Poll: Do you think religion plays too large or too small a role in most people's lives today?

I just read about a series of polls in the Skeptic and I'd like to see how this groups answers compare with the general American population.

I guess it really depends. Most people are religious hypocrites in my experience, so even tho they profess a belief and it seems to be a large part of their life, their actions say otherwise, so what does that say about how the religion plays a part in their life? To large, or too small?

Religion isn't supposed to be a thing that you "do" on some regular basis. Rather, it is supposed to be the way that you live, which makes it a full time thing. Most people don't give it the importance it deserves.

I think people need a little less religion and perhaps a little more faith. "Religion" has come to mean more about the activity or the dogma and less about the belief behind it...

TOTALLY agreed.

once should never accept a clearly illogical course of action/belief based on what they're "told is right".
Use your heart... and, if you believe in a god... he/she would want you to do so.

Dogmatism of any stripe scares the hell out of me. I don't have any use for a god (or goddess, or multiplicity thereof) who locks his/her believers into a narrow pattern of behavior and belief and expression for "salvation''s sake. Belief in that kind of deity doesn't lift people up, or help them appreciate a "bigger picture" that transcends their own narrow experience and the ideas they've formed based on that experience. Instead it binds them to that experience as "moral law", makes them fear to deviate from it in any way, and encourages them to consider themselves and their religious culture apart from all who believe differently.

As for ritual, in my view it is a tool for the believer to help him or her reach that transcendent point of view, not a required sequence of acts that, if omitted or "messed up", will result in a deity's displeasure and punishment of the "offending" humans. That's just more legalism. I can't imagine any god worth the name being that petty, or that hung up on being "worshipped".

When this poll was given in 2003 the results were:

Too Large	15%
Too Small	69%
About Right	7%
Not Sure	9%

umm, where were these results from?

I'm assuming from the Skeptic he mentioned in his opening post. I think.

Correct. Here is the info given.

The national poll was conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corporation by telephone on September 23-24, 2003 in the evenings. The sample was 900 reistered voters nationwide with a margin of error of �3 percentage points.

What Religion are we talking about Hindu? Buddhism? Islam? Chritianity, Judaism? I think it is hard to judge what role God, or Faith, or spirits play in anyones lives. Even within denominations there are drastic differences as to how people are suppose to let their religions play out in their lives. We don't know if someones religion doesn't tell them to be an asshole. So Open up the question and take it apart. I am in seminary and I encounter wonderful faithful people and those who are faithless and looking for purpose...."religion" is playing a role in all their lives......are they living their faith? that is a whole other question...

I've known several people who believe in God and Heaven, but I've never met anyone who was in a hurry to get There and meet Him.�

I've always wondered what supposedly must have happened to all the "poor souls" that died before the advent of Christianity. Hell must be an awfully crowded place full of those poor buggers who had the bad luck to die before it. ;)

i thought they were in limbo with the pagan babies.

I was just having a conversation unrelated to this forum where I asked if I could be in the circle of Virtuous pagans :-)

I get most of my knowledge of this from the annotated Divine Comedy but at least in Dante's times there were pre-christians, Socrates is given as an example, who were saved. In those days it was felt that half the people would be saved would be pre-christians, and the other half christians. Then the second coming would happen.

I have some recommended reading about this.� Read the "Rapture Exposed" by Barbara Rossing.� She is a Professor in the New Testement at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.� She takes apart rapture theology and helps make more sense of the book of Revelation.� Most Christians don't believe in the Rapture but enough people do that it is disturbing

I think it's more about ethics and morals than religion. You can have murderers who go to their religion's services. People who read the bible then beat their kids might still have a good working knowledge of their RELIGION, but I'd be inclined to say that their perception of spirituality is a bit wonky ... and some other things, too.

As a student teacher, I've discovered that there is a lot we can teach kids that isn't specifically in the curriculum. It's in the WAY that we say and do things - to be an example, to treat people with respect - it's a little bit of morality that doesn't have anything to do with religion and has everything to do with working together as a community.

I've thought about that a LOT - whether or not people are losing their grasp of being in a community. Do we know (or like) our neighbours? Do we use our community facilities and contribute to them? Do we shop at the little mom-and-pop stores? Do we stop to help a person pick up something they've dropped?

Our cities are ginormous and getting bigger. There is a HUGE focus on "self" in marketing - self and convenience. Lots of people drive a car with no passengers for convenience.

I just wonder whether our society has shifted so much on the importance of SELF (self awareness, self-empowerment, etc) that it's pushing people towards a kind of 'like a rock, like an island' mentality rather than an 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' thought process.

my $0.02

Religion playing a role in one's life?

Ok... where I come from perspective-wise, this question makes no sense. Judaism isn't supposed to play a role in your life. Judaism is your life, and your life is Judaism. The two are synonymous.

Discussion beyond that requires me to be awake. But... going to church or synagogue doesn't define "religiousness." Nor does your capacity to believe the unbelievable. Most people just have no understanding of what religion really is.

Ok, I think the ideal is that people do live their religion.� It is a way of life.� I know that is what th early Chrisitan Communities were like.� It was kind of an all or nothing sorta deal.� I know many other world religions are like this....Judaism, Islam.� All you life decisions are guided and determined by your religion...so much so that it isn't even a totally conscious thing...� It seems to me that people have gotten caught up in the symbolism and stature of religion rather than it's purpose and its meaning.�

Yeah, I'm on board here.� I've held off on answering this topic -- I'm not sure why.� I feel strongly about my faith, but I have equally strong resentment for people who "speak on my behalf."� i.e. - Televangelists, conservative Christians, etc.� But I live my Christian faith as much as Gella lives Judaism.� It's just a part of my being.��

Yes, but the communist regime in China is extremely anti-religion. The problem here is not with religion itself and never was, but rather with authoritarianism of any kind.

Ditto.

Yes Paul, it was. My point is that authoritarianism is neither exclusive to religion or religious bodies, nor is it an inevitable condition of same. I would not exactly hold up the Catholic Church as the prime example of Religion Done Right.

I'm still trying to figure out what point you are trying to make.

See, what bothers me about your line of reasoning is that you are automatically equating "religion" to "Christianity" and as a religious non-Christian, I find that insulting.

Wait.� Huh?� Who is?� I am?� I hope not.� I had no intention of doing so.� Uhh, . . . were you talking to me there?

oh yeah ... and we shouldn't forget that the church DID officially forgive Galileo.

... just recently, too. maybe the appeal was lost in the mail?

ok, Jesus and The Catholic Church have very little to do with each other. ;P

and many would argue that catholicism and the catholic church have very little to do with each other.

;)

hee hee hee

�-= george =-

Here's a link to an excellent column in Newsday. You don't have to register to read it.

Where politics shouldn't go

fabulous article.
Thank you.