Neverside

More or less spiritual?

Do you think the world is becoming more or less spiritual? I only ask because more and more people I know are becoming more comfortable with swearing, and more of basically everything is turning into jokes about sex.

Spirituality isn't always reflected by what you say and do. Very conservative Christians might find something such as swearing as something 'evil' for lack of a better word. However some others can believe in God and observe or worship him/it/nature however he or she pleases. And something like swearing can have absolutely no effect on their devotion or spirituality. Perhaps their spirituality is based on expression and freedom.

Spirituality can not be evaluated through something like sex jokes because spirituality is so diverse. If you're talking about specific religions and the trends that emerge from the people that observe them, that might make more sense. But it's too huge for any one of us to know.

As technology advances all religions will decline, in my opinion. I doubt religion will dissapear, but it will be scarce.

Personally, I dont mind religion. But when people alter their views and hurt others because of religion then I utterly despise it. So, sure, religion can stay. But keep it in a neat little box. Dont let it's immorality spill.

Quote:

Christianity's toughest test of faith
By Vanessa Walker, Religious affairs writer
December 27, 2003

Christianity is locked in a battle for dominance with neo-pagan beliefs in a contest that harks back to the establishment of the church 2000 years ago, researchers believe.
The threat is so strong that church leaders believe the "search for inner happiness" is modern Christianity's main rival.

"After 2000 years of dominance, some people say we are now moving into the post-Christendom era," said National Church Life Survey researcher Ruth Powell.

Although still numerically dominant, Christianity has been on a steady decline for 50 years. In the 1954 census - which excluded Aborigines - 89per cent of Australians were Christian. In the 2001 census that was down to 68 per cent, although attendance at church hovers around only 20per cent of these people.

But paganism, witchcraft and atheism, while still accounting for only a small proportion of the population, are surging in popularity.

The number of people who consider themselves pagans grew by 144 per cent between censuses in 1996 and 2001. In the same period, witchcraft experienced a 373 per cent growth and the number of people who called themselves atheists grew 226 per cent.

Dr Powell said churches were beginning to mobilise as they realised the enormity of the challenge. They were aware that, unless they acted now, it could be the end of the Christian epoch, she said.

"It looks like the competition between the Romans' pagan beliefs and Christianity in the first 400 years of the church's life," Dr Powell said.

"This generation of school-age children are the first where the majority won't have attended church.

"This is an astounding moment in Australian history because children will grow up with no reference point or belief framework.

"They won't understand biblical reference points to things that are embedded in our language and culture. That is a very big change."

Catholic Cardinal George Pell said recently belief in God was strong but people were being lost to a pick'n'mix belief system the goal of which he described as "selfish" inner tranquillity.

"They'll go in for the New Age or some form of superstition, a little bit here and there, and devise some sort of quietly religious frame of reference," Dr Pell said.

The central theme in Anglican Primate Peter Carnley's Christmas sermon was "creeping secularism" forcing out religious content in society.

Churches are responding to the challenge by adopting some of the ways that neo-pagan ideas have gained currency in society.

Traditional church congregations are bolstered by church-sanctioned gatherings at homes, cafes and pubs and bible-information groups for sub-cultures such as bikies or young mothers.

Dr Powell said these gatherings challenged the church hierarchy because there was no single leader that had a monopoly on truth.

© The Australian

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'To see what a man's like, take a look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.'

It's defffintly on the downside for sure.

I have to say after living on bothsides of life (Godless and Godfull), theres so much I didn't understand about religion that I now know, its really strange. I look back at some of things I used to write and I can easily disprove many of the things i've said and or believed. I am much happier though that I was godless before though, it lets you really see things differently then the average Christian who has gone to church all there life.

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The world is my country, science is my religion. - Christiaan Huygens
“Don’t take refuge in the false security of consensus.�

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lol

Quote:

Originally posted by Tool
It's defffintly on the downside for sure.

I have to say after living on bothsides of life (Godless and Godfull), theres so much I didn't understand about religion that I now know, its really strange. I look back at some of things I used to write and I can easily disprove many of the things i've said and or believed. I am much happier though that I was godless before though, it lets you really see things differently then the average Christian who has gone to church all there life.

You sound like what I almost became a few weeks ago, only I didnt make that final jump back to Christianity... I guess, from a freethinker view, I thought it was a bit of an insult to the idea of a god to, you know, accuse him of making this world...

I like the 'faithless religions'. I think Im a humanist...

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'To see what a man's like, take a look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.'

Last edited by NARFism, November 19th, 2004 11:59 PM (Edited 1 times)

Spirituality and religion are two distinct things. I don't think that believing in a God is necessary to be spiritual. I also don't think spirituality is in decline.

Adherence to major religions might be declining in western cultures. But I don't think people are becoming unspiritual, they are only breaking free from the rigid and meaningless rituals and traditions of their religions. And this decline in western cultures is minute in a global context, since in the rest of the world religion is still a very strong part of society.

Compassion and tolerance for others can only arise when it's the individual who decides to be better person, not when it's a diety who gives an order to follow a certain behavior, without explanation. That's the way I see it.

Is religion just a product of human imagination and of the desire to find a meaning to our existance or does God really exist somewhere out there? I think the best bet is to choose for ourselves whichever way of living life gives us the most meaning to our life, and also accept the choices of others, whatever they may be.

Last edited by nano, November 20th, 2004 11:44 AM (Edited 1 times)

Quote:

Originally posted by NARFism
You sound like what I almost became a few weeks ago, only I didnt make that final jump back to Christianity... I guess, from a freethinker view, I thought it was a bit of an insult to the idea of a god to, you know, accuse him of making this world...

I like the 'faithless religions'. I think Im a humanist...

You never know, it's not like you just one day jump over and boom its done. It's slow, and long, even now I some times fall back to what I used to believe.

I miss the days when I didn't think about God or religion, I just lived my happy little life, maybe one day I can do that agean.

___________________

People without self-doubt scare me.
The world is my country, science is my religion. - Christiaan Huygens
“Don’t take refuge in the false security of consensus.�

Home||Truth|Love

Quote:

Originally posted by illEATurHARTout
Do you think the world is becoming more or less spiritual? I only ask because more and more people I know are becoming more comfortable with swearing, and more of basically everything is turning into jokes about sex.

I agree with people becoming more flexible, but i don't think that's a drop in spirituality.

People are simply just discovering their own way of believing, wich include, or not, the right to swear or to say salty jokes.

it's a sign of human evolution.

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Quote:

Originally posted by NARFism
"They won't understand biblical reference points to things that are embedded in our language and culture. That is a very big change."

I don't really see where this is an issue, since biblical reference usually show a value to respect in interaction with other people.

My mother already teached me those values without the "Christianity" Around it.

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