Is Religion Dying Out?

Just because you personally do not believe something doesn't make it not so. Conversely those who believe in various things may be wrong. Until the moment we expire, the vast majority know nothing. (I allow for the possible, which means some folks may be correct...on both sides)

I don't mean reincarnation, I mean days. The cycle as being 24 hrs.

Which parts of what I put on this thread do you think may be wrong?

I don't know for certain that any of it's wrong. Equally, I can't be sure it's right either.

What it boils down to, for me at least, is that until we cease living in our current form, its all suppositional. Every creature with an ability to form ideas, to learn, to think, can come up with their own belief system. Maybe we all are wrong or maybe we all are right. We may just be part of some insane psychotic individual's brain oozings. I don't know and if you're being honest, odds are that neither do you.

The odds of probability are that the universe formed very much the way science supposes and that evolution occurs as theory believes. As ros has said, you don't live from moment to moment expecting magic to happen, because at bottom you know better.

My way of thinking is that along with science, we had to start out from something, somewhere which leaves me with possibility. If I am wrong, I'll find out when I expire.

Can't argue with that.

I see your point. Waking up after that 'death' every night does afford us the opportunity to start over. It is kind of a reset for when our heads gets too bound up.

I'm glad you used that language, because that's how I've perceived reality; the cycle is a reset, making it hard to accomplish perpetual progress, but also offering the opportunity to clear our heads.

My regret is that the wars of history weren't avoided because people didn't verbally reference reality as such; had politicians of all ages in any country linked every homo sapien to this meaning of cycles surely reality would've fast become perfect - perhaps this very forum would've existed 100's of years ago, and then by now would be far surpassed.

I believe humans have progressed quite well during the past 100 years compared to all the centuries before. I'm glad to have lived during this generation that has experienced all the good and bad of humanity. From my personal perspective of outright discrimination during my childhood to somewhat of a successful integration.

True. The 20th century has represented a boost of growth, and hopefully the 21st will only mean an absolutely exponential upsurge in progress.
I do however feel true sadness and frustration that reality today is what it was 1,000 years ago; technology may not have existed as it does, but people would've have had all of the discussions that are had on the internet (not literally all, but enough to be shocking).
A perspective is this: the Vietnam and Gulf War happened in the latter parts of the 20th century, yet 1,000 years ago people would've discussed questions identical to those posted on this site (the nature of God, consciousness, favourite art, life on other planets, how the brain works) raising the question of what the true value of intelligence is.

This is not fact, it is simply speculation, and very dubious speculation at that. It is self-serving speculation, as well, on the part of a theist. The oldest prehistoric "Venus" which has ever been found dates to about 35,000 years ago. Mitochondrial Eve lived from 100,000 to 200,000 years ago, depending upon whose source one accepts. That's tens of thousands, many tens of thousands of years with not a scrap of cultural evidence for any type of theism or religion.

Religion ain't goin' nowheres

It's already there.

Adherent estimates
Religion.......... Adherents Percentage
Christianity.......... 2.2 billion 31.50%
Islam................. 1.6 billion 22.32%
Secular [a]/Nonreligious /Agnostic/Atheist ≤1.1 billion 15.35%
Hinduism.......... 1 billion 13.95%

That equals 65% adherents; the majority.
List of religious populations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not sure about thought being worse than death.
Is thought the means to immortality?

This isn't what Russell said. The things we fear or avoid aren't always the things that are actually the worst

I agree. I think God isn't a defence mechanism, but a tool for transcendence.

Yes, Muslims will be a major issue for the West in 50-100 years. Europe is finished as far as I'm corcerned.

kaufdog
You charmer you.

Yeah, it is a two edged sword. A reset can give you a fresh start after confusion or it can disrupt a process of understanding. Fortunately I think we have some control of the latter. We can pick up where we left off if we try.