Age and God; A correlation?

[Fishteacher73]

Poking about on people's bio's and thinking about their various opinions it seems to me that there is a subtle trend. Many of those posters that have a theist inclination tend to be a bit older than those that do not (This by no means is an absolute, but it does seem to be a factor just from casual observation).

 

Any ideas?

 

The only thing that seemed to come to my mind was that religion was almost a default for most until Gen X, at which point it seems to have slid to a degree to the back burner. Is this a result in the decline in "family values" :) or just that modern science (That has a friction with theist views) has become more common place?

[Biochemist]

Many of those posters that have a theist inclination tend to be a bit older than those that do not...Any ideas?

At the risk of REALLY inflaming lindagarette, one could easily argue that folks get older and have time to think about deeper issues. Anecdotally, I know a LOT more folks that have become Christians (for example) as they got older than those who did the reverse.

[motherengine]

i don't concider myself a theist (more like a natural born pantheist/pagan) but i find your question interesting. children (by and large) are extremely impressionable and i think culturally they are being exposed to more blatant cynicism than at any other point in history. years ago at my grandparent's 50th? anniversary i saw a young boy wearing a shirt with the picture of a baby being nursed and the caption 'people suck from the beginning'. this struck me as amusing at the time but now i think that cynicism is in vogue, so to speak, and that adult philosophies (like nihilism) are being sold to children through television, movies, music and art as if the whole lot of us have just given up on ideas of transcendence and beauty and settled into a 'all our lives we sweat and save/building for a shallow grave' de sadeian position culturally. i am not saying this is the way it is, just that it may appear as such to a growing impressionable mind. god has been dead (as nietzsche wrote about concerning culture) for quite some time and just now the rot has settled to the earth i guess. of course this is only one of many reasons why theism is dying on the vine along with art and spirituality in general i think. damn shame, makes me think humans would be better off back in the garden with the rest of the chimps.

[Biochemist]

of course this is only one of many reasons why theism is dying on the vine...

Unexpectedly perhaps, recent survey evidence (in the US anyway) suggests this is not true. I agree with your impression of cynicism in young folks.

[Queso]

and is it just me or are children losing their innocence at even younger ages?

[Biochemist]

and is it just me or are children losing their innocence at even younger ages?

Subjectively, I think this is true. In my case (with my children) the difficulty was/is in filtering out the onslaught of reality on TV. Although I like SpongeBob.

 

Sorry, I have a nearly-4-year-old. "Are you ready kids....Whooooooo lives in a pineappple..."

[bumab]

and is it just me or are children losing their innocence at even younger ages?

 

and yet we prolong adolescence more and more....

 

first high school was a big deal... then kids didn't grow up until after high school. then, after college. now kids move back in with their parents all the time...

[infamous]

There is an old saying: "Too soon old, too late smart". Just a little someting for you young folks to chew on. Another note; I would love to trade places with one of you, even if it meant I had to start learning all over again.

[ricolo41]

With each new generation of people on earth, everything is constantly being redefined and redirected. Unfortunately, religion has lately been less prominent in people's lives. So, I simply think that it is an overall passivity (or even ignorance in extreme cases) that attributes to people not believing in God or a higher power. I don't know - just a general observation

[C1ay]

Poking about on people's bio's and thinking about their various opinions it seems to me that there is a subtle trend. Many of those posters that have a theist inclination tend to be a bit older than those that do not (This by no means is an absolute, but it does seem to be a factor just from casual observation).

 

As I get older I am tending away from any theist belief. More and more I see the concept of God as a invention of man instead of the reverse.

[kaelcarp]

Most people I have known have gravitated away from religious belief as they've gotten older. From what I've seen, people become more skeptical as they get older. This is by no means an absolute, just a general impression.

[kaelcarp]

At the risk of REALLY inflaming lindagarette, one could easily argue that folks get older and have time to think about deeper issues. Anecdotally, I know a LOT more folks that have become Christians (for example) as they got older than those who did the reverse.

It seems as though you and I travel in opposite circles. :)

 

I don't think having time to think about deeper issues inevitably leads one to come to theistic belief over nonbelief. People go both ways throughout their lives. Older people are generally more religious, but I think it's only because there has been a general decline in religiosity over time, and younger generations are growing up with that.

[Biochemist]

As I get older I am tending away from any theist belief. More and more I see the concept of God as a invention of man instead of the reverse.

It seems as though you and I travel in opposite circles.

 

I don't think having time to think about deeper issues inevitably leads one to come to theistic belief over nonbelief. People go both ways throughout their lives.

I suspect this has something to do with the company you keep. I think about a third of my friends have always been theists of the thoughtful sort. If you hang out with folks that assume God either does not exist or is irrelevant, your interest will wane.

[C1ay]

I suspect this has something to do with the company you keep. I think about a third of my friends have always been theists of the thoughtful sort. If you hang out with folks that assume God either does not exist or is irrelevant, your interest will wane.

 

Actually I only know of one friend that is atheist and he has just passed away so my only atheist friends are online. All of my other friends are not only believers, many of them regularly attend services. I even go myself occasionally to be with my family when they want to go. I think it has more to do with the vast amount of time I spend thinking and analyzing. I am getting more and more skeptical as time goes on.

[lindagarrette]

Actually I only know of one friend that is atheist and he has just passed away so my only atheist friends are online. All of my other friends are not only believers, many of them regularly attend services. I even go myself occasionally to be with my family when they want to go. I think it has more to do with the vast amount of time I spend thinking and analyzing. I am getting more and more skeptical as time goes on.

There are many factors determining a person's tendency to believe irrational things. Age doesn't correllate as much as level of education and intelligence. Michael Shermer's books on Why People Believe.. are good sources of related statistics.

[Biochemist]

I think it has more to do with the vast amount of time I spend thinking and analyzing. I am getting more and more skeptical as time goes on.

I think that pensive analysis is always a good thing. I think I am geting more skeptical as well, just not of God.

[Biochemist]

There are many factors determining a person's tendency to believe irrational things.

As I have mentioned, theism is no different in terms of "rationality" than atheism. To impute irrationality into theism is itself irrational.

 

Of course, I am not suggesting that you were doing that.