Americans more religious than others

Gopher

Here's an article based on a poll taken. What is it about Americans that makes them so reliant on religious organizations? Notice the wording of the poll -- asking if RELIGION (and not spirituality or God) was important to them. This helps explain why the WT Society prospers to the extent it does (being based in America) -- maybe American JW's care even more about their faith than the JW's in other places??

Here's the article.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/614/3544304.html Poll finds religion more important in U.S. than in other wealthy nations


Associated Press

Published Dec. 20, 2002

Religion is much more important to Americans than people in other wealthy countries, according to a poll released Thursday that found the United States is more spiritually akin to many developing nations.

Fifty-nine percent of U.S. respondents said religion was "very important" in their lives.

That was well above the numbers for Britain (33 percent), Canada (30), Italy (27), South Korea (25), Germany (21), Japan (12) and France (11).

The poll was sponsored by the Washington-based Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Andrew Kohut, the center director, said previous polling by the Gallup organization found similar religious patterns.

"It's who we are, who we've always been," Kohut said, and this "represents an important divide between the United States and our traditional allies" on such matters as abortion and new biological technologies.

The importance of religion in the United States was exceeded by that in all 10 African nations polled, six in Latin America and six in Asia, including Turkey, which lies partly in Europe.

Senegal (97 percent) was the most religious country, while France and the Czech Republic were the least (11 percent each).

Muslim nations ranked high. Among traditionally Christian countries, the United States was the only Western nation with numbers similar to those in the Philippines and most of Latin America.

Kingpawn

There was a book written around 1990 that said of Americans polled that 90% were religious but only 60% let religion exercise an influence in their lives. The title I can't remember; the subtitle was "The Day America Told The Truth." What I mainly remember was the rankings of the ten worst jobs (a few of them anyway). They were, from absolute worst to the slightly more approved:

Drug dealer
Mafia crime boss
Televangelist
Prostitute

IOW being a hooker was considered more respectable than being a televangelist.

What is it about Americans that makes them so reliant on religious organizations?

I could guess that, since the majority of Americans are of the "baby boom" generation (1946-64) and as people get older they get more conservative, and at a time when the pace of change is seemingly increasing, it's a preference for "the way things used to be" being expressed here.

So it's also a case of people feeling uneasy at this pace who want to be told what to do; they don't feel comfortable trying to make their own way in life; the rules of the game have changed. Maybe even a hanging-on from the upsurge in church attendance post-9/11?

Aztec

I have no statistics to back me up on this so please don't bust me over this but, from what I've read there is an interesting correlation between education (or lack thereof) and religious zeal. Notice I did not say spirituality, I said religion. Not that Americans are all stupid, I'm American. However from what I have read about our scores on basic tests compared to other Western countries we are way behind.

Just an observation...

~Aztec

Gopher

Interesting comments. I think unease over the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks had a temporary effect, a "spike" in attendance -- that even the JW's benefitted from.

Lack of education may be a factor -- we all know that if more JW's would simply educate themselves about their religion's history, perhaps reading "Crisis of Conscience", that more of them would shake loose from the Borg.

But overall I believe that Americans traditionally have viewed church as a "social club", a place to meet new people and keep old friendships going. It's kind of a "community center" as much as it is a religious center. I think that holds true for Kingdom Halls of JW's as well, that the attendance is maintained by the social aspect more than by the people buying into the theology ("making the truth their own" as the JW's say).

onacruse

Approx 40% of the US is Protestant, so perhaps the following has some bearing?

"Protestant ethic...in sociological theory, the value attached to hard work, thrift, and efficiency in one's worldly calling, which, especially in the Calvinist view, were deemed signs of an individual's election, or eternal salvation. The German sociologist Max Weber in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (190405) held that the Protestant ethic was an important factor in the economic success of Protestant groups in the early stages of European capitalism, for, because worldly success came to be interpreted as a sign of election, it was vigorously pursued. Calvinism's antipathy to the worship of the flesh, its emphasis on the religious duty to make fruitful use of the God-given resources at each individual's disposal, and its orderliness and systemization of ways of life were also regarded by Weber as economically significant aspects of the ethic."

(2002 Encyclopedia Britannica)

The one feeds into the other, eh?

Craig

Gopher

AH yes, the "Protestant work ethic". As stated, "worldly success came to be interpreted as a sign of election". In other words, if you're rich, God must be blessing you. Interesting quote.

America is the place where this philosophy seems to have taken root most strongly.

American dream: Strive for material success, and keep praying that God blesses your efforts. (If you donate to the right preacher, maybe God will bless you more??)

Xander

Hmmm....well, I hear French is easier to learn than Czech, so....

Satanus

The US was started off mainly, by puritans. They were the people who found the standard religion of britain to be not good enough. So they left for 'the new world', which was to be directed by god. These types of characteristics carry on for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years through traditions and blood descendents. America has been in revolt (revolution) since it's beginning. If it wasn't protestantism, it will be something else. Some examples: rock and roll, crusade against terrorism, genetic engineering, war on drugs, breast implants Not all bad.

Xander

Yup, here in canada, i already have learned a lot of french.

heathen

P.T Barnum said - there's a sucker born every minute. Sounds like he was on to something.

JT

AH yes, the "Protestant work ethic". As stated, "worldly success came to be interpreted as a sign of election". In other words, if you're rich, God must be blessing you. Interesting quote.
America is the place where this philosophy seems to have taken root most strongly.
American dream: Strive for material success, and keep praying that God blesses your efforts. (If you donate to the right preacher, maybe God will bless you more??)

excellent point i know in the black community the most powerful and largest churches are ones who teach what is called a "Prosperity Ministry"

Lady "C" and I have been talking about starting us one, with my speaking ablitity and my wifes good looks we should be able to Clean up$$$$$

Americans more religious than others

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