Goodness, you're on a role with the interesting posts this morning!
I found the conclusions in the article a little misleading. A lot of religions have gone 'extinct' over the ages, but religion itself has not (for better or for worse) gone extinct. It's hard for me to believe that will be any different now.
Also, while I need to see the parameters of the models to understand the conclusions, it seems to me that the numbers while indicating a decline don't really herald extinction -- usually the numbers have to be pushed a lot lower before anything is in danger of being 'snuffed out'.
But I do think it's very true that religion is expected to carry a 'social benefit' for the participants, and if that benefit isn't there folks will spend their time elsewhere.
Maybe Facebook is the new religion...Internet the new god...iPhones the new angels of mercy...
(Oh, and about the Dinos, they aren't actually extinct -- we just call them 'birds' now.)
no subject
I found the conclusions in the article a little misleading. A lot of religions have gone 'extinct' over the ages, but religion itself has not (for better or for worse) gone extinct. It's hard for me to believe that will be any different now.
Also, while I need to see the parameters of the models to understand the conclusions, it seems to me that the numbers while indicating a decline don't really herald extinction -- usually the numbers have to be pushed a lot lower before anything is in danger of being 'snuffed out'.
But I do think it's very true that religion is expected to carry a 'social benefit' for the participants, and if that benefit isn't there folks will spend their time elsewhere.
Maybe Facebook is the new religion...Internet the new god...iPhones the new angels of mercy...
(Oh, and about the Dinos, they aren't actually extinct -- we just call them 'birds' now.)