I think the trend of "Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR)" is the most interesting.
I suspect a large number of people leaving religions aren't militant atheists convinced by the logic of Dawkins/Hitchens/Harris et al. Instead they are people who believe in some kind of higher power or spiritual unity in a way that is totally compatible with deism (or even light theism).
However, the traditional religions have left a lot of progressive minded individuals behind. Rigid dogmas and suspicious meta-physical commitments seem to turn people off.
This is an interesting space to explore. Many of these people would happily affiliate if there was some organization that met their needs.
Comments
I think the trend of "Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR)" is the most interesting.
I suspect a large number of people leaving religions aren't militant atheists convinced by the logic of Dawkins/Hitchens/Harris et al. Instead they are people who believe in some kind of higher power or spiritual unity in a way that is totally compatible with deism (or even light theism).
However, the traditional religions have left a lot of progressive minded individuals behind. Rigid dogmas and suspicious meta-physical commitments seem to turn people off.
This is an interesting space to explore. Many of these people would happily affiliate if there was some organization that met their needs.