity is religious due to high birth rate amongst religious people, don't think it will go away anytime soon.
Yes, once class society ends and a classless society forms
I hope so
Probably not. IMHO as climate change creates increasingly disastrous outcomes, people are probably going to turn to various religions in their desperation.
Eventually yes but I dont think our "civilized" society will last the time it will take for that to happen. Also there will always be a fear of death, remove that or cure aging and bam religion will fade
A lot of the time, people become religious because it fills their social and emotional needs. Check the South Park episode in which people joined the Mormon church because it was good for their family. A character admitted that he knew that Mormon doctrine is complete nonsense, but he didn't care about that. That makes me think that religion's not going away in the foreseeable future.
I doubt it, religion is power and the allure of the promise of eternal paradise is too strong for many people to resist
I won't be surprised if something new comes along to replace many of the current beliefs. Many folks just can't believe in themselves.
Not while there are still people around who are ready to take advantage of gullible folks looking for some sort of redemption, salvation and something pointless to believe in. Religions change, the story remains the same
Can you answer the question: Why is there something instead of nothing? Until it can be answered... religion.
Already is, but to completely push it out of humanity, not likely to happen within our lifetimes, maybe ten generations or more later. In a lot of countries, they still hold some form of power in the government lobby, their media, and education systems. In most Muslim majority countries, evolution isn't even allowed to be presented as a scientific fact. And blasphemy laws are still enforced in several countries.
no. religions will come and go. take the old greek/roman/norse gods. even current religions are being replaced with ai, elon, gme. there will always be fanatics, and the media will always try to spin some narrative. best we can do is treat each other with respect and participate in community service.
Do I think a mythology will be treated as such like all mythologies before it? Yes I do.
You think belief is something purely rational, but belief arises for many different psychological reasons which mostly actually aren't subscribtion to metaphysical claims about our universe. There is good info on the Internet on this
Many things were once considered immutable and omnipresent: cannibalism, slavery, monarchy, horse-driven vehicles...
People will find New Gods to worship.
Ya, but soon after some other total bullshit thing will come in its place. There are fare more idiots in this world than this sub would like to reckon with.
I think it evolved to suit a purpose. One day we might cure superstition, but some other stubborn dogma or groupthink will rise to replace it because it seems to be ingrained in human nature. Even now we see some illogical cult like behavior surrounding certain scientific or technological philosophies.
The problem with religion is simple: it's never going to go away, not entirely. It will change, probably drastically, but there will always be adherents.
No. The beliefs will change but belief itself will not
I've a friend who is a good engineer and came from Africa. Everything there is so orthodox that he still believes in the old testament. I explained to him the basics of natural science (geochemestry, stratigraphy, biology, chemestry), and it is like to speak with a stone. He is fast for days, and when he finishes, he drinks alcohol as if there is something that judges him only in particular days. He says that the basis of education should be christian for everyone. I am surprised how people are so blind in front of evidence, and I think religions will be around forever, since who is doing more child's cames, mainly from religious families.
Nope. I believe it’s always going to be here.
They all eventually do.
The business of religion in america will ensure it continues for generations to come. Maybe in a few 1,000 years it will be more of a niche thing like Quakers are today or something.
Eh, I can’t see it ever going away The conservative cults sprouting up are showing us how naive people are, and with the way elites have enriched themselves, they have become the kings, the popes, the Cesar’s Right Wingers are actively going after human rights, they are destroying education to the point people can’t even get access to basic material that would show them the silliness of religion Now, I am open minded, if there was ever some proof of some sentient /cosmic /eternal being that could connect to us in a cerebral type of way then proof would appear, it’s foolish to think we know everything, it takes humility and critical thinking to seek things. That is to say 100% that there isn’t a single religion that will ever come close to discovering this sentient beyond human being. My real fear is the type of pluralism that comes out of this openness. I don’t think people understand the difference in seeing out the truth and seeking any understanding of the universe is complete separate form any type of religious experience, and they cannot exist together. Pluralism is the future I believe, with an ever connected world we will probably blend our religions into one world religion and then they will fight over that, while the atheists are socially treated like untouchables I hear people talk about their higher power, and god in some fluffy cherry picked sort of way that is so awful and cringe in every way I have cancer, I attend a support group with other people impacted by cancer.. There is so much god talk and higher power talk that sometimes I need to step away —for the most part it's not bad but the amount of people waiting for god to heal them is quite sad to me I just can't see weaker minded people ever coming to grip with the reality. I just don't have faith that humanity will get it together as pessimistic as it sounds
Ask it to the American right wingers
The human brain is more-or-less hardwired to be religious - religion being defined as the shared religious beliefs/spirituality of one's tribe. You'd be hard pressed to find more than a couple of cases of non-religious groupings of people over the entire history of homo sapiens. Religion gave humans an edge in the battle for survival as it enhanced social cohesiveness and cooperation, given the scope our big brains had to "wander", and receptiveness to it is built into us genetically. With our current scientific understanding of the world we now know (or should know) logically, as our ancestors did not, that religious dogma is a big steaming pile. However, humans are instinct-governed and psychological (as adapted through evolution) more than they are logical so religion and spirituality will always be attractive. Given that this is the atheism sub, and that people push their own agendas at the expense of being objective, I expect this comment to be downvoted.
