Why today's kids look down upon religion ?

Here in the Bible Belt, a lot of familes raise their children to be religious. My entire family is religious, teens included. They are very religious in fact; If they don't have god then they don't have nothing.

dog64

I live in the so called bible belt too. AND you are looked at like a freak that is going to hell if you dont believe in GOD/Jesus..Go read my reply to this topic and it will clear things up for you on my feelings..now to watch Ghost Hunters...:)

Here in the Bible Belt, a lot of familes raise their children to be religious. My entire family is religious, teens included. They are very religious in fact; If they don't have god then they don't have nothing.

dog64

So if they 'don't have nothing', they have everything. :P

There really isn't anything wrong with being very religious. It's how they act that matters in my opinion.

Because kids watch a George Carlin standup and think they figured out the world.m25105

Lol:P First of all reeligion isn't the only thing that keeps people from making questionable decisions, secondly plenty of young people are religious, and lastly, teenagers have always had the perception you're describing since the 1960s and the "evil" that was rock n roll.

[QUOTE="mems_1224"]because kids are dumb and think they know everythingPirate700

So are adults;)

[QUOTE="dog64"]

Here in the Bible Belt, a lot of familes raise their children to be religious. My entire family is religious, teens included. They are very religious in fact; If they don't have god then they don't have nothing.

kev_stevens67

So if they 'don't have nothing', they have everything. :P

There really isn't anything wrong with being very religious. It's how they act that matters in my opinion.

Ok I fixed that for you :P

I agree there isn't really anything wrong with being religious. If you need a god in your life in order to be happy, then so be it. But I'm very flabbergasted as to how confident and firm people can be in their beliefs, and how much trust they're putting into the faith. I guess its commendable, but I can't put faith in any religious belief.

It has more to do with the religious and funadmentalist right than religion itself...

That, and it's cool to go against the grain, and the grain in America for a long time has been Protestant... (I'm talking about kids specifically like the OP stated)

[QUOTE="dog64"]

Here in the Bible Belt, a lot of familes raise their children to be religious. My entire family is religious, teens included. They are very religious in fact; If they don't have god then they don't have nothing.

kev_stevens67

So if they 'don't have nothing', they have everything. :P

There really isn't anything wrong with being very religious. It's how they act that matters in my opinion.

I believe that basing large portions of your life and beliefs around something that has no evidence to be wrong.

I think it's wrong that said people that base their beliefs on basically nothing look down on others and try to force their baseless beliefs on others.

Any ideology that bases itself on nothing is wrong.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

[QUOTE="mems_1224"]because kids are dumb and think they know everythingTacticalDesire

So are adults;)

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

[QUOTE="dog64"]

Here in the Bible Belt, a lot of familes raise their children to be religious. My entire family is religious, teens included. They are very religious in fact; If they don't have god then they don't have nothing.

CaveJohnson1

So if they 'don't have nothing', they have everything. :P

There really isn't anything wrong with being very religious. It's how they act that matters in my opinion.

I believe that basing large portions of your life and beliefs around something that has no evidence to be wrong.

I think it's wrong that said people that base their beliefs on basically nothing look down on others and try to force their baseless beliefs on others.

Any ideology that bases itself on nothing is wrong.

That would depend on what you see as 'evidence' I suppose. Keep in mind though, that 'evidence' and 'proof' are two different things. In the end, being religious is about faith.

I agree that looking down on others is wrong and forcing beliefs on others is wrong as well. Being religious is not wrong at all in itself. Having faith is not wrong either. It's how someone handles their faith and what they choose that could be wrong - such as choosing to look down on someone for not being religious for example.

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

So if they 'don't have nothing', they have everything. :P

There really isn't anything wrong with being very religious. It's how they act that matters in my opinion.

kev_stevens67

I believe that basing large portions of your life and beliefs around something that has no evidence to be wrong.

I think it's wrong that said people that base their beliefs on basically nothing look down on others and try to force their baseless beliefs on others.

Any ideology that bases itself on nothing is wrong.

That would depend on what you see as 'evidence' I suppose. Keep in mind though, that 'evidence' and 'proof' are two different things. In the end, being religious is about faith.

I agree that looking down on others is wrong and forcing beliefs on others is wrong as well. Being religious is not wrong at all in itself. Having faith is not wrong either. It's how someone handles their faith and what they choose that could be wrong - such as choosing to look down on someone for not being religious for example.

I think faith in any context is wrong, and I think being permissive with that ideology probably creates other problems in socioty believing that form of ideology is ok.

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]I find the ideology of believing in something without evidence to be wrong.

