No. Yes. No. Of course, when using the term ‘always’, strange results “always” occur!
Being ‘civilized’ and ‘balanced’ as well as being ‘atheists’: Oprah part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7s89ptz0dA Oprah part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QS8dROjKNY&feature=related Even Lou has something to say about it…about 2 min. into the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NEr1XPFfo Kierkegaard and health care: Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmApLuz23es&feature=related Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blox8YyCkPo&feature=related Moore healthcare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSU5n34X18k&feature=related On Jan 14, 12:42 am, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > The world seems more religious than ever these days. > > Across the Middle East, fervent forms of Islam are growing more > popular and more politically active. Muslim nations that were somewhat > secularized 40 years ago - like Lebanon and Iran - are now teeming > with fundamentalism. In Turkey and Egypt, increasing numbers of women > are turning to the veil as an overt manifestation of reinvigorated > religious commitment. But it isn't just in the Muslim world that > religion is thriving. From Brazil to El Salvador, Protestant > evangelicalism is spreading with great success, instilling a spirited, > holy zeal throughout Latin America. Pentecostalism is proliferating, > too - vigorously - and not only throughout Latin America, but in > Africa and even, to a lesser extent, China. And many nations of the > former Soviet Union, which had atheism imposed upon them for decades, > have emerged from the communist era with their faith not only intact, > but strong and vibrant. Here in the United States, religion is > definitely alive and well. In terms of church attendance and belief in > God, Jesus, and the Bible, religion in the United States is stronger > and more robust than in most other developed democracies. > > In sum, from Nebraska to Nepal, from Georgia to Guatemala, and from > Utah to Uganda, humans all over the globe are vigorously praising > various deities; regularly attending services at churches, temples, > and mosques; persistently studying sacred texts; dutifully performing > holy rites; energetically carrying out spiritual rituals; soberly > defending the world from sin; piously fasting; and enthusiastically > praying and then praying some more, singing, praising, and loving this > or that savior, prophet, or God. > > But that is not occurring everywhere. I am referring to two nations in > particular, Denmark and Sweden, which are probably the least religious > countries in the world, and possibly in the history of the world. > Amidst all this vibrant global piety - atop the vast swelling sea of > sacredness - Denmark and Sweden float along like small, content, > durable dinghies of secular life, where most people are nonreligious > and don't worship Jesus or Vishnu, don't revere sacred texts, don't > pray, and don't give much credence to the essential dogmas of the > world's great faiths. > > In clean and green Scandinavia, few people speak of God, few people > spend much time thinking about theological matters, and although their > media in recent years has done an unusually large amount of reporting > on religion, even that is offered as an attempt to grapple with and > make sense of a strange foreign phenomenon out there in the wider > world that refuses to disappear, a phenomenon that takes on such dire > significance for everyone - except, well, for Danes and Swedes. > > What are societies like when faith in God is minimal, church > attendance is drastically low, and religion is a distinctly muted and > marginal aspect of everyday life? > > Many people assume that religion is what keeps people moral, that a > society without God would be hell on earth: rampant with immorality, > full of evil, and teeming with depravity. But that doesn't seem to be > the case for Scandinavians in those two countries. Although they may > have relatively high rates of petty crime and burglary, and although > these crime rates have been on the rise in recent decades, their > overall rates of violent crime - including murder, aggravated assault, > and rape - are among the lowest on earth. Yet the majority of Danes > and Swedes do not believe that God is "up there," keeping diligent > tabs on their behavior, slating the good for heaven and the wicked for > hell. Most Danes and Swedes don't believe that sin permeates the > world, and that only Jesus, the Son of God, who died for their sins, > can serve as a remedy. In fact, most Danes and Swedes don't even > believe in the notion of "sin." > > So the typical Dane or Swede doesn't believe all that much in God. And > simultaneously, they don't commit much murder. But aren't they a dour, > depressed lot, all the same? Not according to Ruut Veenhoven, > professor emeritus of social conditions for human happiness at Erasmus > University Rotterdam. Veenhoven is a leading authority on worldwide > levels of happiness from country to country. He recently ranked 91 > nations on an international happiness scale, basing his research on > cumulative scores from numerous worldwide surveys. According to his > calculations, the country that leads the globe - ranking No. 1 in > terms of its residents' overall level of happiness - is little, > peaceful, and relatively godless Denmark. > > The connection between religion - or the lack thereof - and societal > health is admittedly complex. It is difficult to definitively > establish that secularism is always good for society and religion > always bad. However, the often posited opposite claim is equally > difficult to substantiate: that secularism is always bad for a society > and religion always good. To be sure, in some instances, religion can > be a strong and positive ingredient in establishing societal health, > prosperity, and well-being. And when considering what factors > contribute to the making of a good society, religion can be a positive > force. > > Here in the United States, for example, religious ideals often serve > as a beneficial counterbalance against the cutthroat brand of > individualism that can be so rampant and dominating. Religious > congregations in America serve as community centers, counseling > providers, and day-care sites. And a significant amount of research > has shown that moderately religious Americans report greater > subjective well-being and life satisfaction, greater marital > satisfaction, better family cohesion, and fewer symptoms of depression > than the nonreligious. Historically, a proliferation of religious > devotion, faith in God, and reliance on the Bible has sometimes been a > determining factor in establishing schools for children, creating > universities, building hospitals for the sick and homes for the > homeless, taking care of orphans and the elderly, resisting > oppression, establishing law and order, and developing democracy. > > In other instances, however, religion may not have such positive > societal effects. It can often be one of the main sources of tension, > violence, poverty, oppression, inequality, and disorder in a given > society. A quick perusal of the state of the world will reveal that > widespread faith in God or strong religious sentiment in a given > country does not necessarily ensure societal health. After all, many > of the most religious and faithful nations on earth are simultaneously > among the most dangerous and destitute. Conversely, a widespread lack > of faith in God or very low levels of religiosity in a given country > does not necessarily spell societal ruin. The fact is, the majority of > the most irreligious democracies are among the most prosperous and > successful nations on earth. > > Just to be perfectly clear here: I am not arguing that the admirably > high level of societal health in Scandinavia is directly caused by the > low levels of religiosity. Although one could certainly make such a > case - arguing that a minimal focus on God and the afterlife, and a > stronger focus on solving problems of daily life in a rational, > secular manner have led to positive, successful societal outcomes in > Scandinavia - that is not the argument I wish to develop here. Rather, > I simply wish to soberly counter the widely touted assertion that > without religion, society is doomed. > > If you can smell my ax starting to grind here, your nostrils are in > good working order. The claim that without religion, society is doomed > deserves to be challenged because, aside from being poor social > science, it is a highly political claim that is regularly promulgated > by some of America's most popular and most influential Christian > conservatives. Those individuals do not represent or speak for the > majority of believers in America, but together they do constitute a > formidable and uniquely zealous chorus that reaches the hearts and > minds of millions of people on a regular basis. > > I am referring, for instance, to Pat Robertson, the successful > televangelist and founder of the Christian Coalition, who regularly > condemns secularism. And Ann Coulter, the Christian conservative media > pundit, who has written in one of her best-selling books that > societies that fail to grasp God's significance are headed toward > slavery, genocide, and bestiality, and that when Darwinian/ > evolutionary theory is widely accepted in a given society, all > morality is abandoned. Conservative pundit William J. Bennett has > argued that "the only reliable answer" for combating societal ills is > widespread religious faith, and that without religion, a society is > without "the best and most reliable means to reinforce the good" in > social life and human relations. > > Conservative Christian Americans aren't the only ones who broadcast > this perspective. Keith Ward, a professor of theology at the > University of Oxford, has recently argued that societies that lack > strong religious beliefs are essentially immoral, unfree, and > irrational. He claims that any nonreligious society without a strong > belief in God is a society "beyond morality ... and freedom" and > ultimately predicated upon "the denial of human dignity." John D. > Caputo, a professor of religion and humanities at Syracuse University, > has declared that people who are without religion and who do not love > God are nothing more than selfish louts, thereby implying that a > society with a preponderance of irreligious people would be a fairly > loveless, miserable place. > > Belief in God may certainly give emotional and psychological comfort > to the individual believer - especially in times of pain, sadness, or > uncertainty - and history has clearly shown that religious involvement > and faith in God can often motivate individuals or cultures to promote > justice and healthy societal development. But the fact still remains > that it is not the most religious nations in our world today, but > rather the most secular, that have been able to create the most civil, > just, safe, equitable, humane, and prosperous societies. Denmark and > Sweden stand out as shining examples. The German think tank the Hans- > Böckler Stiftung recently ranked nations in terms of their success at > establishing social justice within their societies; Denmark and > Sweden, two of the least-religious nations in the world, tied for > first. > > It is a great socioreligious irony - for lack of a better term - that > when we consider the fundamental values and moral imperatives > contained within the world's great religions, such as caring for the > sick, the infirm, the elderly, the poor, the orphaned, the vulnerable; > practicing mercy, charity, and goodwill toward one's fellow human > beings; and fostering generosity, humility, honesty, and communal > concern over individual egotism - those traditionally religious values > are most successfully established, institutionalized, and put into > practice at the societal level in the most irreligious nations in the > world today. > > Phil Zuckerman is an associate professor of sociology at Pitzer > College. This essay is adapted from his book Society Without God (New > York University Press, 2008). > > So my friends is believing in God really an answer to harmonious > living? Can't we just live and enjoy life? Do we really need > religion?
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