I'd say it's increased. Teenagers (myself included) tend to question God and religion more so now than they did back "in the day". Maybe it has to do with all the violence going on in the world. I know I look at it and wonder how there can be a god.
the final act of a rational mind is to acknowledge an invite set of things beyond itself... I forget who said that
as far as the original question, is unbelief in God on the increase tough to say
http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.htmhas some statistics in Europe the rates of people 'not believing in god' AR high but they seem reluctant to take the militant label of atheist... perhaps they aren't sure... perhaps more agnostic than atheist
The previous sours actually has statistics all over the world and the US has remarkable low rates of those who do not believe in God running maybe 4% to 9% where Sweden may be roughly 64% and France 44% and England 30%
the pure term agnostic means you cannot be sure of the existence of God, I think in most people case they dint take the pure definition, but rather aren't sure themselves
of course its possible people cannot in themselves know God but God might by His Mercy allow them to know Him and reveal Himself to them. Pure agnosticism is not rational, how do you know you cant know God, thats alot to know, eh... but people are sometimes irrational
Romans claims people deep down know there is God and exert alot of effort being in denial.
I have heard in the sciences the percentage of peple who believe in creation fro decade to decade has stayed roughtly the same and the percentage of americans believing in creation is fairly high considering they endured decades of schools teaching against it
Jesus said because of rise of imorality the love of most would grow cold, perhaps the self justification of people causes them to deny being accountable to something higher? It is no surprize that in the name of aethist humanism tens of millions died in the last century
for an interesting paper see Rise and Fall of Scientific Aethieism
http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/papers/826__Froese-Forced%20Secularization%20in%20Russia.doc
One would hope that education would improve, that rational thinking would prevail, and that primitive superstition would be laid to rest; however, there is no evidence to support that any of these things have happened in the US as of yet.
Statsitically the USA is the last bastion of Christianity in North America. Atheism/Humanism is quickly growing and will soon overtake theism. All other educated countries in North America and Europe have and are discarding religion.
Christianity is only on the rise in uneducated parts of Africa and South America.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_impo.htm
Among the five countries in which religion is considered most important, four have been involved in recent religiously-based conflicts in which persons of one religion engage in mass murder of those of another religion. Countries in which fewer than 60% of the public consider religion to be important have been free of inter-religious conflict, with the exception of the Protestant-Catholic "Troubles" in Northern Ireland.
More American adults consider religion much more important than do the citizens of all other industrialized states. "Americans? views are closer to people in developing nations than to the public of developed nations."
Atheism is the fastest growing "religion" world-wide.
As education increases, superstition & ignorance decrease.
The only places that religions are increasing are amongst populations that are already religious. But, atheism is making new "converts" from the religious.
Atheism (humanism, agnosticism) is the largest (unified) group, based on religion, on the planet.
Has atheism/agnosticism decreased or increased in popularity in the US in recent year
