Figures from the annual Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, run by ScotCen social researchers, have shown the highest ever proportion of non-religious people.
The new findings from Scotland’s most authoritative survey of public attitudes show that nearly six in ten (58%) now say that they have no religion, up 18 points on 1999 when the figure stood at four in ten (40%).
Young people are least likely to be religious; three quarters of young people (74% of 18-34s) say they have no religion compared with 34% of those over 65.
Commenting on the new figures, Gordon MacRae, Chief Executive of Humanist Society Scotland said:
Gordon MacRae, HSS Chief Executive
“This change is part of a long term trend that has seen more and more people in Scotland live happy and fulfilled lives without a religious belief.
“Humanist weddings for example are now more numerous in Scotland than any religious service.
“Today’s figures help support Humanist Society Scotland’s long held view that we should end privileges that some faith groups unfairly enjoy. A modern Scotland should ensure individuals of all faiths and none are equally respected.”
While Exodus is a film still in its funding stage, this promising project hopes to become a feature-length documentary about the growing number of African-Americans leaving religion and the prejudice and social problems they face as part of the most religious demographic in America.
Many people are surprised to learn that there are Black non-believers and while the numbers identifying as atheists are small, only 1 or 2 percent by the lowest estimates, the proportion of African-Americans who are not affiliated with a particular religion is about the same as it is for the general population of the United States, amounting to several million.
For Americans who are only slightly aware of the growing trend of African-Americans leaving religion the question is: who are the Black non-believers and where are they?
This important film will challenge stereotypes, promote dialogue, and provide a true insight into the lives of Black non-believers. Yet Black non-believers remain practically invisible in their communities and may be the most closeted group in America.
Project narrative
The church is a focal point of the African American community but many former adherents are declaring themselves non-believers and leaving the faith of their ancestors. They identify themselves as nonreligious, non-believers, Humanist, agnostic, or atheist but they all disassociate with the religion that is the focal point of their communities.
In this film, African American non-believers will tell us in interviews and conversation what caused them to leave the church, the social and personal problems that resulted, the ways their lives have been changed, and why identification as a non-believer is important to them. Pastors and theologians commenting on this trend provide a counterpoint revealing how the African American church and community are responding to this growing exodus.
The “sizzle reel” for Exodus features Alix Jules, Bridgett Bria Crutchfield and Pastor Lorenzo Neal.
Alix Jules
Alix Jules: Jules is a secular activist in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area commonly involved in issues and topics regarding the role of diversity in the atheist community as well as atheism in diverse communities. He’s the chair of the Dallas/Fort Worth Coalition of Reason’s Diversity Council, Organizer for Black Nonbelievers of Dallas, and is a founding member of the largest family-based secular humanist organization in Texas, the Fellowship of Freethought. Jules is a regular co-host on Dogma Debate.
Bridgett Bria Crutchfield
Bridgett Bria Crutchfield: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bridgett (known as ‘Bria’) was raised, baptized and dis-fellowshipped from Jehovah’s Witness faith. She segued to Pentecostal Christianity and assumed leadership roles as Prophetess, Intercessory Prayer Warrior and Evangelist. After careful consideration, Bria realized she was an Atheist. In 2011, she Founded Minority Atheists of MI, and founded the Detroit affiliate of Black Nonbelievers in 2013.
Pastor Lorenzo Neal
Pastor Lorenzo Neal: Neal is pastor of the New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jackson, MS. He is also a licensed pastoral counselor and writes about Black Evangelical Christian issues and socio-political issues.
The Filmmakers
Producer/Director David Person is an accomplished professional journalist and consultant with more than 25 years of experience as a broadcaster, producer, and reporter. David Person has hosted and produced two nationally distributed public radio documentaries: Uncommon Courage: The Viola Liuzzo Story and The Afro: Personal Reflections. In addition, he has done feature reporting for National Public Radio. His most recent documentary project is The Biblical Prophets of the Qu’ran, an examination of the commonalities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Executive Producer Charles R. “Chuck” Miller is a secular activist and consultant. He was a founding director of the Secular Coalition for Alabama and served as that organization’s Executive Director. He is American Atheists Regional Director and a Life Member of that organization. His writing has appeared in American Atheist Magazine.
