The Washington Times today offers this analysis on why atheism is in decline:
Two developments are plaguing atheism these days. One is that it appears to be losing its scientific underpinnings. The other is the historical experience of hundreds of millions of people worldwide that atheists are in no position to claim the moral high ground.
Good stuff. The column goes on to record an interview with Rev. Paul M. Zulehner, who correctly points out that the death of atheism does not necessarily mean that true religion is on the rise:
Mr. Zulehner cautioned, however, that the decline of atheism in Europe does not mean that re-Christianization is taking place.
"What we are observing instead is a re-paganization," he said.
The Rev. Gerald McDermott, an Episcopal priest and professor of religion and philosophy at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., said a similar phenomenon is taking place in the United States.
"The rise of all sorts of paganism is creating a false spirituality that proves to be a more dangerous rival to the Christian faith than atheism," he said.
I absolutely agree with this assessment. As I interact with people on this site and on the radio show, I find that there are hardly any atheists left to talk to. However, there aren’t many true Christians, either. The majority of people have a generic "spirituality", usually heavily reliant on some form of pantheism. This is indeed a dangerous deception and must be confronted in the battle for truth.
UPDATE: Case in point, this email discussion (scroll down the page for the full interaction) I have been having with Audrey, a radio show listener.