Sorry for the late response. Lots of other things to do.
I do not know of any specific people, nor any numbers, myself. But, I will try to ask some experts in the field.
If one is a deist, one could simply say that the deity simply does not intervene with the Universe, anymore after initially creating it. Maybe.
That won't be a CC anymore, then. And they'll kick and scream, before that happens.
If it happens slow enough, maybe they won't notice. What do you think all those "secular churches" are becoming?
Look at sports: It is now a form of entertainment, but its roots are in real, deadly warring.
But that is different than those groups trying to make false claims.
You seemed to sum it up nicely, when you said this:
Freedom of speech gives you the right to lie, but not to cheat.
As you stated, government cannot interfere with beliefs, only products of them that do not work as believed. But, I am saying that, as a non-government movement, Humanism has no Freedom of Speech issues. It can say that no one should say anything that can clearly be demonstrated otherwise.
And that's where I say that, in such a case, they can't really believe in God(s). A supreme deity has to be a supreme deity, also for those who don't believe in it.
And I am trying to point out that some don't see it that way. Some admit that, since God is so gosh-darn mysterious, they do not really know what God is exactly supposed to be like, nor exactly how he wants to be praised, so they just do their thing, while letting others do theirs. It seems easiest. And, if God wanted something more specific out of everyone, he will eventually have it known.
It is also possible that some who believe their One True God applies to everyone, might accept differing practices, simply because their God does not want any forced conversions, or other "rude behavior", to take place. Much of Judaism is kind of like this.
Or, if they can't discover it themselves, point it out.
It depends on the situation. Perhaps pointing out they are stupid is a good idea, most of the time. But, sometimes, with patience, it is best to wait as long as possible, to see if the person will figure that out, on their own. Maybe. Depending on various factors and stuff.
What about a psychic who has satisfied clients? He does good, but from a false premise.
Just because the client does not recognize he was cheated, does not mean he was not cheated. There are all sorts of reason psychics are immoral.
But, when I said this: "If one acts like a very good, moral person, even if their beliefs are based on 'stupid' ideals", I was referring to those who do charity work, and those who do NOT commit hideous crimes against humanity, because they believe, for example, that the Bible commands us this way. (Even though you can argue that the Bible does not, they are still acting as a good, moral person.)
No, not in the end. From the very beginning, superstition has always been a bad side effect.
A valid point. Let me re-phrase that sentence of mine, this way:
Sure, we recognized it as a bad side effect, in the end. That
still does not diminish the importance of acknowledging that spirituality is integrated into our evolution, and it is simply not that easy to shed off completely.
It most definitely isn't easy to shed off completely, but I don't think it will evolve itself to oblivion. Superstition seems to wax and wane over time, regardless of how scientifically enlightened people are.
So, if you can come up with a better approach, than Humanism, for slowly weaning the world away from religion, then please let us know.