Advisory Board
Dr. Dedrick Blue is Dean of the Department of Religion and Theology of Oakwood University. He also serves as a board member at that institution and was Senior Pastor of the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York, NY.
Mandisa Lateefah Thomas is the co-founder and current President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. a national social and activist organization founded in 2011.
Mandisa Thomas
How to support the film
Filmmakers are actively seeking financial support to fully examine this trend through a combination of crowdfunding, grant writing, and foundation support.
Follow @ExodusTheDoc on Twitter and retweet to your followers.
Contributions can be made by sending funds via PayPal.me/Exodoc.
Underwriters should contact the producers by email at exodusproducers@gmail.com or DM @ExodusTheDoc on Twitter.
Donors who provide $1,000 or more will receive recognition in the credits and institutions making larger grants will be recognized in the opening credits.
Currently, the North Alabama Freethought Association is acting as fiscal sponsor.
This latest ad of Meat & Livestock Australia in the “You’ll Never Lamb Alone” series, it is very insensitive, irresponsible and total nonsense.
Not only it is defaming the religion, it is also highly inappropriate for, Hindu’s, Muslim’s and Buddhist’s as well. So to say all the religions.
Soon this 30-second ad, will be a part of a broader marketing strategy that will also include in-store promotions, billboards and social media posts.
This should be stopped immediately, it can not be accepted whatsoever. We urge to the PM of Australia to please look into this matter at the earliest before it catches eye of foreign media and embrace the racist image of the country world wide.
Here are a few of the comments left at the petition site Change.org in the past week (no corrections have been made for spelling or punctuation):
OMG! How can they make this ad it’s so high highly offensive to Hindu beliefs please stop this ad immediately! lord Ganesh is sacred & we worship him without meat!.Its like tabu to some Hindu’s Please be respectful to what others believe in or worship it’s sac religious ❤JAI SRI GANESH ❤
Disgusting and racist act to show Indian god (Ganesha) having a drink and eat meat. This is a communal attack by few individuals which needs to be ceased immediately.
Very insensitive towards worlds ancient religions. Heads of these organisations should be held responsible and severely punished
Promoting the slaughter of any baby animal is disgusting. I don’t like any marketing of this nature but this
Anything in the public domain must take people’s sensitivities into account . This ad is very hurtful to my Hindu sentiments
This advertisement demonstrates a complete lack of cultural sensitivity and should be banned immediately.
All Indian Gods are vegitarian and showibg them eating meat is pure ignorance and insulting.
There wasnt any mohhamed in the Gods which also shouts partiality
This is against Hindu religion ideolgy
Its an insult to GODS OF HINDU by an Australian Company – Disgusting – Shame for Us we all Australians who are known for Non-Discriminating and Equal Opportunities among all who reside in Australia
It’s defaming. Why bring Gods image in ad.
I believe that Hinduism and Hindu Gods are being targeted by negative forces who are afraid that Hindustan might take over the world one day.
This is a very muted response. This only asks to stop this from going ahead any further. There is not even an apology demanded for the damage already done and emotions hurt.
Incorrect to have shows on different cultures with zero understanding.
This ad is offensive not just to Hindus but every religion. This has no place in civil society.
I believe in respecting the sentiments of people belonging to other religions and expect the same from them for my religion.
these rascals should be booked
I’m signing because it is offensive to make fun of any religion
This is totally unacceptable. Straight attack on a religious belief. Those who created this add are not suitable for their role
Never defame religions in your ads .
Its hurts.
This advertisement doesn’t have any meaning.
The did not get permission from other religions.
The bad thing is hurting the religious people who believe in God…
Not only it is defaming the religion, it is also highly inappropriate for, Hindu’s, Muslim’s and Buddhist’s as well. So to say all the religions
Those responsible should be awarded capital punishment.
It is highly inappropriate . It is against my religion & religious views. It depicts my deities in inappropriate way
Hindus should take a stand against the religious intolerance ad designed to mock u
I abhor this ad and this is racist too.
Don’t make fun of our gods
Violating and provoking the religious beliefs and culture.
