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DO YOU BELIEVE? More Americans Say Their Religious Affiliation is "None"

November 13, 2015       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Two members of the Saginaw Valley Torch Club, George Heron (Right) and Danny J. Krebs (Left), have written articles in "The Torch," the international journal of the International Association of Torch Clubs, Inc.
 

Two members of the Saginaw Valley Torch Club, George Heron and Danny J. Krebs, have written articles in "The Torch," the international journal of the International Association of Torch Clubs, Inc.

Bay City's former United Way director George Heron has written a significant analysis of the nation's psycho-social landscape in the Fall issue of Torch Magazine that documents the fading religious fervor of Americans.

The situation in religion today, as the saying goes, "is enough to drive the Pope Crazy."

One in three Catholics leaves the church, and 10 percent of the U.S. population are former practicing church members, writes Heron authoritatively since he once was a Roman Catholic priest.

The "Nones," represent 14 percent of the population and are the fastest growing social classification in our society, Heron explains, "they are not avowed athesists; or agnostics but simply affirm that they do not practice a specific religion."

However, Heron notes that the Pew Foundation surveys have shown that the percentage of people who consider religion "very important" is much higher in the U.S. than in other realtively affluent countries: U.S., 58 percent; Germany, 21 percent; Spain, 22 percent; Britain, 17 percent.

The Torch Magazine is the quarterly journal of the International Association of Torch Clubs. The purpose of the Torch Club is "the exchange of knowledge and understanding of each others problems ... and to foster the highest standards of professional ethics and civic well-being."

Members of the Saginaw Valley Torch Club present scholarly papers at monthly meetings held September-May at the Saginaw Club.

Danny J. Krebs, retired lead engineer at the NASA Goddard Flight Center, explores the mysteries of quantum physics in his article entitled "Saving Dr. Schrödinger's Cat."

Erwin Schrödinger's equation for computing the quantum wave function of material particles was the subject of an experiment by the Austrian physicist in 1935 using his cat, thus the title of the article.

"Schrödinger conceived of a thought experiment in which his cat was confined inside a steel box with a radioactive sample that had a 50/50 chance of emitting a gamma ray in an hour's time," wrote Dr. Krebs. "When the radioactive nucleus does, or does not, decay; the universe splits into two parallel universes, one in which the cat is dead and one in which he is alive. When the experimenter lifts the lid, he finds out which universe he is in. Science fiction writers love that interpretation, as do some theorists."

Dr. Krebs wraps his article around a long-standing argument between Albert Einstein and Danish physicist Niels Bohr as to whether quantum theory is complete or not. Einstein's famous comment "God does not play with dice" a statement that, according to Krebs, "does not do justice to the depth and complexity of his misgivings."

Physicists have been splitting hairs for decades on the application of wave equations to matter, but the field of quantum theory accounts for much of the success of transistors, computers and lasers, Dr. Krebs points out.

Does God play with dice? Krebs says "the jury is still out."

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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