COMMENTS:
Objectively- NO.
Religion is not declining. There is a strong resurgence of it everywhere. Atheists who like to assume that it is declining are not basing there thought on statisics but rather wishful thinking. Rather it is good or bad, whether we like it or not, religion is reaching a huge revival. All religions.
Statistics showed that religion had declined in the second half of the 20th Century (this coincided for the most part with a huge drop in religion claimed by Communist governments). Who ever assumed this pattern would follow a linear pattern was being too simplistic. As it is, religion is experiencing a revival. Those who hypothesised that religion would decline as modernisation progressed and science became prominent, were assuming too much. The fact is in the modern world, religion does offer something to people who feel alienated, alone, stressed, confused, scared, suffering, etc.
And this religious revival may very well revive us straight into a new dark age.
I don't know about "all religions" experiencing a revival, but it does seem that some, and particularly Islam, are growing in both numbers and influence.
Religion, or something like it, will always be with us. Religion makes things that are apparently senseless, make sense. It conveys the illusion of control over a universe that appears random and often chaotic. Through prayer, religious people believe that they have some control over this chaos.
And even if it weren't religion, some mechanism to control our primordial terror of the universe would exist. Humankind longs for knowledge and control.
Science works through observation and measurement to be able to predict and control the universe. Ultimately, science wants to be able to predict and control everything; to in a way, usurp God and religion.
And science also gives comfort to those who don't find it in religion.
Both science and religion attempt to answer the same questions (i.e., how did we get here; what are we doing here; and where do we go from here).
Neither are anywhere near an answer, so far as I can tell.
Organised religion doesn't really attempt to answer any questions.
It merely imposes a comforting yet completely unfounded rationale to mask our ignorance, because we poor humans crave a feeling of security.
Some of us, anyway (*points at god-botherers*)
I enjoy the ignorance of athiests who point the finger at all spiritual people and claim we are all raving lunatics, fundamentalist freaks who would work hard to oppress anyone we can *cough*cranky*cough*
The VAST majority of Christians, Jews, and even Muslims worship their religions in a peaceful manner and do nothing to force thier beliefs on others.
If anything, I find athiests continually trying to force more and more restrictions on those who live their lives in a spiritual manner.
I think *possibly* there is a new revival of the human spirit taking place, an acknowledgment of what connects us as human beings, with or without the aid of mainstream religion...
and then I watch the news and wonder if I'm imagining it. 
If that were the case, would we have UBL and his Funky Bunch?
*Not* an insult, by *any means*. Just a joke, that last.
"Organised religion doesn't really attempt to answer any questions.
It merely imposes a comforting yet completely unfounded rationale to mask our ignorance, because we poor humans crave a feeling of security."
Really? You speak for all religions?
it's like how smart people are getting smarter, but fewer and stupid people are getting stupider and more numerous, religious people are getting fewer and more fanatical.
neothe1 - acutally the religious are not getting fewer. Especially now that former communist countries have now made it legal to explore spirituality, be it an organised religion, an exlporation of philosophy or New Age. There is a new boom in spirituality.
And your doctrine of religious are stupid and non-religious are smart is really quite ridiculous. Not that I'm arguing the vice versa of your argument. To argue that would be ridiculous also.
dung- "Organised religion doesn't really attempt to answer any questions."
- From my experience (I have studies most religions from a theological point of view) they do all indeed search to find answers. Especially concerning self-analysis.
"neothe1 - acutally the religious are not getting fewer. Especially now that former communist countries have now made it legal to explore spirituality, be it an organised religion, an exlporation of philosophy or New Age. There is a new boom in spirituality."
there's a reason for that. more an more people are realising that it's bullshit, but they still find themselves needing the comfort that lie provides, so they're looking at other options, avoiding the mainstream religions, especially abrahamic monotheism.
"And your doctrine of religious are stupid and non-religious are smart is really quite ridiculous."
well good, because i never said that. religion is just one form of stupidity.
If any B&W user *cough*jappy*cough* presumes that I'm an athiest, then that is simply a display of his ignorance. I'm actually a member of a liberal congregation of a mainstream protestant church, and attend services regularly.
However, my argument is that the religious revival is most robust among fundamentalist segments of the major religions, and that those extremist elements will do what extremist elements have done to the Muslim world, turn it into a static, cruel, crushing, impoverished place, one that exists in a virtual dark age, whose only light comes from outside.
If, however, the entire world becomes oppressed by these regressive, primitive fundamentalists, then where is the light going to come from?
And as for the athiests trying to oppress the religious, that is the reverse persecution argument that the fundamentalist, would-be persecutors use against their intended victims. What fundamentalist fear and hate most is the concept of an open society, where people think critically: a reality-based secular world, rather than their fantasy, theocratic, belief-based world.
And as for the statement: "The VAST majority of...Muslims worship their religions in a peaceful manner and do nothing to force thier beliefs on others." Try telling that to most ultra-right wingers and neo-cons. Or to a fundamentalist, Evangelical Christian.
the "vast majority" he referrs to are what i call 6 day atheists. they don't actually believe, they're just sheep. they don't take it seriously.
and crank, we're already in a dark age.
Voted : Other?
I think religion is declining in the developed world, but rising in the developing world, such as Africa.
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