Why does religion continue to grow?

[abaris]

Have you read his "oh yeah? Well I have a theory of god!" tantrum in response to being straightened out on what a scientific theory is in the "stump a christian" thread? Toddler might be about right.

No, but I read his history not being science. Which admittedly made me go over the edge, since it's my field of expertise. Willfully ignorant little shit, that one.

[Ravenshire]

According to Pew Research, religion will continue to grow worldwide through 2050. 

• Christianity will grow numerically (+800,000,000), but stay the same as a % of the world's population: 31.4% (the largest)
  
• Muslims will grow in both categories and should garner about 29.7% of the world's population by 2050
  
• Unaffiliated (including atheists and agnostics) grows a little numerically, but goes down from 16.4% to 13.2% of the world's population.
  

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/relig...2010-2050/

In spite of your superior intellect, logic, and scientific proof to the contrary, your message that God is dead does not seem to be getting out. 

I'm interested to hear your theories of why by 2050, contrary to 300 years of predictions, almost 3,000,000,000 Christians will be sitting in pews around the world praying for the salvation of your grand kids. 

Translation:
My argument trying to counter science to claim my god-boy is real didn't work so I'll make an appeal to numbers. That one's always really convincing!!!

Steve, who is the greatest musical mind ever?

[Faith No More]

In spite of all the statistics and breakdowns of demographics, every day when you wake up there are more Christians in the USA and the world.

In spite of? No, no, no, Stevie, you can't drop some statistics to demonstrate some tenuous conclusion when a proper evaluation of those statistics is shoved back in your face. An actual evaluation shows that Christianity is only thriving in poor, uneducated areas while the trend in the first world is towards non-religion. If you want to tout these unfavorable statistics in support of Christianity, more power to you, but don't just try to hand-wave away the fact that the statistics don't say what you want them to.

[dyresand]

Religion only thrives in the third world because they do not have the opportunities like a developed nation has. For one only so many people get a decent enough education.
Religion still holds those people back and keep them ignorant. They can progress and be advanced the civilized like the first world. As far as religion growing its growing in places where humanity is at is all time low so yeah.....how does that make you feel... even the middle east of all places and pakistan is turning atheist due to the years of religious laws and terrorism starting to have a negative affect on the general populace. If anything those religions may grow islam my grow but in its wake atheism will grow behind it.

[comet]

religion thrives where there is no hope. Atheism doesn't offer hope. It works for logical people with less emotion like me. Over organized religion will drop, but "belief" in something will stay the same will. Simply because belief in no-nothing has counters observational data.

[dyresand]

religion thrives where there is no hope.  Atheism doesn't offer hope.  It works for logical people with less emotion like me.  Over organized religion will drop, but "belief" in something will stay the same will.  Simply because belief in no-nothing has counters  observational data.

We don't offer hope we offer a shoulder to lean on and a hand to help you up. Where as religion you have faith to fall on and nothing more. 
Atheism and atheist help others because its the right thing to do. 

[Endgame]

According to Pew Research, religion will continue to grow worldwide through 2050. 

• Christianity will grow numerically (+800,000,000), but stay the same as a % of the world's population: 31.4% (the largest)
  
• Muslims will grow in both categories and should garner about 29.7% of the world's population by 2050
  
• Unaffiliated (including atheists and agnostics) grows a little numerically, but goes down from 16.4% to 13.2% of the world's population.
  

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/relig...2010-2050/

In spite of your superior intellect, logic, and scientific proof to the contrary, your message that God is dead does not seem to be getting out. 

I'm interested to hear your theories of why by 2050, contrary to 300 years of predictions, almost 3,000,000,000 Christians will be sitting in pews around the world praying for the salvation of your grand kids. 

I probably disagree with the Pew Research.
Although a lot of people refer to themselves as Christians, the Bible knowledge of today's generation is so poor the Christian identity would mainly be revealed in Politics or going to an occasional church wedding or a baptism.
And since Politics never brings the best in any religion, Christianity would continue in name only.

Then many would get disappointed in Christianity and do something else instead.

[Regina]

Because stupid people have tend to have more children.

Seriously though, it really frustrates me when I hear this

"*name* renounced their Christian faith.... and converted to Islam"

or the opposite

"*name* is an ex-Muslim... now they have found Jesus"

Walking out of one vapid delusion straight into another.

[tjakey]

I suspect religion hangs on because human kind is still in infant species with an nascent intelligence that barely registers on any cosmic scale. As such we still fear death, unable to fit it into our view of our own importance. Religion is our way of clinging to our delusion of grandeur.

[robvalue]

We have the ability to ask some really huge questions, but lack the ability to answer them (yet). Many people also seem to feel uncomfortable with not having these answers, so would rather accept made up ones with no evidence rather than just be content saying we don't know yet.

"What is the square root of 8?”

"I don't know. Somewhere between 2 and 3.”

"But what is it exactly?"

"I don't know."

"It's 2.5!"

"No, it isn't. That is definitely wrong."

"But you just said you don't know the answer! How can you say I am wrong? At least I have an answer."