It's obvious Europe has zero tolerance (though not carried out in violence, I must add) for the Christian religion as they have moved from the shadows of Catholicism which used to be and maybe still is the dominant sect of Christianity there to Atheism. However the Islamic religion is on the rise (I hope this is no news, if you need a source I'll certainly get you one). I want to know what atheists have to say about this.

You may want to hear what they think of it in the weblink below.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d60_1225810680

It's obvious Europe has zero tolerance (though not carried out in violence, I must add) for the Christian religion as they have moved from the shadows of Catholicism which used to be and maybe still is the dominant sect of Christianity there to Atheism

talk about generalization.

definition of tolerance. 


1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
4. the act or capacity of enduring; endurance: My tolerance of


how does europe violate this? europeans moved from Catholicism to form their own christian sects.  why don't we have atheist rulers all over europe if europeans have moved to Catholicism.  Christianity is openly practiced and accepted in europe

europeans are rapidly now moving past organized religion they have mostly been dechristainized, americans are gradually moving towards that direction too. . . . .

Mazaje you are making a huge mistake. Americans are not becoming dechristianized, what they have rather is a system that gives both the religious and the areligious equal rights to be who they are.

DavidDylan:

Mazaje you are making a huge mistake. Americans are not becoming dechristianized, what they have rather is a system that gives both the religious and the areligious equal rights to be who they are.

Leave mazaje alone. It seems he's a campaigner now, not an objectively aware person.

the number of athiest are growing in america according to the pew reserch group the number is about 50 million now and growing that number was about 25 million in the 70's. . . . so what the heck are you guys saying?

mazaje:

the number of athiest are growing in america according to the pew reserch group the number is about 50 million now and growing that number was about 25 million in the 70's. . . . so what the heck are you guys saying?

did pew research also tell you the population is growing?

the proportion is what you are supposed to look at compared to the population growth it has doubled but the population growth has'nt doubled. . . . . lets cut the bull the percentage of athiest has grown dramatically take it or leave it. . . .

mazaje:

the proportion is what you are supposed to look at compared to the population growth it has doubled but the population growth has'nt doubled. . . . .

Pardon me, could you make yourself clear there?

mazaje:

lets cut the bull the percentage of athiest has grown dramatically take it or leave it. . . .

That is relative - and you cannot divorce it from the demography of the country or region as a whole.

mazaje:

the number of athiest are growing in america according to the pew reserch group the number is about 50 million now and growing that number was about 25 million in the 70's. . . . so what the heck are you guys saying?

Save the 'heck'. . I've been following the Pew Research for a while now, and up until now what most researchers have concluded is that such a claim is overstated. First, because even atheists themselves are not agreed who exactly is an atheist, or how to define atheism itself. If you ask people like Michael Martin, he argues that Hinduism, Bahaism and Jainism are atheistic philosophies - whereas we know that is a classical example of an overstated paradigm. We know that those so-called atheistic philosophies are religions and not atheism, unless you guys would like to bring us up to speed with when religion has been hijacked into atheism.

Now, for the Pew Research inference about this on-going debate of the growth of atheists, while some have argued the growth on a number of parameters, the honest caution from some researchers is that such demographers should be careful to note that such a claim is overstated:

[list]The second is that the growth of secularists in the US. has definitely been overstated. We have seen an increase in the last few decades, but there are two reasons for that. One is that we have now just a larger cohort of people who are unmarried or haven’t had kids. We know that a lifecycle effect is that people kind of fall away from their religious tradition when they leave home, go to college, or enter the workforce. But then they go back when they have children because people still seem to feel that it’s important to raise their kids in a religious tradition.

That continues to happen. People are just waiting a little longer before they have kids so that group of people who are for now defined as secularists is much larger than it was in the past, but from everything we’ve seen, they continue, once they get married and have kids, to move back into an affiliation with a religious tradition. So it’s I don’t think accurate to classify them as people who want to see religion out of the public square. They may be temporarily disconnected from a religious tradition, but that’s very different from believing that there should be a sharp line there. I would add that we know that immigrants tend to be much more religious than your average voter. So whatever growth you’re seeing in the ranks of secular voters are outweighed a bit, I think, by religious immigrants.

source: Amy Sullivan, Pew Research.[/list]

Granted, there is some growth among atheists and secularists. But against what demographic statistical index are such growth-rates measured, mazaje?

thanks pilgrim.1, i doubt mazaje bothered to thoroughly digest his "pew research" statistic . . . he would rather argue blindly.

DavidDylan:

thanks pilgrim.1, i doubt mazaje bothered to thoroughly digest his "pew research" statistic . . . he would rather argue blindly.

