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Question 76

Do you think that belief in religions and gods will vanish completely sometime in the future?

• Ingersoll figured religion in America would be an embarrassing footnote to our history by now.

  That was around 1880.

  *sigh* (John Hattan #1196)

• No, for there will be those dysfunctional and/or fearful types who need superstition as a crutch. (Stoney #9)

• Unfortuanately, no I do not. There will always be some group of people that does not wish to deal with reality, and there will always be charismatic buffoons to lead them. (Aaron I. Spielman #1467)

• Not completely, but they'll become increasingly irrelevent. In the last 30 years we've gone from gasping at comments like "We're more popular than Jesus" to yawning at Marilyn Manson and his "Kill God" light-brite sign. There's no turning back, and there's no stopping either. (Matt Miller #357)

• I don't think humanity will ever be that lucky. Religion is systematized superstition, and so long as there are people who are ignorant and/or driven by emotions, there will be religions. We can only hope to minimize the damage caused by religious beliefs, but even that is a far-off dream... (Nemo #1331)

• Boy, I've never seen so many gloom and doomers in all my life. Reading through all the NO answers by my fellow atheists is down right depressing.

  I on the other hand, wish to join with my fellow optimists and opine that YES INDEED, RELIGION WILL VANISH. Why? Well, I look at the continuing exponential growth of techonological development as the key to humans transcending their physical realm. I can envision the day when we finally overcome death itself.

  Either that, or we blow our selves to smithereens. Either way, there won't be religion. (Todd Adamson #1114)

• No, not completely. I think the number of theists will always be a cycle tied to social conditions. If there were a *very* prolonged period with no fear of war, famine, plague, environmental disaster, terrorism, or any of the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse, then religion *might* loose much of its relevance to the majority. When the bad times inevitably returned the theists would declare it "God's punishment" and the churches would fill up again.

  Another factor that *could* have a great influence in people turning from religion would be a major scientific discovery such as an explanation of the universe' origin back to the very moment of the Big Bang, or the creation of artificial life. I know this wouldn't faze the True Believer's because they've ignored the Theory of Evolution for 150 years.

  I don't think religion will ever die out because it fulfills a basic need for many people. There will always be a substantial portion of the population unwilling to decide for themselves how to live. They want *desperately* to be *told* how to act and think and feel everyone else should believe as they do. The security of being part of "the group" is overwhelmingly appealing to them. (Dennis Curran #1178)

• I would hope at least that religion will come to accept the findings of modern science.

  Religion probably began as mankind began to seek answers for things it could not comprehend. Unfortunately, religion has become so past-centric that it refuses to accept new explanations for phenomenon when they are provided.

  Most things locked in a stale state of non-change will die eventually, and if religion is to persist into the future, it will have to step by step accept the findings of modern science and adjust its views accordingly.

  But first if must break its past-worshipping ideaology, and come into the present. The pick of the month in a bookclub I am in is a book called "Why Christianity Must Change or Die" by Bishop John Shelby Spong. It is about the fact that xianity is going to have to drop such concepts as heaven, hell, virgin birth, etc.... I have thought of ordering it just to see what an xian bishop has to say on the subject. Here is a quote from the blurb on the book: "Traditional theism must be replaced with spiritual humanism. The church is no longer a law-giving institution but a community of faith and service. Heaven and Hell cease to be literal realities, but reminders that our actions have consequences.... a sobering concept for christians who persecute gays, marginalizw women, and use the doctrine to justify acts of violence." How long before this guy gets excommunicated do ya think?

  Religion will not die, but I think that in the long run it must change.... whether it will try to change for the better, or become an even uglier monster to resist such changes as above.... we will have to wait and see.

  When I left the ministry and was struggling with coming to terms with life without the concept of a sky-daddy... I began to attempt to live by a personal philosophy that I felt helped me:

  Heaven is becoming like that which you love, Hell is becoming like that which you hate.

  The only question for theism and especially xianity is whether they will plunge deeper into "hell" by becoming an even more hypocritical philosophy, or whether they will attempt to give up the biblio-centric literalism that has kept them from aspiring to the true use of religion... by "the true use of religion" I refer to the original driving force behind birth of religion... a search for true answers.

  The bible has kept them from aspiring to the only useful idea of "heaven" that religion has... the idea of finding real answers to mans oldest questions. (Mark House #1513)

• I would need to ask, "How far in the future?" When I look at the blind faith, scientific ignorance and certifiable stubbornness of some of the theists who post in a.a., I can not imagine that anything short of a brain replacement can effect a change of belief. I think theism is so entrenched, so necessary for some that they would rather die than give up their beliefs. Sadly, they view that act as a "good thing" which will be rewarded in the "next" life.

  OTOH, I have seen social major changes in behavior and attitudes in my lifetime. In the U.S., African Americans can now attend colleges from which they were previously denied admittance, litter along the highways has been controlled, smoking has changed from a desirable trait to one that is shunned, and women can now fly aircraft in combat. I don't mean to imply that all instances of bigotry, discrimination or stupidity has been eradicated, but some things have actually improved.

  I'm hopeful that more and more people will not need to view the world through veils or superstition nor need to explain it by referring to ancient myths. I don't expect to see a major change in my lifetime, but I'll do what I can to teach the children that the universe can be seen in the magnificence that is reality. (Liz Huth #658)

• No. No I don't.

  I think the appeal in hoping that there's something bigger than humans is too strong, too powerful. It's too comforting. I believe that as long as there's human misery, close-brushes with death, war, victims of crime, survivors of airplane crashes, etc., there will be a belief in gods. People who can't make sense of these things want to believe they are chosen. People who feel thankful for being alive want to believe a god chose them. Take religion and god from these people and they feel insignificant.

  That covers the flock.

  On the sheppard side of things, there's too many people who profit from selling gods and religion. There are a lot of people making a comfortable living selling their god weekly. And the power over the flock is a drug to these people. Take religion and god away from these people and their livelihood and power over people goes away.

  So, no, I don't think belief in gods or religion will ever go away.

  I know it's a pessimistic way to view things. My only solaces is what my philosophy instructor in college, Mr. Hann, used to say: "Pessimism is the only optimistic view of life". (Tony Livernois #1440)