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By Joseph Rossell, Juicy Ecumenism.
Jesus warned his disciples that it was “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Research by the Pew Research Center confirmed this insight, finding that wealthier societies are less religious.
“Overall, people in wealthier nations tend to place less importance on religion than those in poorer nations,” Research Analyst Angelina Theodorou wrote in an article on December 23, 2015.
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The United States remains somewhat of an exception. Although it is among the wealthiest countries in the world, the U.S. ranks “in the middle of the pack” when it comes to religiosity. Fifty-three percent of Americans told Pew that religion was “very important” to them, while this rate was far lower in other industrialized countries like Germany (21 percent), the United Kingdom (21 percent), France (14 percent), and Japan (11 percent).
Of course, year after year fewer Americans claim to participate actively in religion. Theodorou points out that the U.S., “like much of Europe, has been experiencing a rise in the share of people who say they have no religion.”
Our country faces the threat of diminishing religious vibrancy like Europe unless we counter secularizing forces such as materialism in our culture.
Pew Research Center: Americans are in the middle of the pack globally when it comes to importance of religion
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