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I wonder what percentage of HN users would consider themselves religious.

asjdflakjsdf 5y ago
regardless of being "religious" or not, the bible is fascinating!
gjsman-1000 5y ago
More than you think. But I think more would call themselves "spiritual" or "unaffiliated religious" than be members of organized religion. I have no peer-reviewed evidence for that though, it's just a personal observation.
unknown_error 5y ago
Depends. As followers or deities?
asadlionpk 5y ago
This might butthurt this crowd but: Atheism is usually a life phase young people follow in FOMO or because it's cool (like crypto). Most revert to a religion (and traditional investments) once they realize the reality and gain wisdom. Edit: as predicted :)
- hunta2097 5y ago
  Anecdotally (but just as valid as your comment) i've found the polar opposite. I know loads of people who have left religion later in life and plenty of old atheists who never did.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - xupybd 5y ago
    I'm trying not to come off as argumentative so please don't see this as disagreement only curiosity. My naive hypothesis would be that people tend more agnostic as they get older, not more atheistic. Is that a trend you've noticed?
    - lalaland1125 5y ago
      I'm pretty sure most people who identify as "atheist" and "agnostic" have pretty similar views about God and the possibility / improbability of its existence. The main difference is simply a difference in opinion of what words mean. People who use the term "agnostic" are usually going by the formal philosophical definitions of atheism (where atheism requires evidence against God). People who use the term "atheist" are usually using the more informal definition of atheism (where atheism is simply a lack of belief).
      - terrorOf 5y ago
        Wrong. It is f*king 21st century. come on.
      - hunta2097 5y ago
        Yeah I consider myself atheist but if Jesus came down from heaven and started performing (scientifically tested) miracles then I guess I'd change my mind. That makes me, in the strictest sense, agnostic. Seeing as no miracle has ever been proven I'd say the difference will remain academic.
        nwatson 5y ago
        Many/most Christians take the Bible as a partial historical record of God's action in past times, and I'd hope that big chunks come across as eyewitness accounts of what real people saw and experienced ... see e.g. Gospel of Mark or Book of Acts. There are more esoteric parts, but many portions are relatable. With regard to miracles, the New Testament purports to record many that Jesus and his followers performed, with explicit intent to exhibit Christ's authority over all that plagues humanity. With His ascension they've ceased or become much more rare (I grew up in Pentecostalism, whose adherents believe they're frequent and routine, but I don't think this myself). So ... right now in 2021 there are tons of disaffected American Evangelical Nationalists, Trump-mongering liars willing to take every QAnon and political conspiracy, meld it with their beliefs and their need to hold on to "The Big Lie" that Trump won the 2020 November election. Their "apostles and prophets" are in a huge echo chamber across the airwaves, YouTube, Facebook, their mega-churches, convincing themselves that Trump is still president, that he will return as President in 2021 July, or August, or by the end-of-the-year. And they have a huge following, and they have inroads to Trump himself and to the Republican political jello (which has no structure, no policy). They could make things uncomfortable in the next two to twenty years or longer. And they've convinced themselves they have the "spiritual technology" and can control