Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Dallas

A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion there is set for extinction, say researchers.

The study found a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation.

The team's mathematical model attempts to account for the interplay between the number of religious respondents and the social motives behind being one.

The result, reported at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, indicates that religion will all but die out altogether in those countries.

The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

[Ilsa]

1. Don't tell the fun dies. They'll plan an evangelical invasion. nt

[sarcasmo]

2. That would be my own personal utopia, a planet without religion.

[bayareamike]

3. Can't say that I'll miss it. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

4. Ireland? I doubt Ireland's Cathlics are going anywhere. That is almost

as unlikely as the Catholic religion dying out in Italy.

[HockeyMom]

6. They are because

the ideas and ideals of the catholic church no longer fit the modern life and world, even in Italy and Ireland.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. their huge sex scandal hasn't helped much

[Auntie Bush]

15. They will conveniently change the rules in order to "modernize" and hold on to all that MONEY

I wouldn't doubt if the next Pope doesn't start modernizing.

[intaglio]

13. You've heard about the levy on married Catholics in Eire?

This is proposed to stop the Dublin Archdiocese going bankrupt and because the traditional funding routes are no longer producing enough money.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x297378

[ananda]

5. What!?

Fewer colonialist missionaries?

Heaven forfend!

[AndyTiedye]

7. k/r

[bowens43]

8. Let's hope this happens

and continues to spread.

[dtexdem]

9. Be careful about saying that -- it might be placed on endangered species lists.

;-)

[Donnachaidh]

11. Canada? Don't think so

My family came from the Maritimes, and there is STILL religious animosity between Catholics and Protestants. Hell, an earlier generation actually dug up a family member who was buried with her husband, because she wasn't buried in a Catholic cemetery.

And I was told to -not- mention my religious affiliation because the researcher we were visiting would not talk to me if I did. She might even have thrown me out of her house. This was just a few years ago.

I wonder which areas they used?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. Won't be down to zero, ever.

In any population of measurable size, there's always a hard core of... nah, I better stop now, don't want this post to be deleted.

[LeftishBrit]

14. It certainly won't happen in Ireland any time soon,

As for Australia: while it is not a highly religious nation, let's not forget that last year it came JUST ONE PARLIAMENTARY SEAT from getting religious right-winger Tony Abbott as its Prime Minister.

A country does not have to be very religious to have problems with religious right-wingers having undue power; conversely, countries can have a predominantly religious citizenry without much in the way of a religious right in politics.

[immoderate]

16. Nothing in Scandanavia? Maybe it's a done deal there.

:shrug:

--imm

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. My take on Scandinavia after a month there?

Not much regular church attendance, but many people still have their children baptized and get married in church, and when I looked at the obituary notices in the Oslo paper (I read a bit of Norwegian), about 90% of the notices had crosses at the top of the obituary, although a few had other symbols, like flowers or doves.

People are indifferent to religion and consider it a ceremonial way of marking life's occasions rather than being actively hostile.

[pnorman]

18. Marx on Religion

“Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”


See This site (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm#05) for the entire introduction.

It's a lot more nuanced (and insightful) than is generally credited to Marx. From that could be inferred that as long as misery, injustice, and oppression haunt this planet, religions will spring up in opposition. That most will end up as apologists of the corrupt system is one of the supreme ironies of history.

[ZAROVE]

19. Gappist

Three things I have said often.


1: There is no such thing as a person with no Religion.

What we think of as Secularism has itself morphed into an intrinsic belief system complete with its own Moral Codes, its own standards, and its own perspective on society, as well as its own Narrative about where we came from and who we are.

As much as we call this “Not being Religious” it actually is a Religion in its own Right.


2: people seem to never study History. Once upon a Time Voltaire said “in 100 Years the Bible will be a Forgotten Book” and was wrong. Once upon a Time Christianity was dying in America, then came “The Great Awakening”. Once upon a Time it was dying in Britain and there was revival in 1900.


Its not like most people Imagine, that “religion” (Read Christianity) was strong for centuries and just now entered Terminal Decline. All of this has happened before.

Heck, Christianity nearly died out in 1000 AD.

It goes in Cycles.

Just because the present trend is decline doesn't mean said Trend will continue.

3: Religious belief is also sometimes hard to gauge and these sorts of Polls are often filled with error.

Also, th media outlets may have their own Agendas. I meanthe BBC has for a while now hated Christianity... Take that bas into consideration.

Also, for hose who say other things on he thread...


1: Religion is not always “Right Wing”.

2: Not all Right Wingers are bad either.

3: As I said already, its not like anyone is really less Religious than anyone else. Its just a difference of beliefs and practices.

[darkstar3]

20. So tell me,

to what religion do I belong? I, who posess no belief in gods, and observe no rituals of any kind. What "other" box would you force me into?

[laconicsax]

21. A poorly spelled one, I'm sure. n/t

[sudopod]

25. OH SNAP

lol XD

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kwolf68]

24. Religion won't ever go out-at least no time soon

It's an elixir for people in fear of dying. I'll admit I'd love the idea that I'll see my father again one day. It's not hard to hold onto that piece of hope, especially when confronted with the convincing confidence of believers.

Still, you mention history...and what history has shown is religion is almost always an obstacle for progress and enlightenment. If left to the religious quacks we'd still be walking around thinking the earth was the center of the universe and it gets dark because God cuts off a light switch and hurricanes, quakes, tornadoes are the result of God being pissed off that we masturbated.

I submit that religion should be a completely personal thing. The more in the public square, the more active these people are especially in large active groups, the more ludicrous they behave. They believe shit like a talking snake, but reject testable proven scientific evidence. Earth is flat? Earth is center of solar system? Eventually the religious are proven wrong and they go onto something else...then we prove that. At some point, the evidence for evolution will be pretty much irrefutable. And then they'll move the target yet again.

Religion is a relic of a pre-civilized society when we needed something to explain shit we didn't understand and we had to sit by and watch our family die, because we couldn't medically help them.

Religion is no longer necessary in a modern society...Doesn't mean it won't persist. Lots of crap isn't needed, but it thrives on...the profit motive of religion also helps it to thrive.

[Humanist_Activist]

26. Uhm, Secularism is actually removed from religion, how do you explain secular Christians...

Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc.?

[Taverner]

23. Long time coming...

I would argue it's a good thing, but I know many here who wouldn't