Most Entertainers are Religious

[_Amore]

After I heard that many famous actors and directors are Jewish, I searched to see comparisons in how many are Jewish, Catholic, Mormon or Atheist.

According to Wikepedia, there are few Atheists and many religious famous people in the film and entertainment industry.

Jewish
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ ... tertainers

Catholic
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ ... _Catholics

Mormon
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ ... Day_Saints

Atheist
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ ... nd_theater

Can't help but wonder if most people (about 84% of Americans) recognize the value of a sense of community, social networking and other benefits of affiliating religiously.

Btw- A study sought to see what affect, if any, religious affiliation had on physical healing. Of 3 groups, those extremely religious and those unaffiliated did poorest. Those moderately involved religiously did best.

[_Themis]

According to Wikepedia, there are few Atheists and many religious famous people in the film and entertainment industry.

Did you do a statistical analysis of atheists in the population and percentages in the entertainment industry? Keep in mind as well factors that could influence who is successful in an industry where success is dependent on popularity.

[_Jersey Girl]

Can't help but wonder if most people (about 84% of Americans) recognize the value of a sense of community, social networking and other benefits of affiliating religiously.

No. What? That a person self identifies as Jewish, Christian, or whatever, in no way indicates that they are either religious or currently practicing.

Why would you assume, for the purpose of your thread, that is so?

[_Amore]

According to Wikepedia, there are few Atheists and many religious famous people in the film and entertainment industry.

Did you do a statistical analysis of atheists in the population and percentages in the entertainment industry? Keep in mind as well factors that could influence who is successful in an industry where success is dependent on popularity.

I'm not so interested to go to the effort of gathering my own stats about this. But if you are, feel free. I think keeping with the same source, Wikipedia, helps keep a fair estimate.

I agree about the popularity thing and as much as I disagree with it and dysfunctionally illogical herd mentalities, it is the way societies work and is exemplified in the entertainment industry. If many people were honest, they'd admit they affiliate religiously primarily for the social networking benefits, I imagine.

[_Amore]

Can't help but wonder if most people (about 84% of Americans) recognize the value of a sense of community, social networking and other benefits of affiliating religiously.

No. What? That a person self identifies as Jewish, Christian, or whatever, in no way indicates that they are either religious or currently practicing.

Why would you assume, for the purpose of your thread, that is so?

Maybe because they claimed such affiliation and Wikepedia reported it?

Remember, most people consider being active religiously differently than Mormons do. If you lived in New Jersey (very Jewish) it seems you'd realize that.

[_Jersey Girl]

No. What? That a person self identifies as Jewish, Christian, or whatever, in no way indicates that they are either religious or currently practicing.

Why would you assume, for the purpose of your thread, that is so?

Maybe because they claimed such affiliation and Wikepedia reported it?

That Wikipedia lists people as one religion or another, in no way indicates that they are either religious or currently practicing.

Remember, most people consider being active religiously differently than Mormons do.

How do most people consider being active religiously differently than Mormons?

If you lived in New Jersey (very Jewish) it seems you'd realize that.

Is it?

[_Themis]

I'm not so interested to go to the effort of gathering my own stats about this. But if you are, feel free. I think keeping with the same source, Wikipedia, helps keep a fair estimate.

I take this as an admission you are making it up. You made an assertion so I thought maybe you had some stats to back it up. Just so you know, the one making an assertion has the responsibility to back it up. I personally don't care, but I don't see anything in your thread to indicate atheist's or non-religious are less represented in the entertainment industry then they are in the general population. Most are religious because most people are religious.

[_Themis]

If many people were honest, they'd admit they affiliate religiously primarily for the social networking benefits, I imagine.

I see no problem with people wanting to participate in one of the few positive aspects of religion.

[_Quasimodo]

Remember, most people consider being active religiously differently than Mormons do. If you lived in New Jersey (very Jewish) it seems you'd realize that.

Maybe you don't realize it, Amore, but many of your posts come off sounding just a little bit prejudiced.

The percentage of people in New Jersey that self identify as Jewish is 2.47%. Add to that that many Jewish people are identifying as ethnic Jews and not religious Jews. Hardly "very Jewish".

I live in Southern California (you know, Hollywood) and know many people that call themselves Jewish. I only know of one family that attends their synagogue regularly. In the US, Judaism is much more ethnic than religious.

[_EAllusion]

The two most basic points are already brought up there. Are atheists under-represented, over-represented, or proportionally represented in the entertainment industry? Since religious self-identification does not equate to religious belief, the latter can't be a neat measure of the former. Many Jewish people identify as Jewish for cultural reasons. Woody Allen is an atheist and a Jew, for example. There's almost certainly numerous similar examples on the linked list of Jewish entertainers.