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.

  • @SuddenlyBlowGreen
    2•1 year ago

    A lot of educated people stop thinking the second they see a study that confirms what they believe. It is the anthesis of what science is supposed to be, examined constantly.

    Sure, that happens. But since it’s science, there’s evidence, with which you can show people like that that they are wrong. That doesn’t exists with religions.

    When Ignaz Semmelweis showed a mountain of evidence that washing your hands prevented passing infections to others he was ostracized by the medical community

    And since it’s like a religion, his warnings were never heeded as you cannot question religious rules. And so, still today, doctors don’t wash their hands.

    Oh wait…

    Since it’s science, the rules can be questioned and changed if they are not correct.

    • @MonkRomeEnglish
      0•1 year ago

      I think you’re reading more into my comment than I said. To be clear, I’m not a fan of religion and do believe science is the route to knowledge. But it took an entire generation of scientists dying out to have washing hands normalized. Our society places faith and belief in science in a way that still mirrors religion even if it is more flexible.