I believe that basing large portions of your life and beliefs around something that has no evidence to be wrong.

I think it's wrong that said people that base their beliefs on basically nothing look down on others and try to force their baseless beliefs on others.

Any ideology that bases itself on nothing is wrong.

CaveJohnson1

That would depend on what you see as 'evidence' I suppose. Keep in mind though, that 'evidence' and 'proof' are two different things. In the end, being religious is about faith.

I agree that looking down on others is wrong and forcing beliefs on others is wrong as well. Being religious is not wrong at all in itself. Having faith is not wrong either. It's how someone handles their faith and what they choose that could be wrong - such as choosing to look down on someone for not being religious for example.

I think faith in any context is wrong, and I think being permissive with that ideology probably creates other problems in socioty believing that form of ideology is ok.

My faith is not based off of nothing. My faith has also created no problems in my life whatsoever and this is after many years. I don't see your reasoning why faith is wrong. At least I haven't seen it in my life.

Edit: Maybe you could name a few examples, so I can try and understand better.

Depends on where you live really. But the general decline can be attested to the rise of communication, the decline of traditionalism (In the US the most religious states are usually more rural and are far more traditionalist than states where religion is in decline). There's also the fact that over the last few decades (if not centuries) the religious extremists have turned a large portion of people off from religion completely.

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

That would depend on what you see as 'evidence' I suppose. Keep in mind though, that 'evidence' and 'proof' are two different things. In the end, being religious is about faith.

I agree that looking down on others is wrong and forcing beliefs on others is wrong as well. Being religious is not wrong at all in itself. Having faith is not wrong either. It's how someone handles their faith and what they choose that could be wrong - such as choosing to look down on someone for not being religious for example.

kev_stevens67

I think faith in any context is wrong, and I think being permissive with that ideology probably creates other problems in socioty believing that form of ideology is ok.

My faith is not based off of nothing. My faith has also created no problems in my life whatsoever and this is after many years. I don't see your reasoning why faith is wrong. At least I haven't seen it in my life.

Edit: Maybe you could name a few examples, so I can try and understand better.

that's sort of what it is, there's not really anything to explain.

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]faith is logically wrong, it's assuming something is true based upon nothing.

I think faith in any context is wrong, and I think being permissive with that ideology probably creates other problems in socioty believing that form of ideology is ok.

CaveJohnson1

My faith is not based off of nothing. My faith has also created no problems in my life whatsoever and this is after many years. I don't see your reasoning why faith is wrong. At least I haven't seen it in my life.

Edit: Maybe you could name a few examples, so I can try and understand better.

that's sort of what it is, there's not really anything to explain.

There's a difference between evidence and proof. Listening to someone's testimony can be considered evidence, but is not proof. Evidence can be anything which can give someone a ground for belief. This is far from being proof though.

I was addressing the types of problems you see, which I wanted examples on.

Well I would say your argument was developed poorly, the bad grammar made it hard to understand also. But I believe that that is the way the world is going on now. This world is becoming more and more westernized, things are changing as they have been for thousands of years.

i am a Christian myself but it is very hard to talk about how the only way to to good things or to live happily for a time can only be had if your Christian. because there are always instances where that is not so, or that the opposite happens. Thanks to this age of communication people are getting a boat load of information at once from all areas of the world so things are hardly ever strictly yes or no; or black or white. This can be harmful I believe, there are things that must remain purely white or purely black; either it is always or never is.

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

My faith is not based off of nothing. My faith has also created no problems in my life whatsoever and this is after many years. I don't see your reasoning why faith is wrong. At least I haven't seen it in my life.

Edit: Maybe you could name a few examples, so I can try and understand better.

kev_stevens67

that's sort of what it is, there's not really anything to explain.

There's a difference between evidence and proof. Listening to someone's testimony can be considered evidence, but is not proof. Evidence can be anything which can give someone a ground for belief. This is far from being proof though.

I was addressing the types of problems you see, which I wanted examples on.

Why do kids look down upon religion?

euhmm....

When is the last time you saw something positive about religion on the news?
When is the last time you saw something negative about religion on the news?

( I'm not saying religion is bad, I'm just claiming that religion is portrayed very negativly very often in the media )

Because it is all just fairy tale, and kids are picking up on that and wanting to make their own decisions instead of being brainwashed.

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]Faith by it's very definition has no evidence.

that's sort of what it is, there's not really anything to explain.

CaveJohnson1

There's a difference between evidence and proof. Listening to someone's testimony can be considered evidence, but is not proof. Evidence can be anything which can give someone a ground for belief. This is far from being proof though.

