"Most religions today are shrinking and atheism is rising." - Philege
Support this claim, where in the world is this happening? After the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, religious fundamentalism has dominated public debate as never before. Fundamentalist movements have emerged around the world, from the Islamic Hamas and Hizbullah to the Catholic and Protestant paramilitaries of Northern Ireland, and from the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition of the United States to the Sikh radicals and Hindu nationalists of India.
"After the American presidential election in November, some liberal commentators warned that the nation was on the verge of a takeover by Christian "fundamentalists." Almost anywhere you look around the world, with the glaring exception of WESTERN Europe, religion is now a rising force. Former Communist countries are humming with mosque builders, Christian missionaries and freelance spiritual entrepreneurs of every possible persuasion. In China, underground "house churches" are proliferating so quickly that neither the authorities nor Christian leaders can keep reliable count. In much of South and Central America, exuberant Pentecostal churches, where worshipers catch the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, continue to spread, challenging the Roman Catholic tradition. And in the United States, religious conservatives, triumphant over their role in the re-election of President Bush, are increasingly asserting their power in politics, the media and culture."
http://www.theocracywatch.org/rel_inst_times_jan9_04.htm I do not know how it is in Britian but in the United States religiousosity is on a rampant and unchecked rise. Just the idea of creationism in a public school curriculum makes me cringe :
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/resources/CMBergman.html http://www.natcenscied.org/ I fear that religious fever is taking over the world.
Sincerely,
