RELIGIOSITY

The relationship between religiosity and poverty is  palpable, not to say that it is a cause-effect relationship, but people from impoverished nations tend to have a stronger belief that fundamentalism and its hellfire and brimstone visions of the apocalypse play a significant role in the lives of people. Studies such as the 2010 Gallup Poll indicate there is a strong positive correlation between strict adherence to religion and privation. Simply put, the poorer you are, the deeply religious you become.

In Africa for instance, some of the most religious countries are Niger, with 99% of the people professing a religion, Democratic Republic of Congo at 90% and Kenya stands at 90% thereabout of people who profess a certain religion. What is peculiar about these nations is that the per capita income of the population is below $2000. On the other hand, countries such as Sweden, with religiosity at 17%, Japan at 24% and Denmark at 18% all command per capita incomes that averages $25,000. This are staggering statistics. Religious folk, with hope for an afterlife, seem to completely forget to improve their circumstances in this life, which arguably matters more.

Why then is there this stark difference between religious and secular societies. One argument put forth is that poor nations provide citizens with no social safety nets to ensure upward mobility, as such people are more likely to rely on religion for comfort. When someone is suffering, it may comfort him or her to think that the end of the world is near, that God will bring it to a close and reward the faithful with everlasting joy. Doom and gloom predictions about the trials and tribulations humanity will face before the apocalypse, prevalent in Christian fundamentalism, may also help some people attribute a higher purpose to their suffering, explaining it as "part of god's ultimate plan"




"It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil, if they would only expend the same energy loving their fellow man, the devil would die in his own tracks-Helen Keller"