I was addressing the types of problems you see, which I wanted examples on.

Well if someone applies that to their everyday life - with no evidence, I can agree that can create problems. However, just because someone believes in God does not mean they don't look at the evidence presented before making an informed decision. That will depend on whom you talk to. For someone like me, who wants to make an informed decision about anything..it is my life afterall..and I want the best for my wife and son. What problem is there being religious I guess is the question.

Because it is all just fairy tale, and kids are picking up on that and wanting to make their own decisions instead of being brainwashed.

Aspen706

I see it as a natural progression. With advancement in science, technology, and the general understanding of the world around us come new ideas and beliefs about our world.

Either way this is a good thing. Nothing ever changes or is proved dominant unless it is challenged. You think this getting out of hand now, just wait another century. Many religions may be under complete assault from the public view.

Specifically in America, as individuals we like to remain extremely independent. Religion constricts a lot of that independence. That combined with the Interrnet, scientific discoveries, and questionable religious information, it's easy to see why you're hearing about more atheist/agnostic approaches.

Because it is all just fairy tale, and kids are picking up on that and wanting to make their own decisions instead of being brainwashed.

I see it as a natural progression. With advancement in science, technology, and the general understanding of the world around us come new ideas and beliefs about our world.

Either way this is a good thing. Nothing ever changes or is proved dominant unless it is challenged. You think this getting out of hand now, just wait another century. Many religions may be under complete assault from the public view.

Specifically in America, as individuals we like to remain extremely independent. Religion constricts a lot of that independence. That combined with the Interrnet, scientific discoveries, and questionable religious information, it's easy to see why you're hearing about more atheist/agnostic approaches.

Optical_Order

Not sure about you, but the assault I would hope is towards congregations like the WBC and not against the really good people who are religious.

I'm not sure about ever being constricted in anyway though.

Because a lot of kids tend to take it as aliteral interpretation, and think"WTF that's SO dumb".

I'm not religious myself, but people I know who are tend to take it as an inspiration and guideline for their lives, not as a true to life FACT series of tales we should believe.

Even if you don't think the 10 commandments really came to be through a fiery bush in a desert mountain, its hard to deny that those aren't great guidelines and very much should be followed.

Still, I do strongly believe that people should be allowed to think whatever they want, so if someone wants to believe that the end is near or that nothing matters or that Satan is their ruler, I am fine with that as long as they don't force their beliefs on me.

[QUOTE="Optical_Order"]

I see it as a natural progression. With advancement in science, technology, and the general understanding of the world around us come new ideas and beliefs about our world.

Either way this is a good thing. Nothing ever changes or is proved dominant unless it is challenged. You think this getting out of hand now, just wait another century. Many religions may be under complete assault from the public view.

Specifically in America, as individuals we like to remain extremely independent. Religion constricts a lot of that independence. That combined with the Interrnet, scientific discoveries, and questionable religious information, it's easy to see why you're hearing about more atheist/agnostic approaches.

kev_stevens67

Not sure about you, but the assault I would hope is towards congregations like the WBC and not against the really good people who are religious.

I'm not sure about ever being constricted in anyway though.

It may not seem it's constricting you because that's what you've grown up on or are accustomed to. There are a lot of 'rules' with religion though that don't fly well with people.

Things like abortion, sex, drugs, meat consumption, giving things up (Lent), religious censorship.

These are just things off the top of my head. I'm sure if you googled it you can find A LOT of restrictions throughout religion.

[QUOTE="kev_stevens67"]

[QUOTE="Optical_Order"]

I see it as a natural progression. With advancement in science, technology, and the general understanding of the world around us come new ideas and beliefs about our world.

Either way this is a good thing. Nothing ever changes or is proved dominant unless it is challenged. You think this getting out of hand now, just wait another century. Many religions may be under complete assault from the public view.

Specifically in America, as individuals we like to remain extremely independent. Religion constricts a lot of that independence. That combined with the Interrnet, scientific discoveries, and questionable religious information, it's easy to see why you're hearing about more atheist/agnostic approaches.

Optical_Order

Not sure about you, but the assault I would hope is towards congregations like the WBC and not against the really good people who are religious.

I'm not sure about ever being constricted in anyway though.

It may not seem it's constricting you because that's what you've grown up on or are accustomed to. There are a lot of 'rules' with religion though that don't fly well with people.

Things like abortion, sex, drugs, meat consumption, giving things up (Lent), religious censorship.