God (though they won't put it quite that way) and can decree their political, economic, social will to control the mechanics of American government and society. They are dangerous. ... and per the New Testament apocalyptic literature, at some point will rise a population so given to their delusions they'll be allowed to operate as they want, i.e., to perform those miracles and perform those wonders. So, don't take miracles at face value if ever they happen in your lifetime. For the worst of the worst right now w.r.t. the Trumpian clamor, check out the "Elijah Streams" YouTube channel where Steve Shulz and his menagerie of false prophets bray for all. For someone who dissects their messages and compares it with Christian scripture, check out Chris Rosebrough (quite conservative) and his "Fighting for the Faith" YouTube channel. EDIT(s): spelling
- lalaland1125 5y ago
  This might have been true in the past, but it doesn't appear to be true any longer. Millennials are not going back to the pews at all. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/millennials-are-leaving-religion-and-not-coming-back/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/millennials-are-leaving...
  - asadlionpk 5y ago
    Give it time, those "unaffiliated" ones are the low-hanging fruits in the next wave of converts. Religion is growing overall: https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/ https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-20...
    - lalaland1125 5y ago
      Religion is only really growing in poor countries where religion is often the only option for a lot of services. It seems like when you give people education, wealth, and other opportunities, they don't go back to religion. It's declining reasonably quickly in rich countries like Europe and the United States. Also, note that your article is outdated, the decline of religion in the US has accelerated quite a bit since 2015. From your article: > Europe is the only region where the total population is projected to decline. Europe’s Christian population is expected to shrink by about 100 million people in the coming decades, dropping from 553 million to 454 million. While Christians will remain the largest religious group in Europe, they are projected to drop from three-quarters of the population to less than two-thirds. By 2050, nearly a quarter of Europeans (23%) are expected to have no religious affiliation, and Muslims will make up about 10% of the region’s population, up from 5.9% in 2010. Over the same period, the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4 million (0.2% of Europe’s population) to nearly 2.7 million (o.4%), mainly as a result of immigration. Buddhists appear headed for similarly rapid growth in Europe – a projected rise from 1.4 million to 2.5 million. > Christians are projected to decline from 78% of the U.S. population in 2010 to 66% in 2050, while the unaffiliated are expected to rise from 16% to 26%.
      - 5y ago
- imilk 5y ago
  That is a hilariously insecure statement.
- LinAGKar 5y ago
  Realizing the reality would make them leave religion though.
  - asadlionpk 5y ago
    Reality is subjective, has many perspectives.
    - ARandomerDude 5y ago
      That's an objective statement about reality though.
muzani 5y ago
There's a good number of religious users. I'm not Christian, but I think Bible commentary is fascinating. Things like linking a few words to a whole database of knowledge. It doesn't apply to things that aren't scripture.
analognoise 5y ago
Even more interesting, I wonder what all the demographic indicators are for HNers. Male/Female/Trans/Nonbinary/Other, race, religion, age, industry, occupation, etc. I know it's kinda hokey/a little reddit esque, but a "HN Demographic Survey" would be cool.

