|
|
|
| GOODS South WFC3 ERS Details 3 [Courtesy NASA] | Sistine Chapel #2 [courtesy Wikimedia] |
The arguments of Dawkins, Dennett and others against modern religion have been criticized by numerous scholars, even by several scholars who definitely do not hail from the devoutly religious camp -- see Atheists. But even setting aside these debates for the moment, is it clear that religion is fading away? Or that it will completely fade away in the near future?
Andrew Brown recently commented on this question, in the context of Dawkins' book, in these terms [Brown2006]:
Dawkins gets miffed when [Dawkins' arguments against theism are] called "19th-century" atheism, since, as he says, the period of their first discovery does not affect the truth of these propositions. But to call it "19th-century" is to draw attention to the important truth added in the 20th century: that religious belief persists in the face of these facts and arguments.
This persistence is what any scientific attack on religion must explain -- and [The God Delusion] doesn't. Dawkins mentions lots of modern atheist scientists who have tried to explain the puzzle: Robert Hinde, Scott Atran, Pascal Boyer, DS Wilson, Daniel Dennett, all of them worth reading. But he cannot accept the obvious conclusion to draw from their works, which is that thoroughgoing atheism is unnatural and will never be popular.
Similarly, British scholar Alister McGrath, in his recent book, Why God Won't Go Away, concludes that [McGrath2010a, pg. 146]:
Religious beliefs and practices work with the grain of human nature. No account of human nature or aspirations can ignore this point -- not even the New Atheism, who so clearly fails to address the obvious fact that most people experience religion as liberating and supportive.
The same is true for much of the treasure trove of western literature. The works of Shakespeare are filled with religion, particularly well-known plays such as Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear. King and Lady Macbeth are ravaged with guilt over their murder of Duncan, and indeed this guilt leads Lady Macbeth in particular to hallucinatory mania by the end of the work. Hamlet wrestles with whether he should avenge his father and kill Claudius, or leave vengeance to God as his religious beliefs would require him to do. There are overtones of the doctrine of predestination in the the play. In Othello, Iago plays the role of the archetypal villain, the personification of evil, as he manipulates other characters at will. King Lear can be seen as a study of the interplay of the natural and the unnatural, as well as good and evil.
Johann Sebastian Bach is widely regarded as the greatest composer of history, in addition to being the most prolific [Tommasini2011]. The catalog of Bach's works lists over 1000 items, almost all of which are devoted to religious themes and intended for religious liturgy. Over 200 of these works were cantatas, roughly 30-minute works of choral-instrumental music, intended to accompany a traditional Lutheran worship service, and thought by many to be the centerpiece of Bach's musical genius. Bach's Mass in B-Minor and St. Matthew Passion are among the single greatest works of all classical music. Bach's Mass in B-Minor is particularly remarkable in that it was written as a Catholic mass, even though Bach was Lutheran and the work could not be performed in any Lutheran church. Indeed, the Mass in B-Minor was never performed in Bach's lifetime and was completely unknown until discovered among Bach's papers in the mid-19th century.
One good example is Phantom of the Opera, which is the all-time most popular musical in terms of the total number who have seen live performances (and second only to Les Miserables in the number of years of continuous stage performances). The musical version, like the book, explores at length the remarkable phenomenon of how human nature (sometimes in the same person!) can simultaneously be both extraordinarily good and extraordinarily evil. Indeed, the musical's lyrics repeatedly play on this theme: "Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams," "The darkness of the music of the night," "Let your darker side give in," "My spirit and my voice in one combined," "the Phantom of the Opera is there inside your mind," and numerous others [Phantom2012].
Another excellent example is Les Miserables, which is now the longest-running musical theatre production in history, having been seen by over 60 million persons worldwide [LesMiserables2011b]. The musical Les Miserables, like the great Victor Hugo novel on which the musical was based, is chock-full of religious themes. The plot turns on how the desperate escaped convict Jean Valjean, overwhelmed by a consummate act of charity by a local bishop on his behalf, decides to turn over a new leaf and redeem his misdeeds. He is relentlessly pursued by the police officer Javert, who is determined to bring him to justice since, in Javert's rigid belief system, "that's the way to please the Lord." One of the most memorable numbers from Les Miserables is a prayer by Jean Valjean that begins, "God on high, hear my prayer; in my need, you have always been there." [LesMiserables2011a, 1:46:10]. Another memorable number, just before the grand finale, includes the words, "Take my hand and lead me to salvation. Take my love, for love is everlasting. And remember the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God!" [LesMiserables2011a, 2:16:40].
