People less attracted to religion when there's better health care, welfare and education

[trotsky]

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/people.less.attracted.to.religion.when.theres.better.health.care.welfare.and.education.study.claims/128633.htm

A new study has found that people tend to be less religious when government provides better social services, such as health care, welfare and education.

Psychology researchers from various American universities have found that religiosity is less pronounced in places where the government provides better services.

"..(I)f the function that religiosity provides can be acquired from some other source, the allure of religion will diminish," the researchers noted, according to the Miami Herald.

The study, titled "Religion as an Exchange System: The Interchangeability of God and Government in a Provider Role," was authored by Miron Zuckerman and Chen Li of the University of Rochester and Ed Diener of the Universities of Utah and Virginia.

[Girard442]

1. Suppose this is why the Religious Right wants to shred safety nets everywhere?

[DetlefK]

5. Yaddayadda... Man declaring himself and government to be God... yaddayadda.

There is this accusation from extremist believers. It's rare, but it exists. How trusting in people and trusting in a government supposedly means throwing out religion.

e.g. Scientists are humans and if you put their conclusions above religion, you have effectively declared the human to be God.

[MineralMan]

6. No, not at all.

Atheists don't think humans are gods. That's just silly. Most atheists have no belief in any deities of any kind. Humans are, well, just humans. They have no god-like powers.

[DetlefK]

12. In terms of religion, they do.

From the original viewpoint of religion, God governs the world via his will. The human has no governance over the world.

Then there is a more modern viewpoint, originally based on the "demiourgos"-concept of Ancient Greece and made popular in medieval Europe by the spanish philosopher and esoteric Ramon Llull: That God has created laws of nature and that he governs the world indirectly via them. The human still has no governance over the world.

What was new in the Renaissance was the idea that the human is even CAPABLE of understanding and influencing the world. The idea that it is not just God's will which determines things, but that the human can have a meaningful impact and actively understand, use and manipulate nature. That was a MAJOR philosophical leap back at the time! (This philosophical leap was achieved by a new and different interpretation of ancient syncretic christian texts, which described the human as possessing a divine spark.)



Science is one off-shot of this Renaissance-mindset and the concept that the human can understand nature and use the laws of nature and even influence them to force his will onto nature, this concept is fundamental to science.
But in religion, the power to understand and to influence is reserved for God.

That's where this accusation, that the human has declared himself the new God, comes from.

[Mariana]

7. I'm sure that's part of it.

Fear and insecurity drive people into the churches and increase collections.

[Brainstormy]

2. good explanation as to why religiosity

is disappearing in Europe.

[MineralMan]

3. That's very interesting.

It makes sense, but it's interesting that there are data to support the concept.

I guess if you have healthcare, financial security and an education, you have less need to pray for stuff.

[RKP5637]

4. Makes a lot of sense to me. n/t

[thucythucy]

8. It's almost a cliche:

I had family members who moved South who were told, "If you plan on ever being sick or unemployed, the best thing you can do is join a church."

And remember, G.W. Bush poured tens if not hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars into "faith based initiatives" that were in fact financial windfalls for conservative churches.

It's good to see someone is providing the data to buttress what we know instinctually to be true. If you look at the European nations with the most comprehensive social safety nets, these also tend to be the least religious.

[Lordquinton]

9. This dovetails nicely with the statements that the poorand underprivileged are more religious

I'd like to see the counter argument presented here, how the two statements are reconciled.

[Igel]

10. You've been reading the Old Testament, haven't you?

The complaint is over and over that when Israel knew peace and was prosperous, they abandoned God, only to seek him in adversity--when about to be conquered, during drought, etc.

Deuteronomy 32:15 New King James Version (NKJV)
“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

Talk about the absence of new insight.

[trotsky]

14. Why it's almost like the priest class knows this...

and has worked to keep the people ignorant and in poverty.

[Major Nikon]

11. How do we know that cause and effect relationship isnt reversed?

[Mariana]

15. Significant drops in religiosity

have directly followed improvements in public services.

[Act_of_Reparation]

13. Let's not forget about the cultists.

People are also attracted to religion when it promises them they can nut all over other peoples' wives.