These are just things off the top of my head. I'm sure if you googled it you can find A LOT of restrictions throughout religion.

In my life at least, I never grew up religious and my parents certainly would not go to Church. After many years of thought, I realized, some time ago, I agreed with everything the Church I attend teaches. For me, anyway, I most certainly am not being restricted. Others, I'm sure feel different, but it's going to depend on whom you talk to most likely.

A lot ofpeople from the younger crowd think it's far fetched and that the idea of God is stupid. I feel sad that our nation (USA) and world overall is becoming more secular and believe in nothing unless there is undeniable proof with cross checks and 10,000 pages of data all graphed, dated, and signed by leading scientific experts.. :/ There are very puzzling things that occur or that we have discovered in nature that make good arguments for God ( I could go on for a while on this but I won't for now), but of course this new generation doesn't want to hear it.

But what really gets me is that so many people refuse to even attempt a relationship with God, or they think they know what God is all about and make ignorant comments concerning the Bible and the ideologies of Christianity. I have my reasons and /experiences/as to why I believe in God or more specifically Jesus Christ that nobody can take from me. I just wish people would take the time to try to know God, but since you can't measure spirituality or God then it gets the boot from science and by a lot of today's youth.

God is real and I'm sorry but when there are countless records of near death experiences with many of the individuals being proclaimed to be clinically dead for 1-3 hours with no chance of the brain being able to process complex thoughts (imagine, dream, hallucinate), let alone simple fragmented ones then you have to at least start asking yourself "what if"... All of these individuals (some atheists and even scientists and professors) who have had these experiences all describe very similar accounts of either going to a peaceful pleasant place or a horrific place of dread and pain, it's hard not to believe.

I thinkone of the problems with today's youth is that they are so wrapped up in science and wanting to live by their own idea of what it is to be moral that they just feel like it's completely ok to kick God to the curb. I also think the media doesn't help either with all the immorality and subliminal messages on tv/internet practically saying "sin is ok", which goes against Bible teachings thus making some kids turned off by the idea of God. But I suppose one way or another everyone will learn the truth, we all will have earthly deaths afterall.

[QUOTE="CaveJohnson1"]

Maybe they see the falicy of basing your life around something that has no evidence.

Vandalvideo

great logic as everything with religion, you can't prove it doesn't exist so it exists. We should base our lifes in this infalible logic.

Thankfully more and more people, not just teenagers, realize today that to be good and happy religion is not necessary.

I notice most of todays kids ( Teenagers )avoid being religious and are atheist. They beleive in studying / working hard , enjoying party , live life kingsize than being religious. They'd rather follow a Rock / Metal group than follow a religion.

Religion is foundation of ones culture and ethics . Religion saves a person from doing wrong things as Sex , doing Drugs ETC kind of sins. Being Religious brings peace of mind .

Something is really wrong with today's kids . I blame Advancement of Technology and Fast Life ( Always running after Money & Pleasure ) .

indzman

I actually do not see that at all where I'm from.

Years ago, I dont think many people had a choice. These days, there is more freedom to chose what your beliefs are. It's not that kids are somehow better educated, in fact, many studies show the opposite. But kids are granted more freedoms in current society than back 50-60 years ago.

21 years old, my point of view: religion was a nice starting place for mankind and civlization, but it's past it's usefullness. The moral code's laid the basis for our laws and the stories got us interested in science and nature. Science provides far more good in this world then religion ever did, so it's earned our respect.

A lot ofpeople from the younger crowd think it's far fetched and that the idea of God is stupid. I feel sad that our nation (USA) and world overall is becoming more secular and believe in nothing unless there is undeniable proof with cross checks and 10,000 pages of data all graphed, dated, and signed by leading scientific experts.. :/ There are very puzzling things that occur or that we have discovered in nature that make good arguments for God ( I could go on for a while on this but I won't for now), but of course this new generation doesn't want to hear it.

If people are interested in discovering the world through the scientific method, then they DO want to hear those statements of discovery so they can be examined.

But what really gets me is that so many people refuse to even attempt a relationship with God, or they think they know what God is all about and make ignorant comments concerning the Bible and the ideologies of Christianity. I have my reasons and /experiences/as to why I believe in God or more specifically Jesus Christ that nobody can take from me. I just wish people would take the time to try to know God, but since you can't measure spirituality or God then it gets the boot from science and by a lot of today's youth.

