Religion to become extinct in some countries

[arivecchi]

Wow. This is wild:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/science-environment-12811197?SThisEM

Anyone know more about this study?

I wonder if this is also a trend in the US.

[kerridean]

This is so interesting to me as an agnostic.

[niccig]

Interesting that Australia is listed there. I would say that most people I know there aren't religious, BUT that's because it's not as obvious - it's not spoken about as much as I've experienced it here in the USA. They could go regularly to Church, but it's personal and not discussed. They could be more religious than I think they are.

There's also less involvement by religious groups in politics.

Maybe partly it's because religion wasn't involved in the first European settlers - we were convicts and not religious groups trying to escape persecution or the Roman Catholic church evangelizing alongside the conquistadors? DH would like this argument as he says everything goes back to us being convicts :shake: We like vegemite because of the convicts. We speak funny because of the convicts...

[mommylamb]

I'm not so sure I like the term "extinct" for this (and that's in reference to the name of the article, not arivecchi's thread title). It's not like religion is a species of some sort. I agree with niccig that in those countries people just don't talk about religion so much publicly. Religion is just a more private affair, and I think that's a good thing because it's less prescriptive to others. But then again, I'm one who strongly disagrees with proselytizing.

[minnie-zb]

Maybe partly it's because the first Europeans were convicts and not religious group trying to escape persecution or the Roman Catholic church evangelizing alongside the conquistadors? DH would like this argument as he says everything goes back to us being convicts :shake:

I find that humorous as I always say everything that is wrong with us can be traced to the Puritans. :)

[tribe pride]

I think it's rather problematic for scientists to try and apply normal methods of research, principles of group dynamics, etc. to religion, because doing so completely takes God out of the equation. Yes, there may be a decline in the numbers of people claiming religious affiliation in certain countries. That's been a trend in many Western countries for decades. However, for researchers to then conclude that religion is "headed for distinction" is making a huge leap If I'm reading this article correctly, they are assuming that people adhere to religion mainly for utilitarian reasons, and that if those reasons disappear, then consequently fewer and fewer people will claim religious affiliation.

The thing is, I don't think people follow a particular religion for primarily utilitarian reasons. And as a Christian, I believe that, just because formal/organized religion may declining in a particular place, it doesn't mean that God can't work there to bring spiritual revitalization/renewal. I know people who are missionaries in several of the countries mentioned in this article, or know others who live there, and all of them could speak to how the church is growing and changing in our postmodern, post-Christian Western culture. Also, the researchers in this study also don't seem to recognize the large growth in non-Christian religions in some European countries that has occurred in recent decades due to immigration. Perhaps that growth hasn't been evidenced much in the countries cited, but who's to say that that couldn't change.

So, my response to the article would be that, while it may be true that religious affiliation is declining in those nations, to conclude that religion will become extinct is a grossly misleading and misinformed assumption.

[gatorsmom]

I think the whole issue is a bit more complicated than that. But the headline sure was worded to attract attention, wasn't it?

I can totally see many European countries heading this way, but America? Not in my lifetime.

[american_mama]

From what I've read and experienced, America is much more religious than many other Western nations. I have always assumed some of that has to do with the great variety of religions and denominations that are popular in the US, which I think increases the chances that people can rather easily find something that speaks to them. I'm mostly familiar with northern Euorpean countries where there are usually just one or two dominant religions - if you don't like it, you'd have to look pretty hard to find an alternative.

In addition, my sense is that American religious services are much more... appealing, I'd probably say. There are programs for child care, Sunday school and youth groups at almost all churches I've encountered. In Belgium, where I used to live, few churches provide even those basics to engage the next generation of parishioners, and as a result, their congregations lean heavily towards older members. Most US churches try to extend their work beyond the sanctuary with service projects which attempt to make a tangible difference - not sure if European churches do that as much. In general, voluntarism is much less in many European countries compared to the US (some say becasue the public sector is so much larger there, this reduces the need/expectation to rely on private non-profits and volunteers).

Also, many American churches are incorporating a more contemporary style of worship. This might come through in the music, sermon, audio-visual presentation, clothing, and/or location of the service, all in an attempt to deliver God's word in a way that is relevant and interesting to people. I just don't think this practice is as common in Europe. I specifically remember a religious German friend of mine visiting in the US and urging his wife to go with me and my sister to her church, so she could see "why so many Americans like church."

Anyway, the original article seemed to be oddly written and more about the scientific model than the question of religion. But my impression is that yes, religious participation is declining heavily in many European countries and this decline is greater than in the US.

[wellyes]

What an odd set of countries to pick for this kind of study: secular democracies where the census has been asking about religion for at least 100 years. No Africa, Mid East, Asia, South America. I'm sure the study addressed race and homogeneity as factors but the headline makes it sound like more of a global phenomenon.