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DEBATE OF THE DAY
Is God back?
THE NEWS: It is almost 150 years since German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche declared that "God is dead". Now some believe young people are leading a religious revival.
Thomas the Apostle was often late to the party. He was the last of the apostles to accept the resurrection of Jesus, earning him the name Doubting Thomas. And he was also late to the funeral of the messiah's mother Mary.
That meant they had to reopen her tomb so he could pay his respects. But when they rolled back the stone, her body, miraculously, was gone — taken up to Heaven by God.
This occasion is still celebrated, as Assumption Day, on 15 August every year. It is one of the world’s most widespread events, a public holiday in 44 countries on four continents around the world.
This raises an interesting question. Why, in modern, secular societies, does God still have the power to close the high street?
The simple answer is that most people still have very strong faith. Although we think of ourselves as living in a secular age, religion is still highly important in most societies around the world. In most of South America, 70-80% of Christians say religion is very important in their lives. In Ethiopia it is 98%.
And in some western countries, faith is on the rise, especially among young people. A poll in April found that one in three Americans aged 18 to 25 believe in the existence of a higher power, up from a quarter in 2021.
But some think it is not just about religious belief. They say religion gives people a sense of belonging.
And religion also offers them a code of values that is unchanging and absolute. It provides a sense of stability at a time when everything feels insecure.
Many Catholics say with surprise that younger people in their churches are keen to observe the traditional mass in Latin, rather than the translated version that is now more common. They think it makes people happy to feel they are part of a ritual that goes back hundreds of years.
Is God back?
Yes
All the evidence suggests that many young people are getting more religious, and many others are at least interested in faith. God is only becoming more important.
No
When societies get richer, they become less interested in faith. So we can assume that in the long term, God is still doomed. Young people do not really care about religion; it is just something they can mine for content.
Or...
History tells us that in times of great crisis, people often turn to faith. That might explain why there is currently a religious resurgence. In calmer times, God might recede into the background again.
WORD WATCH
Apostles-Each of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Messiah-The promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people. Secular-Not connected with religion or spirituality. Mass-The central act of worship in the Roman Catholic Church. Resurgence-A revival after a period of inactivity.
THE NEWS: It is almost 150 years since German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche declared that “God is dead”. Now some believe young people are leading a religious revival.
Thomas the Apostle was often late to the party. He was the last of the apostles to accept the resurrection of Jesus, earning him the name Doubting Thomas. And he was also late to the funeral of the messiah’s mother Mary.
That meant they had to reopen her tomb so he could pay his respects. But when they rolled back the stone, her body, miraculously, was gone — taken up to Heaven by God.
This occasion is still celebrated, as Assumption Day, on 15 August every year. It is one of the world’s most widespread events, a public holiday in 44 countries on four continents around the world.
This raises an interesting question. Why, in modern, secular societies, does God still have the power to close the high street?
The simple answer is that most people still have very strong faith. Although we think of ourselves as living in a secular age, religion is still highly important in most societies around the world. In most of South America, 70-80% of Christians say religion is very important in their lives. In Ethiopia it is 98%.
And in some western countries, faith is on the rise, especially among young people. A poll in April found that one in three Americans aged 18 to 25 believe in the existence of a higher power, up from a quarter in 2021.
But some think it is not just about religious belief. They say religion gives people a sense of belonging.
And religion also offers them a code of values that is unchanging and absolute. It provides a sense of stability at a time when everything feels insecure.
Many Catholics say with surprise that younger people in their churches are keen to observe the traditional mass in Latin, rather than the translated version that is now more common. They think it makes people happy to feel they are part of a ritual that goes back hundreds of years.
Is God back?
Yes
All the evidence suggests that many young people are getting more religious, and many others are at least interested in faith. God is only becoming more important.
No
When societies get richer, they become less interested in faith. So we can assume that in the long term, God is still doomed. Young people do not really care about religion; it is just something they can mine for content.
Or…
History tells us that in times of great crisis, people often turn to faith. That might explain why there is currently a religious resurgence. In calmer times, God might recede into the background again.
WORD WATCH
Apostles-Each of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Messiah-The promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people. Secular-Not connected with religion or spirituality. Mass-The central act of worship in the Roman Catholic Church. Resurgence-A revival after a period of inactivity.
