Will religion, in Ireland, die out?

saa

Within two generations it will be a minority of the population, you can have the whole country registered as Christians it doesnt mean they are... most arent given much choice are they

Pace2008

Glenster wrote: »

Religion will survive in Ireland for the forseeable. And here's why.

Those leper Internet Warriors you hear going on about atheism all the time are, without exception, losers. Tragic, tragic losers. (I'm talking about you neckbeard)

Tragic losers dont breed.

And if we've learned nothing else from Charles Darwin (And we havent) if you dont breed you dont pass on your traits

ipso facto atheism will die out in the next fifty years.

I'm not sure where you learned your garbled version of evolution, but it certainly wasn't from Darwin.

Apart from the fact that atheism is not an inheritable trait, you seem to be oblivious to, or willfully ignoring, the fact that these tragicleperneckbeardinternetwarriorlosers (you sound like my rage-filled 16-year-old self, good lad) are themselves, for the most part, the progeny of Catholics.

The spread of information and alternate views, largely via the internet, is what's spreading this atheism. Nominal, lapsed Catholics are taking looking at their supposed religion, saying "WTF is is this ****?" and casting it aside having realised it's completely incongrous with everything in which they believe. I suppose in rare cased they'll switch to another denomination or religion, but for the most part they take the godless route.

I don't think religion will ever die off completely, and nor would I want it to, being honest. Variety is the spic of life and all that. There'll be no more single, dominant beasts like Catholicism, but we'll have a smattering of various small religions with no real political sway, a good number of atheists, and plenty of "something more-ers."

Tehachapi

Glenster wrote: »

Religion will survive in Ireland for the forseeable. And here's why.

Those leper Internet Warriors you hear going on about atheism all the time are, without exception, losers. Tragic, tragic losers. (I'm talking about you neckbeard)

Tragic losers dont breed.

And if we've learned nothing else from Charles Darwin (And we havent) if you dont breed you dont pass on your traits

ipso facto atheism will die out in the next fifty years.

Yes.... genes for thinking logically are not favourable in the gene pool :rolleyes:

Ghost Buster

Glenster wrote: »

Religion will survive in Ireland for the forseeable. And here's why.

Those leper Internet Warriors you hear going on about atheism all the time are, without exception, losers. Tragic, tragic losers. (I'm talking about you neckbeard)

Tragic losers dont breed.

And if we've learned nothing else from Charles Darwin (And we havent) if you dont breed you dont pass on your traits

ipso facto atheism will die out in the next fifty years.

I must brush up on my Darwin and see exactly how my catholic great grand parents passed on their catholicism gene down through my grand parents to my very catholic parents before somehow mutating into the atheist gene I possess.
Whats more of a mystery is how a impotent loser such as i has managed to sire two children.
With Mammy as a lapsed protestant wiccan and daddy as a lapsed catholic atheist I wonder what is in their genetic make up
Any idea professor Glenster?

mcmoustache

philologos wrote: »

This zombie thread is like going back in a time machine though, so kudos :pac:

I'm thinking of calling these threads "Jesus Threads". I wonder if it will catch on.


Before it gets locked. I might as well answer the OP:

No, religion will never go away. Lots of people need it in their lives for all sorts of reasons. I don't believe in any of that stuff myself but I've seen plenty of people who no longer believe in God end up believing in all sorts of equally crazy stuff like arse-probing aliens, ghosts and socialism. I think that people have a sense that there is something "out there" beyond the observable reality and since it's not observable, it can be anything they like. God, crystals, ghosts or whatever. The people who promote the idea of God will always be around and it will always sound plausible to some.

ScumLord

Ghost Buster wrote: »

I must brush up on my Darwin and see exactly how my catholic great grand parents passed on their catholicism gene down through my grand parents to my very catholic parents before somehow mutating into the atheist gene I possess.

TV, interwebs and masturbation. Does it make sense now?

Vicxas

Religion will always be around as someone will always blame/rely/preach on religion. It wont go away anytime soon. Itll mutate and evolve but it will always be around.

RichieC

mikom wrote: »

What? You mean you don't all knell before the green altar.
In our new religion we turn our parishioners donations into carbon credits.

this is exactly the kind of drek Sarah Palin would say.

KeithAFC

People will take up something else from religion.

