thewalkingdead

In TWD universe how long would religion(s) last?

I’m not a very religious person but I was recently thinking about Father Gabriel’s evolution through the show and it made me wonder. I would have to guess that in some form or fashion religion would continue. But boy there would be a pretty sharp decline after 2-5 years

https://www.reddit.com/r/thewalkingdead/comments/1lv79si/in_twd_universe_how_long_would_religions_last/
Reddit

Discussion

Minimalistmacrophage

Technically The Whisperers and Terminus developed their own religions.

The Reapers seem to have incorporated religion pretty strongly (though arguably this was so poorly done and conceived as to be a non-factor)

Religion seems to be going strong in France.

Commonwealth seems to allow religion but, much like 50's America, primarily they have adopted nationalism over all.

22 hours ago
odoylecharlotte

Refresh my memory, please. Were the Reapers Leah's people?

17 hours ago
Minimalistmacrophage

yes.

17 hours ago
odoylecharlotte

Ty✌️

17 hours ago
iboethius

I think a lot of people would abandon traditional religious practices, but there would be more people who generally feel themselves as religious.

So a weird medium where people are generally religious but just not like actively practicing?

In my very uneducated opinion.

23 hours ago
Mr_Dodo69

It's the whole "Separate God from Religion" argument.

23 hours ago
Doright36

I think the opposite. Who else but God would cause the dead to rise and walk again? Sure maybe scientists can find a real reason but the average person are going to see the dead rising just like it says in the bible during the end times.

Plus there is the old saying from the first couple of World Wars... "There are no Atheists in a fox hole."

The Apocalypse is basically one giant fox hole. All day, every day.

23 hours ago
DishMajestic4322

As Hershel says to Rick after the farm “Jesus promised a resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind”.

23 hours ago
ComplexAd7272

I'm with you, if anything religion would increase. Maybe not exactly the way it was, but these people have experienced a true undeniable supernatural event and worse there's (mostly) no one around to explain it scientifically.

Plus if you are religious, you now have the ultimate gotcha. If someone is going on about how they don't believe in a higher power because logically and scientifically there's no proof, all you have to do is point to the nearest walker and go "Oh yeah, explain that...the dead are literally rising!'

Finally, people often find religion or even consider a higher power when they are at their lowest, most desperate, and hopeless. You can't get much more hopeless than the world TWD characters live in.

14 hours ago
skyflakes-crackers

Well in one of the spinoffs over a decade after the start, there was a transcontinental (and possibly transatlantic as well) interfaith movement that believed that a 12 year old boy was the messiah

23 hours ago
AllThingsBeginWithNu

I think religion would be ripe to gain traction as people look for meaning and develop new rituals for dealing with the modern issues.

22 hours ago
Moon_Beans1

I always find it weird that people think hard times would lead to an abandonment of religion when the opposite is true in history. By this logic noone would have been religious in ancient or medieval times and everyone would be super religious now. But the reverse is the way it has actually gone.

I think perhaps it's because American evangelical belief pretty much asserts that god rewards good people with earthly rewards so a zombie apocalypse would make it very difficult to keep up that mindset. Most other variations of Christianity and most of the other denominations are very much a spiritual aid to people going through hard times.

So basically if there was a zombie apocalypse I think religiousness would increase as people seek an escape from the dire circumstances of everyday life.

16 hours ago
Lucas11011

Some people will seek God out in the darkest hour. I reckon a lot of people will lose faith, but a lot of people will gain it too. Religion would absolutely survive the apocalypse. Likely, other religions would start as well

22 hours ago
unlovelyladybartleby

Lip service religion would die out almost immediately. The hard core would cling even harder to their faith

12 hours ago