Poll on religion

An Associated Press/Ipsos poll on religious attitudes in 10 countries indicates that the United States and Mexico are the most devout. But Americans are least averse to mixing religion and politics, the poll reveals. Two observations and one question are in order here.

First, poll results are influenced by the way questions are asked. If respondents were asked whether their faith should have an influence on political life, they might have given more favourable replies than they did. But the question asked about clergy influence on politics, which would elicit a different response from many, especially in European countries with traditions of state-established churches.

Second, this report in The Seattle Times carries a revealing comment by John Green, an expert on religion and politics at the University of Akron: "The United States is a much more religious country than other similar countries, looks a lot like what you call developing countries, like Mexico, Iran and Indonesia." Ah yes. We've heard this one before: economic modernization is associated with loss of faith in a transcendent God. If the US doesn't conform to the supposed trend, it has to be the exception to the rule. By contrast, others have observed that, in the larger global context, secularizing western Europe is the exceptional region. (By the way, Brent Nelson, who is quoted in The Globe and Mail article, is a graduate of Wheaton College.)

Third and finally, one wonders what sorts of responses would be elicited if the pollsters' questions manifested an understanding that secularization represents, not a loss of faith, but a shift in the object of faith. The media might have a different story to report.