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
    11·
    1 year 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·
      1 year 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·
        1 year 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.