London, England, Jul 17, 2007 / 08:45 am
After decades of secularization, Europe is showing signs of a modest religious comeback, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal.
The July 14 article says surveys show that belief in heaven, hell and religious concepts, such as the soul, has increased in parts of Europe, especially among the young. As well, religion is emerging in public discourse.
This increase is explained, in part, by the influx of devout Christian and Muslim immigrants. At the same time, anxiety over social and economic issues has led some people to turn to the spiritual realm for solace and meaning.
The Wall Street Journal reports that some scholars and Christian activists, however, are offering a more controversial explanation: the laws of economics.
As centuries-old churches lose their monopoly, Europe's highly regulated religious market is opening up to a greater number of churches and religious sects. The result is a supply-side stimulus to faith.
Eva Hamberg, a professor at Lund University's Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, told the Wall Street Journal that Swedish data suggest a correlation between an increase in religious competition and an increase in churchgoing. While Europeans are deserting established churches, she says, "this does not mean they are not religious."
“The enemy of faith, say the supply-siders, is not modernity but state-regulated markets that shield big, established churches from competition,” says the newspaper report.