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The vast majority of people are part of a religion. What are you talking about? Religion has less ability to control people in some parts of the world, and peop

The vast majority of people are part of a religion. What are you talking about? Religion has less ability to control people in some parts of the world, and people in some parts of the world are becoming less religious. Most of the world is still quite religiou though, often to their detriment. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, huge swaths of the US, South and Central America, and so on are all very religious. So again, what are you really talking about?

foobarian 9y ago
I'm talking about modern western society. Sorry I don't have scientific references, and this is all anecdata/personal observation but I don't know a single person in my large US city that is religious or attends church, and yet I know many that spend a lot of time on social networks and yet are lonely. Mostly combination of family/friends/work.
- IntronExon 9y ago
  http://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religion.aspx http://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religio... http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/ http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/ https://www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-christian-religiously-unaffiliated/ https://www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-c... Atheists and agnostics account for a minority of all religiously unaffiliated. Most are secular. Atheists and agnostics account for only about one-quarter (27%) of all religiously unaffiliated Americans. Nearly six in ten (58%) religiously unaffiliated Americans identify as secular, someone who is not religious; 16% of religiously unaffiliated Americans nonetheless report that they identify as a “religious person.” Note that religiously unaffiliated represent ~21% only. Less dominant and slowly declining, but far from what you previously described as But once modern society decided that religion is bad.
  - arcseco 9y ago
    That doesn't necessarily mean that people who identify as religious also attend a church. My family would consider themselves Catholic, yet they don't attend church. In my opinion people have replaced the hole that religiosity used to fill with pop-culture. The amount of time dedicated to reading into the meaning of films/television shows, or worshiping actors/actresses (see tabloids) is reminiscent of the seriousness that religiously dedicated individuals take to scripture.
    - IntronExon 9y ago
      A reorientation of priorities among people who self-identify as religious is about as far from the thesis of society deciding that “religion is bad” as can be. Mostly though, you should recognize that “pop culture” has been blamed for turning people away from religion for longer than people have spoken English.

foobarian 9y ago

I'm talking about modern western society. Sorry I don't have scientific references, and this is all anecdata/personal observation but I don't know a single person in my large US city that is religious or attends church, and yet I know many that spend a lot of time on social networks and yet are lonely. Mostly combination of family/friends/work.

IntronExon 9y ago
http://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religion.aspx http://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religio... http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/ http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/ https://www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-christian-religiously-unaffiliated/ https://www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-c... Atheists and agnostics account for a minority of all religiously unaffiliated. Most are secular. Atheists and agnostics account for only about one-quarter (27%) of all religiously unaffiliated Americans. Nearly six in ten (58%) religiously unaffiliated Americans identify as secular, someone who is not religious; 16% of religiously unaffiliated Americans nonetheless report that they identify as a “religious person.” Note that religiously unaffiliated represent ~21% only. Less dominant and slowly declining, but far from what you previously described as But once modern society decided that religion is bad.
- arcseco 9y ago
  That doesn't necessarily mean that people who identify as religious also attend a church. My family would consider themselves Catholic, yet they don't attend church. In my opinion people have replaced the hole that religiosity used to fill with pop-culture. The amount of time dedicated to reading into the meaning of films/television shows, or worshiping actors/actresses (see tabloids) is reminiscent of the seriousness that religiously dedicated individuals take to scripture.
  - IntronExon 9y ago
    A reorientation of priorities among people who self-identify as religious is about as far from the thesis of society deciding that “religion is bad” as can be. Mostly though, you should recognize that “pop culture” has been blamed for turning people away from religion for longer than people have spoken English.