regardless of being "religious" or not, the bible is fascinating!

More than you think. But I think more would call themselves "spiritual" or "unaffiliated religious" than be members of organized religion. I have no peer-reviewed evidence for that though, it's just a personal observation.

unknown_error 5y ago

Depends. As followers or deities?

asadlionpk 5y ago

This might butthurt this crowd but: Atheism is usually a life phase young people follow in FOMO or because it's cool (like crypto). Most revert to a religion (and traditional investments) once they realize the reality and gain wisdom. Edit: as predicted :)

hunta2097 5y ago
Anecdotally (but just as valid as your comment) i've found the polar opposite. I know loads of people who have left religion later in life and plenty of old atheists who never did.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- xupybd 5y ago
  I'm trying not to come off as argumentative so please don't see this as disagreement only curiosity. My naive hypothesis would be that people tend more agnostic as they get older, not more atheistic. Is that a trend you've noticed?
  - lalaland1125 5y ago
    I'm pretty sure most people who identify as "atheist" and "agnostic" have pretty similar views about God and the possibility / improbability of its existence. The main difference is simply a difference in opinion of what words mean. People who use the term "agnostic" are usually going by the formal philosophical definitions of atheism (where atheism requires evidence against God). People who use the term "atheist" are usually using the more informal definition of atheism (where atheism is simply a lack of belief).
    - terrorOf 5y ago
      Wrong. It is f*king 21st century. come on.
    - hunta2097 5y ago
      Yeah I consider myself atheist but if Jesus came down from heaven and started performing (scientifically tested) miracles then I guess I'd change my mind. That makes me, in the strictest sense, agnostic. Seeing as no miracle has ever been proven I'd say the difference will remain academic.
      - nwatson 5y ago
        Many/most Christians take the Bible as a partial historical record of God's action in past times, and I'd hope that big chunks come across as eyewitness accounts of what real people saw and experienced ... see e.g. Gospel of Mark or Book of Acts. There are more esoteric parts, but many portions are relatable. With regard to miracles, the New Testament purports to record many that Jesus and his followers performed, with explicit intent to exhibit Christ's authority over all that plagues humanity. With His ascension they've ceased or become much more rare (I grew up in Pentecostalism, whose adherents believe they're frequent and routine, but I don't think this myself). So ... right now in 2021 there are tons of disaffected American Evangelical Nationalists, Trump-mongering liars willing to take every QAnon and political conspiracy, meld it with their beliefs and their need to hold on to "The Big Lie" that Trump won the 2020 November election. Their "apostles and prophets" are in a huge echo chamber across the airwaves, YouTube, Facebook, their mega-churches, convincing themselves that Trump is still president, that he will return as President in 2021 July, or August, or by the end-of-the-year. And they have a huge following, and they have inroads to Trump himself and to the Republican political jello (which has no structure, no policy). They could make things uncomfortable in the next two to twenty years or longer. And they've convinced themselves they have the "spiritual technology" and can control God (though they won't put it quite that way) and can decree their political, economic, social will to control the mechanics of American government and society. They are dangerous. ... and per the New Testament apocalyptic literature, at some point will rise a population so given to their delusions they'll be allowed to operate as they want, i.e., to perform those miracles and perform those wonders. So, don't take miracles at face value if ever they happen in your lifetime. For the worst of the worst right now w.r.t. the Trumpian clamor, check out the "Elijah Streams" YouTube channel where Steve Shulz and his menagerie of false prophets bray for all. For someone who dissects their messages and compares it with Christian scripture, check out Chris Rosebrough (quite conservative) and his "Fighting for the Faith" YouTube channel. EDIT(s): spelling
lalaland1125 5y ago
This might have been true in the past, but it doesn't appear to be true any longer. Millennials are not going back to the pews at all. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/millennials-are-leaving-religion-and-not-coming-back/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/millennials-are-leaving...
- asadlionpk 5y ago
  Give it time, those "unaffiliated" ones are the low-hanging fruits in the next wave of converts. Religion is growing overall: https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/ https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-20...
  - lalaland1125 5y ago
    Religion is only really growing in poor countries where religion is often the only option for a lot of services. It seems like when you give people education, wealth, and other opportunities, they don't go back to religion. It's declining reasonably quickly in rich countries like Europe and the United States. Also, note that your article is outdated, the decline of religion in the US has accelerated quite a bit since 2015. From your article: > Europe is the only region where the total population is projected to decline. Europe’s Christian population is expected to shrink by about 100 million people in the coming decades, dropping from 553 million to 454 million. While Christians will remain the largest religious group in Europe, they are projected to drop from three-quarters of the population to less than two-thirds. By 2050, nearly a quarter of Europeans (23%) are expected to have no religious affiliation, and Muslims will make up about 10% of the region’s population, up from 5.9% in 2010. Over the same period, the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4 million (0.2% of Europe’s population) to nearly 2.7 million (o.4%), mainly as a result of immigration. Buddhists appear headed for similarly rapid growth in Europe – a projected rise from 1.4 million to 2.5 million. > Christians are projected to decline from 78% of the U.S. population in 2010 to 66% in 2050, while the unaffiliated are expected to rise from 16% to 26%.
    - 5y ago
imilk 5y ago
That is a hilariously insecure statement.
LinAGKar 5y ago
Realizing the reality would make them leave religion though.
- asadlionpk 5y ago
  Reality is subjective, has many perspectives.
  - ARandomerDude 5y ago
    That's an objective statement about reality though.

muzani 5y ago

There's a good number of religious users. I'm not Christian, but I think Bible commentary is fascinating. Things like linking a few words to a whole database of knowledge. It doesn't apply to things that aren't scripture.

analognoise 5y ago

Even more interesting, I wonder what all the demographic indicators are for HNers. Male/Female/Trans/Nonbinary/Other, race, religion, age, industry, occupation, etc. I know it's kinda hokey/a little reddit esque, but a "HN Demographic Survey" would be cool.