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Modern causes for hostility to religion

from Wikinfo, an internet encyclopedia

As noted above, in the Developed nations mainstream religions have been on the decline. This decline is apparently in parallel with increased prosperity and social well-being. The reasons for the decline are complex and ill-understood, but probably include some of the following features.

• Distorted Message: Many religions have (or have had in the past) an extreme approach which produces, or produced, practices which are not acceptable to some people: e.g. extreme restrictions on female dress, and severe restriction on diets and activities on certain days of the week. Some people feel these measures are a distortion of the faith in a God who advocates universal love. Others see the measures as a clear indication that religion is fundamentally misguided.

• Self-promotion: Some individuals place themselves in positions of power and privilege through promoting specific religious views, e.g. the Bhagwan interlude last century, the Moonie movement, and other cults. This self-promotion has reduced public confidence in anything with a 'religion' label. Similarly, cases of abuse by the clergy of several religions reduces public confidence in the essential message.

• "Promoting ignorance": Many atheists and agnostics see early childhood education in religion and spirituality as a form of brainwashing or social conditioning. Some further concur with the Marxian view that "religion is the opiate of the masses," with addiction to it fostered when people are too young to choose.

• "Common sense" objections: Religions postulate a reality which verges on the metaphysical, and even some believers have difficulty accepting religious assertions about the supernatural realm and about the afterlife. As a result, some people reject the concept of religion in its entirety, and turn their backs on the more ordinary and acceptable belief in a God or divine intelligence.

• Superficial objections: People can form a negative view, based upon the visible manifestations of religion, e.g. ceremonies which appear pointless and repetitive, arcane clothing, and exclusiveness in membership requirements.

• Negative and forbidding: Some assume that religion is the antithesis of prosperity, fun, enjoyment and pleasure. This causes them to reject it entirely, or to see it as only to be turned to in times of trouble. However, many people from many faiths would confirm that their faith has brought them self-fulfillment, peace and joy. Believers therefore feel that faith has the potential to enrich and to expand everyone's life. On the other hand, many non-religious people reject the idea that love, compassion, forgiveness, grace and other qualities belong only to religion, and argue that religion is not necessary to embrace and experience these qualities.

• "Religion Lite": Many 'modern' religions require so little of their followers, so little sacrifice, that the followers in turn gain minimally from their membership therein. A religion that does not require significant sacrifice from its practitioners does not have the ability to really make a difference in their lives. Therefore, people come away from experiences with these religions with the feeling that the need hasn't been filled because it actually hasn't. This corresponds with the natural law that you get out of something what you put into it.

Many of these causes for hostility are a reaction to inevitably worldly events and people; religious believers are sad to see that people are turned away from the churches' perspective on spiritual and eternal dimension by concerns which are based on very limited and transitory features.

However, more and more people are engaging in far-ranging explorations and finding profound spiritual satisfaction outside of organized churches. This is a demographic group whose numbers are growing and whose future impact cannot be predicted. See Emergent religion and Religion today sections of this article.