Here is some analysis from a scholar of religion. His basic point is that the five following factors have had the effect of an increasing number of people who say that "none" is their own religion. Not necessarily atheist (that is not really "none") but that their religion is not bounded or aligned with any particular brand. The factors are not new, their interpretation as factors in a persons religion or spirituality is indeed of interest.
- The aftereffects of the 1960s social revolution.
- Popular culture as a "replacement" for religion.
- Consumerism and our cafeteria view of everything: we pick and choose what we want.
- Changing relation between church and state; what does and does not constitute religion.
- The end of religion as we have known it for nearly 2000 years.
My take: he and others who are watching this phenomenon are on to something. Whether "religion" will die or more hopefully morph into something useful is yet to be decided.....
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