Leaving Religion Behind: A Portrait of Nonreligious America

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Interesting ! What's old is new again. Our founding fathers were secular humanists who constructed the Constitution, and legislated the separation of Church and State in this nation.

Wendy Gillespie of FL 5:48PM March 14, 2012

spread the word - no religion or religious display in public institutions or offices in a secular society.

Jim of MI 1:18PM October 10, 2011

I do think we should preach our thought so the people fighting for religion can get rid of that and west their life for the life affter death.

Raj Kumar Sharma 10:12AM May 11, 2011

I live by 3 simple rules:
1) Love your fellow mankind
2) Work to care your load in life
3) Teach the knowledge you learn to the next generation
Love, work, teach. That's it. No other rules needed.
Religion has outlived it's usefulness. It now only serves to hold back the human mind.

Clint of TX 5:19AM March 19, 2011

I was one of those who left the "mainline Protestant churches" and found "new spiritual homes in evangelical" and "nondenominational megachurches" I believe everyone departed either Catholism or a Protestant denomination for the same reason but simply went a different direction. By finding a new "spiritual home" those leaving a Protestant denomination discovered their organized religion was making a false claim to Christianity. Children raised in Catholic homes didn't recognize that false claim when they attributed their departure to a very public criminal catastrophe. In both cases those claiming Christianity simply forgot to include Jesus.
How much of this movement coincides with the reports on the upsurge of the "entitlement monsters" raised by parents growing up in the Great Depression who became self-serving and overindulgent parents? "Entitlement monster" is a symptom of pathological narcissism. Without the principles of discipline and "equal distribution of labor" in a child's home there are consequences. Punitive discipline is an old religious throwback with old religious consequences. In a Christian home love is the motive and the child who knows he is loved is prepared for understanding the love of God.

Sharon Buxton of CA 9:24PM September 11, 2010

I am Non Religious, I am also Christian.
I am non religious in that I do not believe in or follow
religion, or religious cerimony, Denomination, Organization,
Holidays, holy Days, Ect...
I do not condem or judge any one who does or does not
follow religious practices of any kind.
I believe all religions and non religious followings
have a litle truth in them but religion its self has given
the GOD I believe in an un earned bad reputation.
I am Christian only in that I believe in and follow
Christ.
I believe he taught and gave a living example of life as
it was intended to be, I do not believe that he taught
or modled what organized religion teaches today.
For those who still believe in organized christianity, I
respect their beliefs but I can never again believe the
same way that they do.
Personaly, I have seen a lot of harm come from organized denominational christianity and religion, I believe those
are the two biggest problems with the world today.
But there are a lot of people who are not yet ready to
dissmiss those beliefs.
I believe if we would just drop religion and treat each
other the way we wish to be treated (including those who
are different or believe different than we do)that then we
would be truly living as Christ taught.
I think John Lennon Had it right, " Immagin a world
with no religion".
It would solve a lot of earths Evils.

Daniel Paden of PA 8:33PM May 20, 2010

"Only time will tell who's instinctive attitude was the correct one". "The only thing I know is that don't". -Einstein.

josiah lee of IA 6:13PM March 01, 2010

i know how u feel. i search around a bunch of different reliogions because i didnt know what was the the truth. after a while i found christianity. i founnd that i like it and i believed in what they said, but i didnt believe in all the christain churches. i searched a bunch of them and finally found THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS and i found that i believe what their church said the best. most know it as the MORMAN CHURCH and they have the bible, but they also have THE BOOK OF MORMAN, THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, and THE DOCUMENTS OF COVANANTS. maybe u should read them. they might help u understand christianity better. they might not, but u never know until u try it.
thanks for your time and bye

Kayla Jackson of TX 11:54AM September 11, 2009

Thank you for your kind words Dryfire, it has likewise been refreshing to 'talk religion' with an understanding Christian who doesn't automaticaly think I'm evil or something just for simply being an atheist.
It's interesting that you describe God as omnipotent, omniscience (the capacity to know everything infinitely, also commonly attributed to God) requires that an omnisciencent being can see, or knows, what will happen in the future. Not what 'might' happen but what 'will' happen. If this is the case and if a truly omnisciencent being exists, then the future is pre-determined and if the future is pre-determined with no chance of us changing it, then logicaly free will cannot exist.
If God exists in the way the Bible describes him, then that makes us little more than automatons carrying out a set of pre-programmed actions.
Personaly, I'd like to think that my life has a little more meaning to it than that.
I agree that all good conversations must come to an end. I wish you a peaceful and happy future and I hope that our conversation inspires you to continue to study the history of your religion. And remember, if a total stranger does you a good deed, pay it on and help make the world a better place. ;)
Sir, it's been a pleasure.
Quazi.

Quazi Washboard 12:11AM March 30, 2009

The first answer is indeed admirable, but unfortunately I feel compelled to bring up Ecclesiastes. A rather cynical point of view, but it does have a message I would like to impart to you. In summary, Solomon (the book itself and tradition seems to indicate that these are his words) found everything to be meaningless. How could this be? This man who lived during the golden age of his country (which was relatively peaceful), wealth of great immense, wisdom given from God, and his very own harem. (Maybe that was the problem. He just had too many in-laws!) How could this man have nothing to be happy about? He built the temple for his God, but he is still not happy. The only thing he found to be worth a man's trouble was to obey the Lord (Ecc. 8:12) even when doing what is evil seems profitable. Of course you might say that this can be expected by any religous book in that we are to obey our divine master. In that case, it just seems to make sense to me to please the righteous Judge of the universe. Yet, as I have said before, the answer was admirable and you are entitled, as a human being, to your own opinion.
I guessed the historian part during our discussion, though the musician and a painter is a surprise. I play the trumpet myself, but I don't think I can consider myself a true professional. Maybe an experienced ameteur. Also, from the way you answered your second question you might want to add a philosopher.
Which of course leads us to your last answer. I completely understand and agree that it is aggravating to feel inferior to someone else or to be subjugated by another. You might identify well with the Leviathan in Job 41:1-9. Like animals we are to procreate. Does "be fruitful and multiply" ring a bell? Servitude. A rather cruel and disgusting word. Yet can you be an equal to an omnipotent God? Who is righteous while you fall short of His glory. (I'm sorry if this seems I'm going on a "Hell and brimstone" sermon.) Yes, we are to serve God. Christians, and saddly many who bear the name don't do this, are to obey the commands and teachings of God like the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, the instructions of the apostles and the prophets, etc. Is there anything terrible about loving your neighbor or not to lust after a woman? As for the desire to know, I doubt God wants us to stay in the dark about things. However, I do believe God doesn't want us to put our hopes and trust into it, because again I point back to the message of Ecclesiastes.
I thank you for answering me. Your honesty and sincerity is refreshing. One last thing. I don't know how much longer we will be able to keep up this dialogue. I do wish if you would find someone nearby to answer your questions. I'm not tired of doing it, but it would be more beneficial for you if you were to find someone a little more local. Don't expect all of your questions to be answered to your expectations. Be patient and understanding.

Dryfire of IL 9:13PM March 29, 2009