Religion's Future or Lack of it

[Madsaac]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west.

What are the reasons for the decline?
- Decline of the Patriarchal society
- Acceptance of diverse cultural and societal issues like same sex marriage, gender, abortion, IVF, divorce, abortion, homosexuality and contraception. (Wow)
- Public morality being determined by law and not religion
- Hypocrisies of religion
- Society can see that countries that are less religious actually tend to be less corrupt and have lower murder rates than religious ones
- Individual critical thinking
- Any more?

And how long has religion got? A few hundred years or less?

Here are just a couple of the hundreds of articles on the subject.

Why is religion suddenly declining?

An analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more...

blog.oup.com

A surprising explanation for the global decline of religion

Since the year 2000, there has been a global decline of religion. In a recent paper, scientists suggest automation could be the cause.

bigthink.com

 

[1213]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west.

What are the reasons for the decline?
...

In the case of Christianity, I think one of the biggest reasons is that people just love something else more than what Jesus says. For people who hate the truth, Jesus can be annoying.

 

[ChristineM]

Any more?

I think the internet and ease of information has a lot to do with it

 

[TransmutingSoul]

And how long has religion got? A few hundred years or less

It has a magnificent future, albeit the current outlook does not appear that will be so.

Faith in God will drive the Most Great Peace in a more distant future. The next stage in the evolution of humanity is a political unity.

Regards Tony

 

[Madsaac]

For people who hate the truth, Jesus can be annoying.

Well it seems through the numbers, people who actually love the truth (i.e Reasons mentioned in OP), Jesus can be annoying

 

[PureX]

It depends on how you define religion whether or not it's on decline. If you define it via history, then of course it's in decline. As nearly everything from the past is always waning. But if you bother to understand what religion is in terms of why people engage in it, you will see that it's just changing, not waning. It's becoming a more individualized practice as opposed to an organized collective practice as in the past.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west.

What are the reasons for the decline?
- Decline of the Patriarchal society
- Acceptance of diverse cultural and societal issues like same sex marriage, gender, abortion, IVF, divorce, abortion, homosexuality and contraception. (Wow)
- Public morality being determined by law and not religion
- Hypocrisies of religion
- Society can see that countries that are less religious actually tend to be less corrupt and have lower murder rates than religious ones
- Individual critical thinking
- Any more?

And how long has religion got? A few hundred years or less?

Here are just a couple of the hundreds of articles on the subject.

Why is religion suddenly declining?

An analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more...

blog.oup.com

A surprising explanation for the global decline of religion

Since the year 2000, there has been a global decline of religion. In a recent paper, scientists suggest automation could be the cause.

bigthink.com

Well, it depends on how you understand what religion is?

So yes, for at least one definition of religion you are right. But for a broad in effect values and world view not so much.

 

[Tomef]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west.

What are the reasons for the decline?
- Decline of the Patriarchal society
- Acceptance of diverse cultural and societal issues like same sex marriage, gender, abortion, IVF, divorce, abortion, homosexuality and contraception. (Wow)
- Public morality being determined by law and not religion
- Hypocrisies of religion
- Society can see that countries that are less religious actually tend to be less corrupt and have lower murder rates than religious ones
- Individual critical thinking
- Any more?

And how long has religion got? A few hundred years or less?

Here are just a couple of the hundreds of articles on the subject.

Why is religion suddenly declining?

An analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more...

blog.oup.com

A surprising explanation for the global decline of religion

Since the year 2000, there has been a global decline of religion. In a recent paper, scientists suggest automation could be the cause.

bigthink.com

I think letting go of stories, tradition and other aspects of identity are what prevent the decline from being even more rapid. So I suppose the length of time left will be influenced by the capacity of the 'nones' to do without those things. Ditching the need for invisible gods and ancient books is liberating, but scary for some people too, and virtually impossible for others.

I think the future looks good though. More toleration, fewer reasons for conflict. Putin's backward notions about the world might be, hopefully, the last gasp within Europe of the obsession to undo the enlightenment by any power capable of exercising significant military force. If Russia can be defeated, there is a lot of scope for a broader realisation of European enlightenment ideals.

 

[Augustus]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west

There are more adherents of the traditional religions now than at any time in history.

I wouldn’t start celebrating its demise quite yet…

Anyway, the culture of religion is to adapt and mutate as it always has done.

People don’t “lose” religion they replace it with something functionally identical.

We’ll probably see the rise of utopian or extreme ideologies as people seek alternative sources of meaning.

Less tradition just means more transient and faddish ideological fashions, many of these will be problematic as they are the product of the flaws of human nature.

If a decline in traditional religion happens, whatever things replace it will manifest the same problems just in slightly different forms.

If religions are man made, the problems inherent are simply a reflection of human nature.

The only thing I’m certain of is whatever replaces it will not lead to the magical appearance of a united, tolerant, rational and altruistic humanity.

