A few questions about religion Hello, my name is Fiona and im from Australia and im currently in my last year of high school. Im completing a project for one of my subjects called "society and culture" and if anyone could answer a few questions for me that would be really helpful. These questions are not meant to offend anybody and if they do i apologise. Please answer the questions in detail and honestly. Your answers will be confidential.

1: What religion were your parents?

2: Were they active participants in this religion?

3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?

4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?

5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?

6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your religion

7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion?

8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?

1: What religion were your parents?
Baptist

2: Were they active participants in this religion?
Yes

3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?
No, I do not support churches as I feel they are hypocritical.

4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?
I have studied it and decided many times over that I am believer but not aligned. My parents never pushed a religious belief on me only shared theirs with me.

5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?
Same as it was 40 years ago.

6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your religion
among the aging boomers yes, but among younger people no.

7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion?
I believe atheism has achieved a new high in this country. As a choice it is ok for those who really do not believe. But I have met a few who actually use it to justify there actions.(not anyone here :D )

8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?
see above.

1: What religion were your parents?
-- Buddhism

2: Were they active participants in this religion?
-- Yes

3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?
-- I have no religion

4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?
-- see above

5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?
-- It depends on what society you speak of. In the US the general impression is one of confusion towards people who are not religious nor athiest.

6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your religion
-- More people are living without a religion today. Increase.

7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion? + 8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?
-- Communication makes it more difficult for certain religions to dominate regionally as they once did and people are presented with a lot more options today. Perhaps many people realized they can live comfortably in today's society (we have a lot higher living standards now) without any religion to comfort them.

thanks heaps for replying guys. The more replys i get the better my research will be . :)

1: What religion were your parents?
No religion, really

2: Were they active participants in this religion?
Not applicable

3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?
I am an atheist, so again not applicable

4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?
A conscious decision. I went through not caring (just following my parents) to Christianity (due to my aunt & uncle pressuring me), then I become an atheist due to my own introspection and reflection.

5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?
Generally, atheists, agnostics, and to some extent, skeptics, are looked upon with a range from amusement to amazement ("You don't believe in God?!") to derision.

6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your religion
Yes

7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion?
Many reasons. First of all, in today's fast-paced, immediate-reward society, people have less time and patience to be active in a religion. Also, there are many more "thinkers" in today's society than there were before the Industrial Revolution or even 50 years ago. We basically are more skeptical, and religion is one of those things we have become more skeptical about as a society. Also, there is far less pressure to become a Christian than there was even 50 years ago, though the pressure is still there to "conform".

8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?
In my case, same as #7

1: What religion were your parents?
Catholic

2: Were they active participants in this religion?
Very

3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?
Ha, hell no.

4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?
Originally it was just following them. I call it brainwashing... but now I'm agnostic leaning athiest

5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?
As in the athiests? I say there is far to much distrust and hatred looked their way.

6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your "religion"
Yep

7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion?
I'd say people are getting smarter :D
For only so long can you capture people with the fear of hell, the joy of heaven. All with no proof.

8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?
See above.

1: What religion were your parents?
my dad's jewish and my mom is quaker
2: Were they active participants in this religion?
no
3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?
well, i'm an atheist
4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?
conscious decision, though my parents are of different religions so that could have influenced my lack of belief
5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?
i find that there's a lot of stereotyping and misunderstanding of atheists, though not as much where i live in new york
6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your religion
yes
7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion?
the times they are a changin', its becoming more acceptable to be secular, so i think more people who wouldn't admit to it before are being more open about it now
8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?
ideas spread more freely, and people are more educated than they were in the past, also what vile said, they must be getting smarter :)

Originally posted by sputnik

2: Were they active participants in this religion?
no
3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?
well, i'm an atheist


what about mosh? yes, it's not an active participation in the religous part of judiasm, but it's a secular jewish environment. not sure what sort of category it falls into, but it's definitely jewish, thugh not religious

i'd consider that under the "culture" not "religion" category. and the survey is about religion, which moshava is certianly not.

