Increase in non belivers in U.S.

"Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey."

The reason for the rise in non believers I believe is a result of the Internet.

People used to believe in God and the family for salvation and substance. Now they believe in the government god for those same benefits.

On the Internet, when one posts a belief, that belief may be questioned, critiqued, and challenged.

Another reason for the decline in believers is some moderate Christians have seen the dangers of radical religion in Islam.

Books like Sam Harris' "The End of Faith", "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and "God is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens are books that changed some weak believers. None of these books would likely have been published as recently as 1950.

I have said before, the same things that curtailed the religious passions of the west will also curtail the religious passions of Islam.

The UN announced the other day that 4 billion people now have cell phones. Internet users have increased by 330% during the past 8 years to 1.6 billion. Globalization and international trade have cracked open the cultural oppression of Islam and young people now are acting defiantly against cultural traditions, as young generations usually act.

There is no need for the U.S. military to be in the Middle East. Things will change for the better if our military comes home and acts as a defense of our borders and coastlines from whomever would be silly enough to try and invade us.

"To me, it seems a dreadful indignity to have a soul controlled by geography." George Santayana

Charles Tolleson