Australia has developed into a wonderful country integrating people from so many countries, all living peacefully together
It is a pity when advertising can upset people’s beliefs, this should NOT be encouraged.
It is highly humiliating
Insensitive and Condemnable
Lord Ganesha flanked by an alien and Jesus.
This pure insult to Hindus , why not have the porpht of ismile not included … afraid of Peacefool ?
Its against my Sanatan Dharma ,value system ,strictly objectionable n I condemn this ad
Shamefull ac. Request pm australia to take strict action against these people and the organisation
Because it is ridiculous. Get some knowledge of Santana dharma before doing such a sin….
This advert offends all Hindus by depicting one of our demigods eating meat which is completely against Hindu beliefs.
It is offensive and denies my rights to worship whomever I want
stop making fun of our god’s . And beg Lord Ganesha for pardon.
It is hurting the religious belief and values of over a billion Hindus as Lord/God Ganesha like all other Hindu Gods are considered pious and it is derogatory to associate him promoting lamb
Total shit!!! It needs to be stopped at any cost and the concerned people should apologise unconditionally for this.
Why you people don’t have respect of Hindu Gods…You are a demon.
stop using hindu gods to make marketing stunts,
Not appropriate to belief of millions of people.
Please don’t heart other religions aethist
This is ridiculous. The actor must have been in dire need of money to have even agreed to play the part.
Absolutely digusting!
It’s should been an Ad for good. Please do not hurt feelings of Hindus we believe in God.
I think seriously hurts Hindus.
This is offensive on so many levels. The terrible terrible terrible acting and rediculous script should be mentioned. In this time if global sensitivity it misses the mark and feels like a deliberate stunt to gain publicity.
This is unacceptable and disgraceful. Whoever had made this rubbish obviously has no sense of how to assimilate. There is more to inclusion other than just sharing a meal.
Hindus have always been submissive and social and hurting feelings with videos like this can cause a stir Kindly delete this video ! Would be obliged!!
The ad is offensive to many religious group
Do not use Hindu Gods to promote meat eating. This is downright offensive to the Hindu community.
I’m signing because firstly it is a big infringement of our religion and secondly, your making it look as if lord Ganesh is a novelty character
Hindus have great respect for Lord Ganesha and it is selfish to show it into a character form for advertising and humiliating . Very cheap media
Respect Every religion
Grossly insensitive to the religious sentiments of many people. Religious dieties, prophets, acclaimed messiah like figures should not be used as cheap advertising subject material.
This is extremely disrespectful and a clear violation of another person beliefs and respect.
Offensive at every level.
I strongly condem the act of this advert as it only has this hurt the Hindu community, but also because the advert has not understood the culture of Hinduism having to have Lord Ganesh. Not only will you receive more petitions but this will become a disgrace to your company and agenda for future !
It’s hateful. Against the Hindu religion
Depicting Lord Ganesha in meat eating environment is gross insult to Hiduism. It is a cheap way of advertising and insulting in my opinion.
This is termedousely disrespectful and a clear violation of another person beliefs and respect.
I’m signing because it’s against my relegion and my culture. It hurts the sentiment of Indian people. Ban it or else livestock will never be peace full In India.
This is totally disrespectful to Hindu God Ganesh and Hinduism as a whole. No Hindu sect allows consumption of Meat! This ad should be banned immediately…
It’s not acceptable to make fun of someone’s religious faith
Shot across North America and the UK over two years, Losing Our Religion provides a first look inside The Clergy Project, a safe, anonymous online space for preachers who no longer believe in god. The site has grown from sixty to over six hundred members in just two years. Now, for the first time, a documentary crew has been allowed access to the members of The Clergy Project. Many members find themselves trapped, facing the dilemma of either living a lie, or losing their job, community and even home and family.
Filmmaker Leslea Mair interviewed clergy across North America, including the Deep South, who are still undercover and know they would lose their jobs and their friends should anyone find out. Leslea also talked to former clergy, Clergy Project members who are “out,” who give open and personal explanations of why they became preachers, what happened, the cost of being honest, and why they are still working to help others trapped in the pulpit.
