Ask Americans what their religion is, and nearly 1 in 3 say this -- none. That’s according to the U.S. adults surveyed by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy the beauty of the morning. “And it felt more spiritual than any time I set foot in a church,” he recalled.

Nothing has changed that view in the ensuing decades.

“Most religions are there to control people and get money from them,” said Dulak, now 76, of Rocheport, Missouri. He also cited sex abuse scandals in Catholic and Southern Baptist churches. “I can’t buy into that,” he said.

  • bob_wiley@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    9 months ago

    Maybe the anti-groups, who make it their mission to shit on someone else’s life are the real cancer to society… doesn’t matter that it is. If someone isn’t hurting anyone, live and let live.

      • bob_wiley@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        9 months ago

        Not every religious person does that though. What you’re saying isn’t much different than someone saying “Millennials are entitled and lazy,” it’s assigning something to a diverse group and ignoring the individual. Some religious people are pushy, but not all of them. There was religious guy I worked with years ago who was really into it, but he never pushed it. And if we started talking about stuff that made him uncomfortable, he’d simply go for a walk. He wouldn’t go to HR or preach to us, or anything like that. He’s just remove himself from the situation, let it pass, and come back. The pushy ones are a vocal minority.

        • electrogamerman@lemmy.world
          11·
          9 months ago

          The problem is they are still part of the same group.

          If there is an anti lgbt protest organized by christians or muslims or whatever, sure im not saying 100% of all christians and muslims are there, but even if its 1% of the christians or muslims, these 1% are still in church with the rest of the christians or muslims, and the remaining 99% are not doing anything about it. They are not coning out and saying “That 1% of religious people are not a part of us”. They all care is about growing their religious groups, and anything else doesn’t matter.

          • bob_wiley@lemmy.worldEnglish
            11·
            9 months ago

            I can almost guarantee you’re a hypocrite and are a member of some sort of “group”, by choice or not, that associates you with people doing things you, or others, think is evil.

            • electrogamerman@lemmy.world
              1·
              9 months ago

              First of all, I dont associate myself with people doing bad things to others. It’s really easy to do honestly. I recommend you to do it too.

              Second, are you saying is ok for religious people to be antilgbt because other people are part of some group, by choice or not, that associates with people doing things you, or others, think is evil?

              • bob_wiley@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                9 months ago

                I’m saying you don’t know what everyone in every large group you’re apart of does. If you claim to, you’re lying. The groups some passer by could associate you with number in the millions or billions.

                I’m saying that “religious people” is a massive group… 2.4B Christians, almost 2B Muslims, 1.2B Hindus, 500M Buddhists… and on we go… 6.6B people, or 85% of the globe, is in the group of “religious people”. Source.

                To say being apart of that groups makes some antilgbt is crazy, as there are many lgbt people are members of that group. Are they all self-hating? You can’t assign guilt to a group of 6 billion people based on the actions of a few. I mean, you can, but no one should take you seriously. In a group of 6 billion people you will have a complete cross-section of the human experience. Everyone and everything, other than the specific thing you’re grouping by, will be represented. And since you’re controlling based on religion and not by opinions on lgbt people, all opinions on lgbt people will be represented in a group that large.