Your country's "Richard Dawkins"?

[IpseDixit]

We don't have those famous outspoken atheists in Sweden, sine the general view here is that Evolution is true and God is... meh, who cares, except that getting married in Church is beautiful, and baptising your kid is too?

Just don't be embarrassing and talk about the non-existence of that God-thingy/person/whatever.

That's true for Germany as well.

When I visited Frankfurt, I went to the Cathedral on Sunday morning because I was curious to see a Lutheran mass (I know mass is not the word you use but can't recall the right one), and the Cathedral was packed, and it was a simple mass, not a wedding or anything else.

Moreover I don't get why you brought up evolution... the Catholic Church does accept evolution and evolution doesn't really impede many people from believing in the God of the Bible.

[Levike]

In your country do all people who go to church believe in God?

I don't understand this but here there are many people
who often go to church but don't take religion seriously.

The majority of these are old people who have nothing else to do in their free-time.

[IpseDixit]

In your country do all people who go to church believe in God?

I don't understand this but here there are many people
who often go to church but don't take religion seriously.

The majority of these are old people who have nothing else to do in their free-time.

I personally think that over here most of the people who define themselves Catholic hold more or less theistic/deistic beliefs rather than a strict belief in the Bible. There are very very few people who completely abide by Catholic rules.

I think that people who go to Church fall into two main categories.

There are people who go to Church because it's their tradition and a sort of social event too where you meet a lot of acquaintances.

Instead, the second category consists of those people who see Churches as a special place where they can meditate and where it's easier for them to feel a link with God.

Anyway, mass attendance is plummeting, especially among the young but also among people in their 30's, 40's and 50's.

[Levike]

Well at my church around 90% of people are old, old I mean like above 50.
For the majority who go it's more of a a habit.

[linguoboy]

When I visited Frankfurt, I went to the Cathedral on Sunday morning because I was curious to see a Lutheran mass (I know mass is not the word you use but can't recall the right one), and the Cathedral was packed, and it was a simple mass, not a wedding or anything else.

What proportion of the congregation was made up of tourists? Frankfurt attracts about 6 million visitors every year.

[IpseDixit]

When I visited Frankfurt, I went to the Cathedral on Sunday morning because I was curious to see a Lutheran mass (I know mass is not the word you use but can't recall the right one), and the Cathedral was packed, and it was a simple mass, not a wedding or anything else.

What proportion of the congregation was made up of tourists? Frankfurt attracts about 6 million visitors every year.

It was november. Not exactly a month that attracts many tourists.

Furthermore tourists usually look at the glass walls, the paintings, the ceiling and then they go out. They do not sit on the benches and follow the entire mass.

[Car]

When I visited Frankfurt, I went to the Cathedral on Sunday morning because I was curious to see a Lutheran mass (I know mass is not the word you use but can't recall the right one), and the Cathedral was packed, and it was a simple mass, not a wedding or anything else.

Moreover I don't get why you brought up evolution... the Catholic Church does accept evolution and evolution doesn't really impede many people from believing in the God of the Bible.

That's not my experience at all and I've only lived in Lutheran regions so far and that definitely isn't common either. Free churches are an exception to that.
They're called church services, BTW, or Gottesdienst in German.

I know that about the Catholic church, I think Johanna was thinking of creationists when she wrote that.

Could you be more specific about November? It wasn't around St. Martin's Day (because of Martin Luther, that's also a thing among Lutherans, although named differently, Day of Repentance and Prayer or Totensonntagby any chance?

[IpseDixit]

Free churches are an exception to that.

What are they?

Could you be more specific about November? It wasn't around St. Martin's Day (because of Martin Luther, that's also a thing among Lutherans, although named differently, Day of Repentance and Prayer or Totensonntagby any chance?

It was the first week of november.

[Car]

Free churches are an exception to that.

What are they?

Independent churches, often protestant, and often associated with Christian fundamentalism.

Wikipedia also has articles about some of them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_church

[IpseDixit]

The Protestant world is so complicated, only God knows how many churches you have created

[johnklepac]

AFAIK Tyson has never said he's an atheist and he's not happy with how atheists have co-opted his work to attack organized religion.

He has identified as an agnostic and he's spent a lot of time criticizing the idea that God exists (quip). There's never going to be an exact equivalent but he seems to come pretty close.

[Ahzoh]

I do not know who'd be the Canadian Equivalent, except to assume it would be Richard Dawkins himself. I assume some of you are fellow atheists? or agnostics?

[linguoboy]

I do not know who'd be the Canadian Equivalent, except to assume it would be Richard Dawkins himself. I assume some of you are fellow atheists? or agnostics?

Um, yeah, a few.

[Ahzoh]

so I'm not alone =D

[md0]

I was wondering whether your country has a figure like him, who has gained popularity for his/her criticism of religions and staunch support for rationalism and the scientific method.

Now that you mention it... Actually no
Can't think of anyone, other than some bloggers, mostly from Greece. But their audience is already in agreement with them, so they are not really changing the society in any way.

[The man with the cat]

Slavoj Žižek. He's quite huge here, but don't know how known he actually is around the world.

He is very well known here.