Commissioned by Bruce Cowley, senior director of documentary Channel, Losing Our Religion will have its world broadcast premiere on documentary Channel in the fall of 2017. Public screenings are also scheduled in select locations and the film will be available for purchase in 2018.
Contributors include Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Dan Barker, and many more.
Daniel Dennett, Philosopher, Author
Richard Dawkins. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason provided funding to create the Clergy Project.
Survey of 101,000 Americans chronicles the country’s changing religious landscape, including the declining dominance of white Christian groups and a more diverse future
WASHINGTON—With aging white Christian groups now accounting for fewer than half of the public and non-Christian groups constituting the country’s youngest religious communities, the future of American religion will likely look strikingly different than its past. A massive new survey out today from PRRI reveals seismic shifts in the religious landscape over the last few decades, including the sharp growth of the religiously unaffiliated—a category that includes atheists, agnostics, and those who say they do not identify with any particular religion—along with racial and ethnic changes that are transforming nearly all major Christian denominations.
These are among the major findings from “America’s Changing Religious Identity,” a report released today by PRRI. The report is based on findings from PRRI’s 2016 American Values Atlas, the single largest survey of American religious and denominational identity ever conducted, based on interviews with more than 101,000 Americans from all 50 states conducted across 2016. The report includes detailed information about religious affiliation, denominational ties, political affiliation, and other important demographic characteristics.
“This report provides solid evidence of a new, second wave of white Christian decline that is occurring among white evangelical Protestants just over the last decade in the U.S.,” says Robert P. Jones, PRRI CEO and author of The End of White Christian America. “Prior to 2008, white evangelical Protestants seemed to be exempt from the waves of demographic change and disaffiliation that were eroding the membership bases of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics. We now see that these waves simply crested later for white evangelical Protestants.”
Today, only 43% of Americans identify as white Christian, and only 30% as white Protestant. In 1976, roughly eight in ten (81%) Americans identified as white and identified with a Christian denomination, and a majority (55%) were white Protestants.
Fewer than one in five (17%) Americans now identify as white evangelical Protestant, but they accounted for nearly one-quarter (23%) of the public just a decade ago in 2006. Over the same period, white Catholics dropped five percentage points from 16% to 11%, and white mainline Protestants have shed an equal number, decreasing from 18% to 13%.
The Catholic Church is also undergoing a dramatic transformation as its share of white, non-Hispanic members dwindles and its Hispanic membership rises. Twenty-five years earlier in 1991, nearly nine in ten (87%) Catholics were white, non-Hispanic, compared to 55% today. Among Catholics under the age of 30, fewer than four in ten (36%) are white, non-Hispanic, compared to 52% who are Hispanic.
More evidence that America’s future is less white and less Christian: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and the religiously unaffiliated are all far younger than white Christian groups. At least one-third of Muslims (42%), Hindus (36%), and Buddhists (35%) are under the age of 30. Roughly one-third (34%) of religiously unaffiliated Americans are also under 30. In contrast, slightly more than one in ten white Catholics (11%), white evangelical Protestants (11%), and white mainline Protestants (14%) are under 30.
“The unprecedented growth of the religiously unaffiliated has made this group much more complex,” said PRRI Research Director Dan Cox. “For example, atheists and agnostics, two of the most known subgroups among the unaffiliated, account for just a sliver of the entire group.”
Atheists and agnostics account for only about one-quarter (27%) of all religiously unaffiliated Americans. Nearly six in ten (58%) religiously unaffiliated Americans identify as secular, or someone who is not religious; 16% of religiously unaffiliated Americans nonetheless report that they identify as a “religious person.”
Additional findings:
Non-Christian religious groups are growing, but they still represent less than one in ten Americans combined. Jews constitute 2% of all Americans while Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus each constitute only 1% of the public. All other non-Christian religions constitute an additional 1%.
There are now 20 states in which no religious group comprises a greater share of residents than the religiously unaffiliated. These states tend to be more concentrated in the western U.S., although they include a few New England states, as well. More than four in ten (41%) residents of Vermont and approximately one-third of Americans in Oregon (36%), Washington (35%), Hawaii (34%), Colorado (33%), and New Hampshire (33%) are religiously unaffiliated.
