Graphs of Christianity’s decline in America (and why it WON’T stop)

[@GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic]

Trying new formats again here. Let me know what you think!

[@jonathanfriedel]

I like the new format.

[@crazylabz_ha]

Very Interesting To see

[@watcher99999]

Content is king

[@HelloThere-xx1ct]

Do a video on paganism! Seems like they should be allies but their ideology is nonsensical.

[@huzefaaaa]

Yea great video, make a video on declining of Islam

[@riluna3695]

Every time I think something to the effect of "I can see people seriously misconstruing what Drew just said", he instantly jumps in with a clarification, softening the edges and reminding everyone that his primary goal is the wellbeing of ALL people, religious or no. I really resonate with that attitude and I can't get enough of hearing other people speak this way. It's an absolute delight. Keep being you, Drew :D The world needs as many of you as it can get.

[@solsystem1342]

Yea for empathy!

[@nocare]

@@solsystem1342 Not an attack or a correction but a broadening of understanding. Empathy is not required to hold such views. To clarify 'the ability to feel what another person is feeling given the circumstances' is not a requirement to value human wellbeing. It is a requirement to for instance be a Vegan (on a personal level) and value all sentient wellbeing instead of just sapient well being. However you can make a purely self-interested value of personal wellbeing argument as to why its necessary to value human well being in general. In fact you must make such an argument for the argument to be an evidence and reason based conclusion. Empathy based arguments are reasoned and evidence based don't get me wrong but only on a personal level. It's the "I would personally never murder someone because of how it would make that person's family feel" and thus "How it would make me feel". Such arguments however are not sufficient for general and societal standpoints. They are not broad enough to cover humanity as a whole. They also leave out those who have reduced or no ability to feel empathy and treat it as if those people are less than human. This of course is no diffrent from how any racists treats the outgroup or how a religious fundamentalists' treats the outgroup. Just because a person is unempathetic does not mean they are not still a person and that they don't deserve to be apart of society. Just because unempathetic people have a higher probability of being horrible people does not mean its ok to look down upon them as if all unempathetic people are horrible people. You don't discriminate against a black person even though statistics say they are more likely to be a criminal. The same should be true of those who lack empathy and how they treat humanity.

[@apokalypthoapokalypsys9573]

I think he does not go far enough. Active antitheism should be the way instead of pandering to people we know are wrong.

[@riluna3695]

@@apokalypthoapokalypsys9573 Oh it's not pandering to them. My praise was based on him being clear and concise so that people will have a harder time accidentally mistaking his meaning as more hostile or less fair than it actually is. (Dishonest people will succeed at this at a rate of 100%, so it's not worth trying to account for them in this, just the ones who do so subconsciously) Drew does a good job, or if nothing else a far better job than the average youtuber, of getting across precisely the point he means without leaving room for people's biases to color his meaning and grant themselves reasons to think poorly of him that aren't deserved. And this approach thus makes his point that much more likely to stick with the people that need to hear it most. So regardless of anyone's opinions on how anti-theist he should or shouldn't be, his existing approach is the right way to give whatever message he wishes to send out. That's all I'm saying.

[@AlokKumar-tk1ty]

Its also a talent that not everyone has. I appreciate him a lot

[@jmg94j]

As a pastor's kid who never really believed the stuff I was taught in church, I think the models are wrong. I think the numbers of people leaving the church, and/or identifying as "nones" is going to accelerate. What I noticed growing up in the church, was that about 20-30% of the attendees, didn't want to be there. The only reason that they were there was because of family pressure. I mentioned this to my dad one day, and he said that he thought the number was probably higher. He was well aware of the fact that about one third, or more, of the people he was preaching to, didn't believe a word he said. If our church is any example, the numbers of true bible believing Christians out there is grossly exaggerated. I think as more and more people leave the church, it's going to create a stampede effect, and the churches will empty out pretty quick.

[@BladeValant546]

As a preachers kid can confirm

[@christinacody8653]

it will also help when those that become religiously unaffiliated have children and raise them with an unaffiliated view of religion/spirituality. with that said, the Abrahamic traditional faiths are seriously skeptical about birth control, which is different from those that are.

[@jmg94j]

@@BladeValant546 I know that I'm basing my conclusions on the observations of just one church, but I hear the same sentiments from other ex-attendees as well.

[@ScienceNotFaith]

Your comment reminds me of surveys on voting habits. They tell the survey takers one thing because they are embarrassed or don't want to tell the truth, but then vote a different way. I think you hit a nerve. Most don't believe, but don't feel safe saying so (coming out if you will). They basically go through the motions to make life easier rather than fighting all the time about belief.

[@brialapoint2608]

From my perspective if you dont believe, dont label yourself christian. The same goes for christians thst try to distance themselves from evangelicals but still consider themselves christian. Theres a wide world of beliefs out there and it seems disappoi ting that people eould rather identify as christian, even if they see the belief as toxic because of fundies

[@phishdough]

It is important to note that skeptics and critical thinkers should not see the decline of Christianity, or religion in general, as the main goal; only the byproduct. What we really want is to avoid dogmatic thinking, and question things that don’t seem to reflect reality. There are many secular ideologies that share the same toxic traits as many religions. It is not about one specific ideaology, rather, it’s about how we think. That being said I do look forward to the continuous collapse of religious institutions around the world.

[@outtolunch9216]

This 100%. Hardcore atheists think that once religion collapses all our problems will be solved, when in reality those same atheists will carry on those same problems just in different forms. I myself want to see organized religion collapses, but hope to see a continuation of spirituality and divinity in some form. I think spirituality in a more 'pure' form does a lot more for us than people think, and it doesn't have to include the Christian god.

[@Kualinar]

Yes, the decline of religions is a side effect of better education and increase of critical thinking. It not a goal, just a fortunate side effect.

[@rightinthedome9973]

@@Kualinar also an increase in suicide, depression, crime, and drug addiction

[@Kualinar]

@@rightinthedome9973 That's what your preacher want you to believe. The pressure from the religion is a main factor to the suicide of those who leave the religion. That pressure is also the cause of most of those depressions. In reality, the non-religious are LESS inclined to commit crimes. The non-religious are grossly UNDERrepresented in USA's jails and prisons. Drug use is often a reaction caused by the pressure of the religious peoples placed upon those who leave the religion.

[@ratonsito2836]

@@Kualinar in the beginning it is a side effect of better education, but later on children will take over their parents' believe/opinion/positions without thinking much about it - that's how raising children works. Let's hope it means they will not turn to irrational secular ideologies....

[@Marychelle]

I’m 51. I’ve been a non-Christian for about 26 years. My son is 20. I raised my kid to think for himself and he’s an amazing kid. He’s kind and has an excellent moral compass. I’ve learned morally upright people don’t require the threat of punishment or promise of reward to be good people.

[@muriloaraujo7175]

I know that their focus is not precisely on morals, but on the truth, I mean, on the concealment of a truth. we'll find out on a near and perhaps ominous day

[@theharshtruthoutthere]

@@muriloaraujo7175 Christian is in daily battle against his or hers sinful flesh. Christian is busy winning souls to GOD, not letting satan having them. Christian prepares the most hardest times ahead, TRIBULATION - satan kingdom for 7 years. In which he or she, must be willing to get beheaded for CHRIST and for the Gospels sake. That`s what waits all those Christians who were left behind in rapture. Christian prays for the blessed hope - rapture , an escape from this nightmare which is coming. Christians are of a sound mind = 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. You left Christianity? - souls, you were never in the reality. One thing you all , who "left" leave out, is , SINFUL NATURE, WHOLE MANKIND SUFFERS FROM. Those lived in the 1st testament timeline, now , in church age and timeline to come, tribulation, all times mankind suffers from sinful nature. Before claiming GOD to be evil, 1st learn to understand HIS reasons. Mankind WAS IS AND REMAIN SICK AND EVIL. Many amongst us are: John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

[@tonyfendex2558]

@@muriloaraujo7175 Meaning?????

[@hassanmirza2392]

Your kids will end up on OnlyFans.

[@SentimentalApe]

“When two unaffiliated people love each other very much…” they form a trend line.

[@christopherknight4908]

...and a curve of best fit.

[@nitramnagrom3574]

As a Christian in Washington- it’s already like that. Kitsap County is really non-religious, and as many churches as there are here, I grew up with mostly athiest and agnostic friends and neighbors. You say “can you imagine Christianity not being the majority?” But I can’t imagine it being the majority! It’s crazy how different the experiences can be from one state to another in the US

[@Bean-tp7bw]

Also live in Kitsap (Port Orchard), can confirm

[@Thealgorithmhassummonedme]

But it is indeed true about the differences state by state. I'm in Nebraska. And you can't throw a rock in any direction without hitting a church. And we're talking right leaning Christians.

[@theosexpertdaymon2774]

@@Thealgorithmhassummonedme Same with Kansas with the rock analogy. I always joke driving through town "how many goddamn churches do we need?".

[@nitramnagrom3574]

@@Bean-tp7bw Wow small world, just moved out of PO last week

[@nitramnagrom3574]

@@Thealgorithmhassummonedme I mean even intra-state there’s differences. Western Washington is left-leaning and athiestic/agnostic where much of Eastern Washington is right-leaning and religious

[@Si-annMusic]

I stayed home from church to watch this, and did not regret it!

[@mennims]

Happy for you

[@personalanonymous3172]

17:28 this is exactly the perfect message for Christians and Non-Christians alike! I love the way you think about every perspective in your videos and don't throw any of them away. Well done!

[@Rhaifha]

I just checked the stats for my country (the Netherlands), and in 2019 already 54% of people were religiously unaffiliated vs only 35% christian. This actually surprised me, given that I live in a majority christian area. But yeah, I guess I really do live in the edge of the dutch bible belt. Interesting stuff! Also, over here I can definitely see an accelleration of how churches are emptying, to me it feels like people are becoming aware that they don't *have* to go to church to get a sense of community. There's less of a social duty to go to church to fit in. If that makes sense? I feel like covid also "worsened" that. People not being able to go to church for months on end and realizing that it's actually quite nice to have your sunday mornings free.

