The devolution of Christianity

By Frank from Welland --

Let me say I love this site and the range of comments. I care less and less about Christianity in the sense of being mad at it and just feel good about the truth setting me free.

Statue in York commemorating the proclamation of Constantine I (The Great) to Roman emperor in York (then Eboracum) in AD 306. Image by cybaea via Flickr

In as much as evolution is always a great topic here, I am heartened by the obvious devolution of Christianity. We know that in 300 AD if you were a Christian you could very well lose your life and 100 years later if you were not a Christian you most probably would lose your life - at least within the roman empire. Of course most of Europe was the roman empire and all those countries and subsequent colonies have Christianity as its primary creed.

However, without knowing exact statistics, we know something to the effect that say 100 years ago virtually everybody went to church but now many do not. Many go in the sense of habit re weddings, funerals etc., but by and large fewer and fewer people quake in their boots.

My point is, there was a big bang somewhere in the past couple centuries, maybe the culmination of several such as Darwin and other free thinkers and it is no coincidence Christianity's hold is in decline. Given trends and applying simple extrapolation, in a hundred years or so, Christianity will lose critical mass. I am also sure there will remain solid entrenched cores of believers who will never listen to reason etc,.

I am only grateful to be alive in an age when reason is clearly taking hold and in that sense the human race is now rapidly evolving in the brain power area. The only downside of being an atheist is knowing we will not being able to look down on planet earth over the next eon and watch humanity make up for the dark ages.

While this is a couple days late - the future easter proclamation will eventually be "Reason is risen!"