If America does become a Theocracy we can always move to Australia.

Posted by Les on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 at 02:09 PM. Read 718 times. Tags: ,
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According to this op-ed piece in The Australian the number of godless people has been on the rise for some time now:

Even so, the percentage claiming no religion is likely to be higher than it was in the 2001 census, when it was a little more than one-fourth, because the numbers of non-believers have been growing steadily since 1971. (I use the term non-believers for convenience; because people don’t believe in God it doesn’t mean they don’t believe in anything.) Even better news is the finding of a new survey that only 48per cent of young Australians (those born between 1976 and 1990) believe in God, though the result is unlikely to be viewed as good news by the Catholic University and the Christian Research Association, which, together with Monash University, commissioned the survey.

So Australia is an obvious choice, but then so are a few other liberal democracies:

Despite the general view that religious belief is on the rise everywhere, the picture around the world is that in nearly all prosperous liberal democracies, atheism is strong.

In Britain, about 44 per cent claim no religion; in France it is 48 per cent; in Canada, 30 per cent; in Sweden, surveys have put the proportion of those who describe themselves as agnostic or atheist at between 46 per cent and 85 per cent. Even in the most religious of Western countries, the US, a 2004 Pew Forum survey found 16 per cent of Americans had no religious affiliation.

The author is being gracious with that last bit about the United States as 16% isn’t exactly anything to brag about. Still, it’s a start and hopefully a trend that will continue to grow as the Fundamentalists attempt to subvert the country.

Found via Tom Morris’ blog.

Comments:

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ingolfson New Zealand (Aotearoa) Posted on 08/16/2006 at 12:37 AM

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In New Zealand’s census 4 out of 10 did not select a religion. Not exactly the same as atheism, but close enough.

LuckyJohn19 Australia Posted on 08/16/2006 at 04:56 AM

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Last night I had my 2006 Census form picked up.
It’s maybe the second or third time I’ve specified Atheist.
Other times, for the last 30+ years, I’ve put something else - Bhuddist, Krishna, etc - but never xian.
I think I was a Wiccan last time.
I’d like to think I’ve helped ‘the end of faith’ cause.  smile

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I’ve discovered that it all boils down to brain wiring: your brain is wired to worship magic or it isn’t, either it’s wired to utilize logic or it isn’t, either it’s analytical of myths or it isn’t.

Weapon of Mass Disturbance United States Posted on 08/16/2006 at 08:12 AM

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We need a new religion, something that will allow its followers to rationalize just about any moronic act imaginable.

Ok.  I’m still working on it.

Buzz United States Posted on 08/16/2006 at 08:34 AM

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WoMD - What!?  A new one?  Why?  We have so many out there already that allow you to do exactly what you are saying the new one should do.

Les United States Posted on 08/16/2006 at 08:46 AM

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Buzz beat me to it.

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When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the Deity knows than at what He doesn’t know.
-- Mark Twain

Bog Brother United States Posted on 08/16/2006 at 09:22 AM

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Sorry about that Les.  Anyway, off topic, I’ve been posting as “Buzz” but I found in the archives that someone else had been posting with that handle in the past, and apparently is an actual member with it (though I might have been the one that registered the name, I’ve been juggling different email addresses quite a bit, so if I did I lost my login info). Anyway, sorry if there has been any confusion over it.

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I will not attack your doctrines nor your creeds if they accord liberty to me. If they hold thought to be dangerous - if they aver that doubt is a crime, then I attack them one and all, because they enslave the minds of men.

-Robert G. Ingersoll

ingolfson New Zealand (Aotearoa) Posted on 08/17/2006 at 01:21 AM

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I think I was a Wiccan last time.

Burn the warlock!

(You got the evil grin down pat already, John.)

LuckyJohn19 Australia Posted on 08/17/2006 at 05:23 AM

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I’m working on it. LOL

 Signature 

I’ve discovered that it all boils down to brain wiring: your brain is wired to worship magic or it isn’t, either it’s wired to utilize logic or it isn’t, either it’s analytical of myths or it isn’t.

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