[@jezus5519]

Another Dutchy (Funny enough also named Joelle haha) here! As an ex-fundamentalist Christian whose parents still go to a reformed church twice every week it baffles me that my old church (and a lot of other churches in the Bible belt area I grew up) are increasingly getting emptied out. Even though the Netherlands is quite an atheïst country, it is interesting to see that this trend is also going on in the Netherlands (hurray!). Another trend I see happening here is that a lot of more fundamentalist Christians are switching to more liberal and open-minded churches. So even though people are still calling themselves "christians", they are more open-minded and accepting!

[@jana731]

Swiss here. For me its the other way around. I come from a Christian family but stopped believing at age 12. But the area I live in is very unreligious. Like I was surprised when we actually had a girl in the class who believed in the whole thing a little bit and a boy who is a hardcore believer. It's really alienating still seeing young believing people. And funny enough about 80% percent of religious people I know belong to one group/same church. But yeah especially in the elder population there is a huge majority of christians who are in the literal sense slowly dying away. Still as long as they are alive they influence the graphs a lot.

[@jjphank]

Forget churches, read the Bible so you don’t end up in hell! the Bible is a perfect book & the way to find Jesus is through his perfect word! Please start asking questions because your eternal souls destination depends on you trying to find the truth versus everything else!

[@grahvis]

@@jjphank . Read the Bible, learn what a heinous monster the God of the Bible is.

[@abhinavchandra8314]

Another thing could be that many people say that they are Christian, but they don’t regularly got to church or really believe in Christianity.

[@RosieGamgee]

On a smaller level, I’ve been interested to see that the fundamentalist, high control church that I was raised in is having some changes that show it’s struggling. The congregation in my city is merging with the congregation in a neighboring city. That’s unheard of in this group! Usually churches split, not merge. But it’s indicative of the decline in members. They’re even planning to change the church’s name to distance themselves from their negative image--sneaky.

[@BriannadaSilva]

Oh wow, that's fascinating!

[@wheat3226]

Yeah, when I was a member of such a church, they BRAGGED about how their denomination was growing and the "mainline" denominations were declining because they were becoming more worldly (ie accepting of homosexuals, abortions, errors in the bible etc etc) So, yeah, they gotta spin it.

[@tompatterson1548]

Hopefully they change their theology too!

[@jjphank]

Go with the Bible you can’t go wrong! I had to leave my denomination that I grew up in because they did not follow the Bible and now I’m better for it! The Bible is how you exactly know what truth is and what lies are. God wrote a perfect book, so he’s got clean hands to deal with us on judgment day! Ok

[@grahvis]

@@jjphank Isn't your God omniscient? If so there is no judgement needed, he would already know even before a person was born.

[@EliaSarsenLo]

Hi, I'm part of that older demographic (40+) that came of age in the early 1990s when Christianity had around a 90% retention rate. I left conservative Christianity when I was 20, but I have been pretending to be Christian for most of the time since then. My actual religion is Goddess-worshipping Wicca, but to keep peace with my conservative family, I stay in the "broom closet". I regularly attend a progressive Christian church for the sense of community and opportunities to engage in charity work. Hence, people with complicated religious paths like myself do not fit neatly into Christian nor Unaffiliated. Given my socially-liberal tendencies, I welcome the rise of secularism. As a transgender person, I live in fear of Christian Nationalist violence. I hope to live long enough to see 2070 and have lots of lovely agnostic/atheist young friends. I don't mind being part of a diminishing demographic -- it's romantic -- like the Elves of Middle Earth. Keep up the great work on your channel, Drew! :)

[@cosmictreason2242]

Neither trans nor Christian nationalists exist. So much propaganda just to marginalize Christian voices. The nerve to present yourself as the victim when you’re the oppressor

[@BlueDrew10]

I have to wonder if this study adequately accounts for the possibility of these types of cases. I know of a few myself, namely my brother. He declared himself Wiccan to our conservative Christian parents in his late teens, but has since returned to calling himself Christian in front of them. I also have multiple cousins whose leave from Christianity was temporary. I think it's simply more convenient to be publicly Christian than to be barraged with questions and religious rhetoric. I had to deal with it for years before my parents finally accepted my beliefs (or lack thereof). I think it's possible that this religious pressure eases as the religious population shrinks and we see an even faster rate of departure from Christianity.

[@jeffrey9184]

Fellow goddess worshipping wiccan here I love everything ive been learning it's an eye opener and I saw more things I could never belive my whole life! :)

[@kingbullyrock8739]

The future of America is Islam, Islam will rule the world

[@charlesdeleo4608]

I’m not a Wiccan, but I am a pagan, specifically a Hellenist. I worship the Greek Gods. Still, this gives me hope for an America that can be pagan from top to bottom, and Christians as a minority.

[@jeffreybarker357]

“Can you imagine an American where Christians aren’t the majority?” I imagine it every single day. And it pleases me.

[@bigman1163]

Seems to be a Lil bit discriminatory

[@pagaporvista569]

can't happen soon enough.

[@combineconformist]

@@bigman1163 so is your religion

[@b3at2]

religion is nice… but it gets bad when people of a religion implements religious laws for everyone … thats why people are not with it any more. Im a christian, raised that way, but i dont go to church and I dont wear my religion on my sleeves. biblical stories sound like fairy tales.

[@combineconformist]

@@b3at2 true, I used to be Christian, and while I think it’s possible there is a higher power, it does sound quite ridiculous at times

[@celadewallace474]

As a 50-something atheist who left a rather fundamentalist form of christianity (started my separation back in the late 70s and early 80s): I've seen this data in the past and it's always given me a bit of hope. My biggest concerns, however, are exactly *why* these graphs trend. Just because people are not religiously affiliated doesn't necessarily mean they're super-secular, have deepened their skills at reasoning and critical thinking... and it is hard to compare what is happening with questions like "is society getting more stable or less stable?" At the moment I'd have to say things are still pretty messy. My hope is still there, though.

[@bungiecrimes7247]

Redditor

[@angesystem23]

Hello I am a non-christian religious person who also believes in science and critical thinking! It can be done.

[@pagaporvista569]

We need the younger, non-religious to get involved and vote! I'm also in my 50s. Was brought us Christian in mainly in non-denominational churches due to being a military kid. When my father retired in the bible belt, it was like being in a cult. These people were so hateful to others. I went to a Southern Baptist Church and never went back because they were preaching hate for different people. The recent politics terrify me, we need the younger generations to step up - vote and run for office. Better yet, practice law to protect those that aren't in the cult!

[@net28573]

My big concern is that religion may act as a capacitor holding groups of people back that would otherwise become unstable without the regular rituals and ceremonies.

[@schnoz2372]

Well said

[@InsaneInsomniac1]

I personally believe that one of the reasons christianity is on such a quick decline in the USA is because of how politicized it has become. People whose religion doesn't agree with their political affiliation often are targeted or constantly questioned. Political affiliation now makes up a big part of how you judge someone unfortunately. It doesn't help that one of our major political parties has become the "party of fundamentalists."

[@Bob-wr1md]

Exactly! Churches in America are literally pressuring people to conform to their politics, and all of their theology, and will strongly oppose people who dare to ask questions, while simultaneously wondering why so many are leaving the church. Also the whole abuse accusation situation with the SBC, John McArthur etc... yikes.

[@cosmictreason2242]

This is a complete misreading. Conservative Christianity is growing. What you are seeing is a purification. The chaff is blowing away

[@Bob-wr1md]

@@cosmictreason2242 cope

[@jasonmarcus1683]

I think it's mostly the result of the internet.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@Bob-wr1md you cope. I’ve got nothing to worry about

[@SuperShecky]

Yes, I tend to think radicalism among Christians will increase as their cultural domination decreases. Painting themselves as victims has been commonplace for decades, drives out the more rational, but energizes the most faithful. As they realize being Christian gains you less automatic cultural clout, the more cornered they'll feel. This faction is already seriously floating the idea that democracy is a mistake. And they're working hard to discredit and negate democratic institutions.

[@miskatonic_alumni]

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are all domestic terrorists." --CPAC 2022

[@epicpancho5459]

Well democracy is bad. We are a constitutional republic. learn history. I am atheists too.

[@XxXnonameAsDXxX]

They are already doing it eastern europe. It is observable that they act more and more sect like: they only consume religous mediums, but show normal appearance when faced with non believers. They feed themselves with pseudo scientific religous lies, not to the extent of scientology but there are similar behavior patterns especially in the Catholic Church.

[@sulas548]

I agree. The whole MAGA movement is a last ditch effort by conservative Christians to hold on to the power that they have taken for granted for centuries but is fast flowing away from them. Vote them out before it is too late.

[@MG-ot2yr]

Yep its been what I've been saying for a while, this political extremism is a result of Christianity in its death throes and its believers desperately trying to keep it relevant and now down to inflicting it on people by force, and trying to overthrow democracy as a method.

[@gaming4K]

I have a religious mother and i was questioning everything about christianity when i was in 4th grade, around that age i was "joking" about not believing but i felt she didn't get my stupid childish joke so i regretted it. I tried to go along with this christianity thing but i couldn't ever accept it. My niece is pretty religious tho and if i would ever have a child i would not want them to be like her. Would love to see atheism rise.

[@Demopans5990]

Just be careful not to replace it with superstition. Atheism and rationality is a guard against superstition, of which makes up a large part of religion, but atheism doesn't replace spiritually, which makes up the other parts minus theology

[@KatariaGujjar]

Would you indoctrinate your child with atheism?

[@zodfanza]

Hehe you weren't joking. I used April Fool's day to test out coming out as trans to my parents. April Fool's day is problematic it's true but I guess it was useful for that one litmus test. More for realising in my own mind that the"joke" mattered to me internally as a "test" of what it would be like to live as me than guaging anything about their actual response, which it turns out is irrelevant.

