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I have known of people leaving Christianity
to become not only Muslims, but Buddhists, etc.
Zen, Tao, etc.
thought religions.
then there are those who maybe really haven't left Christianity, but just weren't there in the first place.
I should look at the table I posted at one time showing the % of people claiming religion or lack thereof.
It should demonstrate the growth and decline of certain thought groups.
bottom line: there is growth away from Christianity it seems.
posted by
Xeno-x
on August 25, 2007 at 11:15 AM
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posted by
A-and-B
on August 25, 2007 at 4:30 AM
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A-and-B - I caught it thanks
Every once in awhile, some chucklehead ignores the site user agreement to have their spam links up in the forum for 5 minutes. It is a complete waste of their time, not to mention my time.
posted by
gomedome
on August 24, 2007 at 11:56 PM
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Gomedome,
Urgent. Pl. check your forum for a new post by someone there!!!
posted by
A-and-B
on August 24, 2007 at 8:10 PM
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Those who disagree always break away to form their own religious groups. That diversity does not really solve any problems.
posted by
A-and-B
on August 24, 2007 at 4:48 PM
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Xeno-x - I have to agree that in sheer numbers, organized religion is on
the decline in our part of the world.
Islam on the other hand is showing real, albeit small growth. You have hit the crux of the problem however: "(but was any movement [a majority] that took complete control of a country?)"
The fundamentalist movement is becoming substantially more organized than in past years. I don't agree with former President Jimmy Carter when he says that they have reached and past their zenith. Large, organized blocks of voters all completely brainwashed to vote unanimously is a very dangerous thing, especially scary when they are intent on having the rest of us live in their fantasy world.
The messages they are proliferating could not be more detrimental to the rest of society. They create a hostile social environment for gays or anyone they disagree with, they are also capable of escalating tensions with the loonies from the middle east. All of this done while adhering to unworkable exclusionary philosophies and subtly promoting that there is no need to be proactive pertaining to environmental concerns because some mythical, all powerful sky daddy is going to come and fix it all for us anyways.
posted by
gomedome
on August 24, 2007 at 1:21 PM
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actually organized religion is running out of steam
as noted by the increasing numbers of non-religious here in the U.S.
but, Fundamentalism has taken up its sword and is intent on imposing its will.
It is the squeaking wheel -- the movement.
these Fundamentalists are by no means in the majority (but was any movement that took complete control of a country?) Hitler lost the '32 election, but gained control of Germany by other means.
Fundamentalist beliefs have existed for as long as there have been Fundamentalists. Women's place in society has been a part of that belief for as long (coming from a misreading of Paul's writings).
But this is a backlash -- against increasing restrictions on religion in public places such as display of the Ten Commandments or prayer in public schools (What is odd is that most of our "In God We Trust" and such came from people somewhere in the middle of the 19th Century, not from our Founding Fathers) and against a rising tide of enlightenment such as acceptance of gays and the growing alternative family structures, etc.
Fundamentalists see this as a threat. They don't see that they can maintain their beliefs and allow others to do the same. They feel that they have to control the public forum because the "country is going to the devil" (but their own religion preaches that such will be the case [and as long as they hold on to their values, they will be "saved" or "raptured" or kept from the Destruction to Come]).
But they have their crusade to "save the U.S.A.", I guess. And misinformation leads their crusade.
posted by
Xeno-x
on August 24, 2007 at 12:14 PM
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