RichieC

there will always be people with no friends who need their religion and those that crash out from the drink and drugs scene seeking their new meaning. Never forget those raised in homes where it is rammed down their throat from day one.

It will become the funny little minority we all laugh at in a generation, but it wont go away altogether.

philologos

RichieC wrote: »

there will always be people with no friends who need their religion and those that crash out from the drink and drugs scene seeking their new meaning. Never forget those raised in homes where it is rammed down their throat from day one.

It will become the funny little minority we all laugh at in a generation, but it wont go away altogether.

This is a rather interesting insight into the difference of the motivations between many atheists and a theist for the most part.

The motive you have is to draw sadistic pleasure from the perceived 'downfall' of Christianity in Ireland. The motive that most theists have in respect to you is to give you food for thought in the hope that one day you might know what they perceive to be the truth. It is out of compassion and respect for you. They believe the knowledge and love of God will change your life for the better and inspire you to do what is good rather than what is evil. It's done for constructive purposes rather than for destructive purposes. I'd say that the following applies for followers of other religions to a certain degree.

It's an interesting comparison isn't it? - As far as I'm concerned I'm in a 'funny minority' already, except I know that by virtue of adopting Christian faith that I will stand out from the general norm.

OneArt

Religion is not going to die out because people are religious by nature. It doesnt have to have anything to do with supernatural gods, it could be over football, art, anything in life. People will always idolize other people to a certain point.

Who knows a new religion might be in vogue within a few years.

Helix

OneArt wrote: »

Religion is not going to die out because people are religious by nature. It doesnt have to have anything to do with supernatural gods, it could be over football, art, anything in life. People will always idolize other people to a certain point.

Who knows a new religion might be in vogue within a few years.

following things, or being a supporter of things, is not the same as religion

St.Spodo

Religious myths, based on absolutely no evidence, are bound to be pushed further and further towards the fringes of society as people become more educated.

Dave!

philologos wrote: »

This is a rather interesting insight into the difference of the motivations between many atheists and a theist for the most part.

The motive you have is to draw sadistic pleasure from the perceived 'downfall' of Christianity in Ireland. The motive that most theists have in respect to you is to give you food for thought in the hope that one day you might know what they perceive to be the truth. It is out of compassion and respect for you. They believe the knowledge and love of God will change your life for the better and inspire you to do what is good rather than what is evil. It's done for constructive purposes rather than for destructive purposes. I'd say that the following applies for followers of other religions to a certain degree.

It's an interesting comparison isn't it? - As far as I'm concerned I'm in a 'funny minority' already, except I know that by virtue of adopting Christian faith that I will stand out from the general norm.

I think his point is that religious beliefs will eventually be akin to belief in a living Elvis and belief that the world is controlled by Jewish lizard people, ie. a quaint little minority with some zany ideas that nobody in their right mind pays much attention to.

Personally I don't do much roffling at the above groups, but I don't take them in any way seriously.

Caulego

IvySlayer wrote: »

I wonder if the next census (2011?) will show a decrease in Roman Catholics? Most people I know just tick the box even though their not practising Christians!

If I recall correctly, according to the last census, Ireland was 70% Catholic!

It all depends of what one means by 'Catholic', which is really an odd sort of thing to describe someone as anyway. Just because one's parents took us to a big barn and had a man in a frock with his collar on backwards splash water on our head, is a nonsensical notion of being 'approved 100% RCC', as people grow up and reject many of the ideas and 'rules' such as the pseudo-cannibalistic ritual called 'Eucharist'. If the stats refer to 70% of Irish being Catholic, does that mean that 70% of Irish are cannibals, and therefore criminals? Does it mean that 70% of rapists are Catholic, or 70% of thieves, or good people? Drawing a veil of inference by using such blanket descriptions leads to false ideas, as no two minds work quite the same anyway.

