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Millions of Americans are living happily without religion

Millions of Americans are living happily without religion. Billboard in Indianapolis s ponsored by secular humanists. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion. 20% (63 million people) of Americans are not identified with any religion (up 5% in 5 years)

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Millions of Americans are living happily without religion

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  1. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion Billboard in Indianapolis sponsored by secular humanists

  2. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion • 20% (63 million people) of Americans are not identified with any religion (up 5% in 5 years) • 6% (18 million) are atheists/agnostics • 14% (44 million) are nothing in particular; 88% of these (39 million) aren’t looking for religion

  3. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion Americans are becoming more secular by the generation (note percentage of people not affiliated with religion) 1913-27 5% 1928-45 9% 1946-64 15% 1965-80 21% 1981-89 30% 1990-94 34%

  4. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion? We are the product of billions of years that came before us. What gave a start to that product? Where did life come from & why? We know that we are a tiny, but unique part of the ever evolving story of life in the cosmos. We are insignificant. And just why is our world called the “cosmos”? We’re made of the same ingredients as butterflies and blue whales, giant sequoias, and spiral galaxies. What makes us any higher and more special than the rest of creation?

  5. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion? We accept that our lives will end, but we take great joy in the fact that life keeps going. Life will not always keep going. Where then is the joy? So, why did life start only eventually to stop? We are responsible for living our lives with honesty, dignity, compassion, and truth. Who said so? Who selected these values? What is “truth”? We are committed to making this world a better place. All of you? Who said to? Why, the world will end? What is “better”?

  6. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion? We celebrate the advances and the discoveries that each day improve lives, stir imaginations, and stretch the boundaries of the possible. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted. Every man is stupid. Nothing will be impossible with God. Eccl 1:15; Jer 10:12-14a; Lk 1:34-37

  7. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion? Q&A Where do you find meaning in a purposeless universe? How do you deal with questions like ‘Why am I here?’ We make our own meaning and are free to create our purpose for our own existence. We decide for ourselves what we want to do with the limited time we have on the planet. We’re not here for some cosmic or universal purpose. We’re simply here. But that’s a good thing because it means we get to decide what to do with our lives. We get to figure out what we want our purpose to be. That process itself is full of meaning. Cp. Eccl 2:11; 9:11-12, 15; 12:13-14; Rom 8:28-30

  8. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion? Q&A How do you determine right and wrong with no God or church to tell you the difference? How do you know how to be a good person? Do people really need a divine command to know it’s wrong to hurt people? No. Basic moral rules are common to all cultures... We recognize our responsibility for making the world a better place… We have science and reason to help guide us. We study different behaviors and we use facts and data to help determine which beha- viors are truly harmful and which are benign. Where does man’s sense of morality come from? His conscience? cp. Rom 2:14-15; 1:28-32; Jon 3:10; Jer 10:23; Prov 14:12; Judg 17:6; Isa 22:13, 5:20; Jer 6:15-16

  9. Millions of Americans are living happily without religion? Alive and awake for this brief period of time; savoring every moment. How can you be happy when you are hopeless? Cp. Rom 12:12; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Cor 6:10a

  10. "Happiness Is The Lord” by Ira StanphillHappiness is to know the Savior, Living a life within His favorHaving a change in my behavior, Happiness is the LordHappiness is a new creation, Jesus and me in close relationHaving a part in His salvation, Happiness is the LordReal joy is mine,no matter if teardrops startI've found the secret It's Jesus in my heartHappiness is to be forgiven, Living a life that's worth the livin'Taking a trip that leads to heaven,Happiness is the Lord

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