Canadian Politics Today

I don't have the studies in front of me, but religion isn't actually dying per se. Like all other things, it's becoming modernized, which means people are taking more individual control over their spirituality. The euphemism for Catholics is "cafeteria Catholics" because they pick and choose the parts of the doctrine that has the most meaning to them. Many of these people have personal religiosity and spirituality that they feel doesn't fit with the large organized churches, but are still very much religious in an individual way. This is difficult to capture because they will often respond "no religion," as in they're not affiliated with any particular Church, sect, or congregation, but they are indeed religious in a modernized way. Society is becoming more liberal (as in individual liberties and freedoms) and this is just another area where individuality and freedom of choice has changed social organization.

If you were raised in the West, it's on the steady decline.  It won't die, but it certainly isn't relevant like it was.  Immigrants are helping to keep it alive, they come from much more religious cultures.  But the West will beat the religion of the brains of many of their children and grandchildren.

It's nice to have a system of "moral" beliefs, and a community to feel a part of of, but not when it's based on nonsense that science keeps disproving more and more.  I hope religion continues to erode, and it's replaced by some kinds of spiritual systems of belief that rely on science too.  You can believe the world and the universe and love are beautiful things without the fire & brimstone & ghosts.