Will religion, in Ireland, die out?

Herb Powell

Openmp wrote: »

You atheists won't put your hand in your pocket to support your beliefs. Nor are you willing to organise. Probably because ye can't agree on anything, because you believe in nothing. lol. The Church has billions of dollars of assets and over 1.1 billion followers. You have a bunch of embittered live-for-the-moment consumer types interlinked on the interweb whose sole purpose in life is to maximise pleasure and minimise pain. One self gratificatious act after another. Now, if only we could get Science to figure out how to make us all immortal. lol.

o

Joey the lips

dvpower wrote: »

No. Most of these will just be born to parents who have previously come to believe in Christianity.

How did you come to that opinion....?

philologos

strobe wrote: »

I did go out of my way to state I was talking about developed western nations. Poverty and oppression feed desperation and desperation is essential to the propogation of religion.

How does one account for South Korea which has seen Christianity grow to roughly 30% of the population in 50 years.

Also, we could get into case by case stuff here which mightn't be that fruitful. However, how do you account for people in the West who continue to believe in Christianity, they are hardly doing so for the reason of poverty, oppression, and desperation.

strobe

Jakkass wrote: »

How does one account for South Korea which has seen Christianity grow to roughly 30% of the population in 50 years.

I don't account for it. It is a mystery to me man. I'm not familiar with the situation.

Also, we could get into case by case stuff here which mightn't be that fruitful. However, how do you account for people in the West who continue to believe in Christianity, they are hardly doing so for the reason of poverty, oppression, and desperation.

Is it not fairly well accepted that strong religious belief is higher amongst poorer communities in the West, say in America for example?

philologos

strobe wrote: »

Is it not fairly well accepted that strong religious belief is higher amongst poorer communities in the West, say in America for example?

It's interesting, as most Christians (around my age for the most part, but quite a few older than I as well) I have encountered seem to be middle class.

Likewise, I wouldn't even be so certain about the USA in that respect.

dvpower: So I assume that most people who convert to faiths, just secretly have Christian parents somewhere too?

I'm referring to those who come to believe in Christianity in regions where it isn't as prevalent as it is here. In fact it is funny that the region of the world where there is a net decline, is probably the region where most people have Christian parents to begin with!

Son Of A Vidic

The sooner Rome and the tentacles of it's hypocritical empire disappear from this country the better.

Agricola

I dont think religion will die out for two main reasons. Humans are not completely logical beings. Cold hard facts coupled with a desire to acquire more cold hard facts, arent enough to sustain the majority of people on this planet.
As long as people will continue to hope that theres something "better" waiting for them once they croak and as long as they require the comfort that religious beliefs give them during hard times, like the death of a family member, there will always be a place for religion......Im sorry to say.


Maybe in the distant future, if we've reached a sort of utopian society where the ancient babblings of middle-eastern peasants arent taken seriously anymore, then we will be free of religion.

Mars Bar

You know why Catholicism won't die out in Ireland?!

Because girls want their big lavish white wedding in a church.

My cousin was saying that her and her boyfriend looked into it and if they want to get married, they have to attend a course and a certain amount of masses before they can! :eek:

She only ever goes to Church if she really has to...

Me? I don't think I'd be too bothered about having the big white wedding. I'm sure Daddy will be delighted to hear that!

Hank_Jones

mars bar wrote: »

You know why Catholicism won't die out in Ireland?!

Because girls want their big lavish white wedding in a church.

My cousin was saying that her and her boyfriend looked into it and if they want to get married, they have to attend a course and a certain amount of masses before they can! :eek:

She only ever goes to Church if she really has to...

Me? I don't think I'd be too bothered about having the big white wedding. I'm sure Daddy will be delighted to hear that!

Bahahaha attend a number of masses.
I would never get married in a church, ever.

I keep on trying to remember if I filled out stuff for countmeout, I think I did.
Might just do it again to be on the safe side.

Mars Bar

Hank_Jones wrote: »

Bahahaha attend a number of masses.
I would never get married in a church, ever.

I keep on trying to remember if I filled out stuff for countmeout, I think I did.
Might just do it again to be on the safe side.

Exactly my response!

Kivaro

The-Rigger wrote: »

Maybe it will be viewed the same way as many people nowadays would view our ancestors who used to worship the sun, hilarious.

Though, comparatively I think worshipping the sun at least has some degree sort of merit and logic.

From Thomas Jefferson - one of the Founding Fathers (no, he was not a priest) of the U.S.:

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 Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors.

-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

Unfortunately, the "People" have yet to figure out the fable.

Ruu_Old

I, doubt it, to be, very honest.

Tar.Aldarion

It will take ages but it should do yeah. Take quite a time before such stupid beliefs to die out but then again humans have a long way to go.

orourkeda

People say that they wont practice but the closer they get to dying the closer they'll get to religion.

orourkeda

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

It will take ages but it should do yeah. Take quite a time before such stupid beliefs to die out but then again humans have a long way to go.

What makes you think you know better?

Seeing as these are " such stupid beliefs " would you care to explain what exactly happens to us when we die and what makes you so sure.

Tar.Aldarion

lol

dr.bollocko

As soon as you begin to accept how arbitrary the concepts of any of the major religions are it becomes increasingly difficult to tolerate communications with those who do hold such beliefs.
Analogous to this is the problem of it being impossible to talk about atheism as an atheist without sounding arrogant.

Magill

No, there will always be believers, nothing wrong with that really. There is still alot of good that comes from the church, its just a shame that the roots are so rotten.

Its not religion thats the problem, Its always been the people in charge.

