To What Degree Has Scientific Knowledge Pulled Mankind Away From Religion?

[Skwim]

Other than the fact that science has increasingly provided competing interests with which people further divide their time, thus cutting into time and attention for religious considerations and pursuits, have the findings of science themselves pulled mankind away from religion?

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[LionLooking]

I think that it is undeniable that science has pulled people away from religion - just look at the number of followers religions now have (as a fraction of total population) and compare it to pre-enlightenment societies.

The reason for this is that science has cast doubt on 'facts' preached by holy books (7 day creation, worldwide flood etc.).

Whilst science has pulled people away from religion, it needn't pull us away from 'God'.

 

[YmirGF]

I went with reasonably so due to the vast array of intelligence levels and mental states of people in the world.

 

[George-ananda]

I went with 'marginally so'.

I think there was some in the 20th century. In this century science seems all over the place with weird speculation that seems to allow the possibility of things deemed too weird last century.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Multiple factors have conspired to reduce the appeal of religion, not just science, although that would be one significant factor. Science has revealed a clockwork universe that can organize itself and run without the involvement of gods. We have no need for Apollo to pull the sun through the sky with his chariot, or for Thor to account for lightning bolts and what sounds like a war of the gods when the skies bellow with thunder.

Factors not of their own doing include the following:

• As already discussed, science has no doubt had an impact.

• Removal of state led prayer and Bible instruction in public schools is obviously a bugbear in the church's estimation given its tireless efforts to get back into the them.

• The advent of the Internet has made it pretty near impossible to keep young people from reading the thoughts of unbelievers. Despite efforts to prevent their exposure to secular culture including home schooling, these young people can get information about evolution and atheism that isn't coming from creationists and the enemies of atheists even if they are forbidden to have a computer at home.

• Also, atheism has become socially acceptable. It's not as hard to be an atheist any more. This will probably cause the rate of decline of Christianity in America to accelerate. There is evidence that it already has (ARIS and Pew surveys). Celebrities like George Carlin and Bill Maher have also helped to make Christianity seem irrelevant and atheistic worldviews like secular humanism more appealing.

But in my opinion, the major factor damaging the church and contributing to the decline of religion in the US in particular is not science, but its public face there.

• In recent memory, we have seen countless televangelist scandals, the Catholic priest pedophilia and cover-up scandals, bigots like Tony Perkins, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, Christian cults like those of Jim Jones and David Koresh, Westboro Baptist Church, Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby, the duck dynasty guy, the Oregon wedding cake couple, Kim Davis, the Duggar and Palin families and their public hypocrisies, the Target boycott snit, and years of abortion clinic terrorism including physician assassinations, arsons, bombings, and the Planned Parenthood smears culminating in Christian zealot Robert Lewis Dear shooting up a clinic.

• Then you have the persecution complex and the sense of Christian privilege - the idea that all invocations should be Christian prayers and only Christian prayers, or that saying "Happy Holidays" or putting up atheistic billboards at Christmas time contradicting Christian billboards is an affront to Christians or a War on Christmas, and if they don't get this special treatment, they cry that their religious liberties are being trampled upon. Possibly very off-putting to a lot of people.

• The church's mean-spiritedness regarding homosexuals in American society is probably also very off-putting to a lot of people. Christian homophobia is pure bigotry, by which I mean an irrational, hateful and destructive attitude toward every member of a law abiding category of people. I suspect that many people were offended by the church's unwillingness to allow loving, committed same sex couple to enjoy the dignity and protections that married heterosexual couples enjoy on the basis of ancient ideas without merit.

• People are also likely pretty unimpressed with the idea of a god that would torture people for eternity for not bowing to it. I'm presuming on that one based on the frequency of Christians now saying that damnation is just separation from God or eternal slumber.

• Then there's the blatant disregard for the cherished American principle of church-state separation. The church is clearly trying to gain access to the government, especially the Supreme Court, in an effort to impose its values on the American people using the power of the state to do so.

• And they just keep showing us that they have no answers, and that their morality is highly suspect. Recently, Christian voters overwhelmingly supported a presidential candidate who is morally challenged, then a Senate candidate . We have evidence that he is a fraud (Trump university), a cheat (stiffs employees and contractors), a liar (do I need to give examples?), a bully, vengeful, and a sexual predator. Yet 81% of white evangelicals were willing to overlook that, as well as credible charges of pedophilia in Roy Moore.

 

[RedDragon94]

science has increasingly provided competing interests

Like what?

 

[Mindmaster]

Other than the fact that science has increasingly provided competing interests with which people further divide their time, thus cutting into time and attention for religious considerations and pursuits, have the findings of science themselves pulled mankind away from religion?

.

Science is doing its best to become a religion itself... Is there really much difference at this point, other than the universal model you feel is more acceptable?

As far as mankind leaping away from religion, not really. Urban populations are, the rest of the world isn't following them.

 

[questfortruth]

Other than the fact that science has increasingly provided competing interests with which people further divide their time, thus cutting into time and attention for religious considerations and pursuits, have the findings of science themselves pulled mankind away from religion?

.

Reality vs Atheism?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Marginally so, as it hasn't been enough.

 

[Skwim]

Like what?

All the technological advances that have arisen from scientific research, which have allowed us to go places and do things we weren't able to do before, such as sitting in front of the boob tube watching the Vikings Vs the Bears game instead of going to church. Conveniences such as trains, planes, and automobiles that allow us to leave our centers of worship instead of remaining rooted in our religious communities or at the doorstep of our churches. Automobiles in particular have given us the ability to travel way beyond the limits of a Sunday walk to church. Devices such as computers and the internet that have awakened us to other pursuits more interesting and engaging than the same-old-same-old religious patter parishioners are use to at church meetings. The church has ceased to be the congregating community it once was. We often opt to do other more engaging stuff than go to church, stuff made possible by advances in science.
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[Twilight Hue]

Other than the fact that science has increasingly provided competing interests with which people further divide their time, thus cutting into time and attention for religious considerations and pursuits, have the findings of science themselves pulled mankind away from religion?

