CBC News reported today that a new survey indicates less than three-quarters of Canadians believe in a god: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/03/f-religion-poll.html. It would be interesting to see how that number would change if the respondents were asked if they believe in a supernatural fairy in the sky. In any event, the best part of the news story was a quote from a United Church minister who indicated that: "... his sense is that people who believe in a god increasingly imagine a nebulous but powerful force for good, rather than the traditional concept of a deity. Indeed, he likened the concept to that of the Force in the Star Wars movies."
From the mouth of a minister ... I love it.
I find this post amazing. I grew up in fundamental southern pentecostal church and have since allowed logic & reason to prevail where once blind faith ruled. I speak only from a somewhat limited regional perspective but the more I talk to christians and non-believers alike about spiritual matters and the existence of god , etc; etc;, there seems to be somehwhat of a spiritual awakening. I get the feeling that humanity as a whole is in the process of shedding our relgious ideas for belief in factual truth. But it's all about baby steps.
ReplyDeleteYou should really have asked what percentage of Canadians believe in Darth Vader...
ReplyDelete'It would be interesting to see how that number would change if the respondents were asked if they believe in a supernatural fairy in the sky.'
ReplyDeleteWhy would it? Only militant atheists are too stupid to make the distinction between an entity that created the universe, and Tinkerbell.
I know the Christian faith is simple enough for children to grasp, but obviously some atheists are just too stupid to believe.
J.Burnsey.
ReplyDeleteHardly, since in the USA the number of people identifying themselves as atheists has declined since the slew of atheist best sellers hit the bookshops. Even Dawkins admits his book has been a failure.
What the Christian Church needs is more advertising from the atheist church. We appreciate your efforts.
rachelleshaw21 wrote:
ReplyDeleteOnly militant atheists are too stupid to make the distinction between an entity that created the universe, and Tinkerbell.
You ignore two crucial facts: 1. there is as much evidence to suggest that Tinkerbell "created the universe" as opposed to any other entity; and 2. even if we assume that some kind of entity created the universe, we are left with the problem of who or what created that entity.
I know the Christian faith is simple enough for children to grasp, but obviously some atheists are just too stupid to believe. Your analogy is apt because you need to be as gulliable as a child to accept the tenets of most mainstream religions. I say most because there are aspects of some belief systems (such as Buddhism) that I find too intriguing to dismiss out of hand.
Hardly, since in the USA the number of people identifying themselves as atheists has declined since the slew of atheist best sellers hit the bookshops. Even Dawkins admits his book has been a failure. I don't know what poll you are citing as authority for that proposition but I agree that the atheist label is akin to wearing the scarlett letter in many parts of the US. However, the slew of books to which you refer (particularly Sam Harris' End of Faith) have definitely started a wave of secularism that I believe is going to achieve tsunami proportions. People are finally stopping and starting to seriously question the proposition their parents/peers/neighbours have been blindly accepting (i.e. there must be some sort of higher power that made everything around us). As far as "The God Delusion" being a failure, I don't know what you are smoking but I want some. That book has catapulted Dawkins into an international celebrity, made him millions and, most importantly, has helped bring atheists like me out of the closet.
What the Christian Church needs is more advertising from the atheist church. What the Christian Church needs (and is deathly afraid of) is more critical thinkers like me. Once people start to accept the fact that beliefs such as those espoused by mainstream Christianity would have you locked up in a pschiatric ward if they weren't shared by millions of others under the same delusion, they start to free themselves of the delusion of religion. I find that conversion exciting and exhilirating which is why I have begun my atheist mission.
Peace to you and yours. The irony is that I admire many of the character traits championed by Christianity. The only difference between my life view and yours is that I don't require the promise of heaven or threat of eternal damnation to do good.