[@anshumanagrawal346]

@@zodfanza Hope you're doing well and are safe ❤️

[@anshumanagrawal346]

Exactly. We need people to not impose their religion on Children who don't even understand it

[@stephenlangton8607]

From New Zealand , we have had a decline from 70% Christian to 37% from 1991 to 2020 so 30 years. I was one of those who switched affiliation in this time period. It has only just changed from Christian majority to an non-aligned majority in the last 4 years , and I didn't realized until I looked up the graphs after watching your video. The only change that has happen in the last 4 years was the government has removed prayer and the mention of god in any of the governmental proceedings which actually amazing that it wasn't earlier. but I do think American Christianity is a lot stickier and localized , especially in the southern states where its more entrenched it would be interesting to see the trends in relation to individual states.

[@cosmictreason2242]

And that’s why you were rounded up in concentration camps by your government

[@pedroaraujo1266]

Drew has a video on religion in the U.S. by state. Check "Maps and Graphs About Religion in America". It's a very recent one.

[@allyson186]

That's absolutely incredible! We can only hope

[@topologyrob]

@@allyson186 Wow, you freaky dogmatists who peddle the irrational idea that religion reduction = good.

[@charlessomerset9754]

You are doing good work. Yesterday my 20 year old son told me that he wished religion would die, and added that humanity would be much better off. This sounded wildly idealistic to me, and I told him that as long as there is ignorance and poverty, religion will flourish, and that we have to start there. He seemed a bit disappointed, but didn't disagree. I would love for you to do a correlation video about religion and poverty. I think it would be eye opening to a lot of people.

[@JNB0723]

I like this idea. It is important to get that information out there!

[@tomyao7884]

I don't think that being poor makes you more likely to be religious in general. Communist china under mao zedong was generally atheist, but they were quite poor, especially during the famines.

[@GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic]

What an interesting idea! I’ve discussed that premise a few times in recent videos but haven’t given it as much time as it might deserve. It’s a pretty complex issue so I’d definitely want to study more before jumping in. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Adaguflo]

@@GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic Do it!!

[@DBArtsCreators]

I would say wishing it would die is an unhealthy extreme. Wishing it would lose influence and power would be a more healthy way of looking at it.

[@superraegun2649]

I think religions appear to become more radicalised as they decline due to the more moderate members being the ones more likely to leave the religion, leaving the radicals behind. And without the moderates, radicals end up living in more of an echo chamber and so a less mainstream religion becomes more extreme.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Is there more or less Mormon extremism now than there was in the 1800s?

[@DUDEBroHey]

That's a good thing

[@druid139]

Evangelicals are on the rise. Talibangelists. It's like the Handmaid's Tale.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@druid139 you should stop reading silly fanfiction

[@superraegun2649]

@@DUDEBroHey in what sense?

[@stardino9475]

As a Christian. I have to say channels like this and others are great. Because it allows me to examine my own beliefs with a fine comb. A thing that frustrates me though is a lack of true Christian doctrine a lot believers hold. I would like to see you examine groups of elevation or bethel. If you have not already

[@conversion721]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6KnfWyAaax0n9k this will help you

[@object1ion]

Me too. Its important to have the freedom to openly question your own beliefs, since its rarely as simple as you're taught as a kid to "just believe".

[@1mol831]

You mean cleaning house right?

[@theussalamat4346]

Your books are just tailored doctrines that serves your kings ang master so they can control you. There is no point trying to dig from a foundation that's sand in the first place. imagine ramonatizising the Roman cross as a symbol of their imperial power and method of torture and Romanticism of the blood of Jesus cleansing your guilt shamed ass who is just another man executed by a power hungry monarch who is insecure of their position and relevance. Sounds like a power struggle of the blood cult to me. Kye bye

[@samuelbrown3405]

"True Christian doctrine" is an oxymoron

[@creepingbrain]

The number you get depends on how you ask the question. Here in the UK 50% of people identify as Christian. But if you ask people if they practice a religion, only 5% say that they practice Christianity. So for most "Christian" people in the UK it's more of a cultural identity rather than a religion.

[@hannahk1306]

Exactly, I'm also from the UK and both of my parents (and maybe my brother) identify as Christian and probably ticked that on the census. As a family, we've never been to church except for specific reasons like my grandma's funeral. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure my boyfriend also put Christian on the census and I've never seen him go to church in the whole time I've known him! I'm interested to see what the census results will show for the religious make up of the UK when they're released in the next couple of months. I think most of the people I know who actually go to church regularly are aged 60+ or children who go with their parents (probably in their 40s).

[@bharathdev1732]

Well said 👍👍👍

[@cozakokotano6448]

​​@@hannahk1306Christianity or any religion in general are useless without practicing.

[@joegoss30]

I also think there has been a wave of "quiet quitting" among Christians. Meaning there are folks who will answer as Christians, but aren't really putting any effort into it. They don't believe in the teachings but go through the motions, often for their SO or kids.

[@valoxsen6003]

Also for our elderly conservative parents who will bombard us with religious scripture on Facebook if we reveal we don't really believe in Christianity anymore 😅

[@ElizabethSchrader-ut7is]

That's literally my parents. They identifies thenselves as christians when asked but never talk about god, go to church, or follow the teachings of the bible. Athough both of my parents identify as Christians i was basically raised unaffiliated and still identify as unaffiliated, but more strongly so

[@AstroCreep77]

And, like all abusive people/organizations, they will blame those leaving rather than themselves. They will say the same stupid things that they always do, and they will be wrong like they always are. My aunts church just voted to split over same sex marriages, and let me just say that polemics are alive and well in 2022.

[@karalas]

Mine is about to do the same. Splinters and planks

[@PeterLarsenJr]

Wash, rinse, repeat in the church…..

[@crazylabz_ha]

Probably, like always 🙄

[@deadlysword1000]

Hypocrisy is a BIG turn off.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Completely false. Pew only looks at self identification. Barna is the source you want for real identity. Their study from 2021 September revealed that only 4% of Americans are Christian, ~11 million people.

[@Tyrany42]

I am so proud to have contributed to those rising numbers. The ability to think for myself was something I shunned for too long

[@bharathdev1732]

congrats on ur freedom brother .live ur life to the fullest

[@lw7238]

Congratulations on ridding yourself of a fantasy that portrays itself as factual.

[@Thagomizer]

But when your views are in the majority, dissenters will be the ones thinking for themselves.

[@DR3ADER1]

Be sure not to make your comments sound like that of a New Age Cult member's promotional message. Nietzsche had an old saying about the abyss and its eyes that constantly gazes into people.

[@lw7238]

@@DR3ADER1 "God is dead", or did you forget? The eye of the abyss that gazes upon you is not God but the collective of knowledge or everything that everyone tries to attain but never will. It's putting oneself out there to enter the scary abyss. Doing so can have great fulfillment. And "eyes that constantly gazes into people." Life is not easy but a struggle. So no I am not worried coming across as a new age cult messenger because I have felt like this almost my entire life. But label all you want.

[@s0steezy]

Love how you jumped right into the data everyone wanted to see and then broke it down deeper as the video went on. Great work, thank you for sharing!

[@lw7238]

I agree, he leaves no stone unturned.

[@justg1226]

My husband and myself were raised Lutheran and Catholic, baptized, every Sunday worship. The whole shebang. Now as middle-aged persons we have watched our friends and family either go way to hard at Christianity e.g., they wanted everyone to live up to their ideals of religion or in the other extreme our friends and family began questioning everything. We are now not one bit religious, and it is a direct result of our judgmental friends putting their expectations of religion onto us. Until this happened, we went along ignorantly not questioning our views and the whys of our beliefs. By taking religion to a scary place our friends made us really look at our beliefs and why we had them. Christianity lost that fight to logic pretty quickly. So, I guess I have the super Christians to thank for opening our eyes. Also, we sat down with our children and were happy to hear they felt the same way.

[@cosmictreason2242]

This is the exact kind of person that the research represents: false converts becoming more honest, not Christians becoming nonchristians

[@philzeo]

@@cosmictreason2242 you're not a convert if you're born in, silly! Born and raised on the narrow path only to realize it's a false dichotomy.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@philzeo you’re not countering my point but supporting it.

[@philzeojr.853]

@@cosmictreason2242 yes. That anyone born into and indoctrinated into any religion from an early age, who sees no reason to question it, will still fall off because eventually they'll notice that some people take it way too seriously and that will scare them off. I was a fundamentalist who said all the same things. "It's a relationship, not a religion. A religion is a man made construct, but true faith is subjugation to God." And to this day, I still believe in complete subjugation to God's will. I just don't identify with Christianity anymore because it's a clear falsehood. God proved it to me easily. And God cannot deceive.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@philzeojr.853 sorry bud but all you’ve got to show for that is your own personal assertions. God gave us His word and he clearly says he does not speak to anyone today EXCEPT through the Bible. Hebrews 1-2

[@libertymedicalcommunicatio4908]

Like Europe, the US could become a place full of beautiful churches that no one goes to. That’s a win for tourism

[@MiltonMoJunction]

The only problem for the USA is that they don't have beautiful churches, they are more often wooden shacks. I consider all churches to be monuments to man's gullibility.

[@dlevi67]

I would oppose that there are far fewer beautiful churches in the US than in Europe... but still... better a few than none.

[@MiltonMoJunction]

@@dlevi67 I guess you mean you would agree not oppose that there are far fewer beautiful churches in the USA. When I toured the southern states of America I found a church/building used as a church every few miles. There were literally hundreds of them . Each one a monument to man's gullibility and stupidity. I don't actually find any church beautiful and celebrate when any are destroyed in any way hoping it is nearer the time when there are no churches and people grow out of religion. All gods are man made to serve a few people for their own good.