Caulego

Helix wrote: »

following things, or being a supporter of things, is not the same as religion

That's quite true Helix. Belief or loyalty to a philosophy or any group conviction may be based on belief, depending on the amout of fact behind the ideas, but it doesn't make them 'religious', as you have to have a deity for that to happen. The more belief involved, the less reason, as belief is based on lack of knowledge, which is why religions are based on 'blind faith', as they don't work on reason or fact in a cohesive manner. It's not to say that all they say is wrong, but that the follower often thinks that what they believe (accept without evidence) can be treated in the same was as factual information. Belief is what gets you into trouble, but it's knowledge and facing the facts that gets you out of it, as fact is reliable and stable, while belief is just supposition.

vampire of kilmainham

recylingbin wrote: »

I don't know anyone my age, or younger, who goes to mass. Apart from weddings, funerals, christenings and, maybe, christmas day.
Do you think participation in religion will shrink to levels of 15% or under when our parents generation die out?

its well and truley shrunken allready and a lot of us older folk dont go either

vampire of kilmainham

IvySlayer wrote: »

I wonder if the next census (2011?) will show a decrease in Roman Catholics? Most people I know just tick the box even though their not practising Christians!

If I recall correctly, according to the last census, Ireland was 70% Catholic!

i dont tick the catholic box im a buddist

7sr2z3fely84g5

i think it has in irish aspect except with some of elder citizens in country,but i used to know polish people who went to mass.

vampire of kilmainham

Deleted User wrote: »

Guaranteed.. I was reading some ghost stories there in another thread and they're infinitely more believable than the religion buzz. And I don't even believe in ghosts.

My kids will not be believers either.

maybe your kids wont be belivers but dont forget when kids grow up they make up their own minds about things and you have no say in it then

RichieC

vampire of kilmainham wrote: »

maybe your kids wont be belivers but dont forget when kids grow up they make up their own minds about things and you have no say in it then

yea if they become drug addicts and crash out they may turn to the "lord" for "help"

Needler

Will stupid threads, on boards.ie, die out?

To the point where less than 15% of threads are stupid

IrishEyes19

Will there ever be a time when people can embrace religion if they want too without people giving out about religion and those who follow it, and a time when people who dont follow any religion are being insulted by those who strictly do. Honesty both sides are as bad as the other.

Seriously people, just get with the times, believe what you want, be good to others, yada yada and stop griping over what people choose personally. Everyone unto their own is the message.

tan11ie

HOPEFULLY.

LighterGuy

K4t wrote: »

Let's hope so.:)

and with 109 thanks ...

I said it before, I'll say it again. Boards.ie is full of athiests.
Religion cant be talked about here when you think about it. The "debate" (if you wanna call it that) will be totally one sided.

Laisurg

If anything is right in the world then it'll die out completely in the near future.

Laisurg

LighterGuy wrote: »

and with 109 thanks ...

I said it before, I'll say it again. Boards.ie is full of athiests.
Religion cant be talked about here when you think about it. The "debate" (if you wanna call it that) will be totally one sided.

Just because we know that the catholic church is a corrupt abomination doesn't mean we're atheists.

Needler

Laisurg wrote: »

Just because we know that the catholic church is a corrupt abomination doesn't mean we're atheists.

I still don't get the hate for the catholic church

Any priest I met was a salt of the earth lad. feck it a few young boys had a priest's knob rammed up their hole in the 50's but that was a long time ago and since a lot of the actual people involved are dead/retired the blame is now being pinned on who ever's left

RichieC

Needler wrote: »

I still don't get the hate for the catholic church

Any priest I met was a salt of the earth lad. feck it a few young boys had a priest's knob rammed up their hole in the 50's but that was a long time ago and since a lot of the actual people involved are dead/retired the blame is now being pinned on who ever's left

in the 50's? would ya cop on.

"One of the most notorious cases of sex abuse in Ireland involved Brendan Smyth, who, between 1945 and 1989........"

mark my words, it's still going on to this day.

wouldnt shock me if they found a boy farm in the vatican. dirty feckers.

LighterGuy

Laisurg wrote: »

Just because we know that the catholic church is a corrupt abomination doesn't mean we're atheists.

Theres been countless threads made here over the times asking if people believed in god. threads with polls. "No" was always the majority answer. And not by a bit, a landslide.

Majority of boards.ie members are infact athiests. Its no secret.

Needler wrote: »

I still don't get the hate for the catholic church

Any priest I met was a salt of the earth lad. feck it a few young boys had a priest's knob rammed up their hole in the 50's but that was a long time ago and since a lot of the actual people involved are dead/retired the blame is now being pinned on who ever's left

you're going to open up a can of worms with that line. RichieC "corrected" you already sure, even so, you're going to get about 10 users saying the same :rolleyes:

Nothing like a good ol church bashing for athiests ... am i wrong?

