Why is Europe so secular?

Question asked by: knowitall

Excellent question.

Europe in general is now incredibly secular - even those with belief are more with that belief through convenience than tradition than through it having a real impact on their lives, with a few notable exceptions.

Yet the rest of the world seems much more religious.

The reason for this seems to be that there has been a concerted effort to relegate religion from the picture by the authorities in these countries, and there has not been any challenge back.

Whether this trend will continue across the world and signal the end of (organised) religion will be interesting to see, or whether it is just a phase.
By: Unknown
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A very dangerous question! Dangerous because it invites highly contentious responses by implying, as it does, that somehow being a secular society is not a good thing! I think it is a consequence of our increasing willingness to critically examine the fundamentals of all the major religions. As a consequence, it's probably no surprise that a Baptist church in Alabama, I think -- it might have been Arkansas -- had a Wayside Pulpit notice-board outside the church, proclaiming that "Reason Is The Greatest Enemy Of Faith".
By: meatloaf

Date of comment: Thu, Mar 20th 2008

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