Theists who become atheists

[finder]

Why is it that the States with the most church attendance are also considered to be the least desriable states to live in?

I also wouldn't be surpised to see that the Countries with the highest standards of living are also probably nations that are also considered to be largely secular.

By truthreality: What do you mean by magnitude? What is your measure for magnitude?

Why is it that with the rise of secularism our standards of living keeps lowering?

Using the year 2000 as the numerical base from which to “zero” all of the numbers, real wages peaked in 1970 at around $20/hour. Today the average worker makes $8.50 hour – more than 57% less than in 1970. And since the average wage directly determines the standard of living of our society, we can see that the average standard of living in the U.S. has plummeted by over 57% over a span of 40 years.

The green line shows average wages, discounted by inflation calculated with the same methodology for all 40 years. Obviously that is the only way in which we can compare any data over time: through applying identical parameters to it each year.

http://etfdailynews.com/2012/04/02/e...d-tza-spy-sds/

[Dave In Canada]

Finder, Secularism in the United States has grown at a snails pace in the last 50 years. All you have managed to show is that the average wage in real dollars has declined in your country. You have not shown a cause and effect with regards to secularism.

Your claim is unsubstantiated and if anything this decline has been occuring at a steady rate for decades whereas the rise in secularism in the United States has only really increased in the last decade.

[Dave In Canada]

Finder,

What do you think of the fact that countries who have both the highest standards of living and quality of life in the World are largely secular?

[larry141084]

^^^ Illogical people tend to cherry pick, he probably saw all the evidence of Secular nations having a higher quality of life and ignored it until he found his totally unrelated graph

[finder]

^^^ Illogical people tend to cherry pick, he probably saw all the evidence of Secular nations having a higher quality of life and ignored it until he found his totally unrelated graph

How does this refute the fact that as secularism rises in this country the standard of living drops?

[finder]

Finder,

What do you think of the fact that countries who have both the highest standards of living and quality of life in the World are largely secular?

Citation please.

[arX]

Atheism, Secularity, and Well-Being

Phil Zuckerman
Pitzer College, Claremont, California

As noted earlier, the most secular democracies in the world score very high on international indexes of happiness and well-being (Kamenev 2006) and they have among lowest violent crime and homicide rates (Paul 2005). But there’s more. A perusal of any recent United Nations World Development Report reveals that when it comes to such things as life expectancy, infant mortality, economic equality, economic competitiveness, health care, standard of living, and education, it is the most secular democracies on earth that fare the best, doing much better than the most religious nations in the world (Zuckerman 2008; Norris and Inglehart 2004; Bruce 2003). Consider women’s equality and women’s rights: women fare much better in more secular countries when compared with women in more religious countries and that women’s equality is strongest in the world’s most secular democracies (Ingelhart et al. 2003; Inglehart and Norris 2003). And a UNICEF (2007) report found that the least religious nations on earth – such as Sweden and Holland – are simultaneously the best countries for the care and well-being of children. Of the top ten best countries in the world within which to be a mother, all are highly secular nations; of the bottom worst 10, all are highly religious (Save the Children, 2008). And the nations with the lowest levels of corruption are simultaneously among the most secular (Beit-Hallahmi 2009). When it comes to intolerance of racial or ethnic minorities, levels are lower in less religious countries, and higher in more religious countries (Gallup Poll
2009, April 7). Concerning environmental protection, secular nations fare much better than religious nations, with the most secular democracies on earth doing the most to enact strong and progressive laws and green programs (Germanwatch, 2008). According to one international ranking, the ‘‘greenest’’ countries in the world are simultaneously among the most secular (Reader’s Digest, 2009). Additionally, the nations that score the highest when it comes to the quality of political and civil liberties that their citizens enjoy tend to be among the most secular nations on earth (Nationmaster, 2009). As for reading and math skills and scientific literacy, it is again the more secular nations that fare the best (Lynn 2001; UNICEF, 2002). The most secular nations in the world are also the most peaceful, while the most religious nations are the least peaceful (Vision of Humanity, 2008). And according to the Legatum Prosperity Index (2009), secular nations are far more prosperous than religious nations. Finally, according to The Economist’s Quality of Life Index (2005), which takes into account multiple indicators of subjective well-being as well as objective determinants of quality of life, the ‘‘best’’ nations on earth are overwhelmingly among the most secular, while the ‘‘worst’’ are overwhelmingly among the most religious.

