Secularization as linear progress is discredited but its universal validity remains open.

Evidence

However, things are not as bleak for atheists after all. There is one critical condition that, when present, markedly reduces atheist distrust. And by this I do not mean secularization per se. Of course, since the roots of this prejudice can be found in the beliefs of prosocial religions, one place to look would be the factors that weaken religion’s grip on society. (I discuss this issue in chapter 10.) We know that distrust of atheists declines significantly as religious currents themselves wane. After all, international comparisons show that atheist distrust is miniscule to nonexistent in highly secularized countries such as the ones in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. However, this is hardly newsworthy. For one thing, it boils down to saying that atheists are less likely to distrust themselves! Moreover, despite secularization in some parts of the world such as Europe, levels of religiosity in the world have remained largely unchanged. Therefore, banking on the decline of religion to combat prejudice against atheists is not going to be very successful for the time being. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 299 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Secularization predictions have failed; religion remains politically potent; The narrative of progress from religious to secular is now untenable — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 17; Religion-driven intergroup conflict persists against secularization predictions. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 888 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Global religiosity remains stable despite European secularization #complicates (0.78) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 299