.

That would depend upon how fundamental a person is.

 

[LuisDantas]

Other than the fact that science has increasingly provided competing interests with which people further divide their time, thus cutting into time and attention for religious considerations and pursuits, have the findings of science themselves pulled mankind away from religion?

.

If they have, the religion is faulty and needs course correction.

 

[Skwim]

That would depend upon how fundamental a person is.

I agree. Fundamentalists dig their heels in when confronted by conflicting evidence, often turning a blind eye to it. Hardly admirable, but there you go . . . . . . .

.​

 

[Skwim]

Science is doing its best to become a religion itself... Is there really much difference at this point, other than the universal model you feel is more acceptable?

Exactly what "universal model" do you think I feel is more acceptable?

As far as mankind leaping away from religion, not really. Urban populations are, the rest of the world isn't following them.

Really?

Please note the considerable positive change in "Nonreligious."

 

[RedDragon94]

All the technological advances that have arisen from scientific research,

Of which you know for a fact that everybody that had anything to do with technology and science was a nonbeliever?

 

[RedDragon94]

The church has ceased to be the congregating community it once was.

And how long has it been since you went to church?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Exactly what "universal model" do you think I feel is more acceptable?



Really?

Please note the considerable positive change in "Nonreligious."

Very interesting. I have heard that Islam is the fastest growing religion (non-carbohydrate based) in the world, and in a sense they are right. But non-religious has been growing at a much faster rate over the last 100 years. With the advent of the internet it will be interesting to see what direction that takes over the next 20 years.

 

[RedDragon94]

Really?

Oh, well I guess if you're a Chinese native worshiper it makes sense. China went through revolutions and all kinds of crap during that century.

DID YOU THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE THAT CHART IS FROM 1900 TO 2000?

 

[Trailblazer]

Exactly what "universal model" do you think I feel is more acceptable?



Really?

Please note the considerable positive change in "Nonreligious."

The growth rates of the Abrahamic religions from 1910-2010 were as follows: Judaism .11%, Christianity 1.32%, Islam 1.97%, and Baha’i Faith 3.54%.

From 2000-2010 Islam became the fastest growing religion (1.86 %) and the Baha’i Faith was the second fastest growing religion (1.72%).

The growth rates of the Baha’i Faith were higher than Islam from 1910 to 2010 because it includes the “formative age” of the Baha’i Faith (1921-1944) FOURTH PERIOD: THE INCEPTION OF THE FORMATIVE AGE OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH 1921–1944

Growth has slowed down since 2000 because the new Baha’i Faith goal is community building so the emphasis is not teaching the Faith.

Since the year 2000, religion has made resurgence whereas atheism and agnosticism are on the decline.

Atheism was growing at a rate of 6.54% from 1910-2010 but dropped to a growth rate of 0.05% from 2000-2010. It is also interesting to note that agnosticism was growing at a rate of 5.45% from 1910-2010 but dropped to a growth rate of 0.32% from 2000-2010. That demonstrates that both atheism and agnosticism are on the decline but also that there are many more agnostics than atheists.

Also interesting is that there were only 136,652,000 atheists in 2010, but there were 676,944,000 agnostics.

The growth rate of the Baha’i Faith far exceeded Christianity from 1910-2010 (3.54% vs. 1.32%). Although the growth rate of the Baha’i Faith has slowed down from 2000-2010 (1.72%) it still exceeds the growth rate of Christianity (1.31%).

Statistics from: Growth of religion - Wikipedia

 

[Subduction Zone]

The growth rates of the Abrahamic religions from 1910-2010 were as follows: Judaism .11%, Christianity 1.32%, Islam 1.97%, and Baha’i Faith 3.54%.

From 2000-2010 Islam became the fastest growing religion (1.86 %) and the Baha’i Faith was the second fastest growing religion (1.72%).

The growth rates of the Baha’i Faith were higher than Islam from 1910 to 2010 because it includes the “formative age” of the Baha’i Faith (1921-1944) FOURTH PERIOD: THE INCEPTION OF THE FORMATIVE AGE OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH 1921–1944

Growth has slowed down since 2000 because the new Baha’i Faith goal is community building so the emphasis is not teaching the Faith.

Since the year 2000, religion has made resurgence whereas atheism and agnosticism are on the decline.

Atheism was growing at a rate of 6.54% from 1910-2010 but dropped to a growth rate of 0.05% from 2000-2010. It is also interesting to note that agnosticism was growing at a rate of 5.45% from 1910-2010 but dropped to a growth rate of 0.32% from 2000-2010. That demonstrates that both atheism and agnosticism are on the decline but also that there are many more agnostics than atheists.

Also interesting is that there were only 136,652,000 atheists in 2010, but there were 676,944,000 agnostics.

The growth rate of the Baha’i Faith far exceeded Christianity from 1910-2010 (3.54% vs. 1.32%). Although the growth rate of the Baha’i Faith has slowed down from 2000-2010 (1.72%) it still exceeds the growth rate of Christianity (1.31%).

Statistics from: Growth of religion - Wikipedia

One problem with those statistics is that atheism appears to be poorly defined. Most agnostics are also atheists. Since the word atheist still has some undeserved stigma attached to it a better number to use is that of the number of generally non-religious.