Is religion losing its influence?

This is certainly true of Europe. What about the U.S.? Consider this Gallup poll What does it show? Perhaps the major thing is the decline of the mainstream Protestant denominations. Organized institutions are yielding ground to amorphous fundamentalism. Looking at trends, weekly church attendance has been going down. The number of people willing to describe themselves as non-believers has risen.

Let’s focus on Catholicism. The reforms of the Ecumenical Council represent a decline in power. The power of a religion, like anything else, is the extent to which it can get people to do what they would not otherwise do. The reforms represent an attempt to hold onto membership by easing up on restrictions. Secondly, Catholicism’s dirty little secret has apparently been around for quite some time, judging by the extent to which it has been institutionalized. The willingness of Catholics to complain of abuses is a decline of the power of the church.

What about the attitudes toward atheism? While Newton was a devout believer, spending his final years pursuing theology, the majority of today’s scientists are non-believers. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of books taking an atheistic stance.

What about Islam? One interesting aspect of the uprisings in the Middle East is the small role played by Islam. The people are looking toward democratic institutions with separation of church and state. The Muslim Brotherhood will no doubt play a role in Egypt’s new government, but it will still be only one voice among many. It looks like the influence of Islamic fundamentalists is also on the decline.

What about the ability of religion to address major problems? The most important problems are global warming,environmental degradation and dwindling energy sources. Religions have little to say on these issues, making them increasingly irrelevant.