Within the United States, we find similar patterns: the states with the highest rates of poverty tend to be among the most religious states in the nation, such as Mississippi and Tennessee, while the states with the lowest poverty rates tend to be among the most secular, such as New Hampshire and Hawaii (United States Census Bureau 2008). The states with the highest rates of obesity are among the most religious in the nations, while the states with the lowest rates of obesity are among the least religious (Calorielab.com 2008). And it is the more religious states that tend to have infant mortality rates higher than the national average, while the less religious states tend to have lower infant mortality rates (United States Census Bureau, 2005). Additionally, it is among the most religious states that one finds the highest rates of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2007) and teen pregnancy (Guttmacher Institute, 2006). America’s Bible Belt also contains the lowest rates of college-educated adults, and of the states with the highest percentage of college educated adults, most are among the most secular in the country (United States Census Bureau, 2007).

http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/facu...on_Atheism.pdf

[Dave In Canada]

Citation please.

http://geography.about.com/b/2010/08...-countries.htm

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2011...ality-of-life/

http://www.sodahead.com/united-state...e/blog-164723/

Face the facts Finder, the belief in your God hurts the standard of living in your country.

[Dave In Canada]

How does this refute the fact that as secularism rises in this country the standard of living drops?

The NFL, MLB and the NHL have all expanded as well during this time. Should we consider these as possible reasons for the decline in the standard of living in the States?

Is it not just as possible that the majority of the citizens in the United States and their archaic religious beliefs have led to the erosion of your countries standard of living?

[xx_mortekai_xx]

The NFL, MLB and the NHL have all expanded as well during this time. Should we consider these as possible reasons for the decline in the standard of living in the States?

Is it not just as possible that the majority of the citizens in the United States and their archaic religious beliefs have led to the erosion of your countries standard of living?

And there is this:


Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies: A First Look

[finder]

http://geography.about.com/b/2010/08...-countries.htm

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2011...ality-of-life/

http://www.sodahead.com/united-state...e/blog-164723/

Face the facts Finder, the belief in your God hurts the standard of living in your country.

The reality is the U.S. is considered a secular nation because it has embraced secular values.

America
Brazil[32]
Canada[33]
Chile [34]
Colombia
Cuba[35]
Ecuador
Honduras[36][37]
Mexico[38]
Peru
Puerto Rico[39]
United States[40]
Uruguay
Venezuela

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_state

Which as I said, accounts for our declining standard of life. What other states with much smaller economies do is irrelevant since they do not have economies that sustain other nations like ours basically sustained the world. That was the magnitude of God's blessing which he seems to be slowly taking away. We were 1st in the standard of living in 1980 when we had traditionally resisted secular humanism. Now we are 13th and secularism is on the rise. The correlation stands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standar..._United_States

In the 50's we were on top of the world and now we are and have been for a while, on the decent as far as the quality of life goes. And that correlates with the boom in Christianity of the 50's and the lack of restraint that comes with secularism that is steadily on the rise in America. Bring up all the statistics you want, the fact is there is a correlation in this country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi..._United_States

[Robert]

Atheism, Secularity, and Well-Beingurl]http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/Zuckerman_on_Atheism.pdf[/url]

That is a lot to read on the link, but I shall get round to it some time. If non believers are benefiting worldwide over believers, then this fulfills scripture which says we shall be disciplined as a 'son'.

But if you also note that America is the dominant country in the world at the moment, and is Christian, we see that scripture is also right in saying that they will be rewarded for following YHVH. So it is fulfilled again.

The believers reward is in heaven, when the non believers will be having a good sleep~ good link though