On my last trip to Switzerland in 2011, I began to look at EU has a post religious world for the future perhaps and wonder what new belief systems and behaviors will emerge. Simple question to start with. Is EU or the Swiss less ethical or less moral than USA or Texas as a result of not attending church ? I had an aunt at 102 just died to wonder why people needed religion and in her final hours did not want any pastor to pass by. I grew up on relatively main line religious tradition. I did take comparative religious classes and studies liberal theology a bit. I have some understanding of the positives of Islam, Native American spiritual focus, Hindism , etc. So, as all ideologies or belief system , there is also some blending of ideas from other traditions. Islam and Christianity are a blend of other traditions. So, my simple question will man create some form of spiritual secularism in the future. While in Switzerland , I learned from a pastor of the Dutch Pastor who does not belief in God an yet operate a church and as many followers. Business in Switzerland often depends upoon the ethics of customeer. Trams and train have few ticket checker, etc, etc. So, Is EU a model for the future of when religion declines in world, some 200 year from now? I realize that 6 billion out 7 billion perhaps are still committed to some faith-- so this will not happen soon. As someone said above the stories in varous bibles are nice to have , I agree . Some are worried securalism in too individualism , I am not sure. EU and Swiss are more collectivist than USA citizens, and willing to assist others.

A somewhat dated issue already. Why re-invent the wheel? Leave well alone I say. The persistence of religious faith in the former Soviet states and China shows the futility of dragooning people into secular alternatives and we already have plenty of politicians, treasury officials, merchant bankers and sustainable lifestylers telling us how to live our lives. Some of their advice is sensible too but we don't need it garnished with sanctimony. I'm happy to leave that to the clerics.

I find this suggestion quite ludicrous. I do not feel I am 'missing' anything from my fellow citizens who attend their churches. On those rare occasions I have had to enter a church, usually on someone's wedding or a funeral, I have found the ceremonies and the pious lectures to be rather childish and I cannot believe that people actually want to return every Sunday for more. My question, and it appears it relates to something Mr De Botton has probably not delved too deeply into as it refers to reality instead of philosophical dream state, is what on earth will atheists actually DO in these temples? Pray?

Seems like somebody has had a go at creating Alain's atheist religion, and it's not quite Anglicanism LOL Have a look at http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2011/11/atheist-still-dirtiest-word-in-us...

I'm so sorry to break the news but Western Society will eventually implode. It is like a man who has partied hard all night and has scatter brains in the morning. It is so naieve to think we have rid ourselves from the idea of God, just because God is dead. The new gods of this society are genes, money, romantic love, the bench press, tofu... These new gods are just as controlling as the old God.

Despite the fact that I like Alain de Botton’s books, I consider his proposal on establishing an atheist religion somewhat unfortunate. Why? ‘Religion’ is a label for any parallel cultural universe that breaks down in the face of the constantly changing realm of scientific understanding of our world. Religions are ideologies, sets of strong memes, which are similar to viruses in biology. There are stronger and weaker ones. The protestant religion is one of the strongest mental viruses, because it controls the host by an intricate catch of ‘you are not allowed to think what doubts it’. Interdisciplinary education is the only remedy against it. If the attempt to create a secular religion is to rescue some morality then this is pretty doomed. Why? When Marx and Engels dropped god they tried to do something similar. They tired to rescue the ‘sharing idea’ of the church into communism forgetting that the sharing idea contradicted the ‘first law of Darwinism’, competition. The basis of morality is not an instance without, like god, but an instance within, called fear. We have two conflicting modes within us that secure our lives: one is aggression, the other is fear. It is our fear of becoming losers in the competition game that creates morality. It is the pooled fear of the weaker among us that passes laws, and punishment, in order to force ourselves into abiding them. So, there is nothing to replace what is out there already. We can only hope that we can keep prosperity, because prosperity allows for a middle class, which promotes democracy. It is the governing system that allows for the highest possible security. Laws can curb destructive competition. And as for de Botton’s proposal, the temples already exist. Our universities promote science, which in itself is somewhat of an equivalent to what religions are. Only they truly mirror what is out there and in us despite being provisional. Science itself is that, what we should not class with the label ‘religion’. Religions become erratic, science does not, well, at least we hope it doesn’t.

God may or may not be creator of the universe but at this point in the cycle we are creating God. The anthropic principle implies that at the end of time the God that intelligent agencies have created brings all that is into being by his observation and understanding. Meanwhile we have a vital part to play. I'm working on it!

Atheists and Gnostics are right in most of their thinking It has been common among religious believers to look with misgiving to atheists and Gnostics, and to think that they are mistaken; however, in many instances the opposite is the truth; some religious beliefs are not just irrelevant, but baseless. The “God” of main line traditions simply does not exist. I accepted the challenge of finding the One who may be recognized even by Gnostics and atheists: the Existence itself, “All-That-Is.” If something is there, that is God. Look at the book “Christianity Reformed From ist Roots - A life centered in God” (Amazon.com). I am confident that some of your friends will be relieved of the illusion, as I did myself. Jairo Mejia, M. Psych., Santa Clara University Retired Episcopal Priest Carmel Valley, California http://www.mbay.net/~jmejia/Grudzen.htm http://www.mbay.net/~jmejia/Churcher.htm

So why hasn't secularism been able to inspire communal rituals, etc., in its followers, as religion does, rather than individualism? Not for lack of trying. Here in North America, there are a number of "Churches of Freethought" and the like, esp. in Texas. They also tried to start one in northern California, but it has folded. And by and large, most secularists are content to act individually rather than communally - and why wouldn't they? Why wouldn't one sleep in or go golfing, Sunday morning; why get up to go hear a secularist 'sermon', I mean, lecture? One reason: religions manage to inspire their followers by requiring sacrifices of them, which their followers are willing to commit, for the greater good, as they see it. The same is true of such all-encompassing political/social/economic/worldview ideologies like Communism; one often hears of the selflessness of sincere Marxists, devoted to their cause; the fact they use terms like 'comrade' probably helps (much like 'brother' and 'sister' in religious circles). But secularism, absent an overarching political / social ideology like Marxism: how can such a bare-bones philosophy inspire anyone to sacrifice, to communal behaviour and ritual?

God is not dead. He isn't even sick. - Fr. John Corapi