Any views on this ?

[Terpe]

Live and let live

I'll drink to that

[Arthur Little]

We don't get any of that business at our local Methodist Chapel. .a nice relaxing approachable environment.

Nor in the Church of Scotland ... in which I've been an elder and office bearer for the past 38 years now.

[Arthur Little]

Nor in the Church of Scotland ... in which I've been an elder and office bearer for the past 38 years now.

Having said that ... ... it most certainly DOESN'T make me any better - or worse - a person than my fellow human beings ... it simply means doing my utmost to show respect for others, in accordance with the Christian principles that formed the backbone of my upbringing.

[gWaPito]

You got superb human attributes Arthur. You never waver. .

Your ladies have been very fortunate marrying you.

I can say the same for our ministers. .fine loving compassionate people.

You wouldn't have a clue from what backgrounds they come such is the emphasis on helping the poor and needy.

[bigmarco]

There is an argument to say that the poorer less educated societies cling to their religions much more so than the better educated wealthier societies. Also in a lot of poorer societies Religion or The Church seems to have quite an influential role in Government.
Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the statement atheists are more intelligent, I do feel that religion has had a detrimental affect on a lot of the poorer nations.

[gWaPito]

Atheists more intelligent than religious people ?

Let's try not to fall out.

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http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...e-claims-study

I won't be reading the Express again

[Terpe]

Anyone have any statistics on the % of the human population that have 'religious beliefs' and the % of the human population claim to be atheist ?

Here's something from Wikipedia:-

Since conceptions of atheism vary, determining how many atheists exist in the world today is difficult.[23] According to one estimate, atheists make up about 2.3% of the world's population, while a further 11.9% are nonreligious.[24] According to another, rates of self-reported atheism are among the highest in Western nations, again to varying degrees: United States (4%), Italy (7%), Spain (11%), Great Britain (17%), Germany (20%), and France (32%).[25] According to a 2012 report by the Pew Research Center, people describing themselves as "atheist" were 2% of the total population in the US, and within the religiously unaffiliated (or "no religion") demographic, atheists made up 12%.[26] According to a 2012 global poll conducted by WIN/GIA, 13% of the participants say they are atheists.

[grahamw48]

Ah well...always knew I was 'special'.

[Terpe]

Ah well...always knew I was 'special'.

[andy222]

'Lost' to what ?

The next class in the brainwashing process ?

Nope, some of us have just absorbed the good (morals/10 commandments) stuff and then with our maturing brains are able to break free from the grasp of power-hungry priests and the rest of the religious man-in-the-clouds nonsense, to step out into the fresh unpolluted air of mental freedom and REALITY.

I refuse to be CONTROLLED by concepts and irrational fears from the dark ages ..even though that also removes the comfort blanket of prayer, blessings , and 'miracles'.

I agree..

[gWaPito]

There is an argument to say that the poorer less educated societies cling to their religions much more so than the better educated wealthier societies. Also in a lot of poorer societies Religion or The Church seems to have quite an influential role in Government.
Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the statement atheists are more intelligent, I do feel that religion has had a detrimental affect on a lot of the poorer nations.

I don't think for one moment it's anything to do with the educational differences. In fact there's enough evidence we are in general the less well educated.

It's the suffering. .state of powerlessness...until you've had a dose of that you really don't know.

We haven't got a lot of that going on here. .we have the luxury to be the superior stuck up our backside types looking down on the less fortunate which how it looks here.

Who are we kidding. .we are the lost souls. .does the following passage ring a bell with anyone anyway, it goes something like this. A camel getting through the eye of a needle stands more chance of getting into heaven than a rich man''?

Terpe's post on percentages makes an interesting read. ..Atheism isn't takin over the world population after all. .I wonder what the stats are for atheists giving up their fashionable belief on their deathbed. ..no harm in edging your bets by getting Christened. ..Just in case ;-)

[Terpe]

Anyone have any statistics on the % of the human population that have 'religious beliefs' and the % of the human population claim to be atheist ?

