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It's tempting to view this as being about trends, but there's a maturity element as well. Young people tend to want to try different things. They also haven't e

by ThJ 8y ago

It's tempting to view this as being about trends, but there's a maturity element as well. Young people tend to want to try different things. They also haven't experienced much hardship or given much thought to (life after) death. For many people, religion only comes into the picture when life gets serious.

stevenwoo 8y ago
The data in the study broadly contradicts the insecurity argument - belief/adherence to religion is generally higher the lower the lifespan/education level/economic disparity/GDP across a country's population. The long term studies of the USA referenced (because that is where they have the data long term) shows young people have not always deviated from old people in their religious convictions, either, so maturity is not a complete explanation.
- denverkarma 8y ago
  But the study specifically says that the data may indicate that people become more religious as they age.
  - stevenwoo 8y ago
    I read all of that as hypothesis, are you talking about this part? "Another theory is that differences in religious commitment reflect change during the life course. Although young adults often start out less religious than their elders, they tend to become more devout as they age, have children and begin to face their own mortality (or so the theory suggests)." They have a lot of hypothesis that could all be true - i.e. the younger people who started off with a lower percentage religious as measured would end up with a higher percentage religious if measured as a group later, but still less than the current age group measured right now. Or maybe this one? While not ruling out the influence of other factors – such as when and where people live – one research team argued that “life course trajectories may trump generational placement as predictors of religious behaviors and orientations.” Lastly, they have the caveat that America is kind of special case with several contravening indicators, with some conditions among the best and among the worst.
losteric 8y ago
I have never been religious, but anecdotally death has actually disenfranchised many of my previously religious friends and done nothing to persuade the nonbelievers... There are no miracles in modern healthcare, only science and humans. Secular meditation does have wide appeal, and seems like a much healthier alternative free of dogmatic tradition.
oldcynic 8y ago
Not sure I buy that. UK passed >50% atheism some years back and is steadily becoming more so going on census. Ethnic minorities seem far more likely to retain some religion and keep the figures up. In my generation most were still given some Christian instruction, sent to Sunday school etc. The majority had grown out of it by adulthood. Church wedding might be chosen for pretty setting. Church school picked for children as it does well in local ratings. Now I'm middle aged. Over the years quite a few formerly religious friends have become atheist or agnostic - often because life got serious. Of the few people I know who are still religious they are mostly old folks. Surely some of those life events would have triggered a few former atheists to find religion by now? I just find it hard to believe I occupy wildly unrepresentative atheistic circles. As an aside we often think the significant part that religion still seems to play in the US rather strange from this side of the Atlantic.
- coldtea 8y ago
  >UK passed >50% atheism some years back and is steadily becoming more so going on census. Well, Ireland aside, the UK never had much of a religion to begin with (except back in times of John Fox or in the times of the druids). The English church is as close you can get to atheism while still being called Christian.

by ThJ 8y ago

stevenwoo 8y ago

The data in the study broadly contradicts the insecurity argument - belief/adherence to religion is generally higher the lower the lifespan/education level/economic disparity/GDP across a country's population. The long term studies of the USA referenced (because that is where they have the data long term) shows young people have not always deviated from old people in their religious convictions, either, so maturity is not a complete explanation.

denverkarma 8y ago
But the study specifically says that the data may indicate that people become more religious as they age.
- stevenwoo 8y ago
  I read all of that as hypothesis, are you talking about this part? "Another theory is that differences in religious commitment reflect change during the life course. Although young adults often start out less religious than their elders, they tend to become more devout as they age, have children and begin to face their own mortality (or so the theory suggests)." They have a lot of hypothesis that could all be true - i.e. the younger people who started off with a lower percentage religious as measured would end up with a higher percentage religious if measured as a group later, but still less than the current age group measured right now. Or maybe this one? While not ruling out the influence of other factors – such as when and where people live – one research team argued that “life course trajectories may trump generational placement as predictors of religious behaviors and orientations.” Lastly, they have the caveat that America is kind of special case with several contravening indicators, with some conditions among the best and among the worst.

losteric 8y ago

I have never been religious, but anecdotally death has actually disenfranchised many of my previously religious friends and done nothing to persuade the nonbelievers... There are no miracles in modern healthcare, only science and humans. Secular meditation does have wide appeal, and seems like a much healthier alternative free of dogmatic tradition.

oldcynic 8y ago

Not sure I buy that. UK passed >50% atheism some years back and is steadily becoming more so going on census. Ethnic minorities seem far more likely to retain some religion and keep the figures up. In my generation most were still given some Christian instruction, sent to Sunday school etc. The majority had grown out of it by adulthood. Church wedding might be chosen for pretty setting. Church school picked for children as it does well in local ratings. Now I'm middle aged. Over the years quite a few formerly religious friends have become atheist or agnostic - often because life got serious. Of the few people I know who are still religious they are mostly old folks. Surely some of those life events would have triggered a few former atheists to find religion by now? I just find it hard to believe I occupy wildly unrepresentative atheistic circles. As an aside we often think the significant part that religion still seems to play in the US rather strange from this side of the Atlantic.

coldtea 8y ago
>UK passed >50% atheism some years back and is steadily becoming more so going on census. Well, Ireland aside, the UK never had much of a religion to begin with (except back in times of John Fox or in the times of the druids). The English church is as close you can get to atheism while still being called Christian.