Faith at the Margins

Faith is on the steady decline in the U.S., Europe, and other regions of the world. The pervasive influence of religious ways of thinking has subsided in societies where they once thrived.  “Good riddance,” respond many non-religious people; Enlightenment Reason has finally prevailed and eradicated superstitious worldviews (among reasonable people, at least).  Some adherents to Christianity see this as the triumph of evil in its ongoing “spiritual warfare” with the forces of good. Many of us who maintain a religious faith in the modern world live dual lives – embracing rational and scientific ways of finding truth while clinging to a faith system that seems to run counter to such rationality. What is religious faith in the midst of a secular society? How is religious belief different from other beliefs? Does religious faith need to be justified rationally to be held?