Pace2008

LighterGuy wrote: »

you're going to open up a can of worms with that line. RichieC "corrected" you already sure, even so, you're going to get about 10 users saying the same :rolleyes:

Nothing like a good ol church bashing for athiests ... am i wrong?

I'm confused as to why you've put "corrected" in inverted commas.

Needler's post basically comes across as "Sure it was only a bit of child rape, and it happened yonks ago; big ****ing deal."

Not only was it completely wrong, it was flagrantly flippant and probably deserves to be ridiculed ten or so times.

starlit

Well I hope so. Catholic Religion in Ireland didn't become a major thing until the 1930's-1980's really despite certain things being banned even in the 19th century and early 20th century, religion has been around for centuries but the strong catholic faith has only been apparent in Ireland for a few decades so say it will die a slow death fairly soon its dying as it is, so say in the next few decades the catholic religion will die out as to whether other religions will is uncertain but I wouldn't be surprised if Ireland eventually became a none religious country and only a few limited people are Christian maybe catholics.

The catholic religion will definitely die out with all that has been going on and all the crap we have been fed over the years. You can be christian or be spiritual and pray but not necessary have to follow a religion or go to mass or to church or what ever. Religions teach faith and the good things in life and things like that but its not the be it and end all there is more to life than religion. Life is too short to be consumed by religion as well as other things.

starlit

Religion = cult, tooth fairy and santa

greenpilot

LighterGuy wrote: »

and with 109 thanks ...

I said it before, I'll say it again. Boards.ie is full of athiests.
Religion cant be talked about here when you think about it. The "debate" (if you wanna call it that) will be totally one sided.

I think you are missing the point, most Irish people, who surf the web, are aware or use Boards.ie.....and therefore DONT believe in God.....thats a lot of people, most of the population, in fact.

Agus

greenpilot wrote: »

I think you are missing the point, most Irish people, who surf the web, are aware or use Boards.ie.....and therefore DONT believe in God.....thats a lot of people, most of the population, in fact.

This point should refer to boards.ie members who would be involved in debates on this website or make it known here whether they believe in God. Not all people who surf the web or are aware of boards.ie. So no, it certainly isn't "most of the population".

Disagree with the thread being here (I'd lump all religion threads together into a superthread) but it is, and I'm informed by mods this sort of thing is staying, so here's my take.

I'm wondering how many people out there are, like I am, waiting for Pope Benny & that generation of gob****e preists to fall over dead so we can return to a more liberal church. While Emperor Popeltine's up the top I'm hard pressed to bring myself over the threshold of a church.

I still think there's something to the whole "love thy neighbour as thyself" yada yada, and I'm sure if there is something beyond that's different to what I believe, it/He/they will shrug and send me to what awaits beyond for everyone.

I don't want to get hassle for what I believe. And I'm worried that's exactly what will happen.

The secular aggressives would hassle and hassle and hassle the religious until they relent and give up their faith in public. Not because they've stopped believing, but they've been bullied into staying out of whatever religion they're into.

Will we see a more liberal church in our lifetime? Personally I want to, I really want to. but I don't hold much hope.

Don't bother trying to convert me, or telling me your own version of the "one truth", whatever it may be. I have mine, I'm aware it could be wrong, but it's not going to change.

My_left_leg

recylingbin wrote: »

I don't know anyone my age, or younger, who goes to mass. Apart from weddings, funerals, christenings and, maybe, christmas day.
Do you think participation in religion will shrink to levels of 15% or under when our parents generation die out?

we can only pray it does .............:D

StudentDad

I doubt if religion in Ireland will die out. What I hope will die out is the slavish adherence to a church that has failed it's members.

SD

d'Oracle

No, although it does stand a good chance of being replaced by smug quasi-religious atheism.

My_left_leg

there was a guy on the radio the other day who told how his under age daughter was abused by a clergyman, yet he stood by the church even after they did little or nothing to redress the situation.

i mean when you're dealing with brain-washing/endoctrination at that level there's not much you can do for the poor fool.

sad.

Ghost Buster

d'Oracle wrote: »

No, although it does stand a good chance of being replaced by smug quasi-religious atheism.

Smug and quasi religious!!!:eek:
Will we have learned nothing from irish catholicism!!!!

