(chart from The Pew Global Attitude Survey – graphs Religiosity vs. per capita GDP, a measure of a country’s wealth. In almost every case as GDP rises, religiosity drops. Religiosity is measured using a three-item index ranging from 0-3, with
“3″ representing the most religious position. Respondents were given a
“1″ if they believe faith in God is necessary for morality; a “1″ if
they say religion is very important in their lives; and a “1″ if they
pray at least once a day.)
I am well aware of the fact that you can easily lie with statistics. The trend line in this may not be nearly as exact as it looks. But the fact that the US is such a massive outlier to the other data worries me. This is why I need to study religion in the public schools….
I really take issue with the idea that “faith in God is necessary for morality” because it is an alternative way of saying that people who do not believe in god are evil/immoral and implies that for society to work everyone must believe. Why can only the threat of some outside force make a person moral? (We won’t even talk about all the immoral religious people….)
