Is God alive still...especially in today's society?

[SpazmoTheMagnificent]

Belief in god and religion in general seems to be way down, especially in comparison to when I was young. I'm middle aged now, and do not see the same faith in today's society as when I was younger. I think society has changed and there is no room for religion.
What do you think?

[CoffeeCanuck]

Interesting thought. I'm not sure if the issue is so much belief in God is down, or rather that people for different reasons are not as 'out there' as they used to be with their faith. The 70's experienced a revival of sorts which I was a part of as a teen. Churches were growing leaps and bounds, there was always either a crusade or tent meeting going on and people were excited and wore their Christianity on their sleeve. Schools even had Christian clubs, now it's like you cant even say you are a Christian without comming under some kind of backlash.

Some would say society has progressed. In ways we have, but in many other ways, we have not. Religion will never disapear and there will always be a place for it. Even in Communist countries where religion was outlawed, there were plenty of people who gathered and worshiped in secret.

~D

[cerealkiller]

Great question. I think the answer is fairly simple. Religion has had such a following over millennia because the general public was illiterate and had to believe everything they were told. Combine that with superstition, fear of repercussion and the hope of an everlasting life and you have the perfect formula.
Today we live in the information age. 95% literacy rate, libraries and bookstores are full of research material and the web is a treasure chest of scientific information. People leaving major religions in droves, non religious people are the largest group not only in Europe where they are always ahead, but also here in BC. The trend is clear and is accelerating. The more literacy and development as a society, the less religion is needed to explain things.

[pat1167]

That is an unansweable question, of course.

Is God alive? He is alive in some people's faith and hearts, just a love and hate and anger. They are viewed internally by the individual, but are difficult to measure.

Faith can be very powerful and if someone believes they are being given strength to make it through a situation and it keeps them going, that is powerful in itself. I am not sure it matters if it can be proved or not.

[SpazmoTheMagnificent]

That is an unansweable question, of course.

Is God alive? He is alive in some people's faith and hearts, just a love and hate and anger. They are viewed internally by the individual, but are difficult to measure.

Faith can be very powerful and if someone believes they are being given strength to make it through a situation and it keeps them going, that is powerful in itself. I am not sure it matters if it can be proved or not.

Listened to that before...however, faith does the same thing. Even if you have faith in your teacher, employer, wife, your dog or god, it empowers the person with faith to handle challenges more easily.
Thats not what I'm asking.
I'm asking why the downturn in religious following in such a short period of time.

[SpazmoTheMagnificent]

Great question. I think the answer is fairly simple. Religion has had such a following over millennia because the general public was illiterate and had to believe everything they were told. Combine that with superstition, fear of repercussion and the hope of an everlasting life and you have the perfect formula.
Today we live in the information age. 95% literacy rate, libraries and bookstores are full of research material and the web is a treasure chest of scientific information. People leaving major religions in droves, non religious people are the largest group not only in Europe where they are always ahead, but also here in BC. The trend is clear and is accelerating. The more literacy and development as a society, the less religion is needed to explain things.

Brilliant.
It makes 100% sense. This is why in such a brief time in history, religion has undergone such a transformation.
The internet...huh.

[pat1167]

Listened to that before...however, faith does the same thing. Even if you have faith in your teacher, employer, wife, your dog or god, it empowers the person with faith to handle challenges more easily.
Thats not what I'm asking.
I'm asking why the downturn in religious following in such a short period of time.

The downturn could also be due to the disillusionment of many followers from the scandals of the past decade; Jim & Tammy Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, 1986 and 1991 , Mike Warnke, 1991 , Robert Tilton, 1991, Frank Houston, 2000 , John Paulk, 2000, Douglas Goodman, 2004 , Kent Hovind, 2006, Ted Haggard, 2006 , Paul Barnes, 2006 , Richard Roberts, 2007, Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks and Juanita Bynum, 2007, Bishop Earl Paulk, 2007. These are only the high profile ones but they are enough to make anyone think twice.

[cerealkiller]

Listened to that before...however, faith does the same thing. Even if you have faith in your teacher, employer, wife, your dog or god, it empowers the person with faith to handle challenges more easily.
Thats not what I'm asking.
I'm asking why the downturn in religious following in such a short period of time.

The downturn could also be due to the disillusionment of many followers from the scandals of the past decade; Jim & Tammy Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, 1986 and 1991 , Mike Warnke, 1991 , Robert Tilton, 1991, Frank Houston, 2000 , John Paulk, 2000, Douglas Goodman, 2004 , Kent Hovind, 2006, Ted Haggard, 2006 , Paul Barnes, 2006 , Richard Roberts, 2007, Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks and Juanita Bynum, 2007, Bishop Earl Paulk, 2007. These are only the high profile ones but they are enough to make anyone think twice.

For sure this is part of the reason of the downturn. Also the magic word that people of faith dread: f o s s i l s
When a girl named Mary Anning found incredibly complete fossils off the cliffs of England in the 1800s, http://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/fossils.htm
religious apologists had to find another theory of Genesis quickly because the finds clearly refuted the claims of the OT. At that time questioning of the church began in earnest and culminated with the dawn of the great european a-theistic philosophers of the late 19th and early 20th century.
Also, it seems that the younger generations are less willing to be confined by antiquated rules of conduct.
Probably a combination of many factors are responsible for the decline of religion in the western world but I believe it is mostly science and information that accelerates this decline.

