Living Without God: European Lives and the Dissolution of Religion from Ferverent Practice to Benign Tradition

First, let me make clear; it seems like a very safe and uncontroversial statement to make when one observes that religion is a very large and powerful force in the contemporary world. The growth of Islam and its connections to militaristic terrorism are certainly a daily headline for people living all around the globe. It seems that Islam is leading a upsurge in religious belief for many inhabitants of our planet today.

But close behind by only a few steps are the advancements Christianity is making globally as it wages its own drive to recruit believers under its set of beliefs and practices. Evangelicalism is sweeping its way into the hearts and minds of millions while other Christian religions such as Pentecostalism are also rapidly expanding. There is little doubt that organized religious beliefs are bubbling throughout the world.

Of course, religion is very popular in the United States where church attendance and responses to polls that question people's religious beliefs make the world's most powerful democracy a haven for believers. Americans as a whole hold God, Jesus, and the Bible in the highest regard. In addition, television and radio stations provide their viewers and listeners with unequaled access to Christian perspectives on a daily basis. And both Democrats and Republicans try to outdo each other over their support for 'Christian values.' The presidency of George W. Bush was extremely receptive to and promoted Christian doctrine as a part of the Republican agenda.

And beyond Islam and Christianity there has also been an uptick in the popularity of other religious belief systems around the world.

The amazing point I am about to make may sound unbelievable but I assure you that it is true. Religion is not all powerful in all nations of the world. In fact there are some nations, notably in Europe where religion is not viewed with the fervor that it is across the rest of the world. Which nations in Europe am I speaking of? First let me say that all across Europe, with particular reference to Great Britain and the Netherlands there has been a trending down in religious beliefs but it is in the Scandinavian countries that has witnessed the greatest decline in the popularity of religion. And the least religious countries in the world are Denmark and Sweden.

In Denmark and Sweden which is made up of lovely small towns, clean cities, magnificent forests, isolated beachfront, vibrant democracies, among the lowest crime rates in the world, superb institutions of public education, beautiful architecture, strong economies, publicly supported art, widespread entrepreneurship, modern hospitals, fabulous beer, free health care, extraordinary filmmakers, egalitarian social policies, and little interest in religion.

The Danes and the Swedes have proven that a society can exist without God and be very civil and pleasant. So there goes the Christians argument that without God we would all be subject to chaos and the Devil would rule the Earth.

It proves that a society without God can establish and follow rational systems of ethics and morality. Also proven has been the ability of secularists to live their lives without the 'crutch' that religion provides concerning death because many have argued that religion exists as a way for humanity to cope with death. Others have convinced themselves that they follow religion and believe in God because He has a 'plan' that governs the universe and that 'plan' also provides answers that allows human beings to understand the nature of the universe.

So why are Denmark and Sweden the less religious democracies in the world and the United States ranks number one? Several possible factors contribute in part or in whole to answering this question. History has certainly played a role ; the Danes and Swedes had Christianity imposed on their nations by rulers while the United States had a number of Christian groups initially settle throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Immigration has also played a role as America became the home to numerous religious groups over time while Sweden and Denmark were two of the most homogeneously peopled nations in the world. Also, a high degree of racial, ethnic, class, and cultural diversity exists in the United States while Denmark and Sweden are quite homogeneous in these areas. Denmark and Sweden have a national church, the Lutheran Church while diversity of churches is the rule in America. Another factor simply has to do with marketing; Americans market their religious beliefs very aggressively because of their great diverse numbers while the Danes and Swedes do not because they only have one church that is a monopoly and state controlled. A final factor unfortunately concerns the high levels of poor and under educated people who live in America and are highly susceptible to the promises made by religion of a better hereafter; this situation does not exist in Denmark and Sweden because the population as a whole is far better educated and per capita income levels are higher.