Posted on 05/19/2017 9:23:25 AM PDT by Morgana
FULL TITLE: The number of atheists in America could be 10 TIMES more than previous estimates: Shocking study shows a decline in people who believe in God
The number of atheists in this country could be as much as 10 times more than previous estimates, according a study published earlier this year.
The percentage of atheists in the US varies depending on who - and how - you ask. According to a Gallup poll in 2016, only one in 10 Americans answered 'no' to the question: 'Do you believe in God?'
Even fewer actively identify as atheist, with numbers clocking in at 3 percent, according to a Public Religion Research Institute poll in the summer of 2016.
With research showing there is a stigma surrounding atheists, the authors of a new study found a way for subjects to indirectly reveal their beliefs and found 26 percent of Americans do not believe in God.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Since our Nation is based on the belief that our Natural Rights have been bestowed by a Creator, perhaps all the atheists should leave, or do without rights?
I think so many of us are “practical atheists “
If you say you believe in God or a god of some kind but -
Behave as though He does not exist or hold you accountable.
Basically you are an atheist no matter what opinion you might mouths.
There is no true atheist anyway. An “atheist” usually just seems himself to be God.
I would be more inclined to believe that the number of people giving up on the church has risen 10 times. Why pay attention to religious leaders who think God commands them to sponsor refugees and illegals?
According to end times prophecy there will be a great falling away for the true faith so this should not be a big surprise.
From http://standardnewswire.com/news/5179412399.html:
‘They split their respondents into two groups: both were asked the same series of mundane questions, such as whether they owned a dog, but one group was also asked if they believed in God. All the respondents were then asked to say how many of the items were true about them, without identifying any one specifically.
‘”The difference between the aggregate rates in these conditions can presumably be attributed to the addition of the socially sensitive item,” they said. In other words, they assumed that the two groups were similar in most respects, thereby leading them to assume that any difference was attributable to the question about God.
‘This is not an indefensible methodology, but it is obviously laden with assumptions—too many of them to draw a meaningful conclusion.’
Yet the article doesn't provide any data or other details of how the authors came up with this figure or how they established this "indirect reveal"
Agnosticism I could just tolerably understand. Atheism is just plain stupid.
I’ve never met an atheist face to face. I’ve met a lot of people who CLAIM to be atheist, but they all turn out to be agnostics, once some probing questions are asked.
That being said, I’ve noticed a trend about five years ago to redefine “atheist” to include agnostics.
Indeed
My response to a pollster asking about my religious beliefs:
None of your businees.
The pollster will note your response as “no religious affiliation”.
Why tell one of these leftist socialist-democrat antifa snowflakes what religion that I belong to?
So they can show up and give me some crap? Or worse?
If they push the issue, tell them they have the choice between death by baseball bat or shotgun.
Fact is, you can tell what someone believes by how they act. A true atheist is actually very dangerous to his fellow man and will lead a fairly short life unless extremely intelligent - or is a coward.
When you think about the resulting world view of an intelligent atheist, you would not want to encounter one unarmed.
I was just thinking about our RIGHTS and the use of that word by our founding fathers. This is what I wrote this morning and wondered what others might think.
*************
“God is dead.” From God, through His love, mercy, justice, joy, and peace, is given life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those gifts can either be rejected or accepted.
Rejection of God and HIS laws produce DEATH, SLAVERY, AND DESPAIR. Acceptance of His laws which are His instructions for a life of freedom from consequence results in joy.
That is the choice of the human. Humans have no RIGHTS. The only right of the human since the bite of the forbidden fruit by the control freak of a woman who just had to know and the compliant submission of her husband is eternal death.
*********
work in progress.
From the paper (https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/edzda):
‘We included one condition aimed at further assessing the validity of the technique. In Sample II, we ran an unmatched count design in which the sensitive item was endorsement of a mathematical impossibility (“I do not believe that 2 + 2 is less than 13”). Although we hypothesized that the unmatched count would return a prevalence estimate of essentially zero for this item, it bizarrely suggested a rate of about one third (34%). Without a doubt, this is our most damning result (cf. Vazire, 2016). It may reflect any combination of genuine innumeracy, incomprehension of an oddly phrased item, participant inattentiveness or jesting, sampling error,or a genuine flaw in the unmatched count technique.’
How many Christians are Christians in name only? How many people put up a Christmas tree but never think of Christ? Huge numbers. As Christianity declines, *slam rushes in to fill the void. Now THEY practice their religion, as the number of headchoppings and rapes rises.
That is an interesting observation.
I have very good friend who takes a defensive posture every time I bring up my belief system.
I have watched him for 35 years now try crystals and sage, various other behavior counseling and he refused to budge.
He’s looking for answers... Married a MENSA wife, they have an incredibly gifted child. INCREDIBLY. San Diego junior orchestra incredible. Classical music competition winner incredible. All before she was 8.
His wife is an atheist. Christianity is beneath her, so it goes for him.
Plus I don’t think the ever really got over the time in high school when he challenged me and I knocked him out.
Now, he’s on the outs with his wife. No sex is 4 years I’m told. Lives for his daughter.
He says he’s part native American and it was Christians who slaughter is ancestors. Ancestry.com could clear this up.
We remain BEST friends though. We both have home recording studios and collaborate in the cloud now through Pro Tools 12.x.
I try to witness from time to time, but no light yet.
I don’t judge. I’m not qualified. Just hope his Crist opens his heart. I pray for this.
“There is no true atheist anyway. An “atheist” usually just seems himself to be God.”
I think you nailed it right there, FRiend.
Let’s just say that it’s safer to be a Deist ratther than admit there is no supernatural being. As an atheist myself, my interest in the subject of religion is limited. A more interesting survey question would be: does man have free will?
I know one atheist, my wife’s millennial 30 yr. old nephew. He went to college and bought the radical lawless liberal left program hook line and sinker. One of the most obnoxious, dark, bleak, arrogant, angry and passive aggressive little turds I have ever encountered. But to hear him he is the “friendly atheist”. Really I told him once, I would hate to encounter a hostile one if you are the friendly version.
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