A short life then paradise?

[Father-Ted]

Now here is an interesting thing, the countries with the most religious populations have the most poverty and the shortest life expectancy. Is it because religion prevents people from addressing important life affecting issues or do people resort to religion because they have given up faith in their own ability to determine their future. The answer may lie somewhere else completely or there may be many contributory reasons. Would anyone care to suggest why this might be?

[Zacs-Master]

Lack of education would be the common denominator, I think.

[Khandro]

The USA has a highly religious population and it doesn't have the most poverty and the shortest life expectancy.

[douglas9401]

An easily led population with little in the way of material things day-to-day are promised jam tomorrow and so toe the line so as not to miss their "share", in my opinion.

[jomifl]

Why would there be a lack of eucation Zacs?
Khandro, the USA became more religious because of the cold war against those dastardly atheistic commies. In fact the US doesn't buck the trend too much. Anyway an exception doesn't disprove a rule when the weight of statistics contradicts it.

[naomi24]

Big families, little money, poor living conditions, and poor nutrition must come into the equation somewhere.

[Zacs-Master]

I tend to equate poverty and short life expectancy with poor education. I also tend to equate such countries with dictatorial governments who use religion to subjugate their population.

[askyourgran]

According to Karl Marx, religion is a social institution which is dependent upon material and economic realities in a given society. With no independent history, it is a creature of productive forces. Marx wrote: “The religious world is but the reflex of the real world.” Marx argued that religion is an illusion whose chief purpose is to provide reasons and excuses to keep society functioning just as it is. Religion takes our highest ideals and aspirations and alienates us from them. It seems that those people indoctrinated into their religious belief have little education and the least expectancy in life. Was it Marx who said Religion is the opiate of the masses?

[MASS1961]

I frequently puzzled when I visited churches in Spain and saw the priceless icons inside, only to be greeted when I left with people begging outside.
Surely the vast wealth inside could be distributed a little outside?

[boxtops]

Mass, that was surely the same in the middle ages here - huge churches, rich clergy, rank poverty in most of the population?

[MASS1961]

21st century and nothing's changed, no pressure to change, to alleviate poverty just a little. ALL religions seem to be the same, lining the nests. No different here in the UK as anywhere else.
I'm not religious BUT I do have pretty decent morals and it's just not right.

[wildwood]

@boxtops//Mass, that was surely the same in the middle ages here - huge churches, rich clergy, rank poverty in most of the population?//

Indeed it was, the clergy would impress their religion upon the population with iron fist and any atheist could have head chopped off at the whim of a wealthy bishop. We've learned to read and write since then and have moved on... pity some religions in other regions haven't.

[mibn2cweus]

Khandro
The USA has a highly religious population and it doesn't have the most poverty and the shortest life expectancy.
22:29 Tue 27th Nov 2012

I suppose it could be argued that the US is 'wealthy' in spite of religion . . . not because of it. I suspect in their case, separation of church and state might well have mitigated the consequences of religious believe . . . somewhat.

[Khandro]

^^//The USA has a highly religious population and it doesn't have the most poverty and the shortest life expectancy.//
This is a statement of fact not requiring qualification. Why do you not accept that?

[keyplus90]

It is just unequal distribution of the resources or ability of few other countries to use their power to sweep resources away from few other countries for their own benefit. Religion does not prevent people from addressing the issues (at least mine does not), if a religion does prevent then most probably it is the understanding of the people and not the fault of the religion.

[WaldoMcFroog]

"^^//The USA has a highly religious population and it doesn't have the most poverty and the shortest life expectancy.//
This is a statement of fact not requiring qualification. Why do you not accept that?"

Because the USA is a confounding variable that requires explanation. It doesn't conform to what is experienced elsewhere in the world, which is that higher prosperity correlates positively with lower religiousity.

http://snipurl.com/25q56my

[Khandro]

Waldo; The questioner asserts; //the countries with the most religious populations have the most poverty and the shortest life expectancy.//
The population of the USA is well over 300 million, it does not have the most poverty and it doesn't have a short life expectancy, therefore the assumption is wrong. Arguments along the lines of 'exceptions proving rules' are for the woolly-minded. There are other examples within Europe; southern Germany; Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg (the power-houses of the German economy) and also Italy, all strongly Catholic.

[naomi24]

Khandro, unlike the countries Father Ted is talking about, those you mention are not so religious that their inhabitants abandon contraception.

[jomifl]

This link provides some interesting and surprising information. Don't take it too seriously as it is only based on a scientific approach and hasn't been approved by the pope.
http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/religious-belief-and-societal-health/