[tikbor]

ALl the 'Tammy Faye' scandal stuff can also be attributed to media - people hear about scandal alot more now, whereas before it was hushed up. I also think the 'swingin' 70's and rock n roll 80's' kind of took away from the church (heck, I partied with the best of 'em). But with education comes more investigation and I find that most families who are Christians are not so much 'sheep' (as they likely were back in the mid 19th century) but they actually think about things, study the Bible, pick a good, modern church that they can have faith in (education, open doors, that kind of stuff). So I don't know for sure (I'm not a 'stats' person) but my church is growing, with real Christians (not just sheep) who are real people with real lives and real issues.

Amyhow, my two bits on this one...

[SpazmoTheMagnificent]

ALl the 'Tammy Faye' scandal stuff can also be attributed to media - people hear about scandal alot more now, whereas before it was hushed up. I also think the 'swingin' 70's and rock n roll 80's' kind of took away from the church (heck, I partied with the best of 'em). But with education comes more investigation and I find that most families who are Christians are not so much 'sheep' (as they likely were back in the mid 19th century) but they actually think about things, study the Bible, pick a good, modern church that they can have faith in (education, open doors, that kind of stuff). So I don't know for sure (I'm not a 'stats' person) but my church is growing, with real Christians (not just sheep) who are real people with real lives and real issues.

Amyhow, my two bits on this one...

Interesting...a friend said the same thing to me last summer, about his church growing. He also mentioned that he thinks that there is a decline in people that worship, in general. He thinks that family values have a roll to play in the decline of worship around the globe...But that the people he has talked to about those values, say that there values don't change because they don't worship in a chuch. He mentioned as a matter of fact that he believes high moralistic values are stronger than ever in the families he has talked to.
Are places of worship, outdated? Does today's society have the time for worship? Interesting questions.

[zzontar]

ALl the 'Tammy Faye' scandal stuff can also be attributed to media - people hear about scandal alot more now, whereas before it was hushed up. I also think the 'swingin' 70's and rock n roll 80's' kind of took away from the church (heck, I partied with the best of 'em). But with education comes more investigation and I find that most families who are Christians are not so much 'sheep' (as they likely were back in the mid 19th century) but they actually think about things, study the Bible, pick a good, modern church that they can have faith in (education, open doors, that kind of stuff). So I don't know for sure (I'm not a 'stats' person) but my church is growing, with real Christians (not just sheep) who are real people with real lives and real issues.

Amyhow, my two bits on this one...

Interesting...a friend said the same thing to me last summer, about his church growing. He also mentioned that he thinks that there is a decline in people that worship, in general. He thinks that family values have a roll to play in the decline of worship around the globe...But that the people he has talked to about those values, say that there values don't change because they don't worship in a chuch. He mentioned as a matter of fact that he believes high moralistic values are stronger than ever in the families he has talked to.
Are places of worship, outdated? Does today's society have the time for worship? Interesting questions.

I see family values declining... kids seem to have way less respect for their parents... quality time seems to be diminishing, I think a lot less families even eat a meal together at the table anymore... this seems to be replaced by driving the kids to hockey, dance, etc.

In the rush to get ahead we seem to be falling behind.

[SpazmoTheMagnificent]

ALl the 'Tammy Faye' scandal stuff can also be attributed to media - people hear about scandal alot more now, whereas before it was hushed up. I also think the 'swingin' 70's and rock n roll 80's' kind of took away from the church (heck, I partied with the best of 'em). But with education comes more investigation and I find that most families who are Christians are not so much 'sheep' (as they likely were back in the mid 19th century) but they actually think about things, study the Bible, pick a good, modern church that they can have faith in (education, open doors, that kind of stuff). So I don't know for sure (I'm not a 'stats' person) but my church is growing, with real Christians (not just sheep) who are real people with real lives and real issues.

Amyhow, my two bits on this one...

Interesting...a friend said the same thing to me last summer, about his church growing. He also mentioned that he thinks that there is a decline in people that worship, in general. He thinks that family values have a roll to play in the decline of worship around the globe...But that the people he has talked to about those values, say that there values don't change because they don't worship in a chuch. He mentioned as a matter of fact that he believes high moralistic values are stronger than ever in the families he has talked to.
Are places of worship, outdated? Does today's society have the time for worship? Interesting questions.

I see family values declining... kids seem to have way less respect for their parents... quality time seems to be diminishing, I think a lot less families even eat a meal together at the table anymore... this seems to be replaced by driving the kids to hockey, dance, etc.

In the rush to get ahead we seem to be falling behind.

I see the family value issue as well...but besides that...

I guess that time may be an issue. So, maybe time constraints
ARE affectitng the time that could be used for worship. Which also leads to the value of worship...is worship worth it?

[Nebula]

Which also leads to the value of worship...is worship worth it?

Only if you believe there is something out there to worship.

[SpazmoTheMagnificent]

Which also leads to the value of worship...is worship worth it?

Only if you believe there is something out there to worship.

This is true.
But, Im kind of talking about the recent...loss of faith in the general public whom at one time, did worship.

[Nebula]

And my point is, if there truly is a downturn in attendance, etc., perhaps part of the reason is that more people have decided there is nothing to worship.