<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">How very clever to expand the number of atheists by simply using a different <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-0><SPAN>definition</SPAN></SPAN> of atheist. Like the Federal Government reducing poverty and unemployment by changing the definition of poverty and unemployed. </SPAN></div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">The definition of atheist has changed from <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-1><SPAN>believing</SPAN></SPAN> there is no God, to doubting that there is a God or your <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-2><SPAN>religion</SPAN></SPAN> is correct. Since just about everyone on the planet including the Pope and 12 disciples doubts or has doubted God's <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-3><SPAN>existence</SPAN></SPAN> and all <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-4><SPAN>disagree</SPAN></SPAN> with some aspect of their religion, we are all atheists, it is just a matter of degree. If you believe in the Bible, you are an <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-5><SPAN>atheist</SPAN></SPAN> by this definition. For it says in the Bible that if someone had as much faith as to fill a mustard seed, they could move a mountain. </SPAN></div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto">"Matt.17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, (his disciples,) Because of your unbelief: for verily I (Jesus) say unto you, <B><U>If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed</U>, </B>ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."</div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto">Guess we are all atheists if atheist is a simple lacking of faith, as not even filling a mustard seed is pretty lacking by any reasonable definition of the interpretation of the word lacking. Likewise, we must also change the <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-6><SPAN>definition</SPAN></SPAN> of theists, to be when someone is lacking in their belief there isn't a divine being. </div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto">Donovan J. Arnold</SPAN></div>
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-7><SPAN>Theist</SPAN></SPAN>, <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-8><SPAN>Atheist</SPAN></SPAN>, depending on your definition of the two. <BR style="RIGHT: auto"></div>
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<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=hr contentEditable=false readonly="true"></DIV><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Art Deco <art.deco.studios@gmail.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> vision2020@moscow.com <BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Wednesday, June 13, 2012 5:29 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Vision2020] Pew survey: Doubt of God growing quickly among <SPAN id=misspell-0 class=mark>millennials</SPAN><BR></FONT></DIV><WBR>
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<H1 class=yiv2105782247cnnBlogContentTitle><A title="Permanent Link:Pew survey: Doubt of God growing quickly among millennials" href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/12/pew-survey-doubt-of-god-growing-quickly-among-millennials/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Pew survey: Doubt of God growing quickly among <SPAN id=misspell-1 class=mark>millennials</SPAN></A></H1>
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<div class=yiv2105782247cnn_first>By <B>Dan <SPAN id=misspell-2 class=mark>Merica</SPAN></B>, CNN</div>
<div><B>Washington (CNN) –</B> The percentage of Americans 30 and younger who harbor some doubts about God’s existence appears to be growing quickly, according to <A href="http://www.pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx" rel=nofollow target=_blank>a recent Pew Research Center survey</A>. While most young Americans, 68%, told Pew they never doubt God’s existence, that’s a 15-point drop in just five years.</div>
<div>In 2007, 83% of American <SPAN id=misspell-3 class=mark>millennials</SPAN> said they never doubted God’s existence.</div>
<div>More young people are expressing doubts about God now than at any time since Pew started asking the question a decade ago. Thirty-one percent disagreed with the statement “I never doubt the existence of God,” <A href="http://www.people-press.org/values-questions/q41d/i-never-doubt-the-existence-of-god/#generation" rel=nofollow target=_blank>double the number who disagreed</A> with it in 2007.</div>
<div><SPAN id=yiv2105782247more-30408></SPAN><A href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/23/atheist-organizer-takes-movement-to-nations-capital/" rel=nofollow target=_blank><B>Atheist organizer takes ‘movement’ to nation’s capital</B></A></div>
<div>When asked about doubts of God, no other generation showed a change of more than 2% in the past five years.</div>
<div>The survey found that the percentage of <SPAN id=misspell-4 class=mark>millennials</SPAN> who identify with a religion <A href="http://www.people-press.org/2011/11/03/the-generation-gap-and-the-2012-election-3/11-3-11-22/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>is remaining constant</A>, while most other generations have seen religious identification increase in the past 10 years.</div>
<div>The findings about <SPAN id=misspell-5 class=mark>millennials</SPAN> and religion were part of a 168-page report that Pew released June 4 but were largely overlooked.</div>
<div>“Notably, people younger than 30 are substantially less likely than older people to say prayer is an important part of their lives,” the report said.</div>
<div>“Research on generational patterns shows that this is not merely a <SPAN id=misspell-6 class=mark>lifecycle</SPAN> effect,” it continued. “The Millennial generation is far less religious than were other preceding generations when they were the same age years ago.”</div>
<div><A href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/01/atheist-group-targets-muslims-jews-with-myth-billboards-in-arabic-and-hebrew/" rel=nofollow target=_blank><B>Atheist group targets Muslims, Jews with ‘myth’ billboards in Arabic and Hebrew</B></A></div>
<div>The findings are part of Pew’s 2012 American Values Survey, which touches on issues including political partisanship, gay marriage and abortion.</div>
<div>Despite the findings on <SPAN id=misspell-7 class=mark>millennials</SPAN>, the survey shows that the United States continues to be a highly religious nation, with most Americans identifying with a particular faith.</div>
<div>Seventy-six percent of all respondents said prayer is an important part of their lives and agreed that “we all will be called before god at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins.” About 80% said they have never doubted the existence of God.</div>
<div>The report points to a growing divide between the youngest and oldest Americans on belief, religion and social issues.</div>
<div>According to Jesse <SPAN id=misspell-8 class=mark>Galef</SPAN>, communications director for the Secular Student Alliance, the growth in “doubting” youths has led to a surge in secular student groups.</div>
<div>“For a lot of millennial atheists, they are expecting to find a group, they are coming to campus, and if they don’t find one, they are starting one,” <SPAN id=misspell-9 class=mark>Galef</SPAN> said. “This is completely different than what other generations grew up with.”</div>
<div><A href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/24/atheist-rally-continues-in-spite-of-rain-students-highlighted-throughout/" rel=nofollow target=_blank><B>Atheist rally continues in spite of rain; students highlighted throughout</B></A></div>
<div>The Secular Student Alliance has affiliates on 357 American campuses, <SPAN id=misspell-10 class=mark>Galef</SPAN> said, up from 81 such affiliates in 2007.</div>
<div><SPAN id=misspell-11 class=mark>Galef</SPAN> says the Internet has created a place for young people to discuss religious doubts.</div>
<div>“It enables anybody to have open discussions without fearing if their parents would find out or what their communities would say,” he said. "The more safe places we create for young people to discuss their doubts, the more they can inspire questions in others."</div></DIV>
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<TD class="yiv2105782247cnn_padb20 yiv2105782247cnn_author_info" vAlign=top><SPAN class=yiv2105782247cnnBlogFiledBy></SPAN><SPAN class=yiv2105782247cnn_author><A title="Posts by Dan Merica" href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/author/danmerica/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Dan <SPAN id=misspell-12 class=mark>Merica</SPAN></A> - Dan <SPAN id=misspell-13 class=mark>Merica</SPAN></SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><WBR><WBR>-- <WBR>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<WBR><A href="mailto:art.deco.studios@gmail.com" rel=nofollow target=_blank ymailto="mailto:art.deco.studios@gmail.com">art.deco.studios@gmail.com</A><WBR></DIV><WBR>=======================================================<WBR>List services made available by First Step Internet,<WBR>serving the communities of the <SPAN id=misspell-14 class=mark>Palouse</SPAN> since 1994.<WBR> <A href="http://www.fsr.net/" target=_blank>http://www.fsr.net</A><WBR>
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