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| Photo Credit: NASA Goddard |
June 25, 2012
Slowly but surely, religion’s historical monopoly on the human mind is breaking apart. On its surface, the reason seems straightforward: the rise of secular democracy and especially of scientific understanding should encourage more people to give up on religion.
In fact, recent research from the National Opinion Research Center at
the University of Chicago shows that the picture worldwide is much more
complex than that. While atheism is on the rise in many places in the
world, others are seeing a rise in religiosity, creating a situation
where the levels of belief and non-belief vary wildly depending on
culture. A lot of it has to do with history and culture, but one
intriguing thread can be pulled from the picture, which is that there
seems to be a strong correlation between high rates of atheism and
countries that prioritize economic equality and make higher investments
in a strong social safety net, such as France and the Netherlands.
Could liberal policies help create non-believers? Previous research indicates that
when countries embrace progressive social policy, that tends to create a
decline in religious belief. The theory, often called the “secularization thesis”
is that the combination of good education of its citizens and the fact
that citizens can rely on the government instead of the church for
poverty relief means that more people will turn away from religion. But
could the reasons go deeper than that? Few people base their choice of
whether to believe in God or not on something as simple as whether they
can go to the church or the state in times of need. Perhaps it’s more
that economic insecurity itself increases the desire to believe in God.
And if atheists want to minimize the power religion plays in society,
should they start by demanding a more secure and egalitarian society? READ MORE
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