[@Emperorhirohito19272]

All their churches are rectangular red brick buildings

[@blazenight7179]

And even then most of the churches are old as heck, and since all cities in America are far younger than Europe, that means only a few large cities on the east coast and maybe going into California (Spanish Colonization) and the center of the country will even have them.

[@larrys9879]

I’m convinced the internet is responsible for the declining influence religion has in America. I was a strong fundamentalist Christian for 47 years. Because I served in leadership and teaching positions I wanted to learn everything I could about the origins and evolution of both the Bible and the Christian faith. That study and research lasted for more than a decade and eventually destroyed my faith. The historical reality of the origins and evolution of the Bible and the Christian faith is not what the average believer thinks it is. The historical evidence indicates it’s all based on mythology. Once a believer overcomes their indoctrination it becomes obvious the Bible and Christian faith is based on myths.

[@MatthewPatel-hx4ci]

Well assuming that you actually believed in Jesus Christ your saved, but you will be lacking rewards in heaven unfortunately. But regardless you will experience the kingdom of God and have everlasting life. Jesus paid for your sins past present and future so your good. Assuming you genuinely believed at one point.

[@larrys9879]

@@MatthewPatel-hx4ci Believing stuff like that requires years and years of indoctrination with the ultimate goal of complete brainwashing being achieved. Congratulations, your posts indicates you’ve been completely brainwashed. You have now relinquished your ability to think for yourself to the cult that controls you now.

[@GiangNguyen-n2q]

​@@MatthewPatel-hx4ci a comment from 7 month ago, l will say this please go somewhere else and uh are you still Christian? Or not?

[@tonyfendex2558]

@@MatthewPatel-hx4ci We can be great people without your BULLSHIT!!!! Without your silly religion!!!

[@tonyfendex2558]

Sorry, but I think I sent you my message by mistake.

[@john_sensei_ii]

As a Gen-Z person in the South, something encouraging I've noticed about my generation is that most Christians I know are not fundamentalist Christians. They don't stigmatize sex in any way, they're not hardcore conservatives, and they mostly see Christianity as a general philosophy to live by rather than a codified religion. I work with both Christians and LGBT people, and everyone gets along just fine. That's something I think the graphs don't really capture and the thing I'm most hopeful for regarding the future of my country. I don't want Christianity to decline, just for it to become more tolerant.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I've noticed the same with my mum, although that was more so because she was ignorant to a lot of different things, e.g gay and trans people. Not out of any malice, she just didn't know a whole lot about them, and just kind of found it all a bit weird and unnatural, e.g mental illness stuff. I talked to her about it though and that it was misplaced, and she's all good and understanding with it now. She's one of the kindest, most perseverant and caring people I know, especially being a former midwife, but it can go to show how people can eventually go down a terrible pipeline like that to start off with. Religion and ignorance can really do go hand in hand in creating some really messed up people.

[@jamesthomas7731]

More tolerant??? Gods word is as written and it doesn’t change to meet the needs of people who want go on sinning . You go your own way but you will pay for in end. Now, you have the chance to repent and turn your life over to God and live. Otherwise stay on path your on suffer the eternal consequences, it’s you choice!!!!!

[@jamesthomas7731]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy you

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

@@jamesthomas7731 Very funny. Guess other religions don't matter if all of them are supposed to be the true word of god/gods.

[@jamesthomas7731]

Keep thinking like your doing, it is your life your playing with. You have a chance to repent now!!! But your time my be shorter than you think. People like you think there are different kinds of Christians, but there isn’t but one kind, those saver by the Grace of God and have repented of their sins. But you don’t know anything about that because you are blinded by the Evil One, what a shame!!!

[@longcastle4863]

An America where Christians are not the majority sounds like... heaven

[@mendez704]

That depends on what religion replaces christianity...

[@longlivethesheet4561]

@@mendez704 Considering the majority of Muslims who exist in the US tend to lean more progressive than Evangelicals and have immigrated here in the first place to escape persecution in their home countries I doubt they’ll be any worse than Y’allQaeda

[@granudisimo]

@@mendez704 Most people that stop being part of any religion that's the major religion in their country, do so because they're getting tired of religion itself, not just their particular cult.

[@starshade7826]

@@mendez704 Have you heard the good news of our baby-eating savior Moloch? Hoohoohoo

[@LoliLikesPedobear]

@@mendez704 woke madness will eventually expire due to obvious pattern of death cult and islam you just don't import and be safe from it there across the pond. Jews are not religious by a large margin. So the future is bright.

[@-gearsgarage-]

We just need to keep educating people and show them you don’t need those ancient silly stories to be kind, caring, and charitable.

[@deadlysword1000]

That's true. Free will is a WONDERFUL thing.

[@lorencalfe6446]

Christians need to learn to rationalize why something is good, shutting off their brain and saying ‘god says’ will inevitably result in stupidity and loophole degeneracy

[@lorencalfe6446]

for instance selecting someone who is mutually deeply attracted to you will naturally lend to monogamy without need for fairy tales.

[@marypatton1122]

As a matter of fact, christians are the most collectively judgmental and unkind. What they do talks so loud, no on can hear what they are saying.

[@marvelous971-j6m]

very hard to believe that the bible is the greatest teacher of about being kind, caring and charitable.

[@woodygilson3465]

At 5:56, you say "blame" where I'd say "credit." Just looking at comments in this and other videos you've produced, you've been the inspiration for many people to begin questioning their cultural religious mythologies, and good on you for it. I hope the world doesn't have to wait so many more generations for the demise of religion altogether. "May it be soon and in our days," as they say.

[@DR3ADER1]

In the demise of Organised Religion, Humans WILL find another source of self-delusional, easy fantasies to soothe their laziness. In layman's terms, when Religion goes away, people find other sources of bullshit, like Spiritualism, Gemstones and Arcana to follow and cling to. They're all equally bullshit, but unlike Buddhism and Shintoism, or Judaism and Islam, isn't that organised or well-regulated.

[@lunasmellsliketeenspirit8454]

A few days ago I started watching some of your videos and they teached me so many interesting things, I got really close to becoming an atheist. Now I'm currently reading a graphic novel called punk rock jesus and the way religion is shown there was what pushed me over the edge, I've opened my mind guys, thanks for the help

[@lw7238]

Congratulations on ridding yourself of a fantasy that portrays itself as factual.

[@سالم-ن1ر]

This is your place 🔥🌋🔥🌋🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🌋🌋🔥🌋🌋🔥🌋🌋🔥

[@anshumanagrawal346]

W

[@drac0range717]

Welcome aboard the atheist boat. We don't know where we are, we don't know why we're here. All we know is that we think way to much

[@dennisduncan7561]

taught you.

[@samneibauer4241]

As someone living in a red state, I'm shocked to hear that a whole 30% of the United States is religiously unaffiliated. What I wonder about is how many people identify as Christian but aren't really practicing Christianity by going to church, Bible studies, or by participating in Christian culture. For example, My state is very Christian at 77% according to Pew Research, but subjectively it seems like basically everyone identifies as a Christian but they either don't go to church, read the Bible, or do any volunteering at all or they do things on a daily/weekly basis that most churches forbid such as hooking up at bars, drinking extremely heavily, and doing drugs. You know, the classic European culture of "Party on Saturday and ask for forgiveness on Sunday". No shame in any of the things I listed, but it sure seems like a bunch of contradictions. Even when I was a Christian, I noticed this.

[@maxwell8758]

What does being in a red state have to do with anything? You realize 76% of Democrats are religious as well?

[@marypatton1122]

My cousin who I haven't seen in 30 years explained she only goes to church for social reasons...not because she believes it. She said it is just southern tradition. I am not accepted in my southern traditional family because I am an out spoken voice for logic and reason. Carol explained it well. I bet very few people actually believe it but just need to feel they belong and have people to gossip with.

[@samneibauer4241]

@@marypatton1122 yeah at this point it's like a common cultural mythology. Ask someone if there's a god or ghosts or anything else, and they'll most likely reply, "I don't know but probably."

[@NoSpam1891]

By actual numbers, less than 17% of Americans attend church on a fairly regular basis. The numbers are dropping.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Pew only looks at self identification. Barna is the source you want for real identity. Their study from 2021 September revealed that only 4% of Americans are Christian, ~11 million people.

[@kariminou1]

100% agree with you. Declining majority groups in any society, usually makes them more despair and in order to save their dominated status and religious ideology they become more extreme and even justify violence.

[@paulthompson9668]

Actually, I wouldn't limit it to declining majority groups. Some groups, whether rising or declining, majority or minority, can become more extreme and justify violence merely because they feel threatened by the out-groups.

[@kevinw2592]

@deathbytheblade funny thing is, a lot(most) of those migrants they want to keep out were raised in fairly/highly religious communities. They would be perfect recruits for the christian right, if only they could get over the tint of their skin.

[@fartkerson]

@deathbytheblade They are going off the rails. It's them against the world! Ride or die Christian Nationals trying to convince each other Trump is the second coming. It's actually pretty entertaining. They even have Dog the Bounty Hunter preaching on stage saying Jesus is ready to go to war against the evil democrats. It's flippin' Rambo Jesus time!

[@cosmictreason2242]

On the contrary, extremism happens when you get a high concentration, not low numbers. Low numbers/influence made Mormons, Catholics and Muslims conduct pr campaigns to look friendly and peaceful. High influence lets you do what you want. Right now America is experiencing that from fascist totalitarians. Who is killing their opponents? The ones in power, not the minority

[@paulthompson9668]

@deathbytheblade And ANTIFA. I'm against all forms of extremist ideologies, especially those that engender violent behavior towards the out-groups.

[@veronicaturner5050]

I think a big part of why it's easier to stay unaffiliated if you were raised that way is because it's harder to believe in Christianity if you weren't indoctrinated at a young age. My parents also very verbally criticized Christianity around me a lot while growing up and I think that really has stuck with me. I tried to believe and just could not.

