The Future of Religion Is Ascendant [View all]

[cbayer]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-future-of-religion-is-ascendant-1430104815

The search for meaning is eternal, says Emilie M. Townes, dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School


ILLUSTRATION: BRIAN STAUFFER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

By EMILIE M. TOWNES
April 26, 2015 11:20 p.m. ET

Far from a dying thing, religion is flourishing and will continue to do so.

Rising well-being and the free flow of information will be its undoing, writes Daniel C. Dennett
This is a trend driven not so much by ideology (whether conservative, progressive or in between) or by issues of the day that generate religious debate (prayer in schools, for example, or same-gender marriage). Rather, it springs from the simple fact that the world’s population keeps growing, and by most predictions will continue to do so for the foreseeable future—barring disease, famine, political upheaval, war or other factors we cannot predict.

As humans increase, our religions are carried along on the tide, though progress is uneven, across individual countries and regions. To appreciate the global expansion of religion, we as Americans must be careful not to make conclusions based primarily on our religious experience at home.

In short, the religious landscape—both globally and in the U.S.—will change greatly in the coming decades. For a glimpse of what lies ahead, consider the findings in a recent Pew Research Center report, “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050.”

more at link