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Why religion is not going away and science will not destroy it - Peter Harrison | Aeon Ideas
Secularism's Rise is Halted
A Social Sciences prediction that all cultures would converge and become something resembling the secular, western liberal democracy has proven to be false.
There is a shift in many countries from secular governments to religious ones and predicted Secularisation has failed.
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A decline in Religious Belief
- Religious belief has seen a steady decline across the world.
- Close to 30% of people in Australia claim to have no religion, and countries like western Europe report low levels of religious commitment.
- Even in the U.S., the number of atheists has risen to 3%.
David Martin
"There is no consistent relation between the degree of scientific advance and a reduced profile of religious influence, belief and practice.:
Secularisation Forecasts
Early Leaders of an Independent India incorrectly believed that ancient Hinduism and the Muslim efforts of a theocracy based on Islam, would both surrender to secularisation. In the US, as a varied and new culture, the efforts of science to promote a secular thought process were in vain.
The hypothesis that Science will cause secularisation was proven wrong in many parts of the world, historically.
Science Vs Religion
- Science and Religion were historically being studied in a 'conflict model' where theological and scientific views were put in loggerheads with each other.
- This contributed to a mistaken view of the past and led to a flawed conception of the future due to the expectations of secularisation.
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