[@anshumanagrawal346]

Yes, no one believes in such absurdity unless the fear was ingrained in their mind at a very young age

[@Othique]

That's exactly why certain christian sects are VERY into adopting/fostering children. There's a theory that that's also the reason they are fighting to ban abortion and birth control... orphans are excellent candidates for indoctrination. There's a reason most adoption agencies are christian targetted.

[@squidlytv]

​@@Othique oh no. Someone is adopting and taking care of the children. The horror...

[@Othique]

@@squidlytv You obviously don't know shit about the adoption industry. Maybe, school yourself.

[@googleuser1611]

​@@squidlytva cult.

[@caitgrate6172]

There's something I believe impacts the numbers a lot more than a lot of people talk about and it's easily summed up by an experience I had as a 19-year-old waitress in a local diner. A couple came in for a Sunday lunch after church services. The gentleman asked me if I went to church and I replied that, no, I didn't (and still don't). He got upset that the young lady giving him his post-sermon brunch hadn't been, herself, and it ended up being a thing. What I didn't tell him was that the diner where I worked got its heaviest traffic between 10 am and 2 pm on Sundays and then had a slightly slower rush after mass in the evenings. If you worked during the day in that diner and were not willing to work Sundays during that time, then there wasn't much point in working there. You wouldn't make enough money to pay bills. What is the age range that most people start those retail and service sector jobs? Interesting coincidence, there. My parents wanted to attend a church when they had kids because they wanted us to get an understanding of the cultural majority around us while not being believers themselves, but my mom was a military nurse and my dad was a cop. Even though it's a professional type job and not waiting tables, the odds of them coordinating the time off to manage that were slim. My dad still works Sundays 30-something years later. The economic pressure to work and keep the economy buzzing has pressed more and more places to be open on Sundays the same hours they are every other day of the week and, with the gig economy, I don't anticipate that slowing down, but rather speeding up. It's hard to become indoctrinated or keep up that indoctrination when you have to balance it versus basic needs and many jobs are unsympathetic to consistently taking one precious weekend sales day off every single week. My grandparents were Christian, my parents dropped away from going to church due to work and school and then taught their kids that Christianity was a good thing to understand on a cultural level, and their kids all grew up to be atheist or unaffiliated other. Also? Becoming and remaining religiously unaffiliated is, uh, free. 😅

[@michaels4255]

This is why I support the return of blue laws.

[@caitgrate6172]

@@michaels4255 I'm not really sure if that's the best takeaway. Honestly, as someone who worked second and third shift pretty often the fact that some places had to have different hours or were closed just because it was a certain day of the week was extremely irritating and prevented me from going about my business on the days I did have off.

[@lw7238]

@@caitgrate6172 Very good post and incite into the way you handle life.

[@nithishnithish504]

Religions belongs to the museum ,love to all atheists from an atheist from India 😍

[@John-qo9hw]

What's your opinion on the bjp rule of india as an Indian atheist?

[@isaiahreno]

Wow that's funny 🤣

[@Perfectlyimperfect26]

@@John-qo9hw as another Indian Atheist, I worry about my country but I know that for the majority here, religion more important than anything else. BJP is here for sometime unfortunately.

[@SmartChannel01]

@The Warrior of Atheism(No Libralism anymore) is there hope for the future of India? Do you think it will follow the same trend or lag?

[@SmartChannel01]

@@Perfectlyimperfect26 is there hope for future of India?

[@tubebrocoli]

Note that a country becoming more secular doesn't mean it will stop being christian culturally. See i.e. French society putting a heavy focus on laïcité, but people still often considering themselves having "christian values", and being very clearly more opposed to other religions than they are to christianity.

[@Rhaifha]

Yeah, you see the same in the Netherlands. Swearing on the bible is still common at official ceremonies, we still have christian national holidays. The whole culture is still very much founded upon strict protestant "hard work". A lot of it is merging with straight up capitalism nowadays, but still. The foundation is protestant christian for sure.

[@Uhdksurvhunter]

Norway is the same way. Especially the older generations. Younger generations seem to be a lot more accepting.

[@pansepot1490]

Yeah, If I remember correctly France has been the staunchest defender of Christian identity when the EU has discussed the topic. That surprised me. Also they counted the different religion as a reason to be against Turkey admission in the EU. I eyerolled because France must already have the highest number of Muslims in Europe.

[@coasterblocks3420]

@Tom Morrison no need to apologise - there’s no way to effortlessly turn “United States of America” into a collective noun. And since the USA is the only country in the Americas with “America” in its name, it’s only the pedants who object to the use of “American” as shorthand. Maybe using an apostrophe in front - ‘American - would dull their ire? Perhaps not.

[@maxpis4412]

I do wonder what they mean by Christian values, just the Westerns values with a Christian packaging?

[@BendyDH]

I grew up a pretty devout Christian into my late teens, but as I grew older I gradually started realizing how ridiculous it all was. I really don’t care what anyone’s religious beliefs are, just be a good person is all that matters

[@KatariaGujjar]

@Sanctus Paulus 1962 That is correct. In most religions, infidelity means you're a very bad person. But in atheism it means nothing. There isn't really any moral compass in atheism to decide what is good and what is bad. Most of the current moral ideas present in atheism are derived from religion but slowly they are fading, i.e. sexual intercourse with animals. Once all these derived morals completely fade, atheism will likely yield a new set of morals which ultimately will be not much different than the definition of 'religion'.

[@1mol831]

@@KatariaGujjar It becomes a new religion.

[@ruski77]

@@KatariaGujjar Morals and values do not have to come from religion, whatsoever. It does not take religion to realize sex with animals (they cannot consent therefore it is rape) is immoral. Just because someone’s atheist does not mean they don’t believe infidelity is a bad thing. It’s less of the whole religious shit and more going behind your partner’s back and breaking trust. Idk why you people believe humans wouldn’t be moral without religion. Hell religion has killed far more than any secular ideologies..or any other cause for that matter.

[@sakuraesther6309]

@@KatariaGujjar But Infidelity is most common under religious denominations . There are plenty of videos herevon YT advising womwn to stay evwn after infidelity and literally abuse from Christians .

[@sakuraesther6309]

@@KatariaGujjar Also that is a terrible generalisationa of Aethists simply bwcause we xan call all Christians greedy because of the mainstream prechers who own privaye jets and big properties from all the church offerings

[@SunKissedBaddie]

The fact that 31% or people become religiously unaffiliated between 15-29 is interesting… my 2 brothers and I were all raised as Christians. I became religiously unaffiliated in my mid-late 20s and they both still actively identify with the religion.

[@SmartChannel01]

Are they more liberal or conservative? In my experience even among religious practicing the young generation tend to be more progressive universalist metaphorical etc while old generation tends to be conservative firebrimstone etc types

[@Kali_Krause]

@@SmartChannel01 According to the Pew Research Center, Generation Z is the least religious Generation but are the most conservative

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@Kali_Krause not the most, but they’re the first to increase compared to the previous generation

[@soul-heart]

It's only a correlation, probably not a causation, but that's about the time when adolescents tend to make the influence of their peers more important than their parents. Let alone, with a secular school system, it's no wonder people become religiously unaffiliated. And as a Christian, if you believe nothing is neutral, and aren't involved in your kid's spiritual life, then it wouldn't be hard to reason why they step out of the faith.

[@ADITYASHARMA-im2qo]

@@Kali_Krause how can gen z be most conservative? What conservative is there about gen z?

[@daleblue22]

I'm 46 yrs old and once a devoted Christian. At my mid 20s I woke up gradually. I'm glad that I'm not alone.

[@yarpenzigrin1893]

Would you describe yourself as a feminist now?

[@solsystem1342]

@@yarpenzigrin1893 I hope we all would. Equality is good for everyone.

[@yarpenzigrin1893]

@@solsystem1342 Yes but that's egalitarianism. Feminism has some ideological baggage, doesn't it.

[@Jordan-wc6nh]

@@yarpenzigrin1893 This isn’t the gotcha that you think it is. You’re thinking of TERFs and radicals.

[@chainattack6412]

@Yarpen Zigrin To Quote Wikipedia “ Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes.” Feminism is the belief that the sexes are equal you nitwit

[@kevinnelle6208]

I’ve seen a lot of graphs saying it will be about 35% Christian by 2050. Churches are slowly dying. For me it couldn’t happen fast enough.

[@dewinoviarini1103]

What about if Islam replaces that position? Do you think God will leave us alone?

[@kevinnelle6208]

@@dewinoviarini1103 Islam is declining too in Western countries.

[@dewinoviarini1103]

@@kevinnelle6208 London has already become Londonistan. Paris is following close behind. Watch True Europe Channel

[@thedubbedmime]

Thanks!

[@kayakat1869]

Wow, I became an atheist at 13. It's interesting how that is younger than the normal age to switch, because that's when people are rebellious.

[@GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic]

I imagine a lot of kids aren’t thinking deeply/critically about their religious beliefs so young even if they are starting to rebel. I know I had basically no tough questions about it all until I was at least 15. Sounds like you matured faster than myself and others

[@kayakat1869]

@@GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic makes sense. Also, now that I think about it my dad is an atheist too, so he probably helped me even though he never tried to get me out of religion.

[@deadlysword1000]

Rebellion is a good thing. ESPECIALLY if you find a better way. It's a sign of maturity and being able to think for oneself. Just make sure your rebellion doesn't turn destructive.

[@deadlysword1000]

@@kayakat1869 A close relationship with one's father is a good sign of a warrior with their head on their shoulders.

[@Rhaifha]

I mean, I became agnostic at 13-14 as well, but I didn't officially leave all affiliation with the church (administratively) until I was like.. 20? Aka, it can depend a lot on how the data is gathered. Is the data self reported? Or gathered from administrative data? Are enough young people being reached to get a proper dataset? Do they feel free enough to answer honestly? etc. etc.