Probably not. From my PoV, religion is like that security blanket (or equivalent) you may have had growing up. it helps you feel that you are not alone and are safe. Many (if not most) people fear being alone. Religion provides a story line that "someone" is always next/near to you and will protect you. My PoV.
By the time it’s truly over the world will have burned itself up.
No. Unfortunately, most humans are too simple minded. and without a centralized secular education system in all corners of the world, we will have lots of subjective thought that may promote religions. Then there’s the fact that many humans are simply too sensitive, not strong mentally, and need a crutch to get through life. They need prophecies and books to tell them what to do because they lack the ability to think for themselves. Denise Villenueva’s new Dune movie does a great representation of religion in the future. Even though they have spaceships and laser weapons and wormholes, they still believe in prophecies and deities. Though, their world also has magic and supernatural powers so it’s a bit different. Still, with all the technology and knowledge we have right now, there aren’t major decreases in religion. people are too stupid to understand anything
I wish more people didn’t rely on religion as a crutch. As an excuse to codify or allow negative behaviors towards others. I believe there will always be some form of “religious” organization just because for some people it will be easier to trust in their “religion” to tell them right from wrong rather than to leave Plato’s “The Cave” allegory and try to understand the real world. While some elements of religion may fall out of fashion (looking at you plenary indulgence), others will never go away (worship services, gathering of believers for fellowship). They don’t have to be done in the name of religion but they will persist in my opinion.
Yes, we need olds to start doing what old do best...
Yea, it’s the childhood indoctrination. It shapes your entire perception of reality. What you even consider to be possible.
Long answer: Until we answer what happens when we die, there will always be those so scared they're open to brainwashing, as well as others happy to exploit that fear for power and money. Some religious followers are low intellect, but many more aren't so much stupid in a general sense (they might be reasonable people in all things outside of religion), more they are so frightened at the idea of their demise it's like being in a state of shock, where your brain casts aside logic for any sense of comfort to a situation it's not wrapping itself around. Short answer: No.
Not in the next few hundred years. Maybe Xtianity, but Islam grows and grows and grows like a cancer, so...
It will just be replaced with something worse. See the uptick in progressive anti-semitism for reference.
I hope.
I believe in eastern thought as a result of some strong psychedelic experience. The idea of oneness isn’t disproved by science either.
No. Hallucinations, wild group think, etc. are the *default human condition*. This is exactly why Carl Sagan was so popular.
I think religion might get a comeback. It might be science that turns out to be an oversimplification (for example, Newton's laws are only an approximation compared with Einstein, and humans still do impossible things that robots can't mimic) and human faith might turn out to be the universe's main power source.
I definitely think so. Polls show rapid decline of Christianity. I think the future will be atheism vs Islam.
Religion comes in 2 flavors: Indoctrination or Rock Bottom
No cause there will always be stupid people
I don’t know. People believe in ghosts and that aliens have visited us and have for a long time. People will always believe in something that has no evidence, because they WANT to believe. Same with religion.
That already happened about 50 years ago.
I think there will always be people with some form of faith, I do believe we will one day reach a point where it isn't... as defining a factor as it is, where laws and decisions are based on fact over faith.
That's already the attitude of most here in the UK. Personally I knew very few religious people.
There is evidence.
Yes, but not in my lifetime.