Essay: Why every day is now one of the worst days in the history of atheism. Why every year is now one of the worst years in the history of atheism
On July 24, 2013, CNS News reported:
“ | Atheism is in decline worldwide, with the number of atheists falling from 4.5% of the world’s population in 1970 to 2.0% in 2010 and projected to drop to 1.8% by 2020, according to a new report by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass."[1] | ” |
In 2000, 2.5 percent of the world's population were atheists.[2] In 2025, 2.0 percent of the world's population is expected to hold to the atheist worldview due to global desecularization.[3] See also: Global atheism statistics
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks declared: "...the 17th century was the beginning of an age of secularization which has lasted four centuries until now; the 21st century is exactly the opposite, it's the beginning of an age of desecularization. Religion is seizing power; they're not yielding power." [4]
Atheism saw an increase for about 400 years before desecularization began to happen after the fall of the Soviet Union. The 21st century will be a century of desecularization (see also: Growth of global desecularization).
Eric Thomas said, "The worst thing in life is to taste some success and then go back to being nobody. That's hard."
So as each day passes, atheism is losing global market share after previously tasting some success in terms of growing its market share. Hence, each day in the 21st century is the worst day in the history of atheism. And each year in the 21st century is the worst year in the history of atheism.
One of the many reasons desecularization is happening is due the higher fertility rate of the religious (see: Causes of desecularization).
Furthermore, Evangelical Christianity is growing as a percentage of the world's population and it is growing in developed countries as well. This trend is expected to continue in the 21st century (see: Desecularization and Growth of evangelical Christianity).[6] In addition, global creationism is seeing rapid growth.
Due to religious immigrants to secular countries and the higher fertility rate of the religious, the agnostic professor Eric Kaufmann told a secular audience in Australia: "The trends that are happening worldwide inevitably in an age of globalization are going to affect us."[7] And secular Europe will see a reversal of secularism and enter into a period of desecularization (see: European desecularization in the 21st century).
Now once desecularization hits the developed world in a stronger fashion than today, it is going to be much easier on American atheists as they are used to being a squeak in society in terms of their prevalence and influence (see: Views on atheists).
Contents
Counterexamples to every day henceforth being the worst day in the history of atheism
According to the University of Cambridge, historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power."[10]
It could be argued that it is probably going to be hard for any day to be the "worst day in the history of atheism" than the day of the dissolution of the Soviet Union which occurred on December 25, 1991. See: Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union
So you could argue in terms of sheer magnitude of a day being the "worst day in the history of atheism" that this day cannot be ever topped - except of course by the second coming of Christ. :) That would be a very BAD day for militant atheists!
See also
Notes
- ↑ Global Study: Atheists in Decline, Only 1.8% of World Population by 2020
- ↑ Religious/irreligious adherents broken down by world market share
- ↑ Religious/irreligious adherents broken down by world market share
- ↑ Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Secularism Can't Solve Today's Religious Violence; Answers Rooted in 'Sibling Rivalry' of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Christian Post, By Napp Nazworth , Christian Post, June 23, 2015
- ↑ Religious/irreligious adherents broken down by world market share
- ↑ Religious/irreligious adherents broken down by world market share
- ↑ Shall the religious inherit the earth - Festival of Dangerous Ideas - Eric Kaufmann
- ↑ Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Secularism Can't Solve Today's Religious Violence; Answers Rooted in 'Sibling Rivalry' of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Christian Post, By Napp Nazworth , Christian Post, June 23, 2015
- ↑ Atheism is maturing, and it will leave Richard Dawkins behind
- ↑ Investigating atheism: Marxism. University of Cambridge (2008). Retrieved on July 17, 2014. “The most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power. For the first time in history, atheism thus became the official ideology of a state.”