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17 1 Society without God In Holland . . . the whole nation, at its core, seemed so ungodly. Here one could (and many did) contest the very existence of God at every turn. People openly disbelieved every aspect of religion . . . almost everything was secular here. God was mocked everywhere . . . and yet nobody was struck by a thunderbolt . Society worked without reference to God, and it seemed to function perfectly. This man-made system of government was so much more stable, peaceful, prosperous, and happy than the supposedly God-devised systems I had been taught to respect. —Ayaan Hirsi Ali1 w h aT a r e s o c I e T I e s like when faith in God is minimal, church attendance is drastically low, and religion is a distinctly muted and marginal aspect of everyday life? If people don’t do much in the way of praying, they aren’t too concerned about their soul’s salvation, and they don’t instill in their children a strong belief in Jesus, what might be the overall condition of such a relatively secular society? Having recently lived in just such a society, I can confidently declare that the answer is not chaos, selfishness, criminality , or societal decay. As I stated in the Introduction, despite their relative secularity, Denmark and Sweden are not bastions of depravity and anarchy. In fact, they are just the opposite: impressive models of societal health. The connection between religion—or the lack thereof—and societal health is admittedly complex. It is difficult to definitively establish that secularism is always good for society and religion always bad. However, the opposite claim is equally difficult to substantiate: that secularism is always bad for a society and religion always good. To be sure, in some instances, religion can be a strong and positive ingredient in establishing societal health, prosperity, and well-being. And when considering what factors contribute to the making of a good society, admittedly religion can be a positive force. Here in the United States, for example, religious ideals often serve as a beneficial counterbalance against the cutthroat brand of individualism that is so rampant and dominating. Religious congregations in America serve as community centers, counseling providers, and day-care cites. And a significant 18 society without God amount of research has shown that moderately religious Americans report greater subjective well-being and life satisfaction, greater marital satisfaction, better family cohesion, and fewer symptoms of depression than the nonreligious .2 Historically, a proliferation of religious devotion, faith in God, and reliance on the Bible has sometimes been a determining factor in establishing schools for children, creating universities, building hospitals for the sick and homes for the homeless, taking care of orphans and the elderly, resisting oppression, establishing law and order, and developing democracy. However , in other instances, religion may not have such positive societal effects. It can often be one of the main sources of tension, violence, poverty, oppression , inequality, and disorder in a given society. A quick perusal of the state of the world will reveal that widespread faith in God or strong religious sentiment in a given country does not necessarily ensure societal health.3 After all, many of the most religious and faithful nations on earth are simultaneously among the most dangerous and destitute. Conversely, a widespread lack of faith in God or very low levels of religiosity in a given country does not necessarily spell societal ruin. The fact is, the majority of the most irreligious democracies are among the most prosperous and successful nations on earth. It is that last point that I want to focus on and establish in this chapter : that some of the least religious nations in the world, particularly those in Scandinavia, are simultaneously among the most prosperous and successful societies out there. Just to be perfectly clear here: I am not arguing that the admirably high level of societal health in Scandinavia is directly caused by the low levels of religiosity. Although one could certainly make just such a case—arguing that a minimal focus on God/the afterlife and a stronger focus on solving problems of daily life in a rational, secular manner have led to positive, successful societal outcomes in Scandinavia— that is not the argument I wish to develop here. Rather, I simply wish to soberly counter the widely touted assertion that without religion, society is doomed. If you can smell my axe starting to grind here, your nostrils are in good working order. I will...

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