A matter of faith

By Mike Rizzuto
Sun Times Editor

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles about faith in today’s world, where it exists, where it doesn’t, and the differing opinions existing in society between believers and non-believers that are now causing debate, argument, and open confrontation. This second article identifies people who are proud to call themselves atheists and quote them about their beliefs.

It’s been said that “it takes all kinds of people to make up a world.” In terms of religion, or lack thereof, this old axiom remains steadfastly true.

We learned last week that atheism is the fastest growing denomination of all religious “categories” in the world today. The number of atheists are growing by leaps and bounds, especially in Europe and Asia. And in the United States, the number of atheists has doubled in just 15 years.
In Europe, churches which were filled a generation ago are being closed due to dwindling congregations. These former places of worship are now being converted to “community service buildings”, and different religious denominations are sharing generic services in multi-denominational churches.

Regular weekly church attendance has been measured with startling conclusions for believers. A World Values Survey (Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan), found that only Poland experienced regular weekly church attendance by over fifty percent. The sampling includes:

--Italy with 45%;
--Spain with 25%;
--France with 21%;
--Austria and Switzerland with 15%;
--Sweden and Finland with 4%.

The EU survey, however, ranked Italy at below 20%, the same as Germany, Ireland, and France, and ranked the city of Paris in single digits.
Tour guides tell their groups of tourists that practically no one attends regular weekly services, attending only on Christmas and at Easter. One young lady guiding in Prague told a tour of American Catholics in the late 1990s she was surprised when her group insisted on visiting the Church of the Infant of Prague.

“We spent years under Communism,” she explained. “Religion was never a part of us. Churches were for concerts or served as museums.”

Any visitor to what was once called “Eastern Europe” will note that most churches are sparsely attended, and then only by senior citizens.

Even in Western Europe, the great cathedrals stand empty, filled with more tourists than worshipers. Some cathedrals, like the Duomo in Florence, rope off an area near a side chapel for daily worship.

In Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria de Maggiore a daily Mass, conducted by Cardinal Law, takes place in a side chapel and is generally attended by more priests and nuns than lay people.

So why did Europeans turn against religion? Here are some explanations.
The ravages of World War II gave Europeans the opportunity to challenge traditional philosophical and religious beliefs that, in too many cases, had been caught up in the competing struggles.

“State” religions appeared to be relics of a past best forgotten as Europe chartered a new course ultimately leading to the creation of the EU. Economic prosperity also played a part in the move toward secularization.

Unlike the United States, European politics is devoid of religion. There are no prayer breakfasts and leaders seldom if ever invoke God or quote the Bible. While traditional Church feast days are still legal holidays, they do not intrude on politics.

A socially liberal Europe has also scornfully rejected Catholic moral teachings on contraceptives, abortion, divorce, and homosexuality. In short, the pope – and the church-- are viewed as being “out of touch.”

All of these factors are causing an increase in atheists. With more young families shunning religion, more children are being brought up as atheists, too.

Societal factors also play a part in this. Some of the most famous people in the world describe themselves as atheists, affecting the beliefs of many devoted fans who are consumed by these “heroes.”

Some of the more famous atheists include:

--Woody Allen, American film director, writer, actor, comedian, and playwright.

--Kevin Bacon, American film and theatre actor whose notable roles include Animal House, A Few Good Men, Stir of Echoes, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, and Footloose.

--Paul Bettany, English actor, known for his roles in A Knight’s Tale, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and The Da Vinci Code.

--Sir Noel Coward, English actor, playwright, and composer.

--Adrianne Curry, American model, television host, and actress, well-known as America’s Next Top Model winner.

--Jodie Foster, American film actress, director, and producer. Two-time Academy Award-winner.

--Paul Giamatti, American film actor.

--Jamie Hyneman, American visual effects expert, best known as the co-host of the television series MythBusters.

--Margot Kidder, Canadian American actress best known for playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 1980s.

--Hugh Laurie, English actor, comedian, writer, and star of the television show House.

--John Malkovich, Emmy Award-winning American actor, producer, and director.

--Keanu Reeves, Canadian-American actor best known for his portrayal of Neo in The Matrix trilogy and Ted Logan in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.

--Carl Reiner, American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian, winner of nine Emmy Awards.

--Andy Rooney, Humorist, American radio and television writer, and commentator best known for his weekly broadcast on the television program 60 Minutes.

--Omar Sharif, Academy Award-nominated Egyptian actor who has starred in many Hollywood films; an Egyptian Melkite Catholic who converted to Islam, but is now an atheist.

--Lance Armstrong, American cyclist, winner of the Tour de France seven consecutive times.

--Chris Ferguson, American professional poker player, nicknamed “Jesus”.

--Dan Fouts: Former American football quarterback for the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

--Robert Smith, former Minnesota Vikings running back and NFL Network football analyst.

--George Soros, Hungarian-born investor, philanthropist and writer.

--Larry Flynt, American publisher and the head of Larry Flynt Publications (Hustler Magazine).

--Warren Buffett, Late American-born investor and philanthropist.

--Mick Jagger, Golden Globe-winning and two-time Grammy-winning English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman, best known as the lead vocalist and front man of The Rolling Stones.

And there are many, many more names that could have been easily added to this list. Suffice to say, such “progressive thinking” and denial of religion in general bodes well for even greater numbers adding to the “atheist list” as time rolls on.

Whether that means that the United States will follow in the footsteps of Europe in creating a more secular nation is unknown at this point.

At best, those of us who want to keep this country a Christian nation have lots of work to do in helping our children make a fair, informed decision on their religious beliefs.

At worst, we may see some of our own churches closing for a lack of faith in just a mere generation.

(Next week’s article, Theists and atheists: their arguments, debates, and on where the burden of proof should reside.)