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When will religion become irrelevant and die out?

I've been pondering this question for a while, When will religion become irrelevant and die out? Is there any hope for that? There are probably many arguments for the reason it should be relevant but to me it serves no purpose not even to give people hope. To me you are responsible for your actions and how you ended up the way you are and only you can change that and not some invisible man in the sky.But of course not everyone sees it that way and believe there is a man above. Or they are so indoctrinated that it's hard for them to part ways with what they knew since they were a child and is a part of the up bringing. But will there be a time and place that the world may see that religion serves no purpose or will another religion just take over the previous one like history has shown time and time again. Or maybe am I naive in thinking there is any hope of that happening or for even asking such a question.

I would like to hear some of your opinions on this question.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on April 12, 2010 at 8:42am

Unfortunately, much as one might wish it to be so, religion is not yet irrelevant because it commands the attention and attracts the affiliation of the majority of humans to a varying extent, and influences a great deal of decision-making and action which affects us all, from debates about stem-cell research to the motivation of suicide bombers.

However, the upside is that the possibility of a broadly humanist and secular replacement is something that can be aimed at and worked for as a viable outcome for future generations. The global aggregate of humanists, atheists, agnostics, pantheists, the nonreligious and holders of a naturalistic worldview has been variously estimated at between 750 million and a billion people. The upper figure represents around 15% of the current world population, and that's a whopping slice of humanity.

The challenge is to scrupulously identify those areas of social benefit which religions have been able to pre-empt as a matter of historical contingency (e.g. providing charitable and humanitarian assistance, constituting a focus for social community, etc.), and to progressively emulate or supplant them with centres of humanitarian and social action with no supernatural commitments.

There are now many organisations with secular and humanitarian goals which atheists can support as members or volunteers. Go for it!

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Permalink Reply by faith the atheist on April 12, 2010 at 9:13am

The world is becoming more secular.All over the world people are leaving religion.I think in the next 150 years atheists will out number Christians.I think in the next 300 years most of the world will be Atheist and by the next 350 years only Atheist

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Permalink Reply by Becca on April 12, 2010 at 10:05am

Religion is already irrelevant. I really hope it dies out or becomes extremely marginalized sooner rather than later. I kind of see the recent upsurge/radicalization of religion in the US as a sign that religion isn't doing very well in general in the US.

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Permalink Reply by Donna Darko on April 12, 2010 at 10:58am

I think that, as long as there is poverty, disease, and need in the world, religion will be there to provide an opiate. People whose lives are miserable have nothing to look forward to but an afterlife where toil, disease, danger, hatred, hunger, and misery do not exist. Cynical religious leaders will always be there, ready to take advantage of poor, miserable people, to palliate them with dreams, and take what meager donations the poor can afford.

I know this is a depressing vision, and I hope that I am wrong.