Religion has always been an interesting topic to me. When I was younger, religion was a very important part of my life but as I grew older I eventually discarded it. I became fascinated by how different religions operate and what they believe. Trends in religions in regards to society were especially interesting because they allowed me to question what is causing these changes to these sometimes ancient belief systems. For example, religiosity has steadily declined in most of Western Europe, with France, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway all making the top 10 list of countries with the most non-religious populations. However, the United States stands as an exception to this decline in the West.
In 2007, it was reported that ~78% of Americans identified as Christian. According to polls conducted in 2014, however, we see a drop of 8%, down to 70%. The change is even more dramatic in Millennials, in which 1 in 3 report no religious affiliation. That means that the remaining ~66% of Millennials who do not openly identify as having a no religion encompass all other possible interpretations of the question, meaning those who identify as spiritual but not religious are included. Clearly there is a downward trend in rates of religion that is starting to occur. The question is: why?
It is hard to say for sure why religion is declining without proper research on the subject. Some have suggested that the internet has a part to play. By being connected to millions of other people constantly we have created a massive network of information. It is now nearly impossible to avoid viewpoints that may contradict your own. One look at your Facebook feed during the political season should demonstrate this clearly. People have to be exposed the things they disagree with regardless of whether they would like.
Confirmation Bias and Cognitive Dissonance are two psychological phenomenon that help protect people from changing their views by manipulating them into selecting only information that confirms (see what I did there?) their beliefs and rejecting information that disagrees with their beliefs respectively. Being connected to conflicting ideas may cause people with religious beliefs to seek answers outside of their religion. This is what caused me to lose my belief. I was exposed to interesting dilemmas that contradicted what I believed, and when I became curious enough to go look for answers outside of my religion I was far more satisfied with what I found. My religious beliefs fell away in the face of these new answers.
Before the internet it was very easy to sequester yourself away from anything outside your local community. You could easily cling to your church without ever having beliefs other than your own enter your world. This allows your belief to remain unquestioned, and thus unchanged. If you only ever see one perspective it is difficult to even fathom something entirely different. If you are exposed to different viewpoints and positions often it is much easier to start comparing and forming questions. Questions lead to answers, and sometimes those answers do not agree with your original stance. Some people re-evaluate their stance, others choose to hold on to it.
But that is only one theory, any other number things could be causing this decline. From my own experience, however, the internet played a vital role in exposing me to ideas that shaped my current worldview, and I'm sure at least some people are being influenced in the same way.
