The following is a re-run from last August but I think it bears repeating:
There is a sociologist named Phil Zuckerman who looked at the levels of
religiosity in the various nations and their possible correlations to the basic
quality of life in those nations. He also looked at the levels of religiosity
within the United States, from state to state, and compared that to the levels
of social dysfunction. This would include everything from drunk driving to
divorce, domestic abuse, poverty, ignorance and crime in general. As it turns
out, nation by nation or state by state, the more religious the population the
more social disease there is. Other surveys show a correlation between
religiosity and low educational and intelligence levels. Most Americans (85%)
say they believe in God. By contrast, less than 1% of the members of the
national academy of science say they believe in any kind of personal God. Most
Americans also believe that you can't be a moral person without religion, but
the demographic facts say the opposite is true no matter where you look.
Sam Harris said, "Contrary to the views of many conservative pundits and the
Christian Right, the least religious countries in the world today are not full
of chaos and immorality, but are actually among the safest, healthiest, most
well-educated, prosperous, ethical, and successful societies on earth. Based on
a year´s worth of research conducted while living in Scandinavia, Society
Without God by Phil Zuckerman explores life in a largely secular culture,
delving into the unique worldviews of secular men and women who live in a
largely irreligious society, and explaining the reasons why some nations are
less religious than others, and why relgious faith doesn't seem to be the
secret to national success that so many claim it to be."
Zuckerman's book, "Society Without God" shows that societies are better off in
all kinds of ways when they are secular rather than religious. As is the case
in the United States, the nation in question need not officially be a theocracy
for it to count as a religious nation or as a nation with a religious culture.
Outside of Africa, Afghanistan is the poorest nation on earth and, probably NOT
coincidentally, the home of the Taliban.
Thanks.
dmb
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