When will Christianity die out?

[DerDrache]

The current major religions have lasted for quite some time...but if you look back at history, religions tend to die out with cultures. We study the Pantheonic (is that the correct term) religions of the Greeks and Romans and Babylonians, and we consider them as folk tales, fiction, and entertainment. I frankly see no difference between their devout religions and "ours" (not mine, but that of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc.).

I don't want to get into a debate about whether or not Christianity is true/bull, so...this thread is directed towards those who believe it's as much true/false as say...the Ancient Roman religions.

What types of changes in society would be necessary for some of the various prevalent religions of today to die out? I'm looking for something more specific than "civilization collapsing".

[Satans Handicaped Helper]

its dieing out now.no1 goes to church anymore or gives a flying fuck about that woose Jesus or that cunt God

[ohhi]

I'm not sure if they will ever completely die out but with time, seeing how humans are progressing, a lot of questions will be answered leading to a lot of believers converting to "normal" people.

[ohhi]

P.S. I hope it happens in my life time.

[Elephantitis Man]

quote:Originally posted by ohhi:

P.S. I hope it happens in my life time.

Don't count on it.

I think you saw the other post about how atheists are the most mistrusted social group in the states.

And no matter how many questions are answered, believers won't change because they think they already have the answers. Did they stop believing when they found out the earth wasn't flat? No. Did they stop believing when they found out the earth revolves around the sun? No. (Both claims they violently opposed, quoting the Bible in saying that the claims were heresy). Now they condemn modern genetic science on the grounds that it is a 'satanic cult, mimicking the works of god'. They won't look at science's answers and realize they are wrong; they'll either adapt their interpretation of scripture to allow science, or protest (sometimes violently) science in attempt to censor it. It's what they have done, and always will do.



[This message has been edited by Elephantitis Man (edited 04-17-2006).]

[Kadafi]

quote:Originally posted by Elephantitis Man:

Not flaming, Elephantitis, but I thought you were on the fence between atheism and non-atheism. Have you chosen a side?

[Mellow_Fellow]

With the rise of technology and the way the world is, the current big religions will never die out, they are much too powerful and have far too much support. Religion will die out along with the human race, it is a somewhat natural assumption that seems to happen in the heads of human beings.

I personally do not believe that just because christianity and the like explain life "rationally" and are followed by billions that they are in any way connected to "reality" outside the human mind.

[Zay]

Current religions will last longer than any previous religions because of their ambiguity. Christians have evidence that some of the people in the Bible are real, Islam has some predictions by Muhammed that actually came true. Current religions have endured through several generations of science, logic, reasoning and criticism. They have ultimately taken advantage of the scientific method, "If you can't prove us wrong, you're not right, absense of evidence isn't evidence of absense blah blah blah."

I know it feels right to just lump all religions as being the same and saying they all equally suck, but differences do exist in their infrastructure. Christianity is not the same as some tribal belief of spirits and whatnot.

Believing in one god, reading stories of moral crusaders; the personification you find in the Bible/Quran and the relativism is a lot easier to believe than it is to believe in Mt. Olympus and polytheism. Class is about to end so I'll revise this and add to I'm online at home later.

For now, make no mistake, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism arent founded on the delusions of hunter-gatherers.

[Aft3r ImaGe]

quote:"...difference of opinion is advantageous in religion. The several sects perform the office of a common censor over each other. Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth."

[Thomas Jefferson, "Notes on the State of Virginia [1781-1785]"]

quote:"All through the centuries scholars and scientists have been imprisoned, tortured and burned alive for some discovery which seemed to conflict with a petty text of Scripture. Surely the immutable laws of the universe can teach more impressive and exalted lessons than the holy books of all the religions on earth."

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Woman's Bible

Part 2. (From Great Infidels pg. 143.)]

Some people see this and break away from mass religion.

Others on the otherhand...

quote:"When the human race has once acquired a supersitition nothing short of death is ever likely to remove it."

[Autobiography of Mark Twain]

[ohhi]

quote:Originally posted by Elephantitis Man:

Don't count on it.

I think you saw the other post about how atheists are the most mistrusted social group in the states.

And no matter how many questions are answered, believers won't change because they think they already have the answers. Did they stop believing when they found out the earth wasn't flat? No. Did they stop believing when they found out the earth revolves around the sun? No. (Both claims they violently opposed, quoting the Bible in saying that the claims were heresy). Now they condemn modern genetic science on the grounds that it is a 'satanic cult, mimicking the works of god'. They won't look at science's answers and realize they are wrong; they'll either adapt their interpretation of scripture to allow science, or protest (sometimes violently) science in attempt to censor it. It's what they have done, and always will do.

I wasn't reffering to religion dieing out. I was reffering more to the time where science will be able to completely refute it. Hense "I wish it happens in my life time".