Modern causes of rejection of religion
As noted above, in the much of the
developed world mainstream religions have been on the decline.
This decline is apparently in parallel with increased prosperity and
social well-being. It appears increasingly common for people to engage
in far-ranging explorations, with many finding spiritual satisfaction
outside of organized churches. This is a demographic group whose
numbers are growing and whose future impact cannot be predicted. The
reasons for the decline in mainstream religions are complex and
ill-understood, but include the following:
- Restrictiveness: Many religions have (or have
had in the past) an approach that produces, or produced, practices
that are considered by some people to be too restrictive, e.g.,
regulation of dress, and proscriptions on diet and activities on
certain days of the week. Some feel 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.
- Self-promotion: Some individuals place
themselves in positions of power and privilege through promotion of
specific religious views, e.g., the
Bhagwan interlude, the
Moonie
movement, and other
cults.
Such self-promotion has tended to reduced public confidence in many
things with a 'religion' label. Similarly, highly publicized cases
of abuse by the clergy of several religions have tended to reduce
public confidence in the underlying message.
- "Promotion of ignorance": Many
atheists and
agnostics see early childhood education in religion and
spirituality as a form of
brainwashing or social
conditioning, essentially concurring 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.
- Objections to particular forms of practice:
People can form a negative view, based upon the manifestations of
religion, e.g., ceremonies which appear pointless and repetitive,
arcane clothing, and exclusiveness in membership requirements.
- Rationalist or skeptical objections: Some
people believe the body of evidence available to humans to be
insufficent to justify certain religious beliefs. They may thus
disagree with religious interpretations of ethics and human purpose,
and theistic views of 'creation'.
- Insufficient Zeal: Some 'modern' religious
lifestyles are so similar to secular ones that the followers are not
greatly distinguished from non-religious individuals. People needing
strong religious experience may, therefore, turn away from these
'mainstream' religions towards ones with a more traditional outlook.
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