Religion going extinct in 9 nations?

[merkavah12]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion there is set for extinction, say researchers.

[Deleted]

The study has nothing to do with the methodology sociologists of religion use but is based on an apstract mathematical model with questionable assumptions how people work.

[ignorantianescia]

It is funny that "nearly half of the population [being] religiously unaffiliated" means that religion will be extinct in the Netherlands. It is a shady generalisation to say that the vague spiritualism of most religiously unaffiliated is not a religion. Not to say that several religious groups are growing steadily.

The final sentence is quite revealing, though:
"The authors thank P. Zuckerman for useful correspondence."

[eckadimmock]

Never mind, there's always the Jedi!

[unkleE]

This does suggest a useful, though not decisive, test. If against all their expectations, christianity does continue in those countries, it shows their model or their data are wrong. And then one may advance the possibility that the missing data is God - i.e. the continuation of christianity did not depend on human factors alone.

Trouble is, I'm 65 and may not be around to see the result. I guess if not, I'll be verifying in another way!!

[sandwiches]

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100081185/the-bbc-puts-out-two-spurious-reports-about-religion-dying-out-just-before-the-census-how-strange/

The BBC puts out two spurious reports about religion dying out, just before the Census. How strange

....Then came this ridiculous claim:

Religion may become extinct in nine countries, study says

A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion there is set for extinction, say researchers.

The study found a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation.

You have to go to the end to find this:

”Obviously we don’t really believe this is the network structure of a modern society, where each person is influenced equally by all the other people in society,” he said. However, he told BBC News that he thought it was “a suggestive result”. ”It’s interesting that a fairly simple model captures the data, and if those simple ideas are correct, it suggests where this might be going… Obviously much more complicated things are going on with any one individual, but maybe a lot of that averages out.”

In other words, this has no bearing on the real world, where religion always reappears to fill a spiritual vacuum. Religion certainly isn’t dying out in my city, if only because atheistic societies with sub-replacement fertility rates need to import religious people to keep them in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.

Two non-stories – I assume all the Skeptics out there will rip them to pieces. It couldn’t possibly be the case that the BBC is actually trying to influence the Census. And look, now there’s another one.

[Deleted]

Going to extinction or not, the European Churches - including mine - must do at least something - disestablish yourself from the state already!