The Economist Magazine's Special Report on Religion

by BurnTheShips 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  BurnTheShips

  The current issue of the Economist includes an 18 page special report on the global rise of traditional religion .
  

  • In God's name
  • O come all ye faithful
  • The power of private prayer
  • The new wars of religion
  • Holy depressing
  • Bridging the divide
  • Back to the Ottomans
  • Stop in the name...
  • The lesson from America

  The report is pretty extensive and balanced I think. Even a report of this size can only give an overview of such a large topic. They conclude some things that religious observers have known for some time. God is far from dead. Traditional religion is on the rise worldwide. Atheists and secularists are upset that organized religion has not ended.

  

  Cheers,

  Burn
• 

  Gopher

  Traditional religion is on the rise worldwide.

  It isn't here in America. More and more young people are not identifying with any particular religion: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/07/21/MNGB37Q7L11.DTL

  Also there is an large increase in participation in atheist/humanist/freethought groups here in America among young and old.

  Atheists and secularists are upset that organized religion has not ended.

  Who told you that? This atheist knows that there will likely always be a segment of people who are believers. And most atheists actually don't care what beliefs people hold. That's what makes them different from those who loyally believe and belong to evangelistic/expansionistic type groups, who believe that conversion of others to their way of thought is a life or death matter, sometimes zealously so.

  The part about organized religion that can be "upsetting" is when they use influence on governments to discriminate against science or women, or try to legalize discrimination against minority groups like gays. In the past, major segments of organized religion supported slavery saying it was God's will. Now they've moved on to other ways to try to impose their views on society, framing trouble by decree. In America, the religious right campaigns to take money from the public till and advance religion at taxpayer expense, attacking our secular public schools, attacking the rights of nonbelievers, and attacking the "Establishment" clause of the Constitution.

  I have no problem with religions that preach tolerance and open-mindedness.

  The best society would be one where people would be free to choose their belief or non-belief philosophies, and one where religions wouldn't get deference or preferential treatment by the government. There should be strict separation of church and state, as Thomas Jefferson stated.

  The best hope for the world (in terms of getting together to bridge differences) is non-theocratic, secular governments.
• 

  BurnTheShips

  Who told you that?

  Why, the first article from the Economist special report referenced in the original post:

  Part of that secular fury, especially in Europe, comes from exasperation.

  The best hope for the world (in terms of getting together to bridge differences) is non-theocratic, secular governments.

  No argument there! At least in the current context.

  Cheers,

  Burn
• 

  Borgia

  This may be of interest too.

  http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060901faessay85504/walter-russell-mead/god-s-country.html

  Cheers

  Borgia
• 

  Robert K Stock

  This Atheist is not upset that religion has not ended. Let there be open and honest discussion. I have nothing to fear from believers and they have nothing to fear from me.
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  Qcmbr

  I wonder whether the western world will ever see the creation of another major religion.
  
  I was musing on this as it is real easy to believe in age old miracles as long as you aren't actually asked to get out and walk on water. In today's media rich society I doubt we have enough time for the creation of mythical stories to start a new faith (though the hindu milkathon was fun) - the last major new religion (Scientology) is based upon 'science' rather than old world god(s).
  
  There is still a chance for religions to spawn in the underdeveloped world but the take up would be near nill in the west I suspect.
  
  I suspect the growth in religion is merely an effect of:
  
  Watered down religion - born agains just need to do the swing by in jeans and jump around routine. Easy come easy go.
  Relative growth of uneducated - high birth rates + high belief rate.
  Religion as culture - many young western muslims are energised by perceived persecution rather than a desire to pray to the East. Immigration drives a desire for group identification and religion provides it.
  
  As education sweeps on and the gaps close for the gods to exercise power the rising generation will gradually kill the old notions of Gods. That is unless something catastrophic happens and we return to a dark age.
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  Robert K Stock

  In the West environmentalism has reached the status of religion to many people. Gaia worshipers are university educated fanatical true believers that the planet Earth is more important than humanity. One woman made headlines here in the States by having herself sterilized as part of a voluntary human extinction project. Some of these people look at humanity as a virus that is harmful to the Earth and must be done away with.

  I think it is mistaken to say that scientology is based on science. L. Ron Hubbard created it from his experience as a science fiction writer. Scientology is to science as astrology is to astronomy.
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  5go

  Scientology is to science as astrology is to astronomy.

  Bad example!

  Astrology did contribute to astronomy. Though it doesn't make any astrology more real.

  Much like Islam creating peer review makes it any more real. Though it helped science out a lot.
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  5go

  Atheists and secularists are upset that organized religion has not ended.

  There a theist goes again lumping things together. Secularist could care less about theism just as long as it stays out of government policies and operations unless it is proved effective.