Religion

[gehringer_2]

31 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

I just perused the latest in the thread. I wonder if the survey makes a distinction between those who profess to be Christians and those who may lean to Christianity but are solidly "non churched"

Those who believe in the principles of Christianity, yet find most demonizations and even individual churches corrupt in some way.  

I would guess the 'agnostic' designation includes a lot of folks who grew in some religious doctrinal system, reached a point (for a wide variety of reasons) where they no longer accept any of the received doctrine, but still have the sense that they don't understand existence at any fundamental level and are left in a state of irresolution. I think that's quite a bit different from a person who has come to a positively objectivist view that nothing they can't see can exist.

 I think the big shift in the works is that as attendance at Churhes fall, fewer people are getting that doctrinal education in the first place and their agnosticism is even more ...diffuse (for lack of better word).   🕉️

Edited 4 hours ago by gehringer_2

[LaceyLou]

I'm also wondering how many people go through the motions, who don't really believe in them. I'm not sure how they'd be classified, or how they can even be counted.

[1984Echoes]

4 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

I just perused the latest in the thread. I wonder if the survey makes a distinction between those who profess to be Christians and those who may lean to Christianity but are solidly "non churched"...

19 hours ago, GalagaGuy said:

That 28% in the Pew Research poll represents the "religiously unaffiliated" which includes Agnostic and ...

 

I look at this differently.

Agnostic to me means unwilling to admit they are atheists because of family/peer pressure, or just plain fear (of Christian violence).

"Religious unaffiliated" to me means non-religious. No religion. No theism. No god. Not even Zeus.

Not Christians who are "non-churched" as CMR is asking. Besides, aren't there about 12 Christian categories in there? I'm certain the unchurched can find somewhere that they belong... I'm pretty certain any unchurched Christians did NOT choose religiously unaffiliated... as a guess...

And agnostics are atheists IMO, with only fear of retribution or ostracization holding them back.

IMO.

 

 

Edited 32 minutes ago by 1984Echoes

[1984Echoes]

PS: I have talked to several people who call themselves "spiritual."

They could be pagan, or Buddhist without a belief in any god, or a believer in ancestral spirits, or believe that every living thing has a spirit in them, or that there "just has to be something greater than themselves" in the universe.

None of these are theistic. Although "greater than themselves" comes close.

But no god or gods... equals atheist.

"Greater than themselves" I believe are those reluctant to commit one way or the other... But until they do commit I guess they could be classified as "undetermined" (theist or non-theist).

 

[1984Echoes]

2 hours ago, LaceyLou said:

I'm also wondering how many people go through the motions, who don't really believe in them. I'm not sure how they'd be classified, or how they can even be counted.

"Pretend Christians"?

To avoid being ostracized or persecuted...