Frasch Ideas—Examine, Inquire, Explore

Giving Up Religion

Posted by Theresa on September 11th, 2006 filed in Believe It or Not

I found links to these two articles the other morning in my daily reading of blogs, specifically in Debunking Christianity.

Australia’s youth follow secular trend

Less than half Australia’s young people say they believe in a god, and many believe there is little truth in religion, a new study has found.

The study, The Spirit of Generation Y, found just 48 percent of those born between 1976 and 1990 believed in a god.

The Australian survey found 20 percent of young people did not believe in a god and 32 percent were unsure. It also found just 19 percent of those who identify themselves as Christian was actively involved in a church (attending services at least once a month). More than 30 percent of Generation Y was classified as “humanists,” rejecting the idea of a god, although some believed in a “higher being.”

Spanish Youngsters Have Had It with Religion, Too

A poll of 1,450 young people in Spain shows that most believe that religion is of little importance and has no place in schools.

A third declared themselves non-believers, with the majority of the remainder stating that religion had little relevance in their lives.

More on Beliefs

Yesterday I got this email from somebody. I don’t know when the show they are talking about was broadcast, you know how email goes around, it could have been days ago or last year. The title was, “Do you believe in God?”

NBC this morning had a poll on this question. They had the highest number of responses that they have ever had for one of their polls,and the percentage was the same as this:

86% to keep the words, IN God We Trust and God in the Pledge of Allegiance 14% against.

That is a pretty ‘commanding’ public response.

I was asked to send this on if I agreed or delete if I didn’t. Now it is your turn...

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having “In God We Trust” on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Why is the world catering to this 14%?

I did a little research this morning to see if this was a hoax or ten years old and found out that there is at least a little truth to the email. MSNBC does have an online poll to ask if “In God We Trust” should be removed from U.S. currency on its MSNBC website. I could not find any information on NBC’s supposed poll question, Do you believe in God?

MSNBC website visitors are offered two answers to choose between to the question if “In God We Trust” should be removed from U.S. currency. At the website you are given a choice of two answers:

Yes. It’s a violation of the principle of separation of church and state.

No. The motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion.

This is not the same question at all and you can’t surmise that all of the people that voted to keep the words on believe in God. Perhaps they appreciate the history behind the saying or are sentimental.

While researching this morning I found the website breakthechain.org where you’ll find a good cross-section of passionate, intelligent views on both sides of the issue.

One of my favorite postings was from someone named Jay: “We ‘cater’ to the 14% because of a scrap of paper called the Constitution. I realize that doesn’t carry as much weight as an NBC poll of call-in listeners . . . but what can ya do? Perhaps we could just pay attention to our national motto - e pluribus unum (out of many, one) - and quit fretting about whether God can exist only if it is acknowledged on a nickel.”

Just my “two cents” this morning…