There is a theory, which is winning wide-spread acceptance in the Western World, to the effect that what is afflicting the nations is due to the decay of religious faith. I think this theory completely contrary to the truth. In so far as faith has anything to do with the matter, there is a great deal more faith in the world than there was at a somewhat earlier time. But, in actual fact, the chain of causation which has led to the perilous position in which we find ourselves is, as I shall try to show, almost wholly independent of men's beliefs, which are an effect rather than a cause of what is amiss..
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 7: Religious Faith Cure Our Troubles ? , n1
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* a brief comment:
In monotheistic countries, many devout people seem to believe that when society falls into disorder, it is due to the decline of faith (in this case, religious faith). In times when science was not well developed, many people held superstitions and prejudices, and there were also many who had deep religious faith. Therefore, it is only natural that many people today consider religious faith to be in decline or at least in the process of declining.
However, if we define "faith" as strongly believing in something without evidence, then even if the number of people who firmly believe in a particular religion has relatively decreased, there are still many people in the modern world who hold various kinds of "faith." In that sense, as Russell pointed out, it is possible to say that "compared to some previous era, the modern world contains far more faiths." Russell supported socialism but disliked communism, arguing that communism is a kind of religion.
In any case, regardless of the type of faith or belief, isn't the claim that "men's beliefs are an effect rather than a cause of what is amiss." worth considering?
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