Comments on: Will Religion Soon Become Extinct in Canada and Ireland?

By: ropata

ropata — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:11:06 +0000

Social trends always change. Personally I am more interesting in a religion that is true, than one that is popular. To me, Jesus has shown himself gracious and true.

By: Is religion in New Zealand headed for extinction? | Thinking Matters

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:23:44 +0000

[...] Carter provides some good perspective on what he wryly calls a “peculiar prediction”. blog comments powered by [...]

By: Steve Wilkinson

Steve Wilkinson — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 23:36:18 +0000

I’m not so sure about that. After reading Soul Searching (Smith & Denton), American Grace (Putnam & Campbell), and now Bibby to fill in the Canadian picture, the similarity with language probably isn’t a bad one. In other words, religious belief and behavior without content or importance would likely follow the same trends… and THAT seems to be largely the situation in N.A. (and I’d guess Europe) at present!

“(e.g., people don’t stop believing in God simply because it makes them popular in school)”

Why not? If their beliefs have lost real content and importance, as noted above, it comes down to utility. If utility begins to wane, bye bye it goes.

“If religion goes extinct in societies where non-religious affiliation is more socially useful than religious affiliation, wouldn’t it also follow that religion would reach a saturation point in societies where religious affiliation is more socially useful than non-religious affiliation?”

Does it not? Islamic countries for example. Even America and Europe were once heavily Christian, even if a good portion of that was only ‘cultural’ in nature.

Christian apologists need to get busy and find/get good inroads to our churches. The churches must be convinced they need it. God’s universal church will ultimately prevail, but the N.A. and European churches may well fall for a time if we do not.

By: Mathematical models cannot predict the extinction of religion | Theology in the News

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:29:45 +0000

[...] had a predetermined conclusion. Stuart at Theology in the News mentioned it and linked to Joe Carter’s article via Rod Dreher at First Things. He points out that the conclusion can be turned on [...]

By: Mathematical models cannot predict the extinction of religion | eChurch Blog

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:19:40 +0000

By: Stacy @ Accepting Abundance

Stacy @ Accepting Abundance — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:35:21 +0000

The biggest issue I have with this paper is not whether or not religion may really go extinct, but that the researchers so irresponsibly perverted math and science. Can you please take a look at what I wrote? I linked it to my name.

Thank you.

By: R. Dreher

R. Dreher — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:37:51 +0000

Thanks Peggy. I’m not blogging again. I am not permitted to, under terms of my employment. I did have a blog at BQO, but senior management at the Foundation where I work decided to take the website in a different direction — one that did not include blogging. I hope one day to return to blogging, and I appreciate your interest in my work.

By: Michael PS

Michael PS — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:29:05 +0000

Not to mention the Basques and the Catalans in Spain.

In Europe, language and natinality tend to be synonymous and when Ficte said that “frontiers should depend, not on dynasties and treaties, but on language and nationality,” I rather fancy he only included “nationality” to balance the antithesis.

Even in so placid a country as Belgium, tensions between Walloons and Flemings led to the establishment of virtually autonomous regions.

By: Gian

Gian — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:31:06 +0000

Oh, there have been plenty of language wars in Indian subcontinent in 20th Century.
Indeed, language was the leading factor in the war of Bengladeshi Independence in 1971.
In 50′s and 60′s a lot of Indian states were re-organized on linguistic basis with a lot of accompanying agitation and violence and martyrs.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:40:29 +0000

Yeah… the researchers seem to assume choosing which language to speak is comparable to choosing which religion to believe in (or not). Although some people have pretty strong ties to their language and the cultural identity it represents, I really don’t think it’s true that that tie is as strong as someone would generally feel to a religion. I’m not aware, for example, of any wars ever having been fought over language, or of any language martyrs. But I guess when your study tells academia what it wants to hear, you’re free to overlook such methodological problems.