Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

[Fumesucker]

http://www.amazon.com/Society-without-God-Religious-Contentment/dp/0814797148?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224624985&sr=1-1

Before he began his recent travels, it seemed to Phil Zuckerman as if humans all over the globe were “getting religion” — praising deities, performing holy rites, and soberly defending the world from sin. But most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, don’t worship any god at all, don’t pray, and don’t give much credence to religious dogma of any kind. Instead of being bastions of sin and corruption, however, as the Christian Right has suggested a godless society would be, these countries are filled with residents who score at the very top of the “happiness index” and enjoy their healthy societies, which boast some of the lowest rates of violent crime in the world (along with some of the lowest levels of corruption), excellent educational systems, strong economies, well-supported arts, free health care, egalitarian social policies, outstanding bike paths, and great beer.

Zuckerman formally interviewed nearly 150 Danes and Swedes of all ages and educational backgrounds over the course of fourteen months, beginning in 2005. He was particularly interested in the worldviews of people who live their lives without religious orientation. How do they think about and cope with death? Are they worried about an afterlife? What he found is that nearly all of his interviewees live their lives without much fear of the Grim Reaper or worries about the hereafter. This led him to wonder how and why it is that certain societies are nonreligious in a world that seems to be marked by increasing religiosity. Drawing on prominent sociological theories and his own extensive research, Zuckerman ventures some interesting answers.

This fascinating approach directly counters the claims of outspoken, conservative American Christians who argue that a society without God would be hell on earth. It is crucial, Zuckerman believes, for Americans to know that “society without God is not only possible, but it can be quite civil and pleasant.”

[BlooInBloo]

1. Lennon already convinced me.

[Fumesucker]

2. I was an atheist before I ever heard "I want to hold your hand"..

Edited to add: Although I didn't have any idea what it was called..

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/10/22/zuckerman/

To a certain jaded sensibility, what makes Scandinavia particularly magical is what it lacks. "There is no national anti-gay rights movement," writes Zuckerman, "there are no 'Jesus fish' imprinted on advertisements in the yellow pages, there are no school boards or school administrators who publicly doubt the evidence for human evolution ... there are no religiously inspired 'abstinence only' sex education curricula ... there are no parental groups lobbying schools and city councils to remove Harry Potter books from school and public libraries ... there are no restaurants that include Bible verses on their menus and placemats, there are no 'Faith Nights' at national sporting events ..."

Not to put too fine a point on it, there's no God. At least none that would pass muster with evangelical Americans. As few as 24 percent of Danes and as few as 16 percent of Swedes believe in a personal deity. (In America, that figure is close to 90 percent.) In Scandinavia, belief in life after death hovers in the low 30 percent range, as opposed to 81 percent in America. Some 82 percent of Danes and Swedes believe in evolution, while roughly 10 percent believe in hell. Their rate of weekly church attendance is among the lowest on Earth.

[phusion]

12. wow that sounds fantastic...I'd like to visit Sweden! n/t

[notadmblnd]

3. I imagine it's a great burden lifted.

[Zhade]

4. Would that this country were like Sweden. Sigh.

NT!

[BrklynLiberal]

5. How long would the list be of horrors propagated by the various religions thru history?

[OneGrassRoot]

6. Do the extremists in all religions proselytize?

Or is that unique to Christianity? I know, I know...I should have Googled, but am asking here instead. :)

[Fumesucker]

7. I don't think Jews proselytize. n/t

[Union Thug]

8. Thanks for this. Looks like a fascinating book! n/t

[SidDithers]

9. K&R. Thanks for posting...nt

Sid

[Bigmack]

10. I've had this LTTE published...

... in one form or other, in several newspapers, in response to those "We've got to get back to religion to save our country" letters.
- - - - - -
  I read recently of a survey which found that about 85 % of Americans believe in God, much higher than in most countries.
 According to a 1997 study by the University of Michigan, far more Americans attend church at least once a week (44%) than attend in any other modern industrial country in the world. We also have the highest violence and murder rates.

 Britain (25% church attendance), France (21%), and Germany (14%) have much lower crime rates and microscopic violence and murder rates compared to the United States.

 Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden have international reputations as law-abiding and peaceful countries, yet their church attendance rates are around 5%.

 I don’t believe that church attendance increases violence and crime, but those figures indicate that at the very least we don’t seem to relate our religious beliefs to our conduct.

 I don’t know what these other countries have (or don’t have) that makes them less violent, but I’m puzzled that we have high church attendance…urging us to be good, and we have the highest incarceration rate in the world (2 million Americans in prison)….urging us not to be bad, and we still have the highest violence and murder rates in the developed world. The other countries seem to have developed some sense of morality in place of religion, or perhaps beyond it. Perhaps we should look in that direction.

 I fail to see how a rote recitation of a prayer in school, or posting Commandments will do more to lessen violence or promote morality in our kids, when the adult population doesn’t seem much improved by more church attendance and prayer.

We’ve all read about some national and local religious leaders who molested members of their congregations. Some of our political leaders don’t seem to let their beliefs or religion stand in the way of their sexual urges……just like some of our kids, since we also have (by far) the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world.

[Fumesucker]

11. Nice letter...

You might also want to add that the more fundamentalist the church, the higher the divorce rate and that atheists have the lowest divorce rate of all.. (the exception to the rule being Jews, they have the highest divorce rate, IIRC).

[tbyg52]

13. K&R nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. K&R!

[Irish Girl]

15. Lived in Copenhagen, Denmark for five years

From 1999 until 2004.

Great peaceful little country with wonderful people. Most Danish folks don't even bother locking their doors at night. A great community spirit all around and definitely the #1 place I'd want to raise my children. I do hope to return some day.

[eppur_se_muova]

16. I would *expect* a high correlation between atheism and pacifism ...

when you believe there's only one life, it makes absolutely no sense to go to war except in self-defense. Life is more precious, and the pleasures of life more worth preserving, the more transient it is.

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. "He was particularly interested in the worldviews of people who live their lives without

religious orientation."

Particularly, in the light of the above quote from that article, don't you find it bizarre that Zuckerman seems to imply that his interviewees were representative of the people who fashioned the governments of those countries. There is no reason to suppose that, but, rather, the contrary.

"But most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, don’t worship any god at all, don’t pray, and don’t give much credence to religious dogma of any kind."

Wow. He's also implied that he interviewed most of the residents in those countries".

However, in view of the way in which the fallaciously-named "Christian" right in your country are such a blemish on it, I can't say I blame Americans for wanting to applaud the author.

[fascisthunter]

18. This One Belongs in the "No Shit Sherlock" Category

What I mean is this is a very reaffirming. Only ignorant fools would claim "godless" people were evil. Those making that claim may want to look at themselves and their own behavior towards people who want to live a different life from them.

[sixmile]

19. My great-grandparents were Swedish immigrants

Think they'd give me a right of return?

[jazzjunkysue]

20. I believe fear is the big motivator in religion. Religion gives you hope of control over your larger

world.

I get alot of blowback from this way of thinking and living. People see me as a problem.

Bottom line: I think for myself, and if that pisses people off, it's their problem.

I also happen to think we humans should take care of each other, and that pisses people off, too.

Our obligation is to our world and our neighbors, not some deity flying around in the clouds.

The great irony is, that the message of care is central in religion. I just get there my own way.

[machI]

21. Kick

[Indenturedebtor]

22. New Zealand is just such a country as well :D We hope to move there

If not there then some other more sensible country. My children will hopefully grow up in a country without Sarah Palins and Rush Limbaughs.