[@beegyoshi6525]

Will humanity make it to 2060 tho💀💀

[@bu5589]

The real question

[@zucc4764]

less religion either way. a triumph for rationality; for humans, not so much

[@makarymetzger2627]

At the rate were going, i doubt it

[@nio804]

I'm sure humanity will make it; it's just a question of how many people die along the way.

[@alabaster2163]

The ones that dont worship human sacrifice.... yes...

[@nriamond8010]

That is really interesting! I compared it with the statistics in Germany - today, only 14% of young people between 18 and 29 consider themselves devoutly religious. About 64% of the Germans consider themselves religious, but some only slightly and a lot of the really devout people are of the older generation. I would not calculate on the graph staying linear; there are so many factors which can increase the decline. I read an interesting book from a German priest who grew up in rural Bavaria (VERY catholic area) and compares the circumstances then with today. It's easy to always go to church as a kid if all your friends do and there is nothing else to do on a Sunday morning. But if very few go, why not stay with the others and play/have fun? If group pressure dwindles, church attendance declines more rapidly (as it did in the 60ies and 70ies in Germany) and so will faith. I'm not an atheist and don't think religion is bad, but I'm opposed to radical religiosity (and I totally want a secular state! It blows my mind how US-American politicians talk about religion all the time ...).

[@1mol831]

No one seems to care what's going on in east africa, check the rates over there.. mind blowing.

[@topologyrob]

Both Europe and the US are globally atypical though - Pew research shows that religion is growing faster than ever, esp Islam & Christianity

[@tacitozetticci9308]

@topologyrob Factually incorrect? If anything the US is the most atypically religiously devout developed country. The trend is clear: better economies lead to better education which then leads to a more secular population

[@topologyrob]

@@tacitozetticci9308 The trend is clear - atheism is shrinking globally, despite what sheltered Westerners think, with their incredibly uninformed notions of what goes in in Africa and Asia. As India grows wealthier, it doesn't grow less religious. You need to get outside the very Western-focused mindset and see reality.

[@malcolmgrant2197]

I live in Australia and within the next 10 years the largest group of ‘religious’ will be ‘no religion’ (that’s the way our census describes it) The fact the USA is still more than 60% Christian is just insane

[@mischarowe]

Aussie here too. And 100% agree.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

It's very regionalized. New England (states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont) is the least religious while what we call the bible belt (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia) are the most religious. Everything else is somewhere in-between

[@topologyrob]

Aussie here too - yes, we are a shallow, distracted bogan lot. So glad I outgrew atheism and ditched the national obsession with apathy and unthinking consumerism. What contributes most to atheism/nones is not thinking and being addicted to tech, being victims of the smart people who "engage" us with phones etc.

[@Lexie810-b5r]

You realize the bible prophecised these days when many would turn away from God, and after the great falling away, the love of many would turn cold and after many calamities the end of the world would come? Look around you, has the world improved since you were.a child? Are things going in the right direction worldwide? God help us all for what is coming in the next decades and I hope you reconsider your stance with God because He alone will be waiting to listen to you in the hardest of times 🙏

[@amigos2841]

Same here in UK, Nones is the fastest growing group

[@theadaunicorn]

I just thought you should know: your videos were the starting point for my atheistic journey I was studying for a test, and came across a video of yours. I thought it was a christian video, so I watched it. Around 6 months later I officially decided I was no longer christian In other words, yes, your videos have a definite impact

[@dimensio_italian_magician]

Nice

[@cosmictreason2242]

Now time to consider the other side. Go to Answers in Genesis

[@theadaunicorn]

@@cosmictreason2242 I grew up in a devout christian family. I know the other side. I went to a catholic high school. and even if I didn't, I don't owe your god anything, not even mild consideration

[@billguthrie2218]

@@cosmictreason2242 AiG is a clown show.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@billguthrie2218 high praise from someone lacking critical thinking skills

[@ReissTube]

Christian pastor here - yes, 100%. I am saddened by what Christianity has done to itself. It’s decrease is a self-inflicted wound. My only hope is that the in the decrease authentic faith is found. The extremism is exhausting and intolerable.

[@ForbiddenFollyFollower]

What extremism?

[@cozakokotano6448]

Same here as a Muslim. Extremists ruin our religions.

[@Brahma-Loves-You-he-creator]

All religion poo

[@Brahma-Loves-You-he-creator]

​@KrookedKookie u defo some Christian clown

[@Thealgorithmhassummonedme]

​@KrookedKookie In America the far religious right have created a polarizing shift into politics. This schism amoung the left and right has given rise to draconian laws.

[@Dopeamiine]

I grew up in a "religious" household that was extremely toxic i mean TOXIC but one thing i am glad about is that the religion factor was not forced upon me as grew i older and started asking questions. As i grew older my mom started to reject religion and have more a spiritual epiphany as you would say. The toxicity started to stop but by the time it ended i was long gone out of the house. As a older man that is agnostic i look at how people act and judge them and how their religion work withing their life by those acts. Then i finally understood that popular religion is more about giving your divinity away to a being that does nothing in return but strip you of your free will and ability to be and explore your God given abilities at birth. lots of modern religion focus on what family you was born into and how you can enrich those that already have it all. At no point does modern religion allow you to experience, judge, and act on the path set in front of you "the reality you experience". Instead it forces you almost in a tyrannical way to conform to how someone else think you should live your life and gives zero credence to the fact we are duality beings. Which means that we are not good all the time and we are not bad all the time. Modern religion has scammed the thoughts and forward momentum of those that follow and trap them in this cycle of brain rot. From the perspective of a Christian Conservative that screams how liberal colleges are destroying the foundation they set in their kids. Think about that, on average there is 4 months in a semester with 2 months breaks in between for summer and winter break. So from their perspective it takes 24 months broken up between 4 years to destroy the 18 years of indoctrination that they instilled in their kids. That means that what they instilled in their kids did not reflect the reality their kids experienced once they was able to get away from their home for 4 months at a time. That is crazy when you think about it.

[@its_.5189]

Do y'all remember when Drew shooted his videos in certain places for some time and wasn't this comfortable and chatty and his content wasn't this global and multidimensional?...Great work Drew, keep it up 👊

[@alphacause]

The question is will people become more rational by the time Christianity loses its majority status? Simply abandoning old time religion is no guarantee that society has become more rational in its thought process. After all, people can relinquish one faith based idea and turn around embrace something that is also equally reliant on faith.

[@Eibarwoman]

Or will it just be "Butthole sunning Crystal Mommies"

[@sqrt2gmr]

I see that rationality is also on a sharp decline. I do not mean to come off as sharply conservative, but we are starting to abandon moral teaching in favor of futile overstimulation. Schools do not teach anymore about great philosophers, let alone have an efficient method of amending mental health and morality. Many have lost very basic virtues; gratitude, the ability of truly hard work, the ability of compassion, the ability of wisdom.. But we must not come off as pessimistic. Ultimately athiesm and christianity must have one shared ideal; the defense of the objective right. We are human allies, not by-nature enemies.

[@alphacause]

@@sqrt2gmr That was very well said. I concur.

[@excederal9092]

True, social justice is a religion in a way when you break down how there’s a core message, intolerance of people who don’t agree with them and elevated status for certain people

[@sqrt2gmr]

@MrSpectre287 This is false. I strongly side with philosophers and science. Theism does not naturally oppose such things; that is not a good stance to take.

[@gilbertmendez6684]

Humanity doesn't need religion.

[@gilbertmendez6684]

@Againststereotypes morality is older than religion.

[@melissalayson7275]

@Againststereotypes No we don't. We need to be just tolerant and decent. And history has proven time and time again there plenty of religious people that use their religion as excuse to horrible things to people.

[@cheryldeboissiere1851]

With Roe Overturned, I expect more people to leave. Theocracy really gets people to reconsider.

[@squidlytv]

Roe being overturned is not a fucking theocracy. Roe was a bad court ruling and has resulted in an increase in democracy.

[@ethanstump]

Hello, trump just got elected again, and there's mentions all over project 2025 of Christian nationalism. Do you recant your words?

[@MossMothMyBeloved]

Born too late to explore the world. Born too early to explore the stars. Born just in time to see the downfall of Christianity.

[@philip8498]

depending on how old you are you could be born just in time to explore the stars. if you plan on living until the 2060s then you might also witness humanities first real steps into space. unless we end our civilisation in one of the multiple horrific ways we have so far discovered.

[@michaelchiaverini4816]

I love this! Very informative!

[@moriscondo5511]

I am sad that I won't live to see this, but I still hope that it happens for the good of this planet. Thanks to you for doing your part !!

[@combineconformist]

well you never know, maybe you will, technology is pretty advanced and is only going to advance further

[@lw7238]

At least you are part of a reality movement and that should make you feel good. It's also for the good of yourself, since you have only one life to live.

[@vaulted4239]

@@combineconformist Pretty soon technology will be able to make us immortal!

[@combineconformist]

@@lw7238 well maybe

[@lw7238]

@@combineconformist I wasn't posting to you, do you see your name at the the beginning of my post?

[@MsPoliteRants]

I have known a few adults who were “not religious” but were definitely Christians. They just didn’t like any specific branch of Christianity, but they still believed in Jesus Christ. One said she was “spiritual” but then talked about her prayer confirmation with God and Jesus. So….. I’m curious how many “religiously unaffiliated” are just Christians who dont like the group identity.

[@Alexandar358]

​@LightwillreignsupremeAgreed, everything else is just doctrine

[@Alexandar358]

@LightandDarkness360 Well there are few nations without one, since religion is carved into our history. But a lot have separated church and state. I don't understand your question though?

[@Vadjong]

These things always have a way to hit critical mass and snowball unexpectedly once the pendulum unhitches.

