Global religion and global atheism

[Blind groper]

Reference : New Scientist, 3 May 2014, page 33

Globally, there is a trend to get rid of religious belief. Out of 7 billion people, 1 billion are confirmed atheists, and another 1.5 billion are of no religious affiliation, and generally not interested in religion, though not atheists. That 2.5 billion religious non believers outnumbers all Christians and Muslims put together.

There has been a major trend towards non belief. Even in the very religious USA, the number of people expressing no belief has risen from 5% in 1972 to 20% today. In many other western nations, it is now over 50%. Globally, only 59% call themselves religious.

So why is this? The main reason given in the New Scientist article is security. Religion thrives when people are poor, ill, oppressed, insecure, in pain, or just generally miserable. The most religious nations are usually the poorest. The most irreligious are wealthier and more secure nations like those in Scandinavia, which have state mechanisms for providing for the security of the people. The relatively high level of religiosity in the USA is ascribed to insecurity due to lack of good public health care and state run social welfare. However, it was even higher during the cold war. Religious belief rises when disaster strikes. In my country, the people of the city of Christchurch had a surge in religiosity after the 2011 earthquake struck, and everyone was suddenly living in fear, with numerous aftershocks, each of which might be another "big one".

Most of te people in the USA who declare themselves non religious appear to more apathetic than opposing. Many will claim beliefs in spirituality, a higher being, or some such, but simply do not care enough to 'belong'. Such people are easily swayed towards religion when something knocks them out of their apathy, such as a disaster.

People are more likely to be religious, if their parents are religious, there is a 50% chance they will be also. However, if parents are non religious, there is only a 3% chance of children becoming religious.

The evidence is now clear that religion does no contribute to greater morality or lower crime. Non religious people are just as moral. Recent research also suggests that the belief that religious people are happier is simply wrong. Those studies appear to have contained a number of methodological flaws and erroneous conclusions, according a recent meta-analysis of such studies. Non religious societies, on the other hand, are clearly enjoying better social health overall.

The question is whether this trend to lower religiosity will continue, and whether it will lead to a better world.

[cronus]

No, religion is coming back. Great fear will descend on the survivors after the coming population crash. Atheism represents what happens if a world achieves full ignition towards a space faring civilization, where resources become massively cheap and plentiful for all. It will not occur to folks that space is even up there after a couple of centuries living in the squalor of a ruined world. They will see sky-gods by whatever name. Then climate change chaos will do for any chance of a second chance of achieving 'global anything' in any meaningful human sense. The human race will probably go extinct after a couple of goes at 'rebuilding something on the wreckage' and religion too.

[JimC]

I read the same article too, BG. The point that struck me was the emphasis on the numbers that are simply not interested in religion, rather that being clearly atheist. The article contained the usual slur against "militant atheists such as Richard Dawkins"

[Blind groper]

Still, a billion committed atheists out of the world population of 7 billion has got to be a historically unique development. Will this grow? Will such growth help society?

[JimC]

Still, a billion committed atheists out of the world population of 7 billion has got to be a historically unique development. Will this grow? Will such growth help society?

Yes and yes...