A Growing Share of Americans Say It’s Not Necessary to Believe in God to be Moral

Pew Research ^ | 10/16/17 | Gregory A. Smith

[marshmallow]

Most U.S. adults now say it is not necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values (56%), up from about half (49%) who expressed this view in 2011. This increase reflects the continued growth in the share of the population that has no religious affiliation, but it also is the result of changing attitudes among those who do identify with a religion, including white evangelical Protestants.

Surveys have long shown that religious “nones” – those who describe themselves religiously as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – are more likely than those who identify with a religion to say that belief in God is not a prerequisite for good values and morality. So the public’s increased rejection of the idea that belief in God is necessary for morality is due, in large part, to the spike in the share of Americans who are religious “nones.”

Indeed, the growth in the share of Americans who say belief in God is unnecessary for morality tracks closely with the growth in the share of the population that is religiously unaffiliated. In the 2011 Pew Research Center survey that included the question about God and morality, religious “nones” constituted 18% of the sample. By 2017, the share of “nones” stood at 25%.

But the continued growth of the “nones” is only part of the story. Attitudes about the necessity of belief in God for morality have also changed among those who do identify with a religion. Among all religiously affiliated adults, the share who say belief in God is unnecessary for morality ticked up modestly, from 42% in 2011 to 45% in 2017.

[Shark24]

Thanks. I find if you give the teens something like this video to kick off a discussion, it leads to a deeper engagement in the subject with them. God bless!

[AmericanMade]

Thank you for posting. I am looking for a church that teaches right from wrong. Now in churches, the message is love everyone, volunteer and give. Sends a signal if you do these things sexual immorality and the other destructive sins are ok. This culture is in desparate need of spiritual and morale guidance. As a parent, guidance from the pulpit helps guide children as well. I feel like a lone voice now when teaching my kids. Mostly I point out the destruction of other young people my kids know as evidence. I wish there was another way.

[righttackle44]

Romans 1:28-32

28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

[jpsb]

A growing share of Americans could not think there way out of a wet paper bag.

There is no morality without God.

"If God did not exist mankind would be forced to invent Him."

[GailA]

Matthew 19:16-30
A Rich Man Refuses to Follow Jesus

16 A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”

17 Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have eternal life, obey the law’s commands.”

18 The man asked, “Which ones?”

Jesus answered, “‘You must not murder anyone, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not tell lies about others, 19 you must respect your father and mother,’[a] and ‘love your neighbor[b] the same as you love yourself.’[c]”

20 The young man said, “I have obeyed all these commands. What else do I need?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all that you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me!”

22 But when the young man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich. So he left.

23 Then Jesus said to his followers, “The truth is, it will be very hard for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom. 24 Yes, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”

25 The followers were amazed to hear this. They asked, “Then who can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “This is something that people cannot do. But God can do anything.”

27 Peter said to him, “We left everything we had and followed you. So what will we have?”

28 Jesus said to them, “When the time of the new world comes, the Son of Man will sit on his great and glorious throne. And I can promise that you who followed me will sit on twelve thrones, and you will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 Everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get much more than they left. And they will have eternal life. 30 Many people who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.

[HLPhat]

>>None of these fools thinks to ask why they have the present “morality” they do.

Romans Chapter 1 knows why: 

Rom 1:24-26

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this....

Luke 17:1-4

7 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves.

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

NIV

[HLPhat]

belief in God is unnecessary for morality tracks 

Interesting how The Word doesn't contradict Natural Law when it comes to governing Human reproductive behavior.

What does this mean?

XX + XX = FAIL

XY + XY = FAIL

XX + XY = Human

[DungeonMaster]

Unimportant.

Christians are saves sinners and a perfectly moral person who is not a Christian is still a sinner, a doomed sinner.

[joethedrummer]

You are NOT alone!!!

Until I read your post here, I thought I was alone.

There has to be a LOT of us around.

[reasonisfaith]

Please understand what I’m saying: if an atheist is good on purpose, the good only comes from the God he denies.

[IrishBrigade]

‘Upon what foundational principles do you base all of your moral and ethical decisions?’

do not do unto others what you would not have others do unto you...

‘Are these principles absolute?’

there can be no compromise of the above, else morality would not exist...

‘Who can change them?’

as is quite evident by the violation of the above on many levels, anyone who wishes to change them can, as they can change any religiously based tenets they find objectionable...

[IrishBrigade]

‘It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for those who describe themselves religiously as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” to enter into the Kingdom of God.’

and this you know how, other than having someone else tell you so...?

[okie 54]

Can person can believe a lot of thing but come judgment day it might have paid to believe in God

[IrishBrigade]

‘Morality must be re-defined in order to consider a Godless man “moral”.’

please indicate what ‘re-definitions’ are necessary...please be specific...

[IrishBrigade]

‘there are a lot of genuinely good people that refuse to believe and it is tragic to know that so many of us who are saved but can’t act as good as they do will reap the rewards they ignore.’

your comment supports entirely the concept that non-believers can have as much moral rectitude as anyone else who goes about wearing faith on his sleeve; which is, after all, the premise of the article...

[trebb]

I can go with that - we are all His children and He loves even those who deny him - for now.....

He will still love those who fail to accept their Salvation and it will grieve Him....

[ravenwolf]

Most U.S. adults now say it is not necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values

---

i believe people who understands the Bible has always been aware of that.

The Bible plainly tells us that the do goods never believed that Jesus nor his apostles were moral.

The thing that sets Christians apart moral wise is doing the right thing even if it is wrong according to the so called moral society.

[ravenwolf]

Honest work is for fools.

---

The article is most likely right on and that is why the Bible tells us that many will be called but few chosen, meaning the majority of us will end up in hell, where ever and what ever that is.

[reasonisfaith]

Amen.

[HLPhat]

Good questions.

http://duckduckgo.com/?q=I+know+but+one+code+of+morality+Jefferson

What did Jefferson have in mind?