No state is less religiously diverse than Mississippi. The state is heavily Protestant and dominated by a single denomination: Baptist. Six in ten (60%) Protestants in Mississippi are Baptist. No state has a greater degree of religious diversity than New York.
The cultural center of the Catholic Church is shifting south. The Northeast is no longer the epicenter of American Catholicism—although at 41% Catholic, Rhode Island remains the most Catholic state in the country. Immigration from predominantly Catholic countries in Latin America means new Catholic populations are settling in the Southwest. In 1972, roughly seven in ten Catholics lived in either the Northeast (41%) or the Midwest (28%). Only about one-third of Catholics lived in the South (13%) or West (18%). Today, a majority of Catholics now reside in the South (29%) or West (25%). Currently, only about one-quarter (26%) of the U.S. Catholic population lives in the Northeast, and 20% live in the Midwest.
Jews, Hindus, and Unitarian-Universalists stand out as the most educated groups in the American religious landscape. More than one-third of Jews (34%), Hindus (38%), and Unitarian-Universalists (43%) hold post-graduate degrees. Notably, Muslims are significantly more likely than white evangelical Protestants to have at least a four-year college degree (33% vs. 25%, respectively).
Asian or Pacific-Islander Americans have a significantly different religious profile than other racial or ethnic groups. There are as many Asian or Pacific-Islander Americans affiliated with non-Christian religions as with Christian religious groups. And one-third (34%) are religiously unaffiliated.
Nearly half of LGBT Americans are religiously unaffiliated. Nearly half (46%) of Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) are religiously unaffiliated. This is roughly twice the number of Americans overall (24%) who are religiously unaffiliated.
White Christians have become a minority in the Democratic Party. Fewer than one in three (29%) Democrats today are white Christian, compared to half (50%) one decade earlier. Only 14% of young Democrats (age 18 to 29) identify as white Christian. Forty percent identify as religiously unaffiliated.
White evangelical Protestants remain the dominant religious force in the GOP. More than one-third (35%) of all Republicans identify as white evangelical Protestant, a proportion that has remained roughly stable over the past decade. Roughly three-quarters (73%) of Republicans belong to a white Christian religious group.
The 2016 American Values Atlas (AVA) is a project of PRRI. Results were based on 101,438 bilingual telephone interviews (including 60,355 cell phone interviews) conducted between January 6, 2016 and January 10, 2017 by professional interviewers under the direction of SSRS. The sample was designed to represent the total U.S. adult population from all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska. The AVA was made possible by generous grants from The Ford Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, The Gill Foundation, and The Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.
PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in research at the intersection of religion, values, and public life.
PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.
PRRI’s research explores and illuminates America’s changing cultural, religious, and political landscape. PRRI’s mission is to help journalists, scholars, pundits, thought leaders, clergy, and the general public better understand debates on public policy issues, and the important cultural and religious dynamics shaping American society and politics.
UPDATE: Filmmaker Ben Fama has now made the full film available for free on Amazon prime and YouTube.
Filmmaker Ben Fama Jr. was kind enough to provide us with a private screening of his new film Reasons to Believe. Here’s our take on this exciting project available for general release on September 11, 2017.
Allegory of the Cave
The film begins with a cinematically pleasing vision of Plato’sAllegory of the Cave, where humans are imprisoned in a cave and denied knowledge of the outside world. In the allegory, humans move from darkness to light, from false beliefs to truth and reason.
The Questions
Fama then poses the following questions:
How do beliefs shape our reality? Why do we believe?
How are we influenced to believe?
How do other people affect our thinking?
How do our beliefs hold us back?
How do we free ourselves from false beliefs?
The Experts
MICHAEL SHERMER, Author, The Moral Arc; The Believing Brain
PETER BOGHOSSIAN, Author, A Manual for Creating Atheists
CALEB LACK, Coauthor, Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience: Why We Can’t Trust our Brains
JENNIFER WHITSON, Author, “The Emotional Roots of Conspiratorial Perceptions, System Justification, and Belief in the Paranormal”
CHAD WOODRUFF, Author, Neuroscience of Empathy and Compassion
The Discussion
Fama’s questions are carefully considered by each expert and are addressed through carefully interwoven comments on each topic.