God is real and I'm sorry but when there are countless records of near death experiences with many of the individuals being proclaimed to be clinically dead for 1-3 hours with no chance of the brain being able to process complex thoughts (imagine, dream, hallucinate), let alone simple fragmented ones then you have to at least start asking yourself "what if"... All of these individuals (some atheists and even scientists and professors) who have had these experiences all describe very similar accounts of either going to a peaceful pleasant place or a horrific place of dread and pain, it's hard not to believe.

Do you have any links to reports of Hindus who had near death experiences and saw Jesus instead of the deities they had been raised to believe in? What would you make of stories of men who almost died but felt peaceful without any kind of supernatural revelation from on high?

I think one of the problems with today's youth is that they are so wrapped up in science and wanting to live by their own idea of what it is to be moral that they just feel like it's completely ok to kick God to the curb. I also think the media doesn't help either with all the immorality and subliminal messages on tv/internet practically saying "sin is ok", which goes against Bible teachings thus making some kids turned off by the idea of God. But I suppose one way or another everyone will learn the truth, we all will have earthly deaths afterall.

karasill

Science provides far more good in this world then religion ever did, so it's earned our respect.

BlackDevil99

How so?

[QUOTE="BlackDevil99"]

Science provides far more good in this world then religion ever did, so it's earned our respect.

battlefront23

How so?

scientific innovators throughout history have often been religious at least to a degree, but what did their particular faiths contribute to the rigorous process of trial and error, documentation, and calculation in their discoveries?

[QUOTE="battlefront23"]

[QUOTE="BlackDevil99"]

Science provides far more good in this world then religion ever did, so it's earned our respect.

Mordred19

How so?

scientific innovators throughout history have often been religious at least to a degree, but what did their particular faiths contribute to the rigorous process of trial and error, documentation, and calculation in their discoveries?

Does science establish morality?battlefront23

Philosophy is the basis for both science and morality, but they're separate spheres that complement each other. Science studies reality and morality instructs how reality ought to be lived. Philosophy is used to link both together.

In other words, science does not establish morality, but the same thing that establishes science, philosophy, establishes morality.

[QUOTE="battlefront23"]Does science establish morality?Genetic_Code

Being 17, here's what I think about it. The main reason that I don't consider myself religious is because my parents didn't give me any choice. They decide I would be a christian, the same way their parents did. There's no way I'm goign to let someone else decide what I should believe in, it just doesn't make sense to me.

However, I do believe that there must be some kind of God. It might not have created everything, but I'm pretty sure there's someone above us. Also, I believe there's something after life on earth. Don't really know if it's heaven/reincarnation/any other stuff, but I'm pretty sure there's something after, otherwise, what would be the point of living ? ( BUT, there's still the possibility that there's nothing else, which is why we like to party so much. If life on earth is the only thing we have, let's make the most out of it. ). There's one thing that I can say I really believe in and always will, no matter what: Happyness. If you're happy and if you make other people happy, you're bound to have a great life. And if there's something after and that someone has to judge you, there's no way he'll blame you for spreading happyness.

I notice most of todays kids ( Teenagers )avoid being religious and are atheist. They beleive in studying / working hard , enjoying party , live life kingsize than being religious. They'd rather follow a Rock / Metal group than follow a religion.

Religion is foundation of ones culture and ethics . Religion saves a person from doing wrong things as Sex , doing Drugs ETC kind of sins. Being Religious brings peace of mind .

Something is really wrong with today's kids . I blame Advancement of Technology and Fast Life ( Always running after Money & Pleasure ) .

indzman

religion is really not that necessary any more. People are generally good, and can learn morality from a variety of sources that dont, at the same time, tell you to hate women, homosexuals, and liberals :P

and how is working hard, having fun, and enjoying life sinful?

also, your phrasing implied you can have fun or be religious. That isnt exactly saying much for religion. Religion "saves people from sex"? Then I don't want to be saved.

[QUOTE="Aspen706"]

Because it is all just fairy tale, and kids are picking up on that and wanting to make their own decisions instead of being brainwashed.

alexside1

Coming from someone who grew up in Churches and private religious schools, brainwashing is the correct term. I was hardly ever taught about evolution, or of other religions, and christianity was a focal point in any academic subject.

[QUOTE="Genetic_Code"][QUOTE="battlefront23"]Does science establish morality?battlefront23

Well, I think science and religion serve inherently different purposes to begin with, so they aren't really comparable in that sense.

but I'm pretty sure there's something after, otherwise, what would be the point of living ?

Jeanp34

Well, I think science and religion serve inherently different purposes to begin with, so they aren't really comparable in that sense.

chessmaster1989

Indeed. Science tests what we can observe, religion attempts to find the solution of the supernatural or spiritual, which is not something you can observe per se...