# how will the decreas in sanctification affect future genarations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 3, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577 "2015-06-03T21:37:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AviaC8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AviaC8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AviaC8)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/1 "2015-06-03T21:37:51Z")
Rituals can be beautiful and sheltering and/or meaningless and hutfull. I feel there’s a downwards inclination in sanctification and was wondering how this could affect society. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that scared (as in frightened) and scared (as in sanctified) are spelled the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/2 "2015-06-03T21:42:52Z")
**AviaC8** , welcome to the Straight Dope. The General Questions forum is for questions with factual answers. Since this requires speculation, I’m going to move it to Great Debates. Colibri General Quetions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/3 "2015-06-03T21:44:26Z")
Does this pertain to a particular religion? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/4 "2015-06-03T21:54:27Z")
> [@AviaC8](#): > > Rituals can be beautiful and sheltering and/or meaningless and hutfull. I feel there’s a downwards inclination in sanctification and was wondering how this could affect society. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that scared (as in frightened) and scared (as in sanctified) are spelled the same way. It will decrease the power of corrupt clerics to exploit and abuse laymen. ---
**Author:** ![AviaC8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AviaC8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AviaC8)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/5 "2015-06-03T22:00:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **AviaC8** , welcome to the Straight Dope. The General Questions forum is for questions with factual answers. Since this requires speculation, I’m going to move it to Great Debates. > > Colibri > General Quetions Moderator Thank you ---
**Author:** ![AviaC8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AviaC8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AviaC8)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/6 "2015-06-03T22:03:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Does this pertain to a particular religion? I was thinking more about the sanctification of different topics or aspects in life. But take it wherever it may go. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/7 "2015-06-03T22:15:39Z")
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Santa and Satan are spelled the same way. Oh, wait, that’s absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/8 "2015-06-03T22:19:15Z")
> [@AviaC8](#): > > I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that scared (as in frightened) and scared (as in sanctified) are spelled the same way. … do you mean _sacred_? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/9 "2015-06-03T22:28:29Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > … do you mean _sacred_? Christians, or at least some of them. [Iare\* admonished to fear the Lord. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/10 "2015-06-03T23:49:26Z")
> [@AviaC8](#): > > I feel there’s a downwards inclination in sanctification and was wondering how this could affect society. I question your premise: [Why people with no religion are projected to decline as a share of the world’s population](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/03/why-people-with-no-religion-are-projected-to-decline-as-a-share-of-the-worlds-population/) > [@](#): > > This is largely attributable to the fact that religious “nones” are, on average, older and have fewer children than people who are affiliated with a religion. In 2010, for instance, 28% of people who belong to any of the world’s religions were younger than 15 years old, compared with just 19% of the unaffiliated. And adherents of religions are estimated to give birth to an average of 2.6 children per woman, compared with an average of 1.7 children among the unaffiliated. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/11 "2015-06-04T14:13:38Z")
Is “sanctification” here being used as a synonym for “religious belief”? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/12 "2015-06-04T14:20:13Z")
> [@AviaC8](#): > > I was thinking more about the sanctification of different topics or aspects in life. But take it wherever it may go. Could you perhaps clarify what you mean by “sanctification of different topics or aspects in life”? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/13 "2015-06-04T14:29:19Z")
And while you say you don’t think it’s a coincidence (assuming you mean that _sacred_ and _scared_ are spelled similarly, with only the ‘a’ and c’ reversing positions) what mechanism, apart from coincidence, do you believe caused this similarity? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/14 "2015-06-04T14:30:10Z")
Jesus, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/15 "2015-06-04T15:23:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Is “sanctification” here being used as a synonym for “religious belief”? I’m guessing the clue lies hidden in the first word in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/16 "2015-06-04T15:34:19Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Is “sanctification” here being used as a synonym for “religious belief”? My best guess—and it is just a guess—is that the OP is using the word to mean something that is regarded as sacred or holy, perhaps not necessarily belonging to some organized religion, but regarded with a sense of religious awe or reverence—particularly rituals or ceremonies that are conducted in this attitude or which induce this mood in their participants. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/17 "2015-06-04T15:38:23Z")
I’m cool with it. There’s literally no topic that should be immune from analysis, criticism or even mockery. It may not be CLASSY to ridicule somebody’s religion, and there’s no expectation of immunity from consequences, but there you go. I invite Avia to cite a specific example of desanctification and what negative effects it has or might cause. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/18 "2015-06-04T15:39:42Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > My best guess—and it is just a guess—is that the OP is using the word to mean something that is regarded as sacred or holy, perhaps not necessarily belonging to some organized religion, but regarded with a sense of religious awe or reverence—particularly rituals or ceremonies that are conducted in this attitude or which induce this mood in their participants. Same here. Not quite sure that sort of thing is declining, though. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/19 "2015-06-04T18:27:02Z")
The more quickly we get to booting out the ridiculous superstitions of religion, the better. Bring on the desanctification! ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577/20 "2015-06-04T18:42:29Z")
I feel what a religious person feels when I walk into a great cathedral. The difference is that I don’t attribute the feelings to a non-existent God, I attribute them to majestic architecture and splendor. I also feel that when I walk into a great museum. Or Powell’s Books in Portland. Or Kailua Beach on Oahu. Or the edge of Grand Canyon. _Sanctification_ is imaginary. Feelings of awe and being overwhelmed with beauty and/or scale are real. And they are likely to continue as long as we continue to make great works. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-decreas-in-sanctification-affect-future-genarations/721577.md?page=2)