Rabidlamb

The Church in Ireland were offered the hand of power & they grasped it.
Imagine Enda Kenny with a bishop in tow advising him on the morality of all his decisions, that's what Dev had, nothing got the go ahead without the blessing of the church.
Thankfully they didn't remember their history & all institutions who crave power for powers sake ultimately crumble.
I see the church remaining on as a fringe body, trotted out now & again to comment on issues of welfare & equality.

Many Catholics deflect the threat of secularism in Europe against the rising number of vocations in Africa & Asia.
It must gaul the church hierarchy however to be losing such a foothold in their cradle territory & missing out on the coffers generated by Europe's greater wealth.
Being denied a mention of god in the EU Constitution / Lisbon Treaty must have felt like the ultimate rejection.
Good.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

We will put down one idiots ideology and pick another idiots ideology to follow...

Shenshen

Castiel Long Glycerine wrote: »

We will put down one idiots ideology and pick another idiots ideology to follow...

I'm afraid a lot of people will do exactly that.
I suspect that many people's brains are programmed to believe, and it doesn't really seem to matter all that much WHAT they believe in. For them, there just needs to be something "more", and they'll take it where they find it.

Religion, Fascism, Communism, Alien abductions and conspiracy theories... all proof for humanities desire to delude itself.

Pace2008

Deleted User wrote: »

I still think there's something to the whole "love thy neighbour as thyself" yada yada, and I'm sure if there is something beyond that's different to what I believe, it/He/they will shrug and send me to what awaits beyond for everyone.

Not only is that view not in any way unique to Catholicism, it's not in any way unique to Christianity.

Will we see a more liberal church in our lifetime? Personally I want to, I really want to. but I don't hold much hope.

What do you mean by a "more liberal Church?" Do you know there are hundreds of Christian denominaitons out there that are already far more liberal than the Catholic Church?

StudentDad

The idea of religion in Ireland in the future is neither here nor there.

However, the idea that a religious body in Ireland is allowed to act in a manner that places it in any way above the law of the land is frankly repugnant.

I want legislation passed that makes clergy (or anyone for that matter) who fail to disclose knowledge of a crime to the police to be as liable for the consequences of that crime for non-disclosure.

SD

ScumLord

LighterGuy wrote: »

I said it before, I'll say it again. Boards.ie is full of athiests.
Religion cant be talked about here when you think about it. The "debate" (if you wanna call it that) will be totally one sided.

It is a debate, just because the majority of people have one opinion doesn't mean the debate is biased it just means there's a pretty obvious result.

One side is speaking the truth the other side is trying to convince them that they should be allowed to believe whatever they what to believe and let that believe corrupt the world.
I don't believe the church has anything good left in it, it's had it's time and is now defunct.

StudentDad

LighterGuy wrote: »

and with 109 thanks ...

I said it before, I'll say it again. Boards.ie is full of athiests.
Religion cant be talked about here when you think about it. The "debate" (if you wanna call it that) will be totally one sided.

This isn't a question of theism bad atheism good - this is a question of freedom of thought and expression.

Unfortunately the RC church in Ireland has chosen the autocratic route when dealing with society and in 'modern' Ireland - I use that phrase loosely - the benefit of education and the exposure of people to the world beyond the borders of Ireland on a daily basis, has meant that people as a whole do not react well to irrational power structures.

A King may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320661/quotes?qt=qt0325023

At the end of the day when people see the RC church acting in a manner contrary to it's own core beliefs, how the hell can that same church expect to retain it's moral authority?

SD

IrishEyes19

doovdela wrote: »

Religion = cult, tooth fairy and santa

to hell with that, both sides are just as bad as each other and quite frankly if I as a person want to believe in something, a group of people who cant accept peoples beliefs but feel they need to in written form constantly give out about the whole establishment rather than the individual crinimals whose crimes I will add will never be forgiven in my opinion, are not going to sway my view.

I have no problem with any other religion or anyone who doesnt believe in religion. everyone is entitled to that choice and thats more than fair. I do have a problem with big mouths however who wont shut up about giving out about it. give out about the wrong doers no bother, Im with you there, but christ give the "the church is a joke, a myth bla bla, a rest. As another poster said, they have known some decent priests, church attendees. I have too. So peace out