Atheist in U.S. poll 4% ------ Atheist on JWD 90 % ?

by caliber 67 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Caedes

  Here, people view not believing in God with higher intelligence. That is because they really feel inadequate to deal with life out of the WTS.

  This comment may be the definition of non-sequiteur.

  It may be worth noting that the board is not exclusively American, although the percentage of atheists may be that low in America (although I doubt it) it is not true of other western countries which have a much higher number of atheists.

  I dont think that 90% here are atheists, although it might seem that way sometimes.
• 

  caliber

  http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2619

  Einstein, our most famous scientist, wrote .."You may call me an agnostic. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature."
  
  Carl Sagan wrote .... "An agnostic doesn't believe in something until there is evidence for it, so I'm an agnostic"
  
  Stephen Hawkins, our most famous living agnostic scientist, wrote
  "The boundary condition of the universe is that it has no boundary." His quantum theory proposes that "There is no space-time boundary and that, as such, there is no need to specify the behaviour of that boundary" , thereby promoting the concept that we are simply not able to define the universe, since it cannot be defined in any logical way.
  
  These famous people all have one thing in common.... they have expressed that our intellectual capacity to understand life, God and the universe is extremely limited.

  So then if these brilliant minds do not have the intellectual capacity to understand God, life and the universe; what hope is there for me

  to understand these concepts before I arrive at a final decision of atheism?

  Caliber
• 

  oompa

  maybe god let us down, especially for even allowing religions like JW to exist??

  I am not quite an atheist, but am agnostic...............oompa
• 

  BFD

  JG posts around here with a big chip on his shoulder. I ignored his exaggeration when he posted 90% in that other thread.

  I have no idea what percentage of posters here are atheists. If I had to guess I'd say 50/50, too.

  BFD
• 

  Spook

  I'm an atheist, an Atheist and an anti-theist. I think the stats on the board are a bit hasty, however. I have seen it documented before that a disproportionate amount of former Jehovah's Witnesses become "non-religioius," an umbrella encompassing the secular and the unaffiliated. The reasons usually given are that within JW teachings, the flaws in most other forms of religion are highlighted. This sets up the belief that is "the JW way or no way at all." Unfortunately, this often makes it harder for people to leave because they perceive the jump as bigger. People tend to "pop out" all of a sudden.

  I think it would be agreeable to most to say that "a large percentage of those who leave Jehovah's Witnesses never again acknowledge human authority figures about religious or metaphysical matters."
• 

  caliber

  I'm here to listen and learn not to speak.

  Sorry I lost my duct tape! hahaha

  before I arrive at a final decision of atheism

  In this comment I am only playing the devil's advocate (pun intended) I still believe strongly in an almighty God.

  Caliber
• 

  IMustBreakAway

  I think Spook has a point. If you are taught all your life that you are the only one with truth and then find fault with it then suddenly no one has truth... = atheist.. When i decided that i didn't really believe I felt strongly atheist. But it was a reaction more than a rational thought. Now I am not so sure and have settled on "I don't know". Hopefully permanently.
• 

  mkr32208

  The last poll I saw put atheist in the US at 14% and I wouldn't be surprised if it was higher. It's MUCH higher on here than in the 'general population' Why? Because we were taught to think about and speak about religion, so when we left we KEPT thinking about and talking about religion. How many people other than witnesses or ex witnesses really dwell on religion? I'm not saying they don't exist but most people don't just sit around and discuss think about and debate religion. I mean sure there are some super religious people but do most of them genuinely THINK about their beliefs?

  Now think about the average person who thinks NOTHING about religion EVER if they were raised "christian" going to church on Xmas or whatever but don't ever think about it haven't been in a church or prayed in years and you said to them "whats your religion?" They shoot off "christian" and that's another tick for the survey. Is this person REALLY christian though? I put it too you that they are agnostic at BEST! Most of them if they really THOUGHT about it would come to the same conclusion as the 90% of us on here. The clear eventuality of thinking about religion and god is atheism...
• 

  Anti-Christ

  I totally agree with mkr, most people don't think about religion because it was never in important part of there life. For all of us here, belief and religion was crammed in our heads, we were not individuals we were part of the Borg. collective. We were a JW first, every decision we would take was influenced by our belief so it is normal for us to question belief more then the average north-American
• 

  caliber

  You are in a foreign land standing in front of an old wooden hanging plank foot bridge that

  crosses the canyon. The canyon is so deep it makes your heart pound when you look over the

  bank edge. A stranger tells you it is safe to cross ,another says the planks are weak and rotten

  from all the rain. Would you cross the bridge? "I would error on the side of caution", this to me would

  be the emotional and logical conclusion.

  Caliber