Why do you think religion has become more popular these days?
11 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I don't know where you guys get your information, but once again you're dead wrong. Religion isn't getting more popular, just look at what Fred said in the population post. People are staying home, saving money. They might have to buy gas to drive clear out to Fareway to buy food. They might have to drive clear over to Walmart in Carroll to buy clothes and medicine. People are hunkering down.
Demographics. America is aging and Iowa is one of the oldest states in the USA and Greene County is one of the oldest counties in Iowa. 1 in 5 people (20.7%) in Greene county are 65 or older (U.S. Census Bureau). Older folks know their time is coming up soon, so they add a little heaven insurance and go to church on a regular basis.
Churches are no fools when it comes to marketing. They draw folks in with "radical hospitality" or high-tech audio-visual shows/services or other feel-good gimmicks.
Churches also try to make themselves the center of a person's or a family's social life. Many bible study groups are little more than a social gathering. Churches offer summer camps for the kids, babysitting during services, breakfasts, picnics, those kinds of things that offer respite to parents of young children.
Then Sunday comes and people divide into their little cliques, sitting in their 'regular spots', rarely intermingling with people from a different social class. To some, it's worth the snub to get free babysitting services for an hour or two.
Verin - We are often dead wrong! As for the demographics argument. Yeah...I do think that impacts areas such as Iowa. I'm an atheist...but who knows...maybe after my first heart attack I'll rethink the whole scenario. Still, this revival of religion is one of the most discouraging things happening in this country.
I wonder if you took a vote in Jefferson what percentage of people would favor teaching "Intelligent Design" in school? My guess is that it would be over 50%. Maybe even as high as 80%. It SHOULD be somewhere around .2% (Crazy Ernie and his dog Barbeque) at the most.
Empty minds, or slight better, lazy minds like an environment where someone tells them what to do, how to lead their lives. No deep thinking is required to go to church for these people. The pastor will do that for them. Is the passion gone from your marriage? Is the interest in your spouse as a person, someone to love, someone to communicate with, someone to have fun with, gone from your marriage? Go to a Southern Baptist Church and women will be told "a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband..." If you want to get to heaven, do what your husband says and make sure you have a smile on your face when you do it. No thinking, just do as you're told, and be happy, damn it!
There is also the "health and wealth gospel", also known as the "prosperity gospel." It equates wealth with God's favor. If you're weathy, obviously God's blessings have rained down upon you because you have been, are, and will be in God's favor. To the not-yet rich, the message would say "you start believing that good things come your way, and they will!" Godliness is how big your house is, how much money you have in the bank, how much influence you have in a community, not whether you truly under the philosophy of Jesus or have the slightest idea what's even in the bible. Don't forget to tithe, of course.
Take time to read a book, any book, then find someone, or a group of people to have a vigorous discussion about it. Read a book about philosply to get your mind to thinking again. Debate issues of the day, but examine all sides of the question first before simply spewing the party line. Men should try to read a book about relationships and apply some of what they learn to help their wife have a better, happier life with them.
Oh wait! That would take too much effort. Just go to church and your pastor will tell you all is well. Just add one more to the list of churchgoers. I just talked myself into it.
I would like to see the results of a survey (should intelligent design be taught at JS schools) from the citizens of Jefferson, the general public for one, and high school kids for the other. You might be right. The results could be very scary in favor of "intelligent design."
Well, I have just about had it. I tried and tried to find a book about philosply but the librarians just laugh. So does the Indian dude at Amazon help line.
A philosphy book for beginners, which the local librarian in Jefferson might not realize is a book about philsophy, is Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (he's Norwegian, I think). Don't confuse this with Sophie's Choice, a really depressing book about concentration camps.
The book was written for teenagers and cleverly gives spins an Alice in Wonderland story around a primer on the history of philosphy. A good read.
Oh yea, I I'm all the anonymouses (or is that anonymice?) above.
