Will Religion One Day Disappear?

As we know, atheism and non-belief are on the rise worldwide. But does this mean that spirituality, too, will one day become a thing of the past?!

Millions of people around the world believe that life ends with death and that God and the afterlife have no external reality. Unfortunately, these thoughts have become increasingly widespread. Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in California and author of the book "Living the Secular Life," says: "Today, the number of atheists has increased more than ever before." According to the Gallup International Survey, conducted in 57 countries on 50,000 people, the number of religious individuals decreased from 77% in 2005 to 68% in 2011, and the number of atheists increased by 3%, reaching 13%. It is certain that atheists do not constitute the majority of the population, but considering their upward trend, what might happen in the future?

They are still examining the factors that lead individuals or nations toward atheism and non-belief, but the common factors among them are very few. Part of religion's appeal is that it brings a sense of security to humans amidst the struggles of the world's insecurities. So it is no surprise that countries with the highest rates of atheism are usually those with high economic and political stability. Zuckerman says that security in society seems to reduce religious beliefs. Apparently, capitalism, access to technology, and the benefit of education are also linked to the decline of religion in some societies. The Crisis of Religion

Japan, Britain, Canada, South Korea, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, France, and Uruguay are all countries where, until about a century ago, religion held a special place and importance, but now all have the lowest levels of belief in the world. These countries have strong and robust educational systems and social security, and they are all wealthy. Zuckerman says: "There are very few societies where the level of religiosity has increased compared to forty or fifty years ago. Perhaps the only exception is Iran, but this is also uncertain, because secular people in this country may not express their beliefs." America is another exception, as while it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it has a high level of religiosity, although the number of atheists is also on the rise there.

Ara Norenzayan, a social psychologist at the University of British Columbia, says the decline of religion does not mean its destruction. In the coming years, climate change will bring natural disasters upon humanity, and natural resources will be largely depleted, so human suffering and problems may increase their level of religiosity. People want to escape suffering and thus turn to religion, because religion gives meaning to suffering.

The Theistic Mind But even if the world's problems were miraculously solved and we all lived in peace and equality, it would still not be likely that religion would disappear. Because it seems that God has found a way into our neural psychology.

Understanding this requires exploring the "dual-process theory." According to this psychological principle, our mind has two types of thinking: System 1 and System 2. System 2 is the voice that speaks to us from within (a speaker that never falls silent) and gives us the power of planning and logical thinking. But System 1 is intuitive, instinctive, and unconscious thinking. It is the sense that unconsciously makes us disgusted by rotten meat, gives us the ability to speak our mother tongue (without needing to think about it), and gives children the ability to recognize their parents and distinguish between animate and inanimate objects. System 1 drives us to seek meaning and purpose behind the seemingly random events of life, like natural disasters or the death of our loved ones.

Some thinkers believe that it is System 1 that has made the evolution and persistence of religions possible. System 1 causes children, regardless of their cultural background, to believe that they possess an immortal soul, that they existed before birth, and that they will continue to exist after death. That is why many thinkers maintain that religion is a product of our cognitive nature. Religions are cultural systems that evolved to exploit these natural capacities and capabilities inherent in human beings.

Habits That Are Hard to Break Atheists must contend with all these cultural and evolutionary factors, for humans are naturally inclined to believe that they are part of a whole and that life is not vain and meaningless. Norenzayan says: "Perhaps a person seeks to restrain their intuition through learning science and critical thinking, but the intuition does not disappear, nor is it capable of disappearing."

On the other hand, science is not like a pill that we can swallow very easily and simply! Learning science is difficult, but religion is simple and does not need to be learned, because we already know it. Religious thinking encounters the least resistance within the human being. If we want to rid ourselves of religion, we must change the very foundation of human existence to succeed! It is probably this biological attachment to religion that has led to the fact that, although twenty percent of Americans are not members of any church, 68% of them believe in God and 37% are inclined toward spirituality. Even though some individuals do not follow any organized religion, they believe that there is a greater being or force that guides the world. Moreover, many of those who do not adhere to a specific religion rely on representatives of religion, such as yoga, and this itself indicates the existence of an inner tendency. Among the other attractions and reasons for the indestructibility of religion is that religion fosters solidarity and cooperation among humans. In addition, more religious families usually have a greater number of children, and since children are generally influenced to a large extent by their parents' religiosity, the likelihood that the religious population will one day vanish is very slim. On the whole, for all these reasons (psychological, neurological, historical, and cultural), experts believe that religion will probably never disappear.

.

---

.

Source: Din Online

Rachel Nuwer

.

---

.