Phil Zuckerman: "Religion is in decline all over the world."
1)
A religion said to have declined with modernisation. But in some parts of the world, right-wing Christianity and Islamic fundamentalism are now gaining significant power in politics and society, leading to a situation that can be described as a resurgence of religion.
The French magazine L'Express asks Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist who studies the secularisation of society, whether religion is actually in decline.
2)
A record number of more than 500,000 people will leave the Catholic Church in Germany in 2022.
In France, a survey by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research and the National Institute of Demography showed for the first time that most of the population is not religious. It turns out that the majority of people in Britain are not Christians.
The United States is tied to the Bible, but a third of adults are not religious. In Tunisia, people with no religious affiliation increased from 13% in 2013 to 30% in 2019.
As a result of modernisation and technological progress, religion has no choice but to decline. This was the prevailing sociological wisdom until the 1970s. In recent decades, however, intellectuals have been prominent in talking about the restoration of religion.
3)
The Protestant sociologist Peter L. Berger argued that "the world today is as intensely religious as the world has ever been." Jill Kepel, a scholar of the Islamic world, also spoke of the "revenge of religion". Indeed, looking at the spread of Islamic fundamentalism and Christian evangelicalism, Berger and Koepel's theories seemed correct.
However, a recent book published in the United States, Beyond Doubt, presents long-term data showing that religion is declining worldwide. One of the book's co-authors, Phil Zuckerman, is a sociology professor at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, who has studied the secularisation of society.
4)
"The progress of modernisation is a series of inconveniences for religion," I spoke to Zuckerman about this.
Data shows a decline in religion
--There has been a lot of talk in recent years suggesting that the power of religion is on the rise again, but when you look at the data, it seems that religion's power is declining worldwide.
Although there are cases of religious resurgence here and there, the overall trend is that countries with modernised and developed economies are less religious than they were a few generations ago.
5)
Some countries on the African continent are still very religious and have high birth rates. Still, in other parts of Europe, North America, South America and parts of Asia, people like Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Jean = As sociologists like Marie Guyot predicted, the power of religion is declining. We now have long-term data to confirm this phenomenon.
6)
--What have you learned from these data?
Three elements are essential in defining religion: "belief", "practice", and "belonging".
"Belief' is the cognitive acceptance of supernatural forces such as God, angels and the resurrection.
"Practice" means going to church, temple or mosque, praying and being baptised.
"Affiliation" refers to defining oneself as Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, "no religion", etc.
7)
International data are available on these three elements. They show changes over recent decades in more than 100 countries. In countries where modernisation has progressed, pluralism has taken root, and life has become safer, religion has almost disappeared.
In 1967, for example, 77% of adults in the UK said they believed in God. By 2015, this figure had fallen to 32%. In Spain in the early 1990s, only 20% of people chose civil marriage, but by 2018, that number had risen to 80%.
8)
In 2001, less than 30% of people in New Zealand had no religious affiliation; in 2018, that number increased to nearly 50%. In Argentina, in 1984, 56% of people went to a place of worship at least once a month; in 2017, this figure was 36%.
Suppose you include people who don't believe in religion, people who don't practise religion, and people who have no belief. In that case, it is calculated that there are more than 1 billion people worldwide. Not all are atheists, but faith does not play an essential role in their lives.
9)
There are quite a few such people in humanity, but until now, this has not been fully recognised. Of course, religious views are different in Asia and Europe.
For example, China, the second most populous country in the world, is ruled by an anti-religious Communist Party dictatorship. In such situations, Chinese people may be reluctant to express their faith. In other words, we must be cautious when dealing with China's numbers.
10)
On the other hand, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands are democracies where most of the population is non-religious. France also belongs to this group. These countries are called democracies because citizens are free to express their views.
China and Vietnam are also countries where most of the population is non-religious. Still, we should assume that freedom of religion is a sensitive issue in countries with authoritarian regimes.
11)
It is interesting to note that the number of Christians in Korea has increased during economic development.
In 1982, almost half of South Koreans said they had no religion, with 9% Catholic and 15% Protestant. By 2005, the number of non-religious people had fallen to 29%, and Catholics and Protestants accounted for nearly 30%.
South Korea is a country that adopted the American model to counter North Korea. As the country westernised and grew economically, American-style religious practices spread.
12)
But even in South Korea, the growth of Christians has not been sustained. According to a 2018 survey, 7% are Catholic, and 15% are Protestant. Those with no religion rose to 64%. Buddhism has also declined, accounting for only 14% of the population 2018.
Secularisation is also on the rise in South America. Uruguay is the least religious country in South America, but it is not the only exception. Chile was a country where 96% of the population was Catholic in 1910, but by 2014 this had fallen to 64%.
Even in Brazil, a highly religious country, the number of non-religious people is gradually increasing, although they are still a significant minority.
13)
Secularisation is part of modernisation
--It has long been said that the United States is very different from other Western countries regarding religious matters.
It has long been said that even societies that have become wealthy through modernisation and industrialisation can still maintain the same religiosity as El Salvador and the United States is proof of this.
14)
However, the United States is no longer such a country because of its remarkable secularisation. In 1981, 60% of Americans attended religious services at least once a month.
By 2017, that figure had fallen to 39%. In the United States in 1940, 73% of people belonged to a particular church, synagogue or mosque. By 2020, this figure had fallen to 47%.
In 1986, 10% of 18-29-year-olds in the United States said they had no religion, but by 2020, this figure had risen to 36%. Among those aged 65 and over, 27% chose civil marriage, which rose to nearly 50% among those aged 18-35.
15)
Regarding secularisation, you have pointed out that "modernisation progress is a series of bad things for religion". Why is this so?
What I mean by secularisation is the decline or weakening of religion over time. Why does this happen? The most plausible theory that can explain this is that "the progress of modernisation is a series of things that are not convenient for religion."
16)
First, as modernisation progresses, rationality gains power. People no longer rely on superstition to solve problems. If my car breaks down, I go to the mechanic. You no longer rely on magic or supernatural powers.
Secondly, modernisation has brought prosperity. There are fewer threats to life than in the past. Even if the drought continues, it no longer means starvation. Many people can now go to the hospital and get medical treatment. This brings peace of mind and security.
17)
Also, as societies modernise, pluralism becomes more entrenched. In old French villages, everyone was Catholic. However, in the large cities created by advanced urbanisation, people of different religions must come together and live together.
18)
This leads to a crisis in the credibility of religion. Questions such as "Among the many religions, which one is right?" and "Isn't it possible that all religions are wrong?"
Because of pluralism, believers are no longer as sure of their religion as they used to be. All these phenomena are related to modernisation and have weakened faith considerably.
Phil Zuckerman: "Religion is in decline all over the world."
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/883797737560c72eaf1eec686608defa2437bff4
