The world, especially the wealthier and younger part, has become increasingly secularized. While a few countries still mandate strict adherence to religious customs, another few are prohibiting public display of religious affiliation.
More than half of the earth's population identify as either Christian or Muslim. Only a small, but growing group claims no religious affiliation at all. Clearly religion has played a significant, but shrinking role in the lives of people throughout the world and throughout history.
Religion is often seen as a spiritual, supernatural or divine companion to the physical, material world. The typical role of priests is to connect the two.
The earliest priests may simply have been people wondering how the world works. What causes natural disasters, rain to come or the sun to set and rise? Could you control these things? How about controlling how people live their lives? At times the lines between priests, scientists and kings may have become blurred.
It is not hard to imagine that the ability to control nature could lead to some kind of special status. It is no less hard to understand how great wealth would do the same. Uniting kings and priests makes a powerful alliance. Hundreds of kings and emperors have been crowned by bishops. Holy empires have come and gone. Harold Bluetooth and Constantine didn't make Christianity the official religion because they were such strong believers, but for purely political reasons. Augustine did not come up with the "just war" concept based on Scripture alone.
Today, many religious leaders depend on paychecks to arrive regularly. Preaching a gospel of sacrifice and forgiveness may not have the same appeal as prosperity or eternal life. It has to be hard to tune out what the people in the pews want to hear. It must be hard to preach about systemic change when they expect therapy for the soul.
We're blessed to know Jesus and what he teaches about the Kingdom of God.
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