[Vision2020] USAToday: People with 'no religion' gaining on major denominations

[Art Deco]

Keely,

There is a small difference between an atheist, as the word is commonly used, and a nonbeliever.  I am the latter.  An atheist asserts there is no god, while a nonbeliever believes the probability of those assertions about the existence or the characteristics of any alleged god(s) are very close to zero.  Some of these assertions may be nonsense in the way the logical positivists used that word, and therefore not capable of being either true or false.  A nonbeliever allows the possibility that in some way at sometime certain statements about various gods could have their probability of truth increased.

As to Cultmaster Wilson:

We agree that Wilson is, in both words and deeds, of extreme distance from the Christ of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).  He is so far from that ideal that it would not be amiss to call him an antichrist (as several have).  Many believe that Calvinism is the most extreme perversion of Christianity, and that its adherents are not Christians, but heretics, since they reject the central and most distinguishing teaching of Christ in his religious tradition -- the importance of good works as the ticket to blissful eternal life.

It may well be that the Cultmaster's rejection in essence of the Christ of the Synoptic Gospels is the reason that Doug Jones could no longer in good conscience continue his Christ Church Cult ministry.  Should Jones's conscience persist and grow, perhaps we may learn some more of the horrors that have occurred in the cult.  Revelations of such may deter others from being sucked into such an evil vortex.

The following cite not only reveals the cult nature of Christ Church but gives a bit of insight into the crackpotism and con artistry of Cultmaster Wilson:

Commitment to Loyalty

I pledge to conduct myself in such a way that no one could ever question my
loyalty to the peace and purity of Christ Church. This includes refusing to
speak to any unauthorized person about grievances I might have, and includes
refusing to hear any such criticisms as well. If commitment to this standard in
any way compromises my conscience, then I understand that my resignation will
be accepted, without notice, and without prejudice.

Why would any church professing to be Christian require such an oath that prevents members from having an open discussion with others not of their faith about that faith?  Talk about paranoia!  Talk about a total lack of confidence in the truth of their teachings!

AND we all know about the horrifically unpleasant things perpetrated by Wilson and his cult bullies toward those that leave the cult.  Hence, the last phrase in the cite above is an outrageous lie.

It is easy to see why these kinds of things turn people off organized religion.  Those who are not ovine fools or blinded by extreme need cannot help but to see the egregious, self-importance driven fraud.

Art Deco

Wayne A. Fox
1009 Karen Lane
PO Box 9421
Moscow, ID  83843

waf at moscow.com
208 882-7975
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: keely emerinemix 
  To: deco at moscow.com ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 9:24 AM
  Subject: RE: [Vision2020] USAToday: People with 'no religion' gaining on major denominations


  Astonishingly enough, this born-again Christian finds herself agreeing with Art Deco, a self-professed atheist, that Wilson has had a terrible effect on how people view Christianity.  I suspect, though, that we differ on how important that is; while Wayne notes the information below with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I'm pretty much heartbroken.  I can't speak for him, of course, but as for me -- well, I see how Wilson proclaims, in word and deed, a Gospel that bears little resemblance to Christ's message, and I think it's a lamentable truth that too many people on the Palouse shrink back not just from Wilson, but from the Christ he represents.

  It won't show up in statistical tables, but if even one person turns his or her back on Jesus Christ and his message because of the bad behavior of Doug Wilson, that's a tragedy, one that merits notice but evidently isn't enough to shake the complacency and willful ignorance of Moscow's evangelicals.

  Keely
  www.keely-prevailingwinds.com





------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: deco at moscow.com
  To: vision2020 at moscow.com
  Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:56:02 -0700
  Subject: [Vision2020] USAToday: People with 'no religion' gaining on major denominations


  Thank you Cultmaster Douglas Wilson for contributing motivation for the trend below.


  http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-22-no-religion_N.htm
        People with 'no religion' gaining on major denominations  

  By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

  Americans who don't identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation's largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation.
  American Nones: Profile of the No Religion Population, to be released today by Trinity College, finds this faith-free group already includes nearly 19% of U.S. men and 12% of women. Of these, 35% say they were Catholic at age 12.


  FAITH & REASON: What's your religious path: Any, many, one or none?
  "Will a day come when the Nones are on top? We can't predict for sure," says lead researcher Barry Kosmin.

  But if Nones, now 22% of all adults ages 18 to 29, continue to gain among young adults, to draw more people "switching out" from denominations and to replace more religious older people, researchers forecast one in five Americans will be Nones in 20 years.

  "Trends clearly favor this," Kosmin says. But he also notes, "There could be a Great Awakening (massive Protestant revival) or immigration may bring in more Catholic believers."

  Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., directed three editions of the American Religious Identification Survey over 18 years. The 2008 ARIS (pdf), based on a sampling of 54,000 U.S. adults, also burrowed in for a closer look at 1,106 Nones, who answered extra questions about their beliefs and behaviors and views on God.


  ARIS: Most religious groups have lost ground in USA
  'NONES': Now 15% of population
  The report finds:

  •Not all Nones are alike. Half (51%) still believe in God or a higher power.

  •Nones also are the only major U. S. faith group that's majority male. Even when girls grow up with unbelieving parents, they're more likely to find a faith as adults than their brothers.

  "Women are also less skeptical than men and less drawn to irreligious and anti-religious views. They are more likely to reject a secular upbringing," Kosmin says.

  "There is a lot of 'churning' going on but Nones gain much more from switching (people leaving religion) than from natural growth (children emulating unbelieving parents)," he says.

  •The percentage of atheist Nones — who say there's no such thing as God — hasn't budged in years.

  "It's not as though dozens of people at the Methodist Church read (atheist Richard) Dawkins and suddenly decided God doesn't exist," says Kosmin.

  "There are so many misconceptions about who the Nones are. They're not New Age searchers or spiritual or even hardened atheists," says Kosmin.

  "They're a stew of agnostics, deists and rationalists. They sound more like Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine. Their very interesting enlightenment approach is like the Founding Fathers' kind: Skeptical about organized religion and clerics while still holding to an idea of God."

  One quirky fact: 33% of Nones claim Irish ancestry, although the U.S. Census says only 10% of the USA does.

  "We have no idea why," he says. "Maybe you could ask (Fox newscaster) Bill O'Reilly.

  In some way, researchers found Nones are very much like the overall, largely religious, U.S. population. There's no statistical difference on education, or income or marital status. They are just as likely to be divorced as anybody else.

  "Nones are not a fringe group anymore and are now part of Middle America. They're present in every socio-demographic group, Keysar concludes in their report.



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