11 comments:
I don't know where you guys get your information, but once again you're dead wrong. Religion isn't getting more popular, just look at what Fred said in the population post. People are staying home, saving money. They might have to buy gas to drive clear out to Fareway to buy food. They might have to drive clear over to Walmart in Carroll to buy clothes and medicine. People are hunkering down.
You really think people are giving up their religion because of the price of gas?
Demographics. America is aging and Iowa is one of the oldest states in the USA and Greene County is one of the oldest counties in Iowa. 1 in 5 people (20.7%) in Greene county are 65 or older (U.S. Census Bureau). Older folks know their time is coming up soon, so they add a little heaven insurance and go to church on a regular basis.
Churches are no fools when it comes to marketing. They draw folks in with "radical hospitality" or high-tech audio-visual shows/services or other feel-good gimmicks.
Churches also try to make themselves the center of a person's or a family's social life. Many bible study groups are little more than a social gathering. Churches offer summer camps for the kids, babysitting during services, breakfasts, picnics, those kinds of things that offer respite to parents of young children.
Then Sunday comes and people divide into their little cliques, sitting in their 'regular spots', rarely intermingling with people from a different social class. To some, it's worth the snub to get free babysitting services for an hour or two.
Verin - We are often dead wrong!
As for the demographics argument. Yeah...I do think that impacts areas such as Iowa. I'm an atheist...but who knows...maybe after my first heart attack I'll rethink the whole scenario.
Still, this revival of religion is one of the most discouraging things happening in this country.
I wonder if you took a vote in Jefferson what percentage of people would favor teaching "Intelligent Design" in school? My guess is that it would be over 50%. Maybe even as high as 80%. It SHOULD be somewhere around .2% (Crazy Ernie and his dog Barbeque) at the most.
Empty minds, or slight better, lazy minds like an environment where someone tells them what to do, how to lead their lives. No deep thinking is required to go to church for these people. The pastor will do that for them. Is the passion gone from your marriage? Is the interest in your spouse as a person, someone to love, someone to communicate with, someone to have fun with, gone from your marriage? Go to a Southern Baptist Church and women will be told "a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband..." If you want to get to heaven, do what your husband says and make sure you have a smile on your face when you do it. No thinking, just do as you're told, and be happy, damn it!
There is also the "health and wealth gospel", also known as the "prosperity gospel." It equates wealth with God's favor. If you're weathy, obviously God's blessings have rained down upon you because you have been, are, and will be in God's favor. To the not-yet rich, the message would say "you start believing that good things come your way, and they will!" Godliness is how big your house is, how much money you have in the bank, how much influence you have in a community, not whether you truly under the philosophy of Jesus or have the slightest idea what's even in the bible. Don't
forget to tithe, of course.
Take time to read a book, any book, then find someone, or a group of people to have a vigorous discussion about it. Read a book about philosply to get your mind to thinking again. Debate issues of the day, but examine all sides of the question first before simply spewing the party line. Men should try to read a book about relationships and apply some of what they learn to help their wife have a better, happier life with them.
Oh wait! That would take too much effort. Just go to church and your pastor will tell you all is well. Just add one more to the list of churchgoers. I just talked myself into it.
I would like to see the results of a survey (should intelligent design be taught at JS schools) from the citizens of Jefferson, the general public for one, and high school kids for the other. You might be right. The results could be very scary in favor of "intelligent design."
Well, I have just about had it. I tried and tried to find a book about philosply but the librarians just laugh. So does the Indian dude at Amazon help line.
Verin- Maybe they meant "Phil Osply". Check at Whitepages.com.
A philosphy book for beginners, which the local librarian in Jefferson might not realize is a book about philsophy, is Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (he's Norwegian, I think). Don't confuse this with Sophie's Choice, a really depressing book about concentration camps.
The book was written for teenagers and cleverly gives spins an Alice in Wonderland story around a primer on the history of philosphy. A good read.
Oh yea, I I'm all the anonymouses (or is that anonymice?) above.
Philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy, philosophy.
I did not copy and paste, but typed each one. Maybe I'll get it right in one of my posts!
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