Why hasn't religion died out? Peter Berger, Ross Douthat and Kristen Lucken

World-class sociologist of religion, Peter Berger, and New York Times columnist, Ross Douthat, discuss the failure of the secularization hypothesis and what to do now that global modernization has not led to the expected decline of religion at The Veritas Forum at Harvard Divinity School, 2015.
This project and its video production were made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
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[@ihavetubes]

“Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. It is merely that when the atoms inside my skull happen, for physical or chemical reasons, to arrange themselves in a certain way, this gives me, as a by-product, the sensation I call thought. But, if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true? It's like upsetting a milk jug and hoping that the way it splashes itself will give you a map of London. But if I can't trust my own thinking, of course I can't trust the arguments leading to Atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an Atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I cannot believe in thought: so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.” ― C.S. Lewis

[@jefftice6315]

ihavetubes what an incredible way to explain the true meaning of God. Using logic and reasoning alone, Lewis again demonstrates why he is the premier apologist of the 20th century.

[@malow8755]

I love Peter L. Berger!

[@muerpa]

A delightful discussion

[@raymondhummel5211]

The intellect of the speakers in very informative. There's just so much to absorb into one's mind. I think it is the type of video you could return to again and again and continue to learn new things. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

[@locta1318]

peter berger is a treasure

[@lindadunn8787]

Thank you.

[@honawikeepa5813]

An intellectual giant of a similar mold to Adolf Schlatter in his field of Theology. My wife and I had dinner with one of his students, Dr Os Guinness when he visited Australia. Also an amazing speaker.

[@jamesedwards.1069]

God designed the universe in such a way that our sexuality has consequences. Trying to deny this fact is proof of one's abject insanity. Even when I was a very committed secular agnostic, I thought that the idea that sexual rules and mores were invented just to keep people from having fun was ludicrous.

[@JoshuaHults]

whether people believe in God or not is not significant to whether people are religious. The only thing that changed is the focus of deity. People will either set themselves up as deity, other people, or the universe itself. Religion is just as popular as always, regardless if people are willing to admit it or not. These items of worship are called idols, they are make believe gods, they are the out-workings of a darkened heart.

[@bryanpepperell]

Faith is about what you do not know? I think he has got this wrong. Faith is about what you do know also. Faith and reason are two sides of the same coin. How about it ?

[@SteveBene]

+bryanpepperell May I give an example of faith. Evidence indicates I will still be alive once I cross the street and not be run over. I don't know that the street is 100% safe. But I cross the street, and this demonstrates faith in evidence.

[@darrellchatraw9204]

Bryan, I think I agree with your statement with some modification..."Faith is about what you know by trusting the assertions of one with proven fidelity to goodness, your and others common logic, and the implications of any evidence that can be known.

[@deanbrunson259]

Faith is the belief that things can be different from what they are. It is a belief that when you come to a fork in the road, that you can take both roads at the same time, that there is a natural word and a supernatural world. Faith is delusion.

[@cindypope4238]

Dean Brunson , that is not the definition of faith. The opposite of faith is absolute certainty. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1. Atheism is faith based to have faith that God does not exist in spite of the overwhelming 'evidence' that He does. It takes more faith to believe we all evolved from a single cell organism than to believe in the Creation. And atheists believe the universe was created from nothing, just by chance. Hahaha...The fool has said in his heart there is no God. Psalm 14:1. God stands outside time and space and if he was simply understood by humans he would not be God. Pride was and is the fall of mankind.

[@budyharianto8229]

Talking about christian moral value (as a revelation) can not be proffen with human reason,..no science method can evaluated that as truth/ untruth...right? In moral value discussion is much faith involve rather human independent reason...right? There is a limit for human knowing and understanding...(reason).. Gay/ transgender in sexual revolution is a truth or just human mood...can it be proffen scientificly ?

[@budyharianto8229]

It seem to me easier to understang the moral/ value decline ( in family) from the point of view from secularization, rather so call plurality...right??..,🤔 To talk about religion does not mean the same with the walk accordingly...right??...

[@carolynbateman1320]

What did Jesus say !

[@bryanpepperell]

Berger lets the cat out of the bag. He will not say there is exclusivity with the claim that the sin of the world is disbelief that Jesus is the Christ.

[@SteveBene]

+bryanpepperell I thought both speakers were clear.

[@twowordtowermusic2209]

+bryanpepperell Yes, around 1hr 12-13 min mark he says evangelism is not necessary, and then he goes on to say monogamy is relative too.

[@chuckreynolds2398]

The simple fact that this has become a subject of discussion shows how much of an impact disbelief is having. Religion will never die, it is too much a part of the human psyche; on the other hand, religion as it has existed to this point is struggling. This topic and discussion would never have taken place 50 years ago, and to even consider admitting to non-belief 100 years ago carried an enormous stigma. Now the argument from the believing side is that they are not losing ground, but instead the world is becoming 'pluralist' (which can also be described as believers becoming non-believers.)

[@JRobbySh]

You haven’t heard of Comte, have you? But a hundred years before this, Voltaire and even more strongly the Encyclopedists were making the claim that science, or rather Newtonian physics allows us to discard the idea of revealed truth. But newtonian physics has been superseded by a far more complicated view, as has the old notion of the universe as an everlasting event. So this discussion has been going on for more than 250 years.

[@marymolloy562]

Has God got anything to do with this???

[@sunnycriti9809]

Better to have a synthesis, a holistic perspective. Religion is a way to experience deeper levels of reality accompanied by a scientific mind to study the fragnents of reality

[@leebarry5686]

The world is becoming secular and adhesive to cult

[@xenamorph777]

Because people want to go somewhere when we pass on, it's a frightening thing, hoping to go somewhere brings us comfort & no one knows for sure until we pass away, maybe we do go somewhere maybe we don't, you will never prove God exists or doesn't exist

[@frost1947]

I have to repeat myself saying again I believe the question isn't, or should not be, whether God exists but how one defines God. Putting God in human terms or God being an individual entity makes God, regardless the reference, an alien. God as containing nature as opposed to nature containing the individual who may appear as God. In gambling if one could place a bet without putting up any money yet hedge the bet, place a bet behind the line in craps, one could not lose any money if the bet was lost but win the "hedge" when the bet was won because of the "hedge" this is religion and possibly a good metaphor as to why religion is popular, in the minds of many they only win. A comedian stated it as "keeping one hand on the base".

[@nuqwestr]

Ross Douthat shows deep ignorance of China and religion. There are only 80 million communists in a nation of billions who never lost their deep connection to Buddha and Confucius. Islam and Christianity never left China under Communism, but neither will overcome the deeper root of Confucius, who reaches back 500 years before Jesus and Christianity. The secular world is the tip of the spear of evolution, don't know why, but it is.

[@einarabelc5]

Scientism FTW!!!