Christianity is slowly dying in Europe, but along with other religions, is growing in every other continent
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Well, if we’re trying to disprove the existence of god, let’s have a word from Douglas Adams. I trust you all know this, if not, you should take far more interest in local affairs!
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This is true, although I think North America is also well and truly on the decline, at least in terms of attendance??
Very happy to be corrected.
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Yes, that’s right sorry. And should have clarified *Western Europe
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Thread title says ‘all its Forms’…too much Jebus in here (not knocking the bloke!)…
What about one of the most interesting spiritual frameworks out there…the Prince Philip worshipping Kastom people from the island of Tanna, Vanuatu.
Some anthropologist has suggested that it is likely they will start worshiping his son, Charles!!
Crikey.
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I shit you not there wasLandroverism. Many tribes’ first experience of a machine (aside from a distant plane) was a Landrover hence they were worshipped as magical beings.
Any species sufficiently advanced etc.
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On the furtherance of humanity’s enlightenment, in terms of how we treat each other, I hope I’ve already demonstrated ample evidence that in the degradation of, or absence of religious belief, there is no evidence that we will live enlightened lives.
On humanity’s enlightenment in terms of our understanding and growing knowledge, there are innumerable Christians, throughout history and current, who have made an enormous contribution to our understanding of the world. A brief list would include Boyle, Lavoisier, Faraday, Mendel, Lemaitre, Newton, Dalton, Gauss, Collins, Pascal, Babbage. (Many people of other faiths too).
Our understanding of elements, compounds, gases, chemistry, electromagnets, genetics, mathematics, expansion of the universe, physics, motion, atomic theory, cloning, genome, probability theory, and computing would all be much less were it not for these devoutly religious people, and many more besides.
All of them theists in their understanding of life and how life works. All of them making a significant scientific contribution.
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More correctly I should have said we can observe the Big Bang as having happened.
This is true.
Stats I saw recently from the Barna group show that in the last 20 years the proportion of practicing Christians in America has almost halved.
Edit, saw Klopptimist post after I wrote this.
Went to a mega church in North Carolina a few years ago on Easter Sunday. It was absolutely stunning. Band was shit hot too. The kids’ club was beyond Disney level (and I don’t say that lightly) they had full size sets of the stations of the cross (as I know them) and took the kids round role playing / acting out etc. Was a most enlightening afternoon.
The family (adults) we were staying with were carrying guns in church and we all went to the gun range later.
Love the USA 
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This is a brilliant post and articulates my thoughts much better than I could.
On this bit however:
It makes sense that this would be inevitable. But since the only place that religions are degrading is North America and Western Europe (whilst growing rapidly everywhere else), are we saying that these are places are more enlightened? I mean just look at the last 2 leaders of the US and the UK!?
The evidence for this is disputed. It’s true for the period of the pandemic, crises often elicit an upsurge in religiosity, but on the whole the trend over the last twenty years seems to suggest that religious belief is on the wane.
I really like the story of Cargo Cult’s worshipping John Frum.
The Gods Must Be Crazy - accurate representation of a cargo cult situation
This seems to contradict the article I posted earlier. Also really annoying as there is no reference list to check out the citations he uses to support his claims
Try this link
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The question of how consciousness evolved that was mentioned earlier is a wonderfully fascinating one. I’ll love to know what progress can be made there. Equally, are there any scientific studies aimed at understanding what happens to one’s consciousness after life?
For me that is the greatest question that remains unexplained. As such, it may well be where the last vestiges of religiosity will be found.
Out of curiosity, are there any religions that don’t speak of an after life?
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