Shunning religion can boost a country’s prosperity, a study has found.
Researchers at the universities of Bristol and Tennessee found that higher levels of secularism led to higher wealth and a greater tolerance for individual rights.
They examined output figures for 109 countries and the importance of religious faith in those states.
A modest increase in secularisation corresponded to an average £800 increase in output per head within a decade, a £2,000 increase in 20 years and a £4,000 increase within 30. But Damian Ruck, of the University of Bristol’s population health sciences institute, told The Times: ‘Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t be religious and also respect individual rights.’
The researchers noted: ‘A century ago, Emile Durkheim [a French sociologist] proposed that technological and socioeconomic advances come to displace the functions of religion, whereas Max Weber [a German Philosopher] contended the opposite, that monotheistic religion, the so-called Protestant ethic, made the development of capitalism possible.’
Belief and religious participation have been on the decline in recent decades in most rich nations – but have remained high in developing countries.
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Source: Christian Post
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