Is the internet destroying religion?

[Jenny A]

Even the movable type printing press, which did wonders for the Reformation and helped finally broke the domination of the Catholic Church over Europe, could not possibly have delivered information as fast and concisely as the Internet does now. Of course that brings downsides, but there is a strong correlation between the rise of the Internet and the rise of irreligion in the West and Australia.

I doubt the internet accounts for all that rise. Better education generally, better standards of living, and greater mobility are all taking a toll. Where the internet helps most I think is in giving atheist a safe place to speak.

Downey has found three factors—the drop in religious upbringing, the increase in college-level education and the increase in Internet use—that together explain about 50 percent of the drop in religious affiliation.

But what of the other 50 percent? In the data, the only factor that correlates with this is date of birth—people born later are less likely to have a religious affiliation. But as Downey points out, year of birth cannot be a causal factor. “So about half of the observed change remains unexplained,” he says.

So that leaves us with a mystery. The drop in religious upbringing and the increase in Internet use seem to be causing people to lose their faith. But something else about modern life that is not captured in this data is having an even bigger impact.

How the Internet Is Taking Away America’s Religion