3 ms·

I think there are a couple of things at play here. Full disclosure, I have no data to substantiate by "hunch" but I think it would be interesting to see if ther

I think there are a couple of things at play here. Full disclosure, I have no data to substantiate by "hunch" but I think it would be interesting to see if there is a way of testing it. My theory is that, as society becomes more accepting of "unaffiliated" more people admit it. I think the parallel is that we have always, most likely, had the same percentage of the population that is gay for example, but just more people feel safe to admit to it in a more open society that we have today. I think religion is similar in that; in the past, it would be a career killer or one would be confronted by other challenges if anyone were to discover or if you were to admit to being and atheist, agnostic, unaffiliated or whatever label. Today, most people in westernized nations, feel free to admit it, but, again, just a hunch, but I am willing to bet that say, 100 years ago, there were plenty of people who had significant doubts but knew that if they didn't want to end up on fire tied to a steak, best to keep it to one's self.

TingPing 5y ago
I also think it's often subconscious. The default was to associate with one even if you had no real involvement or beliefs.
Ensorceled 5y ago
> I think religion is similar in that; in the past, it would be a career killer or one would be confronted by other challenges if anyone were to discover or if you were to admit to being and atheist, agnostic, unaffiliated or whatever label. This is very true. I've been an atheist for 40 years and it's really only been the past 10 years or so where being openly atheist doesn't trigger negative responses. In Canada. I'm not sure I'd be openly atheist in the US South.
- zw123456 5y ago
  I became an atheist when I was 14 years old and I was forced to attend confirmation. I asked questions repeatedly about simple obvious things such as dinosaurs and how did they get on that ark, what about kangaroos did that ark get all the away to Australia, lots of obvious questions. I was kicked out of confirmation for asking too many questions. My Father thought it was hilarious at the time, then my parents divorced and he, who joked about how stupid religion is, then married his second wife who was evangelical, suddenly, he was a believer. Interesting, here is a person who, jokeed about how religion was for people with weak minds, suddenly becomes a true believer. My conclusion, from this and a lot of other examples I could bored everyone with, people "believe" when it benefits them, financially, socially, emotionally, sexually, etc.
  - Ensorceled 5y ago
    > My conclusion, from this and a lot of other examples I could bored everyone with, people "believe" when it benefits them, financially, socially, emotionally, sexually, etc. This is why religion is slowly dying. There are a lot of religious people who are only there for the benefits. Getting married used to be the only socially acceptable way to have sex or at least the way "non slutty" people did. My parents have gone from "sex outside of marriage is a sin" to "only get married if you want to, living together first is probably a good idea"

TingPing 5y ago

I also think it's often subconscious. The default was to associate with one even if you had no real involvement or beliefs.

Ensorceled 5y ago

> I think religion is similar in that; in the past, it would be a career killer or one would be confronted by other challenges if anyone were to discover or if you were to admit to being and atheist, agnostic, unaffiliated or whatever label. This is very true. I've been an atheist for 40 years and it's really only been the past 10 years or so where being openly atheist doesn't trigger negative responses. In Canada. I'm not sure I'd be openly atheist in the US South.

zw123456 5y ago
I became an atheist when I was 14 years old and I was forced to attend confirmation. I asked questions repeatedly about simple obvious things such as dinosaurs and how did they get on that ark, what about kangaroos did that ark get all the away to Australia, lots of obvious questions. I was kicked out of confirmation for asking too many questions. My Father thought it was hilarious at the time, then my parents divorced and he, who joked about how stupid religion is, then married his second wife who was evangelical, suddenly, he was a believer. Interesting, here is a person who, jokeed about how religion was for people with weak minds, suddenly becomes a true believer. My conclusion, from this and a lot of other examples I could bored everyone with, people "believe" when it benefits them, financially, socially, emotionally, sexually, etc.
- Ensorceled 5y ago
  > My conclusion, from this and a lot of other examples I could bored everyone with, people "believe" when it benefits them, financially, socially, emotionally, sexually, etc. This is why religion is slowly dying. There are a lot of religious people who are only there for the benefits. Getting married used to be the only socially acceptable way to have sex or at least the way "non slutty" people did. My parents have gone from "sex outside of marriage is a sin" to "only get married if you want to, living together first is probably a good idea"