Parts of the world are literally losing their religion, according to a new study. The study conducted by the American Physical Society, finds that religion is dying out in nine countries. The findings unveiled at an APS meeting in Dallas show that religion may become extinct in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
The study, conducted by Richard Wiener of the University of Arizona and Daniel Abrams and Haley Yaple of Northwestern University, took data stretching back 100 years for those nine countries.
"In a large number of modern secular democracies, there's been a trend that folk are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40 percent, and the highest number was in the Czech Republic, where the number was 60 percent."
The study also found that "Americans without affiliation comprise the only religious group growing in all 50 states."
"In 2008 those claiming no religion rose to 15 percent nationwide, with a maximum in Vermont at 34 percent," the study says.
The study concludes that religion in these societies might one day disappear.
"The model predicts that for societies in which the perceived utility of not adhering is greater than the utility of adhering, religion will be driven toward extinction."
___________________________________________________________I don't know what to say -- my reaction is so mixed to this news.
First reaction: how sad!
I've been in the Netherlands. It's tragic to see the spiritually emaciated people and the murdered churches. I believe that the religious leaders in Europe literally killed Christianity with their legalism and traditionalism. They pursued their own gain rather than God Himself. Scripture means it when it warns, "Quench not the Spirit." 1Thess. 5:19
Second reaction: good! We need to lose our "religion". Maybe then we'll find God.
Where I am, in the upper Midwest, everyone goes to church and the vast majority claim to be "Christian", tho few live it. As Scripture describes in Titus 1: "For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Really, both my reactions come from the same place, as I look at it now. The church has destroyed religion by removing the reason. When God is removed from religion, it has no life. A creed of my own design will never grab my heart; but
a God who designed everything -- Him, I can believe in.
A Creator and King -- Him, I can serve.
Emmanuel, God with us -- Him, I can love.
I had similar reactions. Christianity is supposed to be a relationship, not a religion. A religion is a list of does and don'ts and ten percents, but what we have through Christ is a relationship with Him, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. He has ALWAYS had remnant, a faithful people. When He told about the wide path leading to destruction, and the narrow path leading to eternal life, one of the reasons was so we wouldn't be surprised to see so few on this path.
ReplyDeleteFor many years it was "fashionable" to identify oneself as a Christian, but as you said, they didn't live like one. Now, it's not the "in" club to be in, so more and more of the people who are Sunday Christians are "abandoning" the faith that they weren't really a part of anyway. But, God has always had a people, always had a remnant. And, they are not necessarily always the ones meeting in the buildings either.