Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheese
If it was fact that a move away from Christianity caused greater control by other groups...whether that be big business or big government...how do we explain the vast majority of secular Europe? Is it controlled by Big Brother? Do we see Lawyers controlling large tracts of Europe?
Sweden, Holland, Denmark, France, Britain and Germany are largely secular, yet very much differing nations...how do we see the lack of influence by the Church as harmful to its people? Does the fact that some of these nations are Socialist matter?
I simply dont buy that a move away from theistic control is anything but positive.
Theists are men and women of departing generations. Fields such as anthropology, psychology, physiology, ethics, sociology, paleontology, and biology have grown unhindered in the last 50 years as theistic roots have been ripped away from the minds of our youth. There is NO higher authority in the world IMHO than science.
Mysticism and control of young minds and educational systems, securing the service of the press, bullying publishers and booksellers, censoring public libraries is being removed from the grips of Christianity....for that we must be thankful to atheists.
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The state filled the vacuum in those countries too. The secondary urges dominate politics in Europe, whether it's the 35 hour work week, the non-firing legislation of those under 25, the state-ensured pensions, the government mandated vacation time, the list goes on and on. The belief that this life is it leads to a disturbing pattern of hedonism and later on civilizational decline. Funny thing is all of the above mentioned countries have fertility rates below that of replacement, some of them as low as 1.3-1.4. Meaning they'll manage to wipe their citizenry off the map in a few generations. They have lower fertility due to increased abortion rates and lower marriage rates as well. Who will pay for such lavish old-age security entitlements once two thirds of the populace is beyond retirement? As far as producing new generations of offspring is concerned, religious states seem to be doing a better job.
No people = No advancements in scientific knowledge