why is the US so far behind when it comes to the percentage of people who have the TRUTH?

Question

look at how few atheists there are in the US compared to these other countries. why is this?

China 8 - 14% - Totaling : 103,907,840 - 181,838,720
Japan 64 - 65% - Totaling : 81,493,120 - 82,766,450
Russia 24 - 48% - Totaling : 34,507,680 - 69,015,360
Vietnam 81% - Totaling : 66,978,900
Germany 41 - 49% - Totaling : 33,794,250 - 40,388,250
France 43 - 54% - Totaling : 25,982,320 - 32,628,960
USA 3 - 9% - Totaling : 8,790,840 - 26,822,520
Britain 31 - 44% - Totaling : 18,684,010 - 26,519,240
South Korea 30 - 52% - Totaling : 14,579,400 - 25,270,960
Canada 19 - 30% - Totaling : 6,176,520 - 9,752,400

to thecloseserpant - don't worry, i'm not american, in fact, i'm not even atheist lol

christy - the stats actually came from a recent question in here, look through them to find it and there's a link. (i would but i have to leave for work now, sorry)

kallan - no, i'm still pagan, i'm just messing with everyone lol : )

Answer 1

Inertia, pure and simple.

It takes WILL, and EFFORT, to break from the traditions of your family and peers -- particularly when you consider how until very recently even VOICING dissent from the "groupthink" was a crime punishable by death.

But you will also notice that those numbers are growing every year; and even those who claim to be religious practice such a watered-down version of their faith (e.g.; the "C&E" Christians, cherry-picking for themselves which rules to follow and which are "metaphor", etc.) that they would have been considered blasphemers in their own church a mere century ago....

Answer 2

It's a bit interesting, although I'm surprised that you're so quick to label atheism the "TRUTH" when you're not even an atheist.

Also, the idea that Vietnam is 81% atheist is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Where are these statistics coming from? Did they not have Buddhism as an option?

Answer 3

You use the word "TRUTH" in much the same way theist who knock on my door use it. In other words, to be enlightened, one must accept a particular world view over another world view. Atheism is personal *truth* for lack of a better word. Atheism should be the natural result of personal study and education. Further, China, Vietnam, and Russia, as a socialist nations, would have a high percentage of atheist. Other Asian countries, Japan and South Korea practice Buddhism and Shinto, which are religions without traditional deities, so culturally, atheism has been the accepted norm for centuries.

Answer 4

I'd say from my experiance about 35% of the UK is atheist though thats specuation on my part but Go veitnam!! haha beating america at something else now!! ok that wasn't funny but the thing is, i expect these figures will have risen quite dramatically in the next 10 years or so

Answer 5

Interesting that only 14% of communist China's population describe themselves as atheist.
They are supposed to all be atheists according to Mao.
The answer to your question is "the truth is not in you - America has not yet lost faith. In the race towards atheism and futility, the US is behind, and good on them!"
There's nothing good about losing your faith in a greater good.

Answer 6

Your answer is brainwashing, which is sanctioned and even encouraged by your government. You can't even hold a position in governmnet in most states if you are an atheist. People despise them openly. This prevents people from owning up to the fact that they don't really believe what is being forced on them.

Answer 7

Friend, I hate to tell you, your figures are incorrect, You have 2 lines of thought, One is that someone thinks they have the truth & the second is they do have the truth, These countries you mentioned, do not even allow the Spiritual truth to be mentioned, Therefore they take a carnal poll & not a spiritual poll.

Answer 8

So, Riegan, by stating that atheists have the TRUTH, are you saying you're no longer a pagan?

I'm not big on statistics.. they are generally not a representative of the population.

Answer 9

I don't trust polls and stats entirely. Often, they are very, very skewed. The U.S. Census states that only about 12% of the population is black, but I think that number is very low.

I would venture to say that more than 9% of the country is atheist.

Answer 10

I don't know that atheism is "the TRUTH." It's rather like theism insofar as its adherents are absolutely certain on the basis of insufficient evidence.