[@garygrinkevich6971]

I was always skeptical about church growing up I just saw a business model mostly but attended, participated, and contributed time and labor to every church I've belonged to as one does when raised in it. Things changed for me during the 08 financial collapse and churches i had attended for years contributed to pastors iphones, les pauls, bands to travel to the Philippines, Korea, Australia etc. etc. All they could offer a jobless 19 year old in a rural economy was gaslighting prayers about working harder, being tested, and boxes of riceroni & bread. It wasn't until i stopped going to church and left for city with a functional economy and a jr college that i started clawing my way out of the superstitious emotion based thought prison my parents and religion had raised me in.

[@howardphung281]

Love your final thought. I don’t really much care about the decline of Christianity. I am more concerned about the extreme ideology and religious oppression.

[@emoteen011]

If the projection is true we should remember to treat Christian's better than they treated us. Please let the future break the cycle of revenge that people want to perpetuate.

[@timothyhicks3643]

I’m glad you mentioned the caveats at the end about how events such as war or climate crisis could disrupt these trends. Religiosity is correlated to poverty and need, and with rising income inequality and encroaching climate catastrophe I have to wonder if over the next several decades the worsening impact of these factors (assuming they continue to go relatively unchecked) will slow the deconversion rate down as more people become more desperate. I hope things don’t become that dire, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it throughout the video as we imagine what the world might look like 50 years from now.

[@avinashreji60]

I don't think so, the biggest deniers are the GOP and the extremist christians

[@timothyhicks3643]

@@avinashreji60 Whether they believe in climate change doesn’t matter. It’s whether they are suffering from it that affects how strongly people rely on religion to get by mentally.

[@katherineg9396]

Never thought I'd live to see numbers like this. We have a chance to make the future better for this generation and their kids.

[@topologyrob]

Better? What kind of fantasy world do you have to cling to to think that removing religion makes things "better". Wow.

[@YouW1llNeverKnow]

​@@topologyrob Not to speak for the original commenter here, but religion is the root for many problems in human society, such as many wars and lesser arguments, people being treated unfairly based on what they believe, etc. For me, as an atheist myself, I believe that removing religion will only help the development of society as a whole. That way of thinking, (about removing religion) is controversial, ik, so I won't argue/discuss (whatever you see it as) farther. Thanks

[@topologyrob]

@@YouW1llNeverKnow which wars?

[@YouW1llNeverKnow]

@@topologyrob Three of the bigger ones are The French Wars of Religion (mid 1500s), The 80 years war (mid 1500s to mid 1600s), and the Crusades.

[@YouW1llNeverKnow]

@@topologyrob If you wanted more recent ones: the Syrian Civil war, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc

[@The8BitPianist]

I enjoyed this format, especially the relaxed demeanor and the humor.

[@QBRX]

Still too many Christians, if they're born-again, evangelizing and non-thinking missionaries. There needs to be a reformation in Christianity where the central purpose is to help people and live Christ-like rather than to convert them to a non-sensical belief system.

[@VagueHandWaving]

I died at "When two unaffiliated people love eachother very much."

[@VierthalerStudios]

I’m glad to see that Christianity is declining. That deadly cult has caused so many problems.

[@modame659]

How is it bad?

[@VierthalerStudios]

@@modame659 because it destroys peoples lives. People will deny science over it. People will murder people over it. It messes with peoples mental health. People waste their lives over it.

[@modame659]

@@VierthalerStudios There have been a lot of people who called themselves Christians, but instead of living like Jesus they did very wicked things, and because of that they put a very bad image on true bible believing Christians which makes non believers believe that true Christians are wicked and only make the world a bad place. Not only that but some people don't properly understand that bible or believe false teachers and because of that they don't truly live like Christ, and therefore it could destroy their live, and possibly mental health, and even worst their salvation. The last thing is that a lot of people don't understand that science and god actually connect, a lot of people give in to false interpretations of god, like for example many people think god is just an old man walking in clouds, but the bible never said god is actually like that, and he most likely isn't like that. God being an old man walking in the clouds was an interpretation make by a famous artist, and many people who didn't (or couldn't) read the bible believed even know the bible never said he actually looked like that. If you want though can you please give me some ways that science disproves God's existence.

[@Top-Code]

@@modame659 no true Scotsman fallacy

[@modame659]

@@Top-Code No really, the Bible says to be a Christian you must have faith in Jesus Christ, and live like him, which to live like him you have to try to live life without sinning. And like I said earlier these people sinned a lot, and didn't care to fallow the laws of God which means they didn't care to live like Jesus therefore they weren't Christians. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 7:21

[@LS-bb9qh]

That's why they are pushing so hard for a Christian theocracy.. it's now or never.

[@lonelyp1]

I'll take never please.

[@xalspaero]

As a person raised in a large Catholic family who went to church every Sunday, and who has been a hardcore skeptic since age 13, and who completely abandoned Catholicism at age 22, and who is NEVER going back, I find these trends absolutely exhilarating. All aboard the sane train! Departing from None Central Station. Destination vindication. Upon arrival in a few short decades, the human species will have just grown up enough and just learned enough to know that we know nothing. We will have passed the infant stage and arrived at the toddler stage, taking our first steps.

[@squidlytv]

Imagine being so humble as to think you are the first of the species to "grow up"

[@negnegative8736]

What the fuck are you on about lmao

[@kurtbilanoski1608]

Regarding your last points about the correlation of rising extremism and declining Christian populations: While I absolutely think that the cling to political power spearheaded by the Christian political elite is a major element at play, I think we should also consider the double edge sword of having more young folks leaving the faith: The folks who leave tend to be your critical thinkers, the ones that question and can call out BS. With every thoughtful questioner that leaves a congregation, that is one less person who can call out someone combining religion and politics. One less voice at the Sunday brunch table who can advocate for folks currently maligned by church folks. One less person to help ward off grifters and bad actors who see this increasingly vulnerable population as an income source, or worse, a place to get away with abuse. I've seen this decline with every church group I have interacted with, especially since Trumpism started to rise. Unfortunately, given that congregations now have stronger concentrations of zealots and "true believers", any attempts at trying to be a voice of reason from the outside are quickly shut down.

[@Kimnicpat]

That's an interesting perspective I hadn't thought of before about having the critical thinkers remain in the church and call out certain behaviors. In my personal experience, I eventually reached the point where I found the whole church-going experience to be an exhausting waste of my time that left me disappointed, frustrated, and even angry far more than I felt peaceful and fulfilled.

[@stevenglowacki8576]

Kurt, that's exactly what I think is happening. The people that are leaving are those that are most loosely attached and more level-headed about things; without those people to keep the crazies under control, the crazies start becoming crazier.

[@kurtbilanoski1608]

@@Kimnicpat I had the exact same experience. Being the lone atheist/pantheist watching a group of folks you once considered friends gets exhausting after awhile... I've long had a dream of bringing more open minded spiritualists with me to my church adventures, but there just aren't many folks interested in that, for very good reason. It's a shame, because not only could most churches use an outside perspective on things, ma.y elements of church/Christian spirituality have positive life effects even when viewed from a naturalist/atheist perspective. Oh well. Tribes gonna tribe.

[@ThomasButler-sp4ro]

As younger people become more enlightened, they tend to move away from the dogmatic , irrational, hateful BS promulgated by organized religion. Definitely a goos move !

[@zking2929]

I hope this is accurate because I'm tired of the crazies lol. Although I'm pretty sure it's just normal people falling off but the crazies will stay crazy! At least they'll have less influence

[@longlivethesheet4561]

I think the crazies are the ones causing it

[@Frommerman]

The way things are going now they will have no less influence. Our "democratic" institutions are pretty much fucked at this point, and insane people have co-opted them. That isn't going to change except at the end of a gun.

[@crazylabz_ha]

lol crazies

[@starshade7826]

Would you consider a "witch" who believes she can curse you to death by burning chili peppers a particular way as more crazy or less crazy than your average Christian?

[@rimbusjift7575]

@@starshade7826 Tell her it's working. She'll keep sending you food.

[@efulmer8675]

It's important to note that "Religiously unaffiliated" does not mean "no religion" or "agnostic" or "atheist".

[@dion5804]

For many, it's the first step.

[@imbwildrd3693]

This is the best news I've heard in a while, thanks for putting a smile on my face :)

[@cosmictreason2242]

lol it’s bad news for you when you understand it

[@sjege]

Only one set of my grandparents are religious. (the Netherlands) But we have always celebrated Christmas. I think because most families stopped believing before 'commercialized' Christmas came along we still celebrate it. (or because we have Sinterklaas for close family and celebrate Christmas more like thanksgiving) And I will celebrate Christmas with my children, but I will teach it as stories not as fact. To me that is the best approach, because it keeps culture without the burden of faith/doctrine/abuse.

[@kommissarkillemall2848]

as i'm from the Netherlands too, i celebrate Midwinter. No christianity attached in any way.. Midwinter was all about huddling together to keep the spirits up when the weather was the worst ( when there were still real winters ) and remind eachother that better times allways will come. Hence the tradition of a green tree or branches and bright lights. The fact that some church-guy thought it wise to incorporate this into christian "traditions" to make it easier to spread his ideas does nothing to me.

[@cosmictreason2242]

I’m literally a Christian who won’t celebrate Christmas. This just goes to show that it’s not a Christian holiday, when the nonbelievers love it but the based and redpilled Christians call it papist superstition

[@TooBarFoo]

Christmas as a holiday pre dates Christianity and almost all cultures outside the tropics have celebrated the turning of winter once they moved to agriculture and could track mid-winter. It has little to do with religion at its heart and still fills the same need today within the human psyche as it did 5000 years ago even though we are no longer challenged to survive winter to the same degree.

[@Scallywag_Gilbert68]

this just puts a smile on my face knowing that people will start believing in facts rather than their religion or mythology or whatever else. belief, myth and faith are completely irrelevant against facts.

[@topologyrob]

What a strange notion to peddle, that false dichotomy of religion vs facts - you clearly are in need of education about religion and about facts.

