Why do Americans believe in God?

Two reasons.

It's a way politicians can control the masses.

And it's a way the American poor can believe in the nonsense known as an "American dream" ordained by a fantasy figure.

In social democracies in Scandinavia, Australasia, and elsewhere where there is enlightenment, religion does not work as a form of social control.

But in America there seems still to be a need for it.

Why is that?

 

Because man is so excessively evil that most believe that there simply has to be a God to push the reset button.

 

Why do Americans believe in God? Because the vast majority of us aren't heathens. We believe in a higher power, a supreme being.

 

Lord, I hope there's a higher power than the mess we call society.

 

It's more of a cultural thing really. Around 90% of Americans "believe in God", but obviously something is amiss with the crime rate and what not. So we're not really a nation of believers, but a nation of many believers and many others who feel obligated to say they believe.

 

That is not an actual answer.

We already know the vast majority of you do. But a growing majority of us don't. And those who do, do so because it gets them entree to coffee afternoons.

Question still is, despite your inaccute contribution, is why Americans are still driven to believe in fairies.

 

I think it goes back to the Puritans, Congregationalists and others who converted religious influence into political power.

Just like the Popes did.

 

Because it's passed on from generation to generation. I was raised by parents whose families practiced different religions, so they let us decide for ourselves what we want to believe. I'm an agnostic personally and I like it that way.

 

It's quite a good answer.

We, us? Who do you pretend to represent? As for "coffee afternoons," I have no idea what you're talking about and I doubt that you do either.

We don't believe in "fairies." We believe in a supreme being who is called by various names depending on one's religious affiliation.

 

Well, most nations, including the ones you use as counterexamples were religious some time ago.

I'd say the fact that most do no longer depends on two things.

One is education. I'm trying not to come off as "if you're smart, you're an atheist" here, or even "Americans are stupid", but even religious people who are educated tend not to spend so much time and effort on their religiosity. Regardless of the defences for American education, with acknowledged world leading research and whatnot, it is not spread to the masses in the same way as in the other examples. The uneducated in the US are worse educated than the uneducated in the other examples. And well educated people tend to come off as less religious, be it because of atheism or the fact that they have other things to worry about. Also perhaps recognizing more reliable solutions than prayer/faith.

The other is, as you say, politics. During the red scare, Europe had different politicians from all sides saying their opinions, blurring together, and taking the best from different ideologies. The US had no one defending communism or atheism, and thus, they have gone to a similar faith. The red scare are not generations away, and these sorts of ideas tend to stay around for a few generations at least.

 

Interesting observations. I agree with you on social control, religion was used that was all over the West back in history.

I think back in the early days on the US, people looked for ways, any possible way to make money. It was a dog eat dog world and a number of people increased their own quality of life by being a minister or what have you. This has mushroomed into the mega-churches we see today, which are great money spinners for the people at the top.

Today, religion in the US has really spun out of control and is a tool used by the famous to maintain or obtain their positions. The masses buy into religion so deeply, that P-Diddy always thanks god for giving him his "talent", which he accepts his award, meanwhile his lifestyle hardly meets the teachings of jesus.

Politicians also really have no option other than to be "religious", we can see the reaction when the rumours of Obama being a Muslim and we can also see it in opinion polls which would trust "even" a muslim over an athiest to be president.

The religion thing in the US has skewed the public hugely. Relgion relies upon "acceptance without proof"; blind belief. If the masses have this, then the people in charge can play on this with their policies.

As a slight aside, I noted that Palin had decided "after much prayer" not to run for president.

As another slight aside, Blair once siad in a TV interview "only god and the history books can judge me [for my decison to invade Iraq]". Not the voters, hell no - god!

 

The "and what no" would include:

Foreign policy:
- Invading countries.
- Actions of troops abroad
- Incarcerating the worlds poor into debt via the WB.

Domestic policy:
- Death sentence
- Refusing to give adequate HC to US citizens
- All men not being created equal

 

Australia is only 18.2% Atheist.

Enlightened nations like Estonia? The Czech Republic? Lithuania?


Please. Even your tiny island is overwhelmingly filled with believers. Very few places on the globe have more non-believers than believers, and they don't take up a lot of real estate.

 

We could argue whether there is proof of a God, but in the end, I choose to believe because I highly value individualism and liberty over the mass control by a few nefarious men.

 

Pedagogical practices in American schools are quite poor. In many Western nations critical thinking is given top priority. In American schools though learning by such practices are rote so as to remember which bubble to colour in in the many, many standardised tests you will recieve is the top priority.

 

There is actually no official government study of atheists in Australia. The Australian census doesn't count atheists are a response. Other studies though have shown that about 25% of Australians are atheist, about 30% of Australians count themselves as irreligious and about 70% of Australians place religion as the least important thing in their lives.

 

Link ---v
http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/AB...es&method=Place of Usual Residence&areacode=0

(*)(*)(*)(*)... That's gotta sting a little.

http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/AB...mb=T&&navmapdisplayed=true&textversion=false&

 

I don't appear to have whatever programme that requires installed. Either way, I've filled out many census forms. Not once did it ask me if I'm an atheist.

 

because god is great

 

It is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
You can download open office (http://www.openoffice.org/) which will read/create Microsoft document files of any type on any operating system... well... any windows/mac/linux os.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Australia

 

Ok, and what results did it have to say about atheism and why didn't any of my censuses ask that?

 

Answer males females persons
No Religion(c) 1,976,051 1,730,499 3,706,550
Religious affiliation not stated 1,170,155 1,053,802 2,223,957

Total[surveyed] 9,799,243 10,056,045 19,855,288

All others were specific religions or "Other religious affiliation"

 

Spain is officially 90% catholic.

The reality is that people in the frame of 16 - 35 years old has a near a 90% of atheist members, and more if that people have higher studies, it is, in the university.

 

LMAO... so you COMPLETELY ignore that these are not exactly "enlightened" countries and then make unsubstantiated claims.
link please? The 16-35 demographic that is. I am well aware the more time you spend in liberal study, the more God is dismissed.

I am an Agnostic/Atheist. I don't find your presumptions to hold any basis in fact whatsoever... just desire.

Gay people think there are more of them than there are too.

 

For the record the c notation is:
(c) Comprises 'No Religion, nfd', 'Agnosticism', 'Atheism', 'Humanism' and 'Rationalism'.