Are atheists increasing in number in part because of the rise of fundamentalism?

Well, it seems that a lot of younger people are fed up with all the anti-gay stuff (fed up is putting it mild). When polls give stats about how many people adhere to a religion, it is hard to know how accurate they are. There are probably a lot of people who tolerate Christianity but who don't take it all that seriously. Some of these people might be less inclined to identify with Christianity when they see the more hateful fundamentalist stuff going on.

But, that is not the only factor. People are tending to turn away from religion because the hard sciences have gotten quite advanced, and it is hard to see any likely explanation for how there could be an afterlife which makes use of chemistry, biology, and physics. So, over time, religion is eroding because it seems outdated to a lot of people.

The fundamentalist movement might actually be a reaction to the hard sciences and the effect that they have. It's like they are acting as if they know that they are going to lose the ideological battle, but, in some cases, that just makes people think more about what their reasons are for not really believing.

I think the rise in the accessibility to the internet and education is responsible. The internet make religious texts that would have been otherwise unavailable to 99% of people. The more people read the Bible, the more ridiculous it becomes. The more you search, the more you find inconsistencies. Eventually, you question. Finally, you realize it's a lie and become an atheist. Besides, most Christians in real life and the media make more open minded people not want to be involved with Christianity. Not to mention, Christianity rejects many people while teaching that Jesus loves all, causing many to view Christians as hypocrites.

IN PART? I think so.

However, I think it also has a lot to do with science.

That is, the more we know about the universe, the less organized religions seem to be on track.

That doesn't really comment at all on the existence or non existence of God - but it does comment on religious orthodoxy across all the major religions.

It is a very short route from Agnosticism to Atheism. Very short indeed.

I've remained an Agnostic for most of my life simply because I haven't seen anything resembling proof that (a) God (of some form) doesn't exist - but I certainly haven't see anything produced by the major religions that comes close to proving he/she/it does.

Yes, I do believe that the purveyors of the Great Spaghetti Monster deserve the same religious protection and support from society and the government as Catholicism.

I think formerly it was due to education, people were only delivered the word of whatever god by the holy man in that area and often given that person's opinion as if it were law, nobody could question it.

Christianity in particular had another trick up it's sleeve - Latin. Latterly I believe it is the rise of fundamental factions that have made religions so ridiculous that the youngsters, however sparingly educated are either put off it in a big way or embrace fundamentalism completely.

US "christians" have inherited both a collection of relatively fundamentalist sects and a national anti-intellectual climate. Change frightens them, the faster things change, the more they hunker down in their literalist bible beliefs. Atheism (and the constitutional acceptance of it) is but one part of the culture of change that is the other half of the US milieu. To some degree, the two approaches do feed off each other, but I think the shrill intensification of the literalists is more a reaction to change (of which atheism is only a part) than the rise of atheism is due to the fundamentalists.

Blessings on your Journey!

I'm pretty sure that fundamentalism is one factor among many in the increase of atheism in the U.S, but it is not a very significant factor elsewhere. I think the Internet, with its free and open communication between and about atheists and the open criticism of fundamentalism, is a bigger factor, everywhere, in the last few years.

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Regards,

John Popelish

in the beginning, i do no longer think of there is an increasing sort of atheists, i think of atheists are only prouder now and extra open approximately their thoughts. only interior the previous couple of years we've considered atheist books on the final-broking lists, and we could in no way have considered this years in the past. Books like the God delusion by employing Richard Dawkins and God isn't super by employing Christopher Hitchens. and that i think of a solid area of the reason of this new 'awakening' of atheism is perceived abuses of Christians. because of the fact the Reagan administration, politicians have intentionally used 'wedge subject concerns' to divide and triumph over, to set fundamentalist Christians against something human beings. subject concerns like abortion, prayer in school, the 10 commandments in courthouses, and the ludicrous 'war on Christmas' are designed to no longer actual replace issues yet to get votes and funds. working example: Bush had a Republican Congress and a conservative very ultimate court docket for 6 of his 8 years--why develop into there no new law to limit abortion? because of the fact the Republicans in no way somewhat planned to limit abortion, in basic terms to maximise its political mileage. This flow, politics masquerading as faith, has angered extremely some people who're no longer fundamentalist Christians--and that contains maximum human beings. They experience threatened, and that they try back. of direction this in basic terms solidifies Christian cohesion and anger. Christians are 'conditioned' to believe that the US is a Christian united states of america, and because they have the only 'real' ideals, they are entitled to precise rights and privileges. This motives a backlash, wherein extra atheists are prepared to communicate out and become in touch, develop into politically lively. and that i think of that's what you're seeing now.

Atheism is increasing because less people are indoctrinating their young children to religion. Without the constant bombardment of religious dogma an individual becomes an adult with a free mind.

I just think that religion is getting very boring these days. Each faiths still has their holy writings in old english print and they expect us peoples of today to actually TRY and read this...It's just kind of sad. For how many faiths there are it's getting harder to join one without at some point giving money...Even in the Baha'i Faith this is kind of true (the first point more then the second).

It would say that it has certainly contributed. A more pliable religion can adapt and seem more relevant in the modern world and can incorporate varying degrees of belief removing the trigger for outright rejection.