this is thought-provoking.
from a Christian Sociology listserv I follow:
Thursday, January 15, 2009 (ALC) - During the years 2005 and 2006,
American sociologist Phil Zuckerman spent fourteen months in Denmark
and Sweden to study these two societies. According to Zuckerman, Danes
and Swedes are among the most contented and generous people on the
planet. But that's not all that Zuckerman has to report about these
two nations. Remarkably, he notes, two of the most prosperous
societies in the world are also two of the least religious.
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.A., Tom Shipka, WYSU-FM 88.5 MHZ, Fine Arts
Radio Station for Youngstown State University and the Mahoning Valley
Community www.wysu.org January 14, 2009
During the years 2005 and 2006, American sociologist Phil Zuckerman
spent fourteen months in Denmark and Sweden to study these two
societies. In a recent book, he reports these findings: (1)
Denmark and Sweden have among the lowest rates of violent crime in the
world. (pp. 28-29) (2)
Denmark and Sweden have the lowest rates of HIV and AIDS in the world. (p. 27)
Sweden is third and Denmark is fifth in the world in economic
competitiveness. (p. 27)
On gender equality, Denmark is second and Sweden is third in the world. (p. 27)
On access to the Internet, Sweden is third and Denmark is fourth in
the world. (p. 28)
Denmark and Sweden are tied for the lowest infant mortality rates in
the world with Norway, Iceland, Japan, and Singapore. (p. 26)
Denmark and Sweden are tied for first place with the Netherlands in
the health and safety of children. (p. 26)
Denmark ranks fourth and Sweden ranks eighth in the world in the
standard of living. (p. 27)
Political corruption is virtually non-existent in Denmark and Sweden. (p. 28)
Denmark and Sweden are tied for first in the world in a recent
international study of social justice (p. 30) (3), and
Denmark ranks second and Sweden ranks third in the world in financial
aid to poor nations. (p. 29)
Thus, according to Zuckerman, Danes and Swedes are among the most
contented and generous people on the planet. But that's not all that
Zuckerman has to report about these two nations. Remarkably, he notes,
two of the most prosperous societies in the world are also two of the
least religious. (4) Indeed, a huge majority in both countries are
atheists or agnostics. Only 24% of Danes and 16% of Swedes believe in
a personal God compared to more than 90% in the United States. (p. 24)
Only 18% of Danes and 33% of Swedes believe in heaven compared to 80%
of Americans. Only 10% of Danes and Swedes believe in hell compared to
75% of Americans. (p. 11, pp. 24-25) This is the lowest rate of belief
in hell in the entire world! (p. 25) Next, only 7% of Danes and 3% of
Swedes believe that the Bible is the literal word of God compared to
33% in the United States. (p. 25) Further, Danes and Swedes have the
lowest church attendance in the world with only 3% of Danes and 7% of
Swedes attending regularly. (p. 25, p. 162) (5) Also, only 8% of Danes
and 15% of Swedes consider it important for a politician to believe in
God compared to 64% of Americans who do (p. 12), and contrary to
public and private practice in America, very few Danes and Swedes
pray. (p. 2) Finally, more than 80% of Danes and Swedes accept
evolution while less than half our population does. (p. 10) (6)
Professor Zuckerman sees an important lesson for us in his study of
Denmark and Sweden. Contrary to what we've heard from "certain
outspoken conservative Christians" (7), the sociologist suggests, a
secular society need not be a scene of violence and depravity. (p. 4,
pp. 17-18) Denmark and Sweden, he says, are not only "impressive
models of societal health" (p. 17) but living proof that humans can
survive and prosper without religion. (pp. 55-56) (8)
1. Zuckerman reports his findings in Society without God: What
the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment, New York
University Press, 2008. All references hereinafter are to page numbers
of this book.
2. For instance, in Aarhus, Denmark, a city of 250,000
residents, there was a total of one murder in 2004. (p. 6)
3. This study was done by a German group of social scientists
associated with an institute called Hans-Bocker Stiftung. (p. 30)
Denmark and Sweden are not without problems, however. Taxes are high,
there is social friction due to recent waves of immigration, children
eat too much candy, rates of bicycle thefts are high, fertility rates
are low, and alcohol consumption is high. (p. 34)
4. Other irreligious societies are the Netherlands, the Czech
Republic, South Korea, Estonia, France, Japan, Bulgaria, Norway,
England, Scotland, Wales, Hungary, and Belgium. (p. 25) Zuckerman
points out that in all of these relatively secular societies the
citizens freely gravitated from a religious to an irreligious
perspective unlike North Korea, the former Soviet Union, China, and
Albania where the governments attempted to impose secularism on the
citizens. Zuckerman says that forced secularism doesn't work. See pp.
20-22.
5. Paradoxically, despite the fact that most Danes and Swedes
are atheists or agnostics and don't attend church regularly, 83% of
Danes and 80% of Swedes continue voluntarily to pay a tax to the
National Church, which is Lutheran (p. 112), and many hold traditional
events such as weddings, baptisms, confirmations, and funerals in
church. Zuckerman says that Danes and Swedes, while rejecting the
supernatural dimensions of Christianity - Jesus performed miracles,
Jesus was God, Jesus rose from the dead, the Bible is God's
revelation, the Genesis account of creation is accurate, there is an
afterlife with a heaven and a hell, etc. – maintain a "cultural
religion" similar to many Jews. (pp. 153-155) Oddly, in Denmark a
person may be a pastor and an atheist. (p. 154)
6. Despite the fact that Danes and Swedes are irreligious, they
are not hostile to religion, they shun serious discussions of it, they
deem a person's views about religion a private matter, and many
non-believers dislike being labeled an atheist because they take the
term to imply hostility to religion. Further, many non-believers
self-identify as "Christians." When one asks them what it means to be
a Christian, they say it means being kind, helping people who need
help, not hurting others, etc. As a rule they reject the supernatural
components. See Chapter 8, "Cultural Religion," pp. 150-166. Also, see
pp. 97-109.
7. Zuckerman lists the following examples of Christian
conservatives who claim that a society that is irreligious will fail:
Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly,
Laura Schlesinger, William Bennett, Rush Limbaugh, and Paul Weyrich.
(p. 4, pp. 17-18)
8. American fundamentalists will no doubt object to Zuckerman's
strongly favorable evaluation of Denmark and Sweden by noting that in
these countries abortion has been legal for more than thirty years,
prostitution is legal, and homosexuality is tolerated.
Source: http://www.wysu.org/commentaryview.cfm?RecNum=154
Photo: Book Cover: Society without God: What the Least Religious
Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment, Phil Zuckerman (Amazon.com)
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