The film takes us through the human brain’s need to understand the world, often through a process in which beliefs come first and evidence comes second. In other words, beliefs are often not evidence-based, but make us feel better, perhaps even superior to others. These sometimes false beliefs are further influenced and reinforced by family, community, education, and the time period in which we live. While our beliefs often make us who we are, or who we feel we are, they also have the power to divide us into ideological communities.
The discussion expands on the idea that we may be predisposed to accept certain beliefs because they are often confirmed by intense personal experiences. However, we are reminded, that experience does not equal objective truth.
The experts then explain that much of our human propensity for superstitions, magical rituals, and religious beliefs are rooted in the fact that life is random, unpredictable, and downright scary. We seek to avoid anxiety and a feeling that we lack control; we seek comfort and meaning; we want to make sense out of chaos; we want to cope with uncertainty. This magical thinking is reinforced by the brain as we seek out patterns, even if these patterns are false and illogical.
So if false beliefs make us feel better, why does it matter? In the long run, false beliefs can lead to problems, the greatest of which is violence. Bad ideas can easily lead to bad behavior. Science teaches us that it really does matter what is right and what is wrong. Faulty beliefs lead to real world consequences and must be combatted. We must update our view of the world and weed out bad ideas. We must use data as opposed to anecdotes.
The film ends on an encouraging and positive note. The experts make practical suggestions to embrace reason. Some of the best:
Be comfortable with the words, “I don’t know.”
Model the behavior of a skeptic.
Use the scientific method.
Don’t attack beliefs—be polite, be thoughtful, use humor, listen to others and then respond with statements that open a conversation such as “I wonder how that could be true? What do you think?”
Study scientifically why religion has been viewed as so beneficial and how we can address that need in other more rational ways.
Help others to trust reason and value correct information.
Introduce critical thinking in early education. Teach children to recognize that our brains can fool us.
Assert that a more thoughtful and examined life has value.
Suggest that an alignment with reality will help humans flourish, that science and reason can and will lead to justice, freedom, prosperity and peace.
Reasons to Believe is well-organized and builds nicely from a primer on the brain to the foundations of belief, ending with a lovely, positive message about the future of skepticism and science and practical solutions we can embrace as individuals and as citizens of the world. It is a film you will want to view more than one time to take it all in.
Michael Shermer ties it up nicely at the end of the film: “I think we have a new enlightenment—a science-based enlightenment.”
View the trailer
The filmmakers
BEN FAMA JR: DIRECTOR
Ben Fama Jr. is an award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, and entrepreneur noted for his work on his short film A Virus Called Fear and his documentary Reasons To Believe. He has been featured in Huffington Post and his films have been featured on PBS, Medibiz.tv, and IndieFlix. Ben’s films and talks reflect the social and psychological behavior of humans and their social constructs on society. He is a very outspoken skeptic and atheist, as well as an advocate for mental health. His goal is to challenge the way we think and see the world, as well as what we believe.
He is the owner of Fama Media Productions, LLC. and the host of the podcast Reality Trip with Ben Fama Jr.
MESA FAMA: PRODUCER
Mesa has produced three award winning films with Ben Fama Jr. including two documentaries and a narrative. She holds a degree in psychology as a graduate from Arizona State University. She continues to produce and manage Fama Media Productions and sometimes is a guest host on the podcast Reality Trip with Ben Fama Jr.
Sioux Falls Freethinkers, in coordination with Sioux Falls Atheists & Humanists, recently activated an annual billboard campaign promoting science and evolution.
Dale Hemming, the President of Sioux Falls Freethinkers, gave a description of the billboard campaign’s main intent. “The Sioux Falls Atheists and Humanists wish to take a stand against the anti-science rhetoric of creationists, revisionists, fundamentalists, and ultra-conservative Evangelicals. Their distrust of science does a disservice to everyone, but especially to our children who do not yet have the mental ability to defend themselves from misinformation and deception. Toward this end, we are launching an Evolution Billboard Campaign.”
According to Hemming, the objective of the campaign is not to attack religion, but to support the ideas that evolution is a fact and the Earth is not 6,000 years old, as taught by some religions.
