By Dave Holmes
Despite the apparently
secular nature of so much of modern life, religion is a long way from
being a spent force. For revolutionary socialists aiming to mobilise the
masses for a fundamental transformation of society, religion is a
question which cannot be ignored.
1. While each country has
its specific situation, in the West it is undeniable that the
traditional religions are considerably diminished compared to even a few
decades ago, with church attendances down and religious identification
increasingly nominal for wide layers of the population. Moreover, the
churches are being shaken by multiple and ongoing controversies and
crises — over the role of women and gays, especially as priests; over
revelations of past and present sexual abuse of women and children in
their institutions; over financial scandals; in the case of the Roman
Catholic Church, over damaging exposures of leading clergy flouting
their own code of celibacy; over clashes between their conservative and
more liberal wings; and over their increased integration into the
activities of the state through government funding for charitable and
welfare work.