When Les Miserables first opened in London, the initial press reviews, published on the morning after the opening night, mostly panned the show, in part because of its extended length and religious themes. Producer Cameron Mackintosh, fearing the worst, called the ticket office. When he finally reached someone, he was told that they were surprised that he could get through their telephone lines -- they had never seen such an overwhelming response from the public. Curiously, this enthusiastic reception of the public, in sharp contrast to the critics, echoed the reception of Hugo's novel in 1862. French literary critic Gustave Flaubert, for example, found "neither truth nor greatness" in the book. Other critics considered the work excessively sentimental. But the public loved the book, and it was a commercial as well as (ultimately) a literary success [LesMiserables2011c].
Yet in another respect, religion continues to pervade modern cinema. One good example is the Star Wars movies, which weave spiritual, moralistic and supernatural themes with scarcely any attempt at concealment. Luke Skywalker continually struggles to not convert to the "dark side"; Obi wan Kenobi returns from the dead as a spiritual entity; and the lead characters are given the admonition "let the Force be with you." These spiritual themes were in fact sketched into the Star Wars by none other than Joseph Campbell, the famed authority on myth. The first Star Wars movie appeared in 1977, but six have now been produced, and, with worldwide box office revenues now totaling some $4.41 billion, there is no sign of flagging interest in the movie-going public worldwide.
Other, more recent movies continue this fascination with religion, at least in a general, high-level spiritual sense akin to the Star Wars movies. This can be seen in the highly successful Matrix movies of 1999 and 2003, in which the lead character Neo is cast as a savior with supernatural powers sent to redeem Zion. The Lord of the Rings movies reprised the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien, wherein the characters seek the supernatural power of the ring as a defense against evil. And, more recently, the Harry Potter movies, which are replete with supernatural effects and struggles between good and evil, garnered a total of $7.7 billion dollars in box office revenues, second only to the long-running James Bond series. In 2009, James Cameron's blockbuster Avatar portrayed the Na'vi natives of Pandora as possessing supernatural powers of connection between each other and the rest of living things on the planet. Much of the action occurs in the "Hallelujah Mountains." Avatar set an all-time box-office record for a single movie, with over $2.78 billion in worldwide revenues.
Even movies targeted more to cinematic critics and less to the popular culture frequently feature spiritual themes. This can be seen most clearly in the Woody Allen movies, many of which are replete with religious and philosophical questions: the existence of God, the nature of God, life after death, morality, punishment for crimes, redemption from sin and free will. As a single example, the movie Crimes and Misdemeanors explores at length the religious and psychological struggles of a New York City opthamalogist who considers murder in the wake of his mistress' threat to expose their affair. The pervasive religious themes in Allen's movies are all the more remarkable given that Allen himself is not a serious religious believer.
However, for every one of these grand tragedies there are ten thousand acts of personal kindness and social good that go unreported. ... Religion, like all social institutions of such historical depth and cultural impact, cannot be reduced to an unambiguous good or evil.
However, young adults' levels of belief in God and religious practice closely resembles the levels seen among the older groups when the older groups were of similarly young age. For example, in 2008, 53% of those born in 1981 or later say they have no doubt that God exists, which is very similar to the 53% reported in the late 1990s by those born between 1965 and 1980. Similarly, statistics on belief in life after death closely resemble those of the older generation when they were younger. Also, more Americans 18-29 engage in daily prayer today than the similar age group did 20 years ago [Pew2010].
Even looking at a longer time horizon, it is not clear that significant change has occurred. For example, a 1997 study of American research scientists (physicists, biologists and mathematicians) revealed that 40% of these scientists believe in God, a figure not significantly different than in 1916 [Angier1997]. For additional details, see Decline.
The "New Atheists" and others who argue that religion is irrelevant, harmful and fading from modern society have much to explain. They are left to explain the continuing popularity of the great works of religion-inspired European art. They are left to explain the pervasive religious motifs in the works of Shakespeare. They are left to explain what inspired Bach to write over 1000 works, several of which even today are counted among the greatest works of music. They are left to explain why, even in our own time, the supposedly secularized people of Spain are so passionate about a new cathedral. They are left to explain the extraordinary success of musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, with their overtly Judeo-Christian themes. They are left to explain the worldwide popularity of modern movies with quasi-religious themes such as Star Wars, The Matrix and Avatar. And they are left to explain why religious ethics continue to form the basis of secular laws and governmental institutions worldwide (even though such laws and institutions are rightly framed in entirely secular terms, and enacted by secular, democratic governments).
For additional details, see Atheists, Dawkins.