Posted on 07/11/2014 12:27:35 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The downsides of using poll data to understand the arc of history
In one of the most ambiguous poll questions ever, Gallup has asked Americans to once again act as a tenuous bellwether for the impending death of religion. In a May survey, more than 1,000 people were asked to pick between two vague sense impressions of faith: "Do you believe that religion can answer all of today's problems, or that religion is largely old fashioned and out of date?"
Shockingly, only 13 percent of people took the out of answering "no opinion" or "other," which is one way of saying "I will not fall for the misleading set-up of your question, pollster man." This year, 57 percent of respondents said religion is the answer for basically everything, and 30 percent said it's "old-fashioned."
As far as false choices go, this one is pretty extreme. First and foremost, most of the respondents probably would have answered "some of both," had that been possible. Being anachronistic and being useful aren't mutually exclusive concepts; different parts of different faiths could arguably qualify as either, both, or neither.
Related Story
Intelligent Design: Slowly Going Out of Style? But more importantly, these options are conceptually meaningless. When the poll says "all of today's problems," is it referring to political gridlock? America's inefficient healthcare system? "Mo' money"? The concept of "out-of-date" or "old-fashioned" is even more troubling: It's built on a very particular idea of history, which is that human civilization has been progressing linearly toward a modern age.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
It will be old and out of date until the prophesies in Revelation start coming true. After that the athiests will convert and shut their yaps...: )
Religion may be going out of style but the Gospel of Jesus Christ - never.
Believe it or not, it can take years to develop a true research study. These bogus surveys should be treated like your horoscope. Ooops. they probably are.
I’d rather have the “old fashioned” America than the new one they are trying to create any day.
I don’t recall seeing any “Best if used by” dates on the Bible. Or the Torah for that matter.
I’m not seeing the ambiguity in the question; “Do you believe that religion can answer all of today’s problems, or that religion is largely old fashioned and out of date?”
Christianity DOES have all the answers.
Just because we don’t practice them doesn’t meant they’re not there.
What’s so hard about that?
Atheist trolls flooding Atlantic. Hilarious how ignorant they are in the comment section.
“Do you believe that big government can answer all of today’s problems, or that big government is largely old fashioned and out of date?”
Well, yes sort of a best by date: BEST READ BEFORE YOU DIE!
Being a Pre-Trib guy...I would love to come back and ask a question after the Rapture and ask these same folks.”What do you think now?”
Freegards
LEX
Young people tend to turn away from the religion they were taught — like what the Amish call Rumspringen — and return later. These young people will answer yes to this question. But they might not in 10 years when they are having kids.
Islam is about 1400 years out of date.
Here’s an old-fashioned gospel song:
THE OLD-FASHIONED MEETING
O how well I remember
in the old-fashioned days,
When some old-fashioned people
had some old-fashioned ways;
In the old-fashioned meetings,
as they tarried there
In the old-fashioned manner,
how God answer’d their pray’r.
‘Twas an old-fashioned meeting
in an old-fashioned place,
Where some old-fashioned people
had some old-fashioned grace;
As an old-fashioned sinner
I began to pray,
And God heard me and saved me
in the old-fashioned way.
If the Lord never changes,
as the fashions of men,
Even tho He’s the same,
why, He is old-fashioned, then!
As an old-fashioned sinner
saved thru old-time grace,
O, I’m sure He will take me
to an old-fashioned place.
‘Twas an old-fashioned meeting
in an old-fashioned place,
Where some old-fashioned people
had some old-fashioned grace;
As an old-fashioned sinner
I began to pray,
And God heard me and saved me
in the old-fashioned way.
—Herbert Buffum, c. 1921
{{LIKE}}
A religion based upon historic truth can never lose significance.
Ok, I posted before I read the whole article. But I still stand by my original post - just want to expand a little. 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Also, Luke 18:8 “But, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” The message of the cross will never really be “popular” with the world system which by nature is antichrist. A true disciple of Christ (as opposed to a church member which may or may not be a disciple) will almost always be in the minority in this present world. Jesus’ words also seem to indicate that at the end, things will get so bad - probably due to persecution and due to the increase of evil - that those that profess faith in him will be few. “As it was in the days of Noah...” only 8 escaped that judgement and when they start cutting necks here, well... We know we will escape the wrath of God but probably not the wrath of the antichrists among us and of course The Antichrist that is to come - depending on your view of end times. But either way, we’ve been warned that the message of the cross is foolishness and an affront to this world system that seeks to squeeze us into its godless mold. The tension will always be there. The disciples counted it joy that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. May we be willing to do the same in this current culture that is looking more and more like Sodom.
Actually, there are many well written responses. Not as much ignorance as there could have been.
I wouldn't bet on that.
Substitute “Biblical” for “historical” and I am with you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.