Rational Religion


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All Those Believers!

 

A recent statistic maintains (Where do they get these statistics?) that in the mid 1990's about 70 percent of Americans stated that they had "never questioned the existence of God."

 

That figure was up almost 10 percent from a couple of decades before, and a less formal poll evidently indicates that by 2002 the percentage approached 90.

 

A Rational Religionist might find these figures depressing; if he or she feels it uncomfortable to be so resoundingly in the minority. 

 

If one is so sensitive to social pressure one should not be trying to be Rational about anything, especially Religion. 

 

The increasing percentage of avowed Believers probably only means that more of us feel we need help than did back in the 60's, 70's and even early 80's.

 

We were supposed to be less anxious, now that the "Cold War is over" …but we were granted barely a decade to relax our doomsday mode before World Terrorism burst upon us.

 

Even before 9/11/2001, without the dichotomies of the Communist World vs. the Rest of Us, we just had more time to worry about being human; making a living; educating the kids; keeping ourselves and our property safe.

 

Also, there is less social responsibility abroad in the culture; most probably the ironic and unintended legacy of the Reagan/Rand cult of individual aggressiveness and rebirth of Social Darwinism in the 1980's.

 

Believe me, when the philosophers and politicians of the Power Structure start preaching that it's okay to be as exploitive and selfish as one can get away with "because that's the way people are," the underclasses are going to get the message, too. 

 

Never mind that the message wasn't meant for them; that the messengers are universally appalled that they heard it and seem to be acting on it at least as enthusiastically as those it was meant for; they got it!!

 

Especially the kids, living in ghettoes and other circumstances which do not foster great social responsibility, in the first place. 

 

If everybody else is encouraged to go out and get theirs, sans guilt about the means or the impact upon the rest of us, these kids are going to bloody well do the same; using the tools and techniques available to them. 

 

I bet that most of that 70-90 percent of Believers lock their front doors and their cars 100 percent of the time these days; even in neighborhoods where 30 years ago most people didn't. 

 

In a world grown so casually corrupted, no wonder more people feel they need help.