One third of under-24s describe themselves as atheists, according to a new poll which offers more evidence for a "generational shift" away from religious belief.
The YouGov/Times poll found that 42% of adults in the UK said they had no religion, including 19% who described themselves as atheists, 7% who identified themselves as agnostics and 3% as humanists.
49% of respondents described themselves as Christian, whilst 9% were listed as "other".
The Times reports that "33% said that they did not believe in 'any sort of god or greater spiritual power', compared with 32% who believed in God and 20 per cent who believed in a spiritual power."
So one third of the adults in the UK are now non-deists?
That is amazing.
And you have to love this next part.
Interestingly, the poll noted that political leaders were "viewed slightly more positively as a result of their admissions that they do not believe in God."
This marks the first time I have ever wanted to move to the UK in my entire life.
What must that be like, to be surrounded by so many rational people?
A-MEN, brother!!
ReplyDeleteG: If you do decide to move, just remember they drive on the wrong side of the road. Otherwise, a very civilized place.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is from Yorkshire England, so half my extended family is British..... they aren't nearly as rational a people as you think Gryph (& I'm not referring to anything god/religion wise), but they sure can drink!
DeleteI imagine that a big part of that is because they don't have to go begging at a church when they're old and have spent every last cent on healthcare. "A Thousand Points of Light" my ass. "A Thousand Ways to Cheat the Nation Out of Tax Revenue".
ReplyDeleteWe shipped our religious crazies off on the Mayflower and moved forward! We raised our children as atheists, the result has been two open minded girls with no hang ups. Today's excitement has been the news that their male chemistry teacher has got engaged to his boyfriend resulted in a class cake festival, another teacher in an all female relationship is on adoptive maternity leave. All of this is considered perfectly normal in our school community, hope the rest of the world catches up sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteI love you Brits!
DeleteReally? The name Matthew Hopkins ring a bell?
DeleteFor another thing, England didn't ship its religious crazies off on the Mayflower; those "crazies" emigrated of their own volition.
Curious, do they believe in the concept of infinity?
ReplyDeleteWhat relevance is believing in the concept of infinity to this discussion?
DeleteSince most religions believe in eternity/infinity, I'm curious where the atheists, agnostics, etc. stand on the idea. Is that not a reasonable question?
DeleteI would say "no". (I understand that you meant "eternal life" and won't call you on that.) I suspect most people who had an eternal life of Heaven or Hell crammed down their throats throughout their childhood have a more difficult time with that and tend to call themselves "Agnostic", hoping to hedge their bets.
DeleteI would call myself an Agnostic because of a strict Catholic upbringing. I try to live my life in a way that is not cruel to others and that the the 6th through 10th Commandments are a good set of rules. The 5th works for some and not for others, but people have to make their own choice about what kind of "honor" they owe their parents.
I don't know if there is Heaven or Hell or Afterlife of any kind, but just in case I die on the street in an accident I wear a Miraculous Medal. That way I get the Last Rites if there's time, and I don't have to make a decision about it. ;)
F'd up, isn't it? That's what brainwashing from birth does to a person. Not that all brainwashing from birth is bad - for example I don't mind that my parents brainwashed me to brush my teeth every day.
Infinity is a mathematical concept so I would say yes, smart young people believe in Math.
DeleteEternity is a religious concept, so no, I would say they do not believe that their (imaginary soul) lives on forever in the clouds.
Got it?
10:24--your original question ("Curious, do they believe in the concept of infinity?") implies that those who do not believe in God don't believe in mathematics, LOL.
DeleteYou then re-state: "Since most religions believe in eternity/infinity, I'm curious where the atheists, agnostics, etc. stand on the idea."
"Eternity" is a wishy washy waffley word. Infinity, on the other hand, is a mathematical concept. (And infinity is also explored in physics and cosmology.)
Existence without end. How's that?
DeleteThey mean the same thing and I can't tell you how many times I've heard scientists talk about the Universe going on for eternity. But all that aside, do you believe in an existence without end. Yes or no?
Oh sweet Jesus, 11:34. "They"--whatever "they" are, don't mean the same thing and no, you haven't heard scientist talk about the universe "going on" for "eternity." Do I believe in an "existence" of what, exactly, without end? And you'd have to define "existence" and whether you are talking about life forms? And you'd have to state whether you're talking about a closed system, in which case at least an approximation of the conservation of mass would apply. There are theories about whether and how the universe will/would end (difficult to test!): the big crunch, heat death via black holes, the end of time . . . .
DeleteFor me, I just live my life the best way I can, moment by moment, with the intention to do as much good and as little harm as possible.
Why does it matter?
Delete“The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home."
DeleteCarl Sagan - Cosmos
"One cannot help but be in awe when contemplating the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality."
So much for your credibility.
The USA is moving more and more toward a decrease in the number of Christians too! I know many agnostic and atheist Americans. It's a matter the Republicans and Christians abhor - kind of like gay marriage!
ReplyDeleteMost Republicans/Tea Partiers don't practice their 'supposed' faiths! Just review their personal lives. They are NOT examples in religion to follow - i.e. John McCain, Sarah Palin, John Boehner, various governors throughout the country, etc.
I agree and we are seeing a pushback from organized religion and their confederates.
DeleteChurches in the UK are treated more as historical architectural sites than places of worship.
ReplyDeleteAnd those churches are part of a rich cultural fabric.
DeleteI love ritual and tradition. They bring grace and beauty to our lives. I love myth and metaphor, as they can (metaphorically!) illuminate current conditions and concerns.
But believing in fantasy and letting it rule your life and shut out information and deny the rights of other beings and shut down critical thinking? No thanks!
I think we are getting close. Often, it takes time to get the courage to voice the lack of a religious belief.
ReplyDeleteA bit late responding, but check out the awesomeness of the written responses to the "What is your religion" census question:
ReplyDeletehttp://visual.ons.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Religion-Infographic-768px-V2.png