How do we slay the dragon?

[Tonus]

Besides that, just look at China, the religion of Mao (with his face plastered all over that nation) is gone and it is projected there will be more Christians there than in the US in a couple of decades.

That's quite possible, due to the sheer numbers and the likelihood that religion will take hold for a while as a novelty or a way to rebel against the old culture. That, combined with shrinking numbers of Christians in the USA, could eventually lead to China having more Christians in the USA.

Then you'd all need to figure out how many of those are True Christians™.

[Whateverist]

We're fucked.

We might well be because humans are just apes playing with dangerous toys which some science specialists have invented for us.

If our technological civilisation collapsed tomorrow who would be the most useful people to have around?

1: Theoretical physcisists
2: Craftsmen and women whose skills are now relegated to hobby activities such as spinning, weaving, woodworking and basket making.
3: Hands-on archaeologists who have learned how to make primitive forges for metal working and useful tools from flint and obsidian
4: Primitive tribes who could teach everyone how to survive by hunter/gathering and subsistence farming

Seemingly 4, but that would require our numbers to shrink tremendously. Skills for surviving in a state of nature would only be useful if the web of life were sufficiently robust enough to sustain us. We've done a lot to cut that web out from under ourselves. So retreat from specialization may not be an option. Therefore, fucked.

Popular culture doesn't value academics or reflection. I see very little reason for hope. Certainly there is no evolutionary vehicle for selecting for smarter.

I found a very interesting video by Ken Robinson

Sir Kenneth Robinson (born 4 March 1950) is an English author, speaker, and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education, and arts bodies. He was Director of The Arts in Schools Project (1985–89), Professor of Arts Education at the University of Warwick (1989–2001), and was knighted in 2003 for services to education.

His point is that modern education stifles creativity because academic achievement has come to dominate our ideas of intelligence. It's real purpose is to turn out university professors. He's a very entertaining speaker so his talk isn't boring to listen to.

Not boring at all. Highly entertaining in fact. Good point about making sure the concept of 'smart' we work from (or toward) isn't too limited.

So does anyone think we can educate our way to smarter/ more creative? Of course, if you listen to what he says on that video, education has become too narrow. More a force for shutting down creativity than for developing it. Speaking as someone inside the system, I have to doubt it. Accountability and the rest of the business approach to education will not get you there.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I think the only model with any prospect of success is the "scientific revolution" model, where the old guard die off, and the Young Turks hold more libertine views; and even that model, analogized into this process of eliiminating religion, will require many generations of Young Turks, and still will not eliminate it, but only ameliorate its worst excesses.

[Cato]

We should call Dirk the Daring.

[ThePinsir]

Which book is this? It sounds amazing. Does want/10.

[BlackMason]

We can only hope for the dragon to realise that it is a worm masquerading as dragon.

[Whateverist]

Magic dragon darts? Sword of invincibility? Become what we despise about what xtains have done historically?

[RobbyPants]

it is projected there will be more Christians there than in the US in a couple of decades.

Where do you get that from?

Here

Now, they're talking about raw numbers, there, so it's not surprising. With a population that huge, they can out number America with Christians and still have Christianity be a solidly minority position in the country.

The article I linked uses the wording "most Christian nation" which is misleading as hell, since most people think in terms of rate and not raw numbers when wording things like that. Technically, by their measure, in 15 years, China will simultaneously be the most Christian and most atheist nation.

All semantics aside, Christianity is growing in China. It's shrinking in most of the developed world, but religion is growing in much of the undeveloped world.

[Mudhammam]

Which book is this? It sounds amazing. Does want/10.

Do you mean the Russell book, Pinsir? If so, it's "Why I Am Not A Christian And other essays on religion and related subjects," compiled by Paul Edwards. There's also a great Appendix at the end that summarizes how the Christian inquisitors in the U.S. during the early 1940s banned Russell from teaching mathematics at City College in NYC because of his "immoral character" and for encouraging the "damnable felony of homosexualism."

[Whateverist]

There's also a great Appendix at the end that summarizes how the Christian inquisitors in the U.S. during the early 1940s banned Russell from teaching mathematics at City College in NYC because of his "immoral character" and for encouraging the "damnable felony of homosexualism."

And if there is one thing xtians can't seem to resist is an opportunity to damn something.