robinrohan writes:
Secularism is a recent phenomenon. It really got going in the early 20th century. It was an experiment in doing without religions in which no one could believe anymore (God is dead, etc.)
I think "secularism as an experiment" is far too active an image to describe the decline of religions. If a religion is not believed in anymore, then that's that. Secularism isn't actively put in place where a religion dissappears, people simply stop believing in the religion, period.
robinrohan writes:
What happened to fill the vacuum of this lack of religious belief?
Why should a lack of religious beliefs be a vacuum? Do people
have to have something to believe in? (I mean 'believe' in the sense of thinking something is true without support.)
{edited to correct spelling}
This message has been edited by Parasomnium, 15-May-2005 10:05 PM
We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further. - Richard Dawkins