(no subject)
There are two schools of thought about how religion is connected with social order. One theory is that religion is simply a reflection of society, while others argue that religion is a central force in society. The reality is most likely cyclical, but I am going to explore the idea that religion (or lack thereof) influences a society’s condition.
The protestant belief system encourages individual achievement and financial success. The belief is that wealth and achievement are signs that a person is in God’s favour and destined for heaven. The desire to make money appears to correlate with a Protestant ethic as capitalism consistently prevails in Protestant countries. Protestantism flourishes in the USA, with 35% of the population being Protestant as well as every single president except Kennedy. Although few Americans are still so extreme as to believe success comes only from God’s approval, the values of personal achievement and the idea that the poor are at fault has permeated American culture.
In contrast, the Swedish Lutheran religion values modesty, sense of duty to the group and inconspicuous behavior. This is likely to be connected to the Swedish passion for equality. One person excelling and fighting for achievement more than the rest of the group is looked down upon. The religion favours the group over the individual, which is very likely to have played a part in the drive for social welfare and equal position. The puritanical dogma keeps its members from drawing attention to themselves, breaking rules or rocking the boat.
One of the most remarkable phenomenons in Sweden is how rapidly it has changed in the last century. At the same time, Sweden has been breaking away from religion. In less than a century, Sweden has gone from a highly religious country to one of the world’s most secularized countries. It is not common for a country to experience so much change and reform in such a short time. The pace that Sweden has been changing may be connected to secularization. Only 4% of Swedes attend church regularly, as compared with 43% of Americans. Religious people are often heard using the word “tradition.” A highly religious country such as the USA is likely to maintain traditional values and politics as dictated by the religion. When a person follows a religion, they tend to have set beliefs that do not change. As Sweden is more secular, it makes sense that they would be more likely to question the old ways and consider new options more readily. When one does not question religion, they are most likely not going to question the government, either.
The Journal of Socio-Economics shows some interesting studies on the effects of secularization. Secularization is correlated to higher rates of children born out of wedlock, which is consistent with Swedish compared to American statistics. It may also be possible that secularization plays a part in Sweden being the #2 country for the highest divorce rate, with other factors contributing to the USA being #1. The secularity of Sweden is likely to also be responsible for the younger age that teenagers start having sex. Fortunately for Swedes, the sex education does not involve the religious abstinence education found in the US, resulting in pregnancies four times more likely for American teens. Unlike Sweden, there are many, many large demonstrations promoting hate towards homosexuals or women seeking abortion.
Finally, and most simply, conservatism is likely to be more common in the US because it is a highly religious country. Studies have shown religion to be correlated with conservatism. Anti-abortion, anti-union, anti-environment, forbidden premarital sex, pro-war, pro-traditional family and pro-corporal punishment are all ideas likely to be found with churchgoers. They also happen to be ideas far more prevalent with Americans than with Swedes.
The protestant belief system encourages individual achievement and financial success. The belief is that wealth and achievement are signs that a person is in God’s favour and destined for heaven. The desire to make money appears to correlate with a Protestant ethic as capitalism consistently prevails in Protestant countries. Protestantism flourishes in the USA, with 35% of the population being Protestant as well as every single president except Kennedy. Although few Americans are still so extreme as to believe success comes only from God’s approval, the values of personal achievement and the idea that the poor are at fault has permeated American culture.
In contrast, the Swedish Lutheran religion values modesty, sense of duty to the group and inconspicuous behavior. This is likely to be connected to the Swedish passion for equality. One person excelling and fighting for achievement more than the rest of the group is looked down upon. The religion favours the group over the individual, which is very likely to have played a part in the drive for social welfare and equal position. The puritanical dogma keeps its members from drawing attention to themselves, breaking rules or rocking the boat.
One of the most remarkable phenomenons in Sweden is how rapidly it has changed in the last century. At the same time, Sweden has been breaking away from religion. In less than a century, Sweden has gone from a highly religious country to one of the world’s most secularized countries. It is not common for a country to experience so much change and reform in such a short time. The pace that Sweden has been changing may be connected to secularization. Only 4% of Swedes attend church regularly, as compared with 43% of Americans. Religious people are often heard using the word “tradition.” A highly religious country such as the USA is likely to maintain traditional values and politics as dictated by the religion. When a person follows a religion, they tend to have set beliefs that do not change. As Sweden is more secular, it makes sense that they would be more likely to question the old ways and consider new options more readily. When one does not question religion, they are most likely not going to question the government, either.
The Journal of Socio-Economics shows some interesting studies on the effects of secularization. Secularization is correlated to higher rates of children born out of wedlock, which is consistent with Swedish compared to American statistics. It may also be possible that secularization plays a part in Sweden being the #2 country for the highest divorce rate, with other factors contributing to the USA being #1. The secularity of Sweden is likely to also be responsible for the younger age that teenagers start having sex. Fortunately for Swedes, the sex education does not involve the religious abstinence education found in the US, resulting in pregnancies four times more likely for American teens. Unlike Sweden, there are many, many large demonstrations promoting hate towards homosexuals or women seeking abortion.
Finally, and most simply, conservatism is likely to be more common in the US because it is a highly religious country. Studies have shown religion to be correlated with conservatism. Anti-abortion, anti-union, anti-environment, forbidden premarital sex, pro-war, pro-traditional family and pro-corporal punishment are all ideas likely to be found with churchgoers. They also happen to be ideas far more prevalent with Americans than with Swedes.