Being religious or part of a party with religious affiliation is entirely different in pretty much anywhere in Europe than it is in the US. Non-secular views on any major subject are effectively unheard of here; there's nothing conflicting about being religious and secular here.
This right here. Religion is more like a hobby (if you are not a politican with a clear agenda and in need of propaganda material and no solid evidence to back it up) not something you need to tout everytime you go on camera.
As a religious person I would say you are seeing these values as extrinsic, but MOST religious people see religion as intrinsic (AKA essential to who they are). If you reject religion of people you devalue who they are and not some "Hobby." I would warn you that that statement was more hurtful then you meant it to be.
There aren't many people in countries like Germany that see religion as an intrinsic part of them. I don't speak German, but I do know English, which should be similar enough :)
I think my mum (in England) would tell people she's Christian, although only if asked — she'd never mention it in conversation, but if someone on the street is "doing a survey" she'll say Christian. But apart from other peoples' weddings and funerals, she hasn't been to a church service for 20 years. I think she'd be much more offended if someone criticized her hobbies — they're things she chose, religion was chosen for her.
Average Church of England attendance is around 1.5% of the population [1]. Football clubs have higher attendance figures [2] (the lowest on that page is 3% of Manchester's population apparently attends Manchester United games, and Manchester has several major football clubs).
That comment might be in the context of Germany, where people generally don't seem to get wrapped up in religious identity to the extent that they do in the US.
From what I saw living there, many Germans don't set foot in a church outside of Christmas and Easter. I sure would like to have federal holidays for all those Catholic saint's days like they do in Bavaria, though...
People don't need to be religious for religion to be part of their identity. Many german atheists still identify with one of the two main churches even when they don't have the smallest trace of belief in them. After centuries of highly formalized coexistence, the lutheran and catholic churches have become subtle but deeply rooted parts of regional identities.
The vast majority of people are not particularly religious. This includes most members of the major religions.
Sure, they know the correct song and dance, but outside of specific settings it has little influence on behavior.
Granted, they may self identify very strongly as X, but how many people view say speeding in religious terms? Your actively harming the world though increased pollution and directly risking others lives, but meh.
I would counter that outside of Western Europe people are MORE religious. Religious with a default negative cogitations and belittle of religion really is a bias.
> The vast majority of people are not particularly religious. This includes most members of the major religions.
You just belittled all major religions in two sentences without any data. I can tell that is not your intent and you are expressing an opinion but it is still belittling something without any evidence of your simple conclusion.
First the impact of religion on behavior has been studied for a long time. Perhaps the most famous being the increased economic growth of Protestant areas over Catholic areas.
Anyway, you misunderstand what I am saying. Cheating, Murder, Stealing, are often directly referenced in religious terms and so they are influenced by religion. It's behaviors that are not described in religious terms (aka speeding) that have minimal impact.
In other words, religion is generally a 'narrow' change in thought and behavior rather than influencing all actions.
PS: Now, if some religious leader takes up the cause that speeding is meaningful then that's going to have an impact. But, again only because of the direct focus.
But I am not talking impact (Which there is conflicting data) but data that shows a upward trend of religion around the world. You keep pushing down religion like its a bad thing and individual people are lesser because of it. There are millions that would say their own lives were changed and you should just say glad for you. :) Don't have a First World bias :)
The least religious nations, according to the poll, are China (14 percent saying they are religious), Japan (16 percent), Czech Republic (20 percent), Turkey (23 percent), Sweden (29 percent), Vietnam (30 percent), Australia (37 percent),
So, the EU is still fairly religious compared to much of the world.
Though the most religious countries are not really a list you want to join:
Ghana (96 percent of the participants that they are religious), Nigeria (93 percent), Armenia (92 percent), Fiji (92 percent), Macedonia (90 percent), Romania (89 percent), Iraq (88 percent), Kenya (88 percent), Peru (86 percent), and Brazil (85 percent).
