Will religion fade away?

[Zzyzx]

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Will religion fade away? From a current thread:

What will happen is that science will continue to erode religious beliefs until there is no place left for religion to claim for it's own. At some point religious beliefs will simply evaporate without a whimper.

I suggest that even in technologically advanced, scientifically oriented societies, there will 'always' be a percentage of the population that NEED religion to give them 'hope' and 'comfort' in attempting to deal with life's adversities (including induced fear and guilt).

However, that percentage of people who need religion may be quite low -- as demonstrated by European nations. US religion research and statistics indicate a declining trend also.

Evaluating conflicting ideas is a path to progress. In real life, weak, unsupported, erroneous, misapplied, etc conjectures are eventually cast aside with movement toward strong, well supported, substantiated ideas -- ideas that actually WORK in the real world and produce specified results.

Perhaps our Forum represents a microcosm of society. Many Theists / Apologists / Christians join and debate for a short time -- then 'fade away' -- perhaps after discovering that their arguments do not hold up when challenged. Lack of ability to substantiate claims and stories with anything more than more unverified stories, testimonials, conjectures, opinions, and philosophical ponderings does not fare well in debate.

A few Theist debaters remain active -- often representing / presenting specific niches within the umbrella of Christianity -- and/or presenting / defending their own personal version of religion. None seem able to present strong evidence for 'divinity' of Jesus or authenticity of Gospel tales.

With increasingly available information in the modern age people can find answers to questions that were only given then by religion in past times. Now anyone interested and motivated can learn about biology, geology, anthropology, psychology, sociology, etc (and even take on-line courses from major universities) -- and not depend on ancient tales to provide 'answers'. One can also learn that 'morals' and 'ethics' are NOT absolute or universal -- but are products of societies rather than supernatural entities.

Does this seem like the wave of the future?

[ttruscott]

Will religion fade away?

Of course it will! Religion is bound to decrease as the last few (1 or 2 billion) sinful elect start to come alive and repent and seek GOD and die so no one is there to stand for YHWH against all the world, religion will end. Fake gov't religions supporting the anti-Christ will prevail along with the pagan religions.

When the last sinful elect finally repents, THEN the judgement that cleanses our reality from evil will be able to occur and we can thereafter live in full, loving communion with our GOD forever.

So, let's see, what forum is this? C&A...so ok. The preceding is my opinion for which I can offer no proof but a whole lot of evidence if the Bible and the indwelling Holy Spirit is considered as evidence...

though why someone would constantly ask for a Christian opinion then decry it for no proof is beyond me.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

Yes, the bible prophecies that religious support will indeed drain away, not to nothing but that organized religions will significantly lose their support. I believe we are already seeing the fulfillment of that bible prophecy.



JW

Further reading: Awake magazine published by JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102015403#h=15

The Prostitute on the waters [Revelation 17:15; 16:12]

[Willum]

Well kind of:
Religions have been coming and going, since Egypt.
It may not surprise you to discover that the Roman Catholic church and the Religion of Egypt are very similar.

I think one falls out of favor when its elements are shown to be wrong, then religionists get into a huddle and recreate the religion in a way that does not go against history or physics, or common sense.

TrueScotts interpretations are one example how religion changes personally, (he is in many ways personally recreating the religion to come - he is the neo-John the Baptist, as, n doubt many of the consistencies he interprets will be understood as being reasonable - with some creative re-writing of the neo-KJV). Jehovah's Witness is an example of how churches them selves will be created with different mantra that discards the parts of the religion that no longer make sense.

So you've seen that the Pope has told people to embrace evolution and the Big Bang, and has told all Catholicism that they are both true and do not conflict with the Bible:

This is just another example of two things:
1. Religion is a lie that is so unimportant its core beliefs can be re-written.
2. Religion will just re-define itself so that anything man learns that contradicts it, will simply be incorporated.

The Pharaohs ruled just like the Pope does - through God's authority. Just as every major Western Empire has, Egypt: Ra (most famously Aten), Greece ane Rome: Zeus, The Hebrew through Ba'El, until Pompey replaced him with Yahweh, and then Europe with Deus , finally God with the Roman Catholic Church, as a variant of Zeus, Deus and Jezeus (Jesus ).

