how will the decreas in sanctification affect future genarations?

Rituals can be beautiful and sheltering and/or meaningless and hutfull. I feel there’s a downwards inclination in sanctification and was wondering how this could affect society. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that scared (as in frightened) and scared (as in sanctified) are spelled the same way.

AviaC8, welcome to the Straight Dope. The General Questions forum is for questions with factual answers. Since this requires speculation, I’m going to move it to Great Debates.

Colibri
General Quetions Moderator

Does this pertain to a particular religion?

It will decrease the power of corrupt clerics to exploit and abuse laymen.

Thank you

I was thinking more about the sanctification of different topics or aspects in life. But take it wherever it may go.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Santa and Satan are spelled the same way.

Oh, wait, that’s absurd.

… do you mean sacred?

Christians, or at least some of them. [Iare* admonished to fear the Lord.

I question your premise:

Why people with no religion are projected to decline as a share of the world’s population

Is “sanctification” here being used as a synonym for “religious belief”?

Could you perhaps clarify what you mean by “sanctification of different topics or aspects in life”?

And while you say you don’t think it’s a coincidence (assuming you mean that sacred and scared are spelled similarly, with only the ‘a’ and c’ reversing positions) what mechanism, apart from coincidence, do you believe caused this similarity?

Jesus, obviously.

I’m guessing the clue lies hidden in the first word in the OP.

My best guess—and it is just a guess—is that the OP is using the word to mean something that is regarded as sacred or holy, perhaps not necessarily belonging to some organized religion, but regarded with a sense of religious awe or reverence—particularly rituals or ceremonies that are conducted in this attitude or which induce this mood in their participants.

I’m cool with it. There’s literally no topic that should be immune from analysis, criticism or even mockery. It may not be CLASSY to ridicule somebody’s religion, and there’s no expectation of immunity from consequences, but there you go.

I invite Avia to cite a specific example of desanctification and what negative effects it has or might cause.

Same here.

Not quite sure that sort of thing is declining, though.

The more quickly we get to booting out the ridiculous superstitions of religion, the better. Bring on the desanctification!

I feel what a religious person feels when I walk into a great cathedral. The difference is that I don’t attribute the feelings to a non-existent God, I attribute them to majestic architecture and splendor.

I also feel that when I walk into a great museum. Or Powell’s Books in Portland. Or Kailua Beach on Oahu. Or the edge of Grand Canyon.

Sanctification is imaginary. Feelings of awe and being overwhelmed with beauty and/or scale are real. And they are likely to continue as long as we continue to make great works.