Christianity, the predominant religion, is on steep decline

Christianity in decline: Tolerance, diversity, equity, inclusion, multiculturalism, inoffensive, and in the end liberal These are the linguistic forces behind modern-day political and, by extension, social culture. They have acquired God-like status, especially in the western world. In fact, they are quickly replacing the existing idea of God. The latest census of Australia and England stands as a strong testament to it.

Christianity in decline

The 2021 census of Australia brought in some shocking numbers. Christianity, the predominant religion in the country, is on steep decline. The deceleration is unprecedented. Now, only 44 percent of Australians identify themselves as Christians. Even the absolute number declined from 12.9 million in 2016 to 11.1 million in 2021.

On the contrary, the percentage of people following non-Christian religions has increased considerably. At the same time, it is wrong to say that the number of Christians is declining due to competitor religions. Now, a large chunk of Australians are flocking towards atheism. 39 percent of Australians do not attach themselves to any religion.

The decline in percentage figures is actually astounding. Only five decades ago, the number was 90 percent. Even 35 years ago, in 1987, the situation was not that bad. Of the 87 percent of religious people, the majority were Christians. Now, only 54 percent of religious people are Christians. Over the last decade, the decline in Christianity has been even more noticeable.

In 2011, 61 percent of the population identified as Christians. It declined to 52 percent in 2016 and went 8 percentage points down five years later. What is more worrying is that the largest decline is in the 18-25 years age group, the beacon of hope for any religion, or civilisation for that matter.

Also read: 100 Years of Christianity losing its way

The European chapter is no different

Let me tell you, Australia is not alone in this journey. England and Wales, former countrymen of modern-day Austrians and rivals in many senses, are also witnessing the same. Their latest census recorded that for the first time in the recorded history of modern-day UK, Christians are less than 50 percent of the total population.

In 2021, only 46.2 percent of Brits identified themselves as Christians, not too big a gap between them and their Ashes rivals. The ratio of masjids to Muslim population is way too large compared to the ratio of churches to Christian population in London, the capital city. By 2030, the number of masjids in London is expected to overshoot the number of churches in the city.

While theologians and psychologists may point out that more and more people do not understand religion, the political aspect of this decline can’t be ignored. Before we elaborate, it is pertinent to note that England is not the only country in the western world to witness a decline in the Christian population.

After initial growth due to the decline of Communism and its related atheism, the number has only slipped. Germany, France, Italy and Ireland among others are some of the major European countries where Christianity is in decline. There is a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to it.

Also read: Modi government is restoring the purity of Islam and Christianity

Political angle

There is a common element here. All of decline in Christianity happened after the end of the colonial era. As colonialism ended, Europe fell short of manufacturing muscle because it could no longer treat Asians and Africans as slaves. Consequently, it decided to bring them in. Migrants from Africa flooded Europe, mainly western European nations. The problem was that their religious affiliations were not in consonance with local religion.

That is when minority protection doctrine kicked in. Since these people brought cheap labour, an inherent value for any industry, their religious affiliations were tolerated. Over a period of time, the majority itself got divided into two political factions.

Also read: A new religion called “Abrahamism” is coming, and it will encompass Islam, Christianity and Judaism

One faction is for accommodating them and pushing universal humanism and other politically correct tropes to justify their support, while the other is totally against it. When it comes to voting on these issues, the unknowingly emasculated ones are in large numbers. They vote in favour of minorities due to their kindness and accommodative stance, unknowingly axing the foot of their own future generations. It is now quite apparent in numbers.

It is humane to shield the unprotected and the minority. But, as with everything else on the earth, there is a line to everything. No one should wait for the extinction threat to draw that line. The whole of Indian history is filled with the consequences of not drawing that line on time. Now, the west is seeing it.