In “Star Trek” Spock once said “nature abhors a vacuum”.
Lets say you have a society where over time, the influence of the Christian church drops to a point where it has become almost non-existent.
What then?
How do people now fulfill their deep desires of their inner being? What happens when they desire a connection to nature, the universe, or maybe some sort of spiritual realm?
Some people would say an atheist doesnt need such foolish nonsense and anything like that can be fulfilled thru music, art, social activism, or if need be types of personal meditation like yoga, tai chai, biofeedback, etc…
Or, does that society, allow other religions to come in? New Age, Islam, Buddhism, Scientology…?
Personally, I dont know. This is why I’m asking you all. Please dont think I’m condemning anyone for their beliefs.
People will find connection and meaning elsewhere. For some it will be other religions, and for some it will be non-religious concepts like art, charity, exploration, nature, etc.
I think as time goes by, fewer and fewer will get this stuff from religion, and more and more will get this stuff from non-religious concepts.
I imagine people would muddle through in the future as they have in the past, with or without a formal or informal religion.
One does not need Christianity or any other religion for a connection to nature or the universe, or for exploring one’s spirituality. Some might argue that Christianity, at least the version currently promulgated by those opposed to the results of scientific inquiry, inhibits a connection to nature or the universe.
As for the deep desires of their inner being, I suspect they would turn to pizza and beer.
There are plenty of atheists and agnostics around right now. I don’t think you really need to look into some hypothetical future to find how such people manage, as I doubt it would really make a strong difference in how the non-religious find meaning in their lives if they’re 10% or 99% of the population.
I’m one of those people, I guess. Religion provides for many basic human needs, but it’s hardly unique in providing any of them. In a society in which religious belief is rare, people will go elsewhere to address their desire for community, connection, wonder, understanding, and moral guidance.
I know adherents to your little list of faiths that “might” be allowed. (Actually, you listed two religions, one ill-defined grab-bag of practices and one mind-control business.) Here, now, in Houston, Texas. The Christian denominations are strong here, as are numerous other faiths. And there are plenty of “none of the above” folks around.
Actually, people don’t always “fulfill the deep desires of their inner being” through religion. They attend church (or whatever) because it’s expected, to belong to a community, etc.
If fewer people “worship” because they are expected to do so, perhaps we’ll have more people sincerely seeking for spiritual sustenance, in the ways that suit them. Or just getting on with their lives & treating other people decently because that’s the best way to operate. Not because they fear burning in Hell…
Do you mean “Christian” or “religious.” Because of the former I can only note that most of history involved a pre-Christian society, and much of the world is non-Christian, and they all get along just fine.
If you mean religion, then we’d have to mature to the point that we are satisfied with individual answers arrived at through philosophy and not want canned answers dictated to us by some schmuck with a prayer book or holy book.
I think the main function served by the Church in American society is that of providing a community. A place for potlucks, youth groups, charity, and organizing the sending casseroles to sick church members etc. So you would see a large increase in secular clubs and community organizations (e.g. Kiwanas, Rotary Club, Masons etc.) to pick up the slack.
As far as providing answers to spiritual questions, Christianity has no monopoly on that, as can been seen from the bazillion self help books available on Amazon.
As far as a drop in the influence of the church, Quebec specifically would be a better example. Though extrapolating to other secularizations might be difficult because a lot more than that was going on during Quebec’s Quiet revolution.
Yet it seems that the size and number of organizations such as Kiwanas, Rotary Clubs, Masons and so forth has been decreasing over the last 60 years in this country, even as society has moved towards secularization.
I think the internet is making the difference (and increasing the secularization too), and the fact that many do see those clubs as just for old people.
No, Freemasons are deists. They worship god in the guise of the Great Architect of the Universe. I don’t know whether they are exclusively Christian, though.