Posted on 08/20/2009 7:43:04 PM PDT by Publius804
Resurrecting Religion
It was a commonplace of the late 1960s that religion was obsolete and that modern 20th-century people had no need of faith. "Is God Dead?" Time asked in 1966, and books such as The Gospel of Christian Atheism seemed to prove that religion was something modern people could confidently ignore. In the 1990s, books such as Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man explained to intellectuals that religion was as dead as Communism (or history). The Economist even decided to commemorate the millennium by publishing God's obituary.
But in our century, religious news is, more often than not, the most important news of the day.
John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge both work for The Economist; Micklethwait is editor-in-chief and Wooldridge the Washington editor. They've previously collaborated on a history of corporations and, most recently, The Right Nation, an analysis of American conservatism (which I reviewed in Crisis in 2004). Like their magazine, the authors are, if not right wing, sympathetic to conservative principles.
The authors are adamant that their book is a survey and not, despite its title, an endorsement of religion. They explain that one author is a Catholic and the other an atheist, and that it is their hope that "whatever biases we may bring may have canceled each other out."
The authors are often critical of the Catholic Church. For example, they disapprove of the efforts of the Church -- allied with Mormons, "pro-family Muslims," and such non-governmental organizations as the Heritage Foundation and the Concerned Women of America -- to ensure that religious voices are heard in United Nations debates on feminism, abortion, and homosexuality.
(Excerpt) Read more at insidecatholic.com ...
God is a bit difficult to kill, eh atheists?
This must be a joke. Islam has never "left." Nor did Buddhism and Hinduism.
Let's speak the truth hear: it's Christianity and Judaism that have been retreating since the "Enlightenment."
I'm surprised that no Protestant churches are involved, is it really Mormons and Muslims and Catholics and NGOs, and zero Protestant involvement?
The present problem seems to be that the most prolific Theists are Allah believers....
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