As for the shrinking of religion, which, I expect to be an accelerating phenomenon up to a point where only the real hard liners are left, there might be several reasons.
To me its like watching an extended suicide.
September 11 must have played a major role. It was such a culmination of the horrors religion can bring, confirmation that God, if he exists, was happy to sit on his hands, the pathetic site of some loonies attempting to claim a miracle when an iron cross appeared in the wreckage.
Whatever the number of Christians (and Jews) in America they got confirmation that a religion they "know" to be wrong can kill 3000 with impunity - right in the heart of the most important city in the States.
The aftermath of failure in the war on terror - the inability to get Osama Bin Laden (for a decade - until a democrat "got" him), the empty, useless rantings of the Christian right - all combined to set the scene.
Follow that with the paedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church - that simply grew and grew exposing a deliberate and methodical attempt to hide and protect the perpetrators by the Church with total disregard for the well-being of the children of their own followers.
All of this against a background of continuous scandals amongst the tele-evangelists.
Then there's the whole gay marriage thing with the Church totally mis-judging public opinion.
(You know I keep trying to finish this list and then another thing springs to mind)
OK - hopefully finally - there are the bible literalists with their insistence that the world is 6000 years old and their denial of evolution. The sneaky desperate attempts to sneak their lunacy into science classes.
Amazes me anyone can really believe anymore.
Good riddance I say. I won't be here to see its end but it is enough to know it will happen.
OH shit - just thought of something else - fuck it. This will do.
To me its like watching an extended suicide.
September 11 must have played a major role. It was such a culmination of the horrors religion can bring, confirmation that God, if he exists, was happy to sit on his hands, the pathetic site of some loonies attempting to claim a miracle when an iron cross appeared in the wreckage.
Whatever the number of Christians (and Jews) in America they got confirmation that a religion they "know" to be wrong can kill 3000 with impunity - right in the heart of the most important city in the States.
The aftermath of failure in the war on terror - the inability to get Osama Bin Laden (for a decade - until a democrat "got" him), the empty, useless rantings of the Christian right - all combined to set the scene.
Follow that with the paedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church - that simply grew and grew exposing a deliberate and methodical attempt to hide and protect the perpetrators by the Church with total disregard for the well-being of the children of their own followers.
All of this against a background of continuous scandals amongst the tele-evangelists.
Then there's the whole gay marriage thing with the Church totally mis-judging public opinion.
(You know I keep trying to finish this list and then another thing springs to mind)
OK - hopefully finally - there are the bible literalists with their insistence that the world is 6000 years old and their denial of evolution. The sneaky desperate attempts to sneak their lunacy into science classes.
Amazes me anyone can really believe anymore.
Good riddance I say. I won't be here to see its end but it is enough to know it will happen.
OH shit - just thought of something else - fuck it. This will do.
Kuusi palaa, ja on viimeinen kerta kun annan vaimoni laittaa jouluvalot!