It might even be better the devil you know…

 

[RestlessSoul]

How long has religion got? How long has humanity got?

 

[Tomef]

There are more adherents of the traditional religions now than at any time in history.

There are more people.

People don’t “lose” religion they replace it with something functionally identical.

This kind of narrow view is typical of religious thought. Some people do that, some people don't. Not everyone requires some kind meta explanation to find meaning or purpose in life.

We’ll probably see the rise of utopian or extreme ideologies as people seek alternative sources of meaning.

Bit of an outdated idea, again, this reveals a mind trapped by dogma. Your thinking suits the early 20th C, but not the contemporary world.

 

[Tomef]

The only thing I’m certain of is whatever replaces it will not lead to the magical appearance of a united, tolerant, rational and altruistic humanity.

Nothing magical about it. There's no reason why humans shouldn't move beyond the idea of religion and extreme ideologies, eventually, or why those shouldn't be replaced with ways of organising society that don't involve putting up artificial barriers. What the religious fear in that is a loss of identity, or sense of purpose perhaps, but it would be a natural development in the evolution of human societies.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Nothing magical about it. There's no reason why humans shouldn't move beyond the idea of religion and extreme ideologies, eventually, or why those shouldn't be replaced with ways of organising society that don't involve putting up artificial barriers. What the religious fear in that is a loss of identity, or sense of purpose perhaps, but it would be a natural development in the evolution of human societies.

Well, to me it is in the end an unknown.
But for now, I have never seen an actual objctive rational moral/value system.
The close I have observed are inter-subjective subjective morals/values based on beliefs without evidence without any standard religious claims.

I.e. e.g. humans have positive value because we believe in that and act based on it.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Nothing magical about it. There's no reason why humans shouldn't move beyond the idea of religion and extreme ideologies, eventually, or why those shouldn't be replaced with ways of organising society that don't involve putting up artificial barriers. What the religious fear in that is a loss of identity, or sense of purpose perhaps, but it would be a natural development in the evolution of human societies.

This post religious world without barriers sounds exactly like one of the utopian ideologies we supposedly left behind in the 20th Century

 

[Altfish]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west.

What are the reasons for the decline?
- Decline of the Patriarchal society
- Acceptance of diverse cultural and societal issues like same sex marriage, gender, abortion, IVF, divorce, abortion, homosexuality and contraception. (Wow)
- Public morality being determined by law and not religion
- Hypocrisies of religion
- Society can see that countries that are less religious actually tend to be less corrupt and have lower murder rates than religious ones
- Individual critical thinking
- Any more?

And how long has religion got? A few hundred years or less?

Here are just a couple of the hundreds of articles on the subject.

Why is religion suddenly declining?

An analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more...

blog.oup.com

A surprising explanation for the global decline of religion

Since the year 2000, there has been a global decline of religion. In a recent paper, scientists suggest automation could be the cause.

bigthink.com

You have omitted to mention 'science' as a reason for religion's decline

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I think the internet and ease of information has a lot to do with it

Information does tend to run counter to religion.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

You have omitted to mention 'science' as a reason for religion's decline

I am not sure it is science as such, but as much liberal/communist ideology in some part of the world.

 

[Altfish]

I am not sure it is science as such, but as much liberal/communist ideology in some part of the world.

They are two totally different reasons.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

They are two totally different reasons.

Can you expand?

 

[Balthazzar]

What's the future for religion? It's a big question but it looks like it's on the decline, especially in west.

What are the reasons for the decline?
- Decline of the Patriarchal society
- Acceptance of diverse cultural and societal issues like same sex marriage, gender, abortion, IVF, divorce, abortion, homosexuality and contraception. (Wow)
- Public morality being determined by law and not religion
- Hypocrisies of religion
- Society can see that countries that are less religious actually tend to be less corrupt and have lower murder rates than religious ones
- Individual critical thinking
- Any more?

And how long has religion got? A few hundred years or less?

Here are just a couple of the hundreds of articles on the subject.

Why is religion suddenly declining?

An analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more...

blog.oup.com

A surprising explanation for the global decline of religion

Since the year 2000, there has been a global decline of religion. In a recent paper, scientists suggest automation could be the cause.

bigthink.com

Maybe it's evolving as we evolve and as the world changes via the changes of life experience. I don't think it's going anywhere, but I do think it evolves and branches out like everything else. It's not a dead tree, nor has it ever been, but it does evolve, and it does branch in many directions. Seasons of life - rest (less activity and deterioration) after a season of growth and harvest, on to new growth and more activity and even more harvests, the harvest being the product or what is produced in people who practice them or who are developed by them. It largely depends on people and whether or not people are able to not be so negatively influenced by invading forces. The difference between good, ready, and prepared ground and ground that isn't quite ready to produce desired fruit yet. Lots of diseases threaten peace of mind and well being, so we end up in situations that produce what's needed to develop as we need to develop as a society.