INDIA—MY PREDICTION I don’t expect to be here to see it happen but I’ll make a prediction. I think India will be the first developing nation to have 50% of its population become non-believers. It still has a long way to go—it has a massive problem of poverty and superstition is rife. And it has strong cultural traditions that are profoundly interwoven with religion. But it also has a history of scepticism going back, maybe 100 years—the Rationalist Association of India was founded almost 90 years ago. Today only 79% of Indians say religion is important in their everyday lives. Compare that with developing countries in Africa. In every African country we find 95% or more saying religion is important to them. India has a large and growing middle class of well-educated and progressive people who are tech savvy and increasingly discontent with the awful caste system and misogyny that plagues the country. Certainly, I see a small and biased sample, but I see these Indians falling away from their religion faster than I imagined possible. If I am right about the trend, I expect to see it accelerate. Post-Christian countries in Europe changed from being predominantly religious to predominantly non-religious in little more than a generation. With the internet, India could move even faster (though, I accept the huge rump of rural folk will act as a brake at some point). So, yes, my prediction is little more than a hunch and my 50% figure may be optimistic but one thing is for sure. These are exciting times for India. Those in the 15 – 30 age group are poised to forge a very different India. Your quest is an historic one—I wish you success!
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 13:31:52 +0000
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