Bo, my bros. . I noted that he has become more of a campaigner than an objectively aware thinker. There are so many, many instances of these "overstated" demographics all over the net. But I was glad he mentioned the Pew Research - because I've been following the debates on that website and their forum for a while now.

One example where we find such overstated demography is (here). But sadly, those who quickly refer the the Pew Research fail to understand that the debate is still on, and honest thinkers argue that the "growth" (yes, there is a growth) has been "overstated" and it continues to happen. For one to make an honest assessment of any situation, the campaigning should give way to objective thinking - for which I appeal to mazaje to go back and read what those researchers are actually arguing!

pilgrim.1:

Bo, my bros. . I noted that he has become more of a campaigner than an objectively aware thinker.

you actually thought he was ever a "thinker"?

DavidDylan:

you actually thought he was ever a "thinker"?

Bros, wetin I for do naw? Since I no wan define any person before they do so for themselves, I thought he was actually a "thinker"!

bawomolo:

talk about generalization.

definition of tolerance.


1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
4. the act or capacity of enduring; endurance: My tolerance of


how does europea violate this? europeans moved from Catholicism to form their own christian sects.

Let me make myself clear. Zero tolerance in this case is the fact that at the mention of the Christian God or upholding Christian morals atheistical Europe would douse such "uproars" as probably irrational. Well, it's a "secular" society, I agree, so no problem.
My question here is, if there's such a dissent for God in Europe, why is the Islamic religion on the rise? Considering the low birth rates of Europeans, there's a possiblity Europe would soon be overtaken by the religion.

why don't we have atheist rulers all over europe if europeans have moved to Catholicism.

I think you meant moved from, right?  

Christianity is openly practiced and accepted in european.

I have explained myself on the issue of zero tolerance. Practiced and accepted yes, but by a minority. However it's so called practice and acceptance should not also distort the fact that there's an unspoken/spoken detest through mockery for the religion. If you put two and two together, it's not really tolerated.

mazaje:

europeans are rapidly now moving past organized religion they have mostly been dechristainized, americans are gradually moving towards that direction too. . . . .

. . . yeah and Islam's rising . . .

Let me make myself clear. Zero tolerance in this case is the fact that at the mention of the Christian God or upholding Christian morals atheistical Europe would douse such "uproars" as probably irrational. Well, it's a "secular" society, I agree, so no problem.
My question here is, if there's such a dissent for God in Europe, why is the Islamic religion on the rise? Considering the low birth rates of Europeans, there's a possiblity Europe would soon be overtaken by the religion.

that's not intolerance, just fair criticism. atheist are called demonic and other names too. intolerance againts christianity is what happens in china and not europe. islam is on the rise due to immigration. i doubt europeans would be overtaken by islam. regardless of i they become a numerical minority, europeans have a slick way of holding on to power. this happened in southern african. secularism is here to stay in europe. even turkey considers itself a secular state. it's important to take note that the children of muslim immigrants in europe are usually less conservative than their parents.

I have explained myself on the issue of zero tolerance. Practiced and accepted yes, but by a minority

any proof the religion is practiced by a minority? mockery isn't intolerance. if so eddy murphy and chris rock are the most intolerant people on earth

hey wats up?am new in here dont know much on how to get into conversation with you guys,anyone can help?thanx,and when mostly are people online chatting?

hello stillwater
how are you doing maam?

Christain, and when I say Christains I mean Christains that see Christianity with Nigerian eyes, will not believe that Christianity is dwindling in Europe. Even the Pope himself have said that christianity is dwindling. Im a living witness, here in UK Churches are being sold. Sold to Nigerians/Africans to start a church. Sold to restaurants. I have cn a church converted to mosque here in UK. In Europe most young ppl have no religion affiliation. Infact they take religion as a culture, just like we take our Juju/Babalawos as part of our cultures despite being Christains/Muslims. That is y they define some religions as organised, while others as animistic or , some sorth of names. They dont even shout God/Jesus in bad situations, they shout Bleep! Damn!, nd they are not bothered. None of my classmates believe in any form of religion. And those in UK or some European Countries like france, Sweeden can attest to that. Those

Modern culture is destroying faith, pope warns
Oct 5, 2008

ROME (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI attacked the Godless character of modern culture as he celebrated mass Sunday in a Roman basilica to mark the opening of a synod of Catholic bishops.

In a sombre homily in which he suggested that Christianity in Europe could become extinct like some Christian communities in history, the pope told more than 250 bishops from around the world that societies which rebelled against God in the past had faced His "punishment".

Benedict warned that "nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture".

Benedict however tempered his speech by saying "if in certain regions, faith weakens to the point of fading away, there will always be other people ready to receive it," adding "evil and death never have the final word."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j3sJBOY94YG--Hywnc03fGh8ad-g