Here's something from Wikipedia:-

The CIA's World Factbook gives the world population as 7,021,836,029 (July 2012 est.) and the distribution of religions as:-
Christian 31.59% (of which Roman Catholic 18.85%, Protestant 8.15%, Orthodox 4.96% and Anglican 1.26%)

Muslim 23.2%
Hindu 15.0%
Buddhist 7.1%
Sikh 0.35%
Jewish 0.22%
Baha'i 0.11%
other religions 10.95%
non-religious 9.66%
atheists 2.01%

[Ako Si Jamie]

Anyone have any statistics on the % of the human population that have 'religious beliefs' and the % of the human population claim to be atheist ?

Here's something from Wikipedia:-

I wouldn't believe everything Wikipedia says Pete. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has their input. Ironically it's a bit like the bible - full of contradictions.

[Terpe]

I wouldn't believe everything Wikipedia says Pete. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has their input. Ironically it's a bit like the bible - full of contradictions.

How about The CIA's World Factbook ??

[Ako Si Jamie]

How about The CIA's World Factbook ??

A more reliable source I reckon.

[Arthur Little]

Atheism - like intelligence - is fundamentally rooted in the 'thought' process ... which derives from the mind.

Whereas ... religion is born of FAITH ... and stems from the
heart!

... perhaps this is where people get ... but strikes me as being the most logical answer to the question posed by Graham.

[Michael Parnham]

Intelligence has nothing at all to do with religion or the lack of it, it's down to the individual!

[grahamw48]

I'm sure the answer will be in the Bible somewhere.

[Jamesey]

Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the statement atheists are more intelligent, I do feel that religion has had a detrimental affect on a lot of the poorer nations.

Good point. The Philippines is a good example of this. You can drive through an incredibly poor village in the provinces, where the houses are mainly just shacks, and see a huge, new church!

[Ako Si Jamie]

I'm sure the answer will be in the Bible somewhere.

You're not going to like this article

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/se...-mentally-ill/

[Jamesey]

Haha, very amusing. I assume this was written firmly tongue-in-cheek!

By the same logic, it's "nice" to believe in Father Christmas, but it doesn't mean that he exists!

[grahamw48]

You're not going to like this article

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/se...-mentally-ill/

Damm !

It appears that I'm leading the life of a BELIEVER !

' So which is the smart party, here? Is it the atheists, who live short, selfish, stunted little lives – often childless – before they approach hopeless death in despair, and their worthless corpses are chucked in a trench (or, if they are wrong, they go to Hell)? Or is it the believers, who live longer, happier, healthier, more generous lives, and who have more kids, and who go to their quietus with ritual dignity, expecting to be greeted by a smiling and benevolent God? '

[gWaPito]

Damm !

It appears that I'm leading the life of a BELIEVER !

' So which is the smart party, here? Is it the atheists, who live short, selfish, stunted little lives – often childless – before they approach hopeless death in despair, and their worthless corpses are chucked in a trench (or, if they are wrong, they go to Hell)? Or is it the believers, who live longer, happier, healthier, more generous lives, and who have more kids, and who go to their quietus with ritual dignity, expecting to be greeted by a smiling and benevolent God? '

Cheers Graham ...that cheered me up no end

[bigmarco]

Good point. The Philippines is a good example of this. You can drive through an incredibly poor village in the provinces, where the houses are mainly just shacks, and see a huge, new church!

That's the point I was making. The Churches and Mosques with the biggest congregations tend to be in the poorest parts of the world.
You and I find it absurd to see people living in shacks in total poverty on the same road as a lavish place of worship but the people living in those shacks see nothing wrong with it. Why ? Probably because their religion with the help of their Government is telling them it's ok to be poor as everything's going to be fine in the next life
I think it's no coincidence that people in the wealthier western nations like our own are turning away from religion.
I have no problem with people who have faith, after all I married a very special one. It's just not for me.

[grahamw48]

Ah yes....amazing what 10% of every churchgoer's earnings and some determined begging can buy. A shining beacon in a sea of poverty.

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[Arthur Little]

*Intelligence has nothing at all to do with religion or the lack of it, it's down to the individual!

... precisely my point (#12, previous page ... where I suggested *it was more than likely linked to genetic factors).