Skinback

recylingbin wrote: »

I don't know anyone my age, or younger, who goes to mass. Apart from weddings, funerals, christenings and, maybe, christmas day.
Do you think participation in religion will shrink to levels of 15% or under when our parents generation die out?

never....too many people need it whether it's true or not.

orourkeda

dr.bollocko wrote: »

As soon as you begin to accept how arbitrary the concepts of any of the major religions are it becomes increasingly difficult to tolerate communications with those who do hold such beliefs.
Analogous to this is the problem of it being impossible to talk about atheism as an atheist without sounding arrogant.

While you may consider it arbitrary to believe in the major concepts of a major religion atheists are not and cannot be in a position to know any better than those who practice or believe in religion.

Kivaro

dr.bollocko wrote: »

As soon as you begin to accept how arbitrary the concepts of any of the major religions are it becomes increasingly difficult to tolerate communications with those who do hold such beliefs.

I don't think that they are arbitrary at all (at all). All of the major religions are based on the same underlying fear-mongering and fables from days of olde.

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Analogous to this is the problem of it being impossible to talk about atheism as an atheist without sounding arrogant.

The problem here is that we are so sure that we are right that we can hardly contain ourselves, hence the perceived arrogance.

Splendour

recylingbin wrote: »

I don't know anyone my age, or younger, who goes to mass. Apart from weddings, funerals, christenings and, maybe, christmas day.
Do you think participation in religion will shrink to levels of 15% or under when our parents generation die out?

Depends how you define religion. If you mean people having their kids christened/confirmed/make communion because of superstitious reasons then no, I don't think religion will shrink much at all.

I would love to hope so. I really would. It's possible it will decline... it seems to be going that way, but I don't think we'll ever be rid of religion - humans that is.

unfortunately.

Kanoe

didnt read all 14 pages but if history is anything to go by religions never die, they just get substituted, by another version of events.

They make up eternal punishments for disobeying their commands - fear has sustained them well.

The Shtig

I'm a teen and recently i started questioning my faith. I have no belief in the catholic church's teachings and find it disgraceful that they have anything to do the schools.

I did pray before and it helped me through some tough times but I guess that's all in my mind and i can do that without prayer.

What mostly made me turn away from religion is the problems it creates. Just look at the North 30-20 years ago. Also one night I was watching a video on liveleak of a few Taliban shooting down a helicopter and them all chanting 'Allah Akbar' over and over and i said to myself what brainwashed people! then i kinda looked at myself...

I do believe in some kind of after life. Near death experiences show this for me and i started reading a book on them and many of the people interviewed said they were in a new dimension with a greater power but not in a religous way. This gave me a lot of hope as i wondered was this all there is to life.

Just because someone does believe in certain beliefs doesn't give you the power to go bashing them saying they're wrong. I find it quite ignorant since we don't know who definately is right. I find people also feel they are far more intelligent than others for being a atheist and put believers down.

I'm not entirely sure what i class myself. I don't believe in any religion but i believe there is some kind of afterlife. Is that a Atheist or what? :L guess it doesn't matter what it's called really.

The Shtig

Deleted User wrote: »

They make up eternal punishments for disobeying their commands - fear has sustained them well.

I agree and this was what made me guilty for not believing in the catholic church. I thought to myself "**** what if it is true and i go to hell!"

starbelgrade

The Shtig wrote: »

I'm not entirely sure what i class myself. I don't believe in any religion but i believe there is some kind of afterlife. Is that a Atheist or what? :L guess it doesn't matter what it's called really.

You would be roughly defined as being agnostic. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine, as opposed to an athiest who entirely denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.

Herbal Deity

starbelgrade wrote: »

You would be roughly defined as being agnostic. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine, as opposed to an athiest who entirely denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.

It's not as simple as that at all. Many atheists are also agnostic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism

It's important to remember that while the word sometimes has other connotations, Atheism is simply the lack of belief in a god. Not denial, or active disbelief, or anti-theism, just a lack of belief, the same way most people have a lack of belief towards fairies etc.

philologos

The Shtig wrote: »

I'm a teen and recently i started questioning my faith. I have no belief in the catholic church's teachings and find it disgraceful that they have anything to do the schools.

I did pray before and it helped me through some tough times but I guess that's all in my mind and i can do that without prayer.

What mostly made me turn away from religion is the problems it creates. Just look at the North 30-20 years ago. Also one night I was watching a video on liveleak of a few Taliban shooting down a helicopter and them all chanting 'Allah Akbar' over and over and i said to myself what brainwashed people! then i kinda looked at myself...

I do believe in some kind of after life. Near death experiences show this for me and i started reading a book on them and many of the people interviewed said they were in a new dimension with a greater power but not in a religous way. This gave me a lot of hope as i wondered was this all there is to life.

Just because someone does believe in certain beliefs doesn't give you the power to go bashing them saying they're wrong. I find it quite ignorant since we don't know who definately is right. I find people also feel they are far more intelligent than others for being a atheist and put believers down.

I'm not entirely sure what i class myself. I don't believe in any religion but i believe there is some kind of afterlife. Is that a Atheist or what? :L guess it doesn't matter what it's called really.

I find it very interesting that you conflate Roman Catholicism with faith in general. Just because one has found one faith lacking doesn't of necessity mean that there aren't any better out there.

I used to be in a very similar position to you a few years ago in fact.

Perhaps, just because people such as the Taliban, IRA etc (although I do believe the Northern Irish conflict was much more about politics than religion), doesn't discredit that God is out there. Rather it confirms what we already know about history, whether people are religious or irreligious they are capable of carrying out the worst crimes possibly against one another. This doesn't mean that God cannot or does not exist.

If one is being told to believe out of fear of other people. That isn't acceptable at all. What value is faith if it doesn't have any meaning to you, or if it isn't real?

Keep thinking, and whatever you do, don't close your mind to the possibilities that are really out there.