[@Regularlyguyy]

​@@topologyrobReligioun is based entirely off facts, that's the whole point of religioun

[@topologyrob]

@@Regularlyguyy Um, no. Go and read some introductory books on the topic.

[@Regularlyguyy]

@@topologyrob Oh trust me, I have

[@topologyrob]

@@Regularlyguyy Wow, then you read badly, since you say strange non-facts like "religion is based entirely off facts, that's the whole point of religion" - which has no connection to reality.

[@sybe1831]

If this happens, imagine the persecution complex of remaining Christian 😂

[@normanclatcher]

The Church in America has not known real persecution, and much of it would not appear to survive if it ever did. But those parts would be dead branches anyway, fit for the fire.

[@blazenight7179]

Yup! It just fled from persecution and churches that were persecuted in America were A. Almost always not Christian B. Able to easily move their members to accepting colonies before religious freedom was the norm (Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Jersey [1674-1702] were easy to move to in order to avoid it) and C. would rarely end up with many people following and therefore don’t fully represent the Church in America. Most churches in America just relocated instead of facing the other consequences of persecution, which is why we have a Catholic Northeast and West Coast, Protestant most-of-the-country, and Mormon Utah.

[@cosmictreason2242]

No complex, it’s just real

[@sybe1831]

@@cosmictreason2242 you’re right, Christian oppression in America is a real problem. 🤡

[@snopespeerreview]

what would be wrong with persecuting christians in this scenario?

[@jukio02]

All it takes is one generation and religion is not important anymore. Only around 36% of Gen Z's are Christians, the majority are nones. There's going to come a time where if you say are you religious, people are going to look at your weird, just like how Christians use to look at atheist weird. It's going to reverse one day. I'm already there. Whenever I hear someone say I'm religious or believe in a higher power, I automatically have distrust in them. I don't hate them, I just trust them less now.

[@muriloaraujo7175]

men considered immoral. history of a humanity, the music reverses itself. It's not enough, what's the truth, life? no endpoints in the story, no crucifixions? then love returns

[@TheCasualTaurus]

Thank you for always being kind. I’m not a Christian, but I am a theist. I enjoy learning from your channel and content.

[@xdan-]

I am atheist too.

[@flutterwind7686]

@@xdan- Pun?

[@capybara9069]

@@xdan- a theist is different than an atheist. A theist believes in a god

[@consumerofbepsi5254]

​@@capybara9069 it's a joke, lad

[@creepymccreepers]

I’m tired of them Holding hands with governemnt and bullying minorities

[@granudisimo]

You should've posted a warning for graphic content

[@archapmangcmg]

Religiously, I thought US was 50 years behind Aus, NZ and Europe. Pew article seems to bear that out.

[@yvespolsbroek4930]

Saving this video so i can watch it again in 2056

[@lawsonshilingkendall4246]

BY 2070? THAT'S SO DISCOURAGING. I WAS PRAYING THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN SOONER.🙏

[@avinashreji60]

It will drop below 50% by around 2040

[@Rationality4Life]

Around 45% of American youth already doesn't have a religion based on new statistics.

[@Regularlyguyy]

Praying for it to happen seems counter intuitive lol

[@cozakokotano6448]

​@@Regularlyguyy logic.

[@cozakokotano6448]

​@@Regularlyguyyalso, he was mocking.

[@commwiz]

The problem with this is that a lot of people claim to be Christian just because they were raised that way and went to church as a kid. While in fact; a lot of these people haven't practiced their religion or stepped foot in a church in years. The religion is in more decline than shown here.

[@cozakokotano6448]

Agreed.

[@monopolybillionaire5027]

It doesn't really matters the damage is done, the scars will remain 1000s of years after Christianity. Because now it is deep into our culture, its became a cultural illusion

[@andoceans23]

True

[@IamSnowbird]

Love your videos. I have a question that always puzzles me. I am Jewish so to me the term Christian meant anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. But I've learned over the years that various denominations have different definitions of who is a Christian. Some believe you have to have a personal savior or be born again. Some believe you have to believe in the Trinity. Some believe only their church is a Christian church. It is all very confusing to me. When you say Christianity is declining are you referring to anyone who believes in Christ or only to specific denominations? I love history and love the history of religions. I've learned my information from reading.

[@XxXnonameAsDXxX]

Christianity as a whole contains all of the versions of the same religion. As there multiple types of oreos.

[@hossmcgregor3853]

I can understand your confusion. Some Christian groups reject the fact that other groups are really Christian. The Jehovah's Witness cult, denounced by EVERY mainstream Christian group as being wrong, in turn claims to the TRUE CHURCH, and calls every other church "Satan's Church. The good news is, all groups of "Christians" are losing members.

[@jonsey2485]

This is the funny thing about American Christians, they are very insular when you ask them personally about the reqs of being a Christian. It tends to be only those who belong to their denomination; an evangelical wouldn't claim a catholic or Mormon or JW was Christian, but are fine with them being included in the statistics because it inflates their numbers. Evangelicals only represent around 20ish% of the population when standing alone. There is little unity among "Christians" in actuality...

[@erinfarmer960]

I’d look to the specific study for how they defined Christian. However, it seems like this is at least partially based on polling, in which case people self-identify as Christian.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Conservative churches are growing. Pew only looks at self identification. Barna is the source you want for real identity. Their study from 2021 September revealed that only 4% of Americans are Christian, ~11 million people.

[@lovaloo763]

I had a mental breakdown in high school over this. I'm so glad I will not relay religion to any children I have.

[@JasonSmith-jv7wl]

These numbers surprise me little, and I agree with you that the departure of people from Christianity seems lowballed. I turned away from it due to how hypocritical the people were around me, and how little they seemed to sympathize/empathize with people. This type of stuff has only gotten worse since then, and I imagine that and the progress of science and technology are the main driving forces behind it. I personally don’t mind actual Christians that care about others and try to do right, but lately, it seems like more and more are consumed by hate.

[@1mol831]

The loud ones... Most of them actually don't live in the US. Most of the Christians live in Africa, more than europe and north america.

[@evanbjammin]

I really liked what you said at the end about Christian allies. I know there are a lot of people of faith that are upset about the rise of extremist philosophy within Christianity. Being raised Buddhist, I don't think the country would necessarily be "better" if we all were Buddhist. More genuine, that I could get behind for sure.

[@1mol831]

Buddhist rare, but true buddhist are peacful people and although technological progress would be reduced, philosophical progress will increase and that's probably what's needed to stabalize society.

[@bryanleija8690]

What a great vid! As an atheist that grew up in a Christian home, it gives me some hope that there be somewhat less people like me who won't have Christian dogma shived down their throats at an early age, and having to suffer from the pressures of Christianity. I'm an Hispanic that lives in Texas and honestly, I would love to see you make some vids with research on the mexican/hispanic communities and their religious future. We're the fastest growing population and I'm concerned that the communities here are embracing Christian conservative ideology more.

[@walleras]

Have you considered noahidism?

[@juliav.mcclelland2415]

Your voice sounds a lot better in this one. Keep it up!

[@jasonGamesMaster]

I have to say, part of becoming an atheist in a primarily Christian world pretty much ends all chances of switching back or to some other religion. Think about it, Christianity does such a good job of demonizing all other religions that once you lose THAT faith, you still have that feeling of all others being equally false. Its TECHNICALLY a logical fallacy, and something that Ocean Keltoi mentions on his channel sometimes, but unlike Hell and shame and other baggage we carry over, the idea that all other religions are false still meshes with our new worldview, so we carry it forward. That has been my experience and the experience of the other atheists I know, anyway.

[@boneless8473]

My theory is that if the dominant religion of the area can't keep you with them, smaller religions with less people trying yo pull you to them would he practically unable to get you to convert. I hear about less common religious followers being converted to christianity alot more than the other way around so that's what makes sense to me at least

[@HeroicAge616]

Interesting thought

[@flutterwind7686]

Imagine if you were muslim ...

[@jasonGamesMaster]

@@flutterwind7686 same situation, except you now fear for your life

[@flutterwind7686]

@@jasonGamesMaster You now know my struggle.

[@BlackCatBelzebub]

This would eventually mean. Tax the churches.

[@PeterLarsenJr]

That would change EVERYTHING! I think about that often.

[@scottdelahunt586]

Start with the grifting televangelists like Copeland.

[@j.s.c.4355]

I will be 101 in 2070. I don’t expect to see that year. However, one of my biggest reasons for having a will to live is to see America change. Not just in this way, but in many ways.

[@SamuelAdams0]

goddamn, you’re 54?!?! still, good on ya for fighting against the trend and supporting change

[@pipedrmmr]

I guess this means that, for a young person, becoming a member of the Christian clergy would not be a good career choice.

[@MrMerve-tl9my]

You know it’s bad when you fail at running a tax free business

[@fartkerson]

I grew up Christian but over time I lost faith as I learned more about the world. As I grew older, however, I felt a desire to return to the faith -- but seeing all of the religious extremism that's going on in the world, I lost my faith all over again. The rise of Christian nationalism made me realize I was right to doubt in the first place.

[@michaels4255]

So secular extremism has no effect on you? Some reasons sound more like retrospective rationalizations.

[@fartkerson]

@@michaels4255 I'm not entirely sure what you mean by secular extremism. Secularism is literally everything in the physical world, hence a scientific methodology. Law enforcement, economics, engineering, military defense, immigration enforcement, nationalism, concerns with race and gender -- these are all physical, secular concepts reviewed by secular institutions, regardless of political or religious ideology. I sometimes wonder how Christians in their political aspirations have confused these concepts as being spiritual in nature, when in reality all of these things are secular. So who is more extreme in their secularism? It seems an absurd argument when you truly analyze our differences. I was doing more retrospective rationalization when I tried justifying my religious beliefs against the knowledge I was learning in biology and chemistry classes. How do I answer the scientific data that conflicts with the bible? That's rationalization. Not the other way around.