1. Jehovah's Witness
2. Yes
3. Close
4. Conscious desicion
5. Greatly misrepresented
6. Yes
7. When explained properly to reasonable individuals our message is very appealing
8. People recognize the mass hypocrisy in general when it comes to religion

1. My parents were Presbyterian, then Methodist, then Presbyterian again, and now they are Baptists.

2. They were active in all of these when they were members.

3. I am a little bit more active than they were when I was a kid, but not as active as they are now.

4. After trying several other brands of spirituality, including atheism, Buddhism, agnosticism, and several Christian denominations, I returned to Presbyterianism.

5. Largely misunderstood, because there are many who call themselves "Presbyterians" while denying many of the tenets of the basic founding documents such as the Westminster Confession and the Catechisms. Also, as you can see from a lot of the posts on forums such as this, there is a lot of intolerance, ignorance, hatred, and bigotry directed at Christians in general.

6. The Presbyterian Church in America has been growing.

7. I think most people join a church because they like the people that go there. I'm sure they agree with the teachings for the most part, but the bottom line is that most people want to spend time with like-minded people in fellowship.

8. Many religions require some degree of accountability. This makes people very uncomfortable, particularly in our increasingly autonomous Western culture.

1: What religion were your parents?

Baptist Christian.

2: Were they active participants in this religion?

Fairly active. Moreso than most Christians tend to be.

3: Do you feel you are as active in your religion as your parents were?

More active than them, though my "religion" (Buddhism - More like a philosiphy.. no gods or goddesses) is deeply personal anyway and designed to be ever-present.

4: Was your decision to participate in this religion a conscious decision or recognition of your parents belief system?

Conscious decision. I was really cacked out from Christianity (abuse up the wazoo, physical and emotional) and I needed something to turn to to help me put stability back in my life and to overcome some serious issues. Buddhism does that for me.

5: How do you feel that your religion is represented in society today?

Represented? I don't think it is, nor does it need to be.

6: Do you think there has been an increase in participants of your religion

Yes. I would say that as Christianity and the major religions lose followers, Buddhism will gain.

7: Why do you think there has been an increase/decrease in your religion?

It's peaceful. Ultimately, 99% of the people on the planet want peace. And not every religion out there can provide it.

8: Why do you think there has been a decrease in religion generally?

A lot of people are too wrapped up in the "me" to recognize any spirituality they have.

thank you so much guys your help is really appreiciated. The more responses the better!! :)

There is only but one true religion, which one is it? Will the real religion please step forward.

Humans and there teachings, books, etc... does not make a religion true, only another opinion of an unproven theory.

questions

{1 & 2} They were/are catholic, but do not act like a cult. They believe what they believe without threatening others or pushing their beliefs.

{3}I don't consider myself religious, but more spiritual. I don't need a book or someone elses veiw to believe what I know to hold truth.

{4}It was more of an accidental finding, life is what it is nothing more nothing less. Societies have away of adding crap that doesn't belong.

{5}My beliefs are looked at in a weird way by most, and excepted by others. Some religions fear what is different from them so they do what they can to destroy or bring down others.

{6}Yes, but I could care less. religion, spiritual feelings, etc... should not be judged by who or how many join, but should be left up to the individual. Jim Jones had lots of followers but what good did it do for them??? In the end they ended up dead because of a lunatic.

{7} There will be an increase in everything until humans stop multiplying. 20+ years ago there were only 4 billion people now there are 6.5+ billion people so of coarse all things are growing. People change their point of veiw every year, things change. does this mean there is a less of a God/Gods????? not really The only thing this means is there are more opinions{human ideas}.

{8} There HAS NOT been a decrease in religion only an add on of more opinions an ideas. Religion can not change it is what it was, people change ideas change opinions change, but if the religion is true it is absolute.