Then came the splinter religions, Church of England, which allowed the English to rule more suitably and so on, Mormonism, Judaism etc., are "democratic" cultured Christianity.

Looking at it this way, religion adapts to and enforces political rule, it looks like it always has... it is amazing to me, I have never actually looked at it this way...

[McCulloch]

Religion is fading away. It has been for centuries. There is no reason to believe that the trend will reverse itself.

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

Yes, the bible prophecies that religious support will indeed drain away, not to nothing but that organized religions will significantly lose their support. I believe we are already seeing the fulfillment of that bible prophecy.



JW

Further reading: Awake magazine published by JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102015403#h=15

The Prostitute on the waters [Revelation 17:15; 16:12]

According to your graph, Italy seems to be the exception. Religion (presumably Catholicism) is relatively high there, and somewhat on the rise.

Very high in Ireland, but clearly declining.

[Elijah John]

Religion is fading away. It has been for centuries. There is no reason to believe that the trend will reverse itself.

Could pure and simple Deism be the mammal destined to survive amidst the world of near-extinct theological dinosaurs?

[Tired of the Nonsense]

.
Will religion fade away? From a current thread:

What will happen is that science will continue to erode religious beliefs until there is no place left for religion to claim for it's own. At some point religious beliefs will simply evaporate without a whimper.

I suggest that even in technologically advanced, scientifically oriented societies, there will 'always' be a percentage of the population that NEED religion to give them 'hope' and 'comfort' in attempting to deal with life's adversities (including induced fear and guilt).

However, that percentage of people who need religion may be quite low -- as demonstrated by European nations. US religion research and statistics indicate a declining trend also.

Evaluating conflicting ideas is a path to progress. In real life, weak, unsupported, erroneous, misapplied, etc conjectures are eventually cast aside with movement toward strong, well supported, substantiated ideas -- ideas that actually WORK in the real world and produce specified results.

Perhaps our Forum represents a microcosm of society. Many Theists / Apologists / Christians join and debate for a short time -- then 'fade away' -- perhaps after discovering that their arguments do not hold up when challenged. Lack of ability to substantiate claims and stories with anything more than more unverified stories, testimonials, conjectures, opinions, and philosophical ponderings does not fare well in debate.

A few Theist debaters remain active -- often representing / presenting specific niches within the umbrella of Christianity -- and/or presenting / defending their own personal version of religion. None seem able to present strong evidence for 'divinity' of Jesus or authenticity of Gospel tales.

With increasingly available information in the modern age people can find answers to questions that were only given then by religion in past times. Now anyone interested and motivated can learn about biology, geology, anthropology, psychology, sociology, etc (and even take on-line courses from major universities) -- and not depend on ancient tales to provide 'answers'. One can also learn that 'morals' and 'ethics' are NOT absolute or universal -- but are products of societies rather than supernatural entities.

Does this seem like the wave of the future?

Unless life really is a product of some sort of supernatural breath, then the basic nature of creating life from scratch will eventually be understood. Biologists have believed for years that they are getting close to understanding and producing life from scratch in the laboratory. If and when humans fully understand how to go about producing life from scratch, and "replicants" like those described in "Blade Runner" become an actual fact, one of the final arguments for the existence of God will have been severed. And the concept of God will have been rendered meaningless.

[Zzyzx]

.

According to your graph, Italy seems to be the exception. Religion (presumably Catholicism) is relatively high there, and somewhat on the rise.

Italy has been the center of RCC for a couple thousand years (Rome, The Vatican). Perhaps it is not surprising that the infused culture would prevail

Very high in Ireland, but clearly declining.

Incidentally, and just incidentally, Italian and Irish people are often characterized as prone to be unusually emotional . . .

[McCulloch]

Could pure and simple Deism be the mammal destined to survive amidst the world of near-extinct theological dinosaurs?

I wouldn't be unhappy.