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The World's Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!
The believers are going to outbreed us
Interesting book review in todays Sunday Times http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/b...
It's a review of "Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth", by Eric Kaufmann. Basic argument is that the religious in the developing countries breed at a faster rate than the secular West. As such it's only a matter of time before the secular West is outnumbered. This will lead to the defeat of secularism purely by there being so many theists in the world.
So - Atheists - go forth and multiple!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JayBarti on -
Besides many atheists, other non-religious, and secularists (because yes theists can be secular) are born of religious parents.
I would hazard a guess there are actually more atheists with religious parents then without, the gift of no religion seems to be the exception rather then the norm.
I would like to add that a lot of these areas also often don't have access to modern medicine and infant/youth mortality is much much higher.
Even breeder religious groups (quiver-full movements and such) often reject wholesale most modern medicine.
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Permalink Reply by John on -
I think, if that is going to happen, the religious wars will continue. Which religion will come out on top ? I am betting on Islam although the Mormons seem to be the fastest growing religion for now.
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Permalink Reply by Jared Lardo on -
If they stay where they are, learn nothing, and live a subsistence life, then they won't take over anything.
Theism is only incidentally hereditary. As long as we can create the necessary environment of non-authoritarianism, the rate of inheritance of religions can be critically decreased and this in-group-y "You have a duty to reproduce to keep the crazy beliefs down." thing can decay to zero.
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Permalink Reply by Tarquin St John Sh'gn'sty on -
"It's a review of "Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth", by Eric Kaufmann. Basic argument is that the religious in the developing countries breed at a faster rate than the secular West. As such it's only a matter of time before the secular West is outnumbered. This will lead to the defeat of secularism purely by there being so many theists in the world."
I was under the impression that atheists have been outnumbered for centuries and that the ratio tends to remain pretty constant ,at around 3-5%.
Making such a claim based soley on breeding is not convincing. Nor am I convinced such a thing is necessarily a disaster for non believers.
If someone in authority were to say to me 'convert to say (insert name of superstition here) or ELSE ----My response would be the required magical forumula indicating my conversion followed by the required ritual,such as sacrificing a virgin.
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Permalink Reply by joseph f logston on -
maybe the religious sects will have a war that will kill off 2/3 of them....just keep out of there way
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Permalink Reply by Michael P Galante on -
Makes a lot of sense. Though it's happening here in the US already as it is. I'd say it accounted for the elections of Bush. If you haven't seen the movie Idiocracy I recommend it. A similar concern is implied and the movie becomes a little bit scarier than intended.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Lawrence on -
There is a difference between outbreeding and outsurviving and being outnumbered is not necessarily the big woo-woo Kaufman thinks it is. As many of the posts here allude to, one side has science and the other has faith. As science continues to progress into areas that the religious claim to be their sole territitory, it will become a battle between those who embrace science and those who embrace faith. The anti-condom and anti-vaccination propoganda we see in the developing world by the faith-based is evidence of this backlash against science. Not only will it continue; it will increase in it's scope and virulence. We just have to sit back and let natural selection run its course.
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Permalink Reply by Rusty Gunn. on -
Hey everybody, lets get busy fuck'n!!
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Permalink Reply by Johnsky on -
Bah, most of the people on this site were once religious themselves.
We gain most of our numbers through education and eventual awareness on the persons part.
All we have to do is insist people worldwide receive a good education.
The rest unfolds itself.
The better the education, the more likely the people will realize they're being lied to.
We don't even have to manipulate the education system... we merely need to let them see all the other religions out there, the ones that have failed, how physics, chemistry, etc works.
Just make sure free access to information is universal.
Then quiz 'em on it.
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Permalink Reply by Objection on -
Is information the bane of religion?
As long as people don't confirm their own biases by limiting themselves to one side of the discussion. I have seen comments on Youtube where people say they came to YT a theist, and de-converted after watching debate videos.
Debating someone is not about changing the mind of your opponents, it's about changing the minds of the bystander. Your opponent may already be hopelessly lost, but bet that most people have the ability to identify a better argument if they do hear one. When you're not in the hot seat, it's easier to change your mind, because your ego isn't at stake :P
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