Disbelief now rivals the great faiths in numbers and influence. Never before has religion faced such enormous levels of disbelief, or faced a hazard as powerful as that posed by modernity. How is organized religion going to regain the true, choice-based initiative when only one of them is growing. And it is growing by means of reproductive activity rather than by convincing the masses to join in. How will they regain the initiative when no major faith is proving able to grow ………. via mass conversion, and when securely prosperous democracies appear immune to mass devotion? The religious industry simply lacks a reliable stratagem for defeating disbelief in the 21st century.*
Epicureans should avoid direct attacks on religion, such as those of Dawkins, not to mention the above type of whistling in the wind. Tolerance should be the watch-word. Epicureans should try to show by their decent, moderate, generous and kind lifestyles that they are more worthy of respect than the bible-thumpers and religious politicos that inhabit the airwaves and halls of Congress.
* Phil Zuckerman and Paul Gregory in The Edge
Contrary to the views expressed by the quoted authors, I believe the incidence of irrational and superstitious faith is actually growing, and will continue to do so, given the gross overpopulation of the world (pushed by Moslems, Catholics etc), crass consumerism, the competition for resources, the threat of global warming, increasingly illiberal government and ease of migration that causes grave discontent and confusion to settled cultures. For an increasing number of people there is perceived to be less certainty and hope than maybe there has ever been in the history of the world. This breeds weird faiths and hopes of non-existent afterlives. God will not help us – – we must help ourselves.