Atheists Who Go to Church: Doing It for the Children

He probably won't get down on his knees, but that fellow sitting near you during the Sunday church service just may be an atheist. And a scientist.

A new study out of Rice University has found that 17 percent -- about one out of five scientists who describe themselves as either atheists or agnostics -- actually go to church, although not too often, and not because they feel a spiritual yearning to join the faithful.

More likely, it's because of the kids.

What? Why would somebody who doesn't believe there's a god want his own offspring wasting their time in an enterprise he believes has no foundation in fact? Especially a scientist.

The study, by sociologists Elaine Howard Ecklund of Rice and Kristen Schultz Lee of the University at Buffalo, found that many atheists want their children exposed to religion so that they can make up their own minds on what to believe. In addition, church may provide a better understanding of morality and ethics, and occasionally attending services may ease the conflict between spouses who disagree over the value of religion to their children, the study contends.

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he's a Scientologist, how can you possibly trust anything he writes?

 

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Morality and ethics can be studied in public schools , the society you live in and through the media. No one has to learn ethics in a relogious setting and sometimes that really isn't helpful because religions show only what they want you to learn about their viewpoints on every subject.

 

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I did that as well, because I believe in fair choice, and also because in some ways if you have an incorrect start to life it is quite useful. I have believed in 'The Big Bang' and 'God', and those errors led me on the right path to my own theory. It's a bit like rebellion, it is useful at times. Your brain is so reluctant to go back in that direction, that you are forced to go in the right direction.

 

And what kind of ethics does one learn there is public schools and via the media?
The kind of ethics that brought this world into a complete crisis.

 

You're right, let's go back to the good old days when we were demanded to stone gay people, women and blacks were lesser beings and we kicked the crap out of anybody who was different.....

 

So is that roughly the percentage of atheists married to religious people who are likely to insist the kids be taken to church? :shrug:

 

im my child ever decided he or she wanted to go to church i would take em. im agnostic myself. but i wouldn't force my beliefs or lack of onto a child. religion is and always should be a very personal thing. if some 1 wants to believe in an all powerful being they call god then who am i to say dont... i would much rather they make there own decision and i would support them while they do it.

 

Yea, to bring up human with fear of God, it is good for humanity

 

So we should look at the ethics that were used throughout history. Let us look at the Native Americans who were almost all killed off because they were "savages" and wouldn't become good Christians and do what they were told. The WW2 was brought on by Hitler and his Christian belief that only they were the race to rule everyone else because they were "better " than all others. The Catholic religion was torturing, molesting and killing people who would not believe in their way of thinking. So where does your religious ethical and moral values help with just those few examples I've brought up?Seems that ethics and morals that were taught by the various religions didn't do very well through time.

 

Normally the church is a humble person . The powerful uses religion for his purpose to control the masses and normally the wealthy and powerful is a secular person. You have your experience with Eddy V11

 

I agree that children should be exposed to the various beliefs of the world, so they can make an individual and informed decision of their own beliefs. I see how taking them to one type of church, especially on a regular basis, is effective in doing that. Depending on the family, it could help drive them towards that religion subconsciously if they feel they need to rebel against their parents, something children tend to do. Whereas if they had a whole variety of religions, it wouldn't be used as a tool for revenge against the parents.

 

With thousands of people losing their jobs by the hour, are we any better off?

 

I don't know where you learned history, but it wasn't on this planet.

:shrug:

 

:bugeye:

Really...?

 

sorry friends we the believer are bringing people out of the stone edge into this beautiful world to share the good of the land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj_FqmmsmDk&feature=related

 

Yes, really.

 

I have stated facts that have occured. Where am I wrong?

 

For starters:

Hitler a Christian, eh?

 

yes!!!!!!