What do you recognize as contributors to the downfall of religion?

Question

I'm currently reading "Religious Literacy" by Stephen Prothero and I'm getting the impression that denominational jealousy and intellectual dishonesty have been two of the religion's greatest destructive elements, ( ... of religion in the United States.)

What are your thoughts on these attitudes as contributors of religious demise and what other self-destructive mechanisms or attitudes do you recognize as adding to the ill health of theism ?
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Answer 1

I think that scientific progress is gradually filling all the gaps that religion used to. Also communications mediums such as the internet and global tv give people a much broader world view which highlights the absurdity of holding one particular religion as the only true way.

Gradually this will lead to the abandonment of superstitious beliefs in favour in favour of rationality.

Answer 2

The worst wounds American religion have ever suffered have all been self-inflicted. The rise and fall of the TV evangelist, Jerry Falwell's incoherent rants about gay Teletubbies and the role feminists and the ACLU had in the 9/11 attacks, and the constant stream of gibberish that flows from Pat Robertson...they've all contributed to making people a lot more cynical about religious leaders than ever before. And the unfortunate fact is, people tend to lump religion with the people who claim to represent it.

There are many, many good, decent Christians out there. I know it. I've met them. I count many of my loved ones among them. But the problem with organized religion is that it's an orginization first...and like any orginazation, poor leadership is hurting it, and will continue to hurt it.

Answer 3

The downfall is caused by religious writers that contradicts their own writings or the silliness of the stories they wrote about God or Gods as if God was real.

Example, God saw Noah and his family is special and different from any other family all over the world so he kills all except this family of 8. Do you not see how dumb this is to say one family is so much better than any other family in any part of this planet? How could one judge one family is better than another?

Logically there must be more families willing to accept and love this God and would happliy build many boats for this God to save more animals and even babies so they are not drown in horrible death. The violent involved in drowning is really a horrible thing to witness but to a God it is a good thing.

That is what humans believe and worship such a loving all powerful knowing God but then one can't blame any God because the stories are human creations.

Answer 4

First i could choose to place in writing is that when the worldwide grew to become into ruled by employing one faith and for this occasion i'm touching on the worldwide of the Roman Catholic in the process the darkish a while of the human race. grew to become into the certainty that the intolerance's for different religions grew to become into many times punished by employing the burning on the stake utility as heretics. interior the top different religions broke far off from this necktie and form lots of the various Christian Religions that this present day worldwide prepare recently. the different is tied into the muslim worldwide the place there are 3 varieties of religion prepare worldwide extensive being maximum centred the Shi and Sunni who're constantly battling one yet another by employing revenge killings or persecution by employing people who're in skill and the lest nicely-known the Wahhabi who're extremely out of this worldwide with their dancing meditation. All in all we are actually seeing a shift for democracy in the muslim worldwide the place faith is grow to be 2d place interior the way they maximum folk choose their social shape to be controlled by employing the persons for the persons like various different western worlds democracy. between the excellent achievements interior of human democracy is the separation of powers between the church and Parliament governance. however as i'm now greater to be prone in direction of Evolution than chosen layout by employing a God theory recently, i do no longer carry grudges like various the others. Freedom of determination must be maintained besides the certainty that a number of those present day-day non secular cults that tear households aside must be band altogether.

Answer 5

I believe the numbers are dwindling because of a lack of necessity. It just isn't necessary for people to go to church anymore in developed countries. Churches don't have the clout they used to have in peoples lives. That doesn't mean to say they are not important. They are just not AS important as they used to be, to as many people. Intellectual dishonesty is only a factor because of intellectual enhancement, natural acceptance and higher life expectancy. People don't want to "just believe, without question". They need more because they know more.

Answer 6

Those two contributions you put down are probably the most prominently found.

I recognize the right to private education as a large contributor. A wise person once said that it takes a village to teach a child. Leave the child to one or many biased educators and you have a future... biased educator.

Answer 7

The uncovering of new facts and truth.
To say that the Church has not hidden other info from society would be wrong. We all know that there is alot the Church had to hide. Not even one quarter of all the scriptures found are in the Bible.
So in a way the CHurch has shot itself in the foot and ppl are battling to believe the church.
I would say lack of trust.

Answer 8

Intellectual dishonesty is a good one.

I would add legalism - when true spiritual insights "atrophy" into ritual practice, and people fail to perceive the basis for what they "believe" or do.

Pride is probably the biggest - the failure to realize that no individual or institution can contain the whole Truth.

Peace to you.

Answer 9

The internet baby! Never before have people had such access to knowledge as the internet provides and also it's a means of communicating with other people with different viewpoints.

Answer 10

Religion will fall away as you say. But those who have been truly born again will never fall away, in fact they will just get stronger and stronger as time passes.