For the first time "No Religion" has topped a survey of Americans' religious identity, according to a new analysis by a political scientist. The non-religious edged out Catholics and evangelicals in the long-running General Social Survey.
Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, found that 23.1% of Americans now claim no religion.
Catholics came in at 23.0%, and evangelicals were at 22.5%.
The three groups remain within the margin of error of each other though, making it a statistical tie. Over 2,000 people were interviewed in person for the survey.
[...] "We are seeing the rise of a generation of Americans who are hungry for facts and curious about the world," she says.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Monday April 15 2019, @02:27AM (1 child)
The OP probably meant less easily lead by common religious idiots, the kind that try to convert you to their religion. Once one realizes there is not a magic sky being, it is hard to go back to thinking down to that level.
But indeed there are entire corporations that revolve around controlling people and altering the way they think. Usually to sell a product, service, or influence politics. But if they could create an entire religion (for example, like the Cult of Steve Jobs) they would.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @05:14AM
OP here.
That's a reasonable interpretation of my point, although I'd also say that those who aren't taught to believe in magical thinking are much more likely to look skeptically at things in other areas of their lives.
As to resisting the influence of "surveillance capitalism," modern marketing methods and their ilk, not promoting magical nonsense is just the first step. Teaching critical thinking skills, encouraging intellectual curiosity and calling out attempts at manipulation for what they are is important as well.
Given that (at least in the US), quality education has been steadily harder to come by for those with less economic means is troubling. This, by the way, isn't an accident of history. Rather, it's been a goal of those who wish to control the majority through manipulation.
By limiting quality education, those they wish to demonize have fewer resources to fight back, and those they wish to manipulate for their support don't have the resources to see or understand the bankruptcy of the messages presented by such people.
It's rather depressing, actually. Sigh.