For net increase or decrease in religiosity in the next decades, you’re right that we’d want a more precise demographic model of births, deaths, rates of vertical vs. horizontal cultural transmission for specific religions, etc.
re. Hinduism, I resonate with your sense that lots of Hindus are less inclined to think they’re in the ‘one true religion’ than people in other religions. But I have low confidence in that—I’ve only spent 2 weeks in India, have interacted mostly with highly educated Indians, and don’t know much about Hindu vs. Muslim conflicts over history, or what they reveal about degree of religious exclusivity.
The issue of ‘earning’ one’s way into heaven has been a source of much contention over the centuries, e.g. the Catholic emphasis on good works vs. the Protestant emphasis on faith. Certainly for religious people who emphasize moral behavior in this life, there might be minimal conflict between religious values and EA values. However, many religious people (perhaps especially outside the US/UK/Europe) might put a heavier emphasis on the afterlife (e.g. in cases of religious martyrdom.)
Danielle—good points.
For net increase or decrease in religiosity in the next decades, you’re right that we’d want a more precise demographic model of births, deaths, rates of vertical vs. horizontal cultural transmission for specific religions, etc.
re. Hinduism, I resonate with your sense that lots of Hindus are less inclined to think they’re in the ‘one true religion’ than people in other religions. But I have low confidence in that—I’ve only spent 2 weeks in India, have interacted mostly with highly educated Indians, and don’t know much about Hindu vs. Muslim conflicts over history, or what they reveal about degree of religious exclusivity.
The issue of ‘earning’ one’s way into heaven has been a source of much contention over the centuries, e.g. the Catholic emphasis on good works vs. the Protestant emphasis on faith. Certainly for religious people who emphasize moral behavior in this life, there might be minimal conflict between religious values and EA values. However, many religious people (perhaps especially outside the US/UK/Europe) might put a heavier emphasis on the afterlife (e.g. in cases of religious martyrdom.)