Is Religion a Force for Good? US, Saudi Arabia say yes.. Canada and Europe say no.

Is religion a force for good?
Country % who agree
Saudi Arabia92
Indonesia 91
India 69
US 65
Russia 59
Italy 50
Turkey 43
Canada 36
Australia 32
UK 29
Japan 29
France 24
Belgium 21
Sweden 19

Source: Ipsos Reid


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/26/religion-good-evil-poll-hitchens-blair.html#ixzz16UXIOJjK


The world is deeply divided on the question of whether religion is a force for good, a survey by Ipsos Reid suggests.

The pollster found that 48 per cent of the more than 18,000 people it reached online in 23 countries agreed that "religion provides the common values and ethical foundations that diverse societies need to thrive in the 21st century."

A bare majority — 52 per cent — thought otherwise. They agreed with the sentiment that "religious beliefs promote intolerance, exacerbate ethnic divisions and impede social progress."

There was wide regional variation in the results. Respondents in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, where there are large Muslim populations, overwhelmingly said they believed religion was a force for good, while respondents in European countries tended to disagree with that.

About two-thirds of Americans polled thought religion was a force for good, but only 36 per cent of Canadians thought the same.

The survey was commissioned as a backdrop to a much-anticipated debate on religion Friday night in Toronto between former British prime minister Tony Blair and writer Christopher Hitchens

The two men will debate the question of whether religion is a force for good in the world.

Taking the "No" side is Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons
Everything.Former British prime minister Tony Blair and author Christopher Hitchens meet Friday ahead of their debate on religion in Toronto. Former British prime minister Tony Blair and author Christopher Hitchens meet Friday ahead of their debate on religion in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

The avowed atheist has written that organized religion is "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children."

Hitchens, who is battling esophageal cancer, added that if "religious instruction were not allowed until the child had attained the age of reason, we would be living in a quite different world."

Blair will argue the opposite side. He converted to Roman Catholicism after leaving 10 Downing Street in 2007.

Blair has spoken often about the role of faith in his life since leaving office and has formed the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which promotes "respect and understanding" among the world's major religions.

He will argue an understanding of faith is necessary in a world of globalization and rapid social change.

"Religious faith has a major part to play in shaping the values which guide the modern world, and can and should be a force for progress," he said earlier.
Debate sold out

The moderator of the debate said it's not about the existence of God.

“We have asked Mr. Blair and Mr. Hitchens to wrestle with the more immediate question facing developed and developing nations: is religion a force for peace or conflict in the modern world?” said Rudyard Griffiths, co-organizer of the Munk Debates.

The debate, at Roy Thomson Hall, quickly sold out. A live video stream of the debate can be watched online for $4.99.

The Munk Debates are a series created through the Aurea Foundation, a Canadian charity established by businessman and philanthropist Peter Munk.

Notes on the poll: Ipsos Reid said its online panel included respondents aged 18-64 in Canada and the United States and 16-64 in all other countries. The respondents were polled between Sept. 7 and 23. About 1,000 were polled in each of Canada and the United States.
With files from The Canadian Press

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/26/religion-good-evil-poll-hitchens-blair.html#ixzz16UWuvI4z

I would've gone with the yes.

It's some dudes that make religion negative, not the religions (or most of them, I guess) themselves.

Canada just gained a huge +1 from me...

Xen wrote:Canada just gained a huge +1 from me...

You still with that thing of moving there?

Still, Canada ain't even the lowest. Go Sweden!

I really don't have a problem with religion, just the people that think they are better than others because they believe in a higher power and those who look down at others because they believe in higher power.

I would definitely vote "no".

(Mainstream) religion imposes ridiculous and outdated moral codes on millions of people. It claims, contrarily to science, that the universe and Earth were created not by clusters of light cases which condensed, but by a giant and vengeful interstellar ghost.

It's ironic that the two countries which implement absurd religious morality as law and in doing so infringe upon human rights are the ones that voted "Yes". But it's to be expected, since they're indoctrinated from a young age in the brilliance of Islam and omnipotence of God.

I'll also add that I'd be terrified to post anything this frank on VGC, so...hooray for Southsky?

Case in point:

https://southsky.forumotion.net/off-topic-forum-f4/don-t-donate-to-the-salvation-army-this-holiday-season-t34.htm

"We're going to take food away from millions of New Yorkers because Christianity says gays are bad"

zex wrote:

Xen wrote:Canada just gained a huge +1 from me...

You still with that thing of moving there?

Still, Canada ain't even the lowest. Go Sweden!

Why would I change my mind? It's not like Sweden loosened their immigration policies or toned down their support of Palestinians
note: remark unrelated to your post

29% is still too high for my liking!

any of you see the Blair-Hitchens debate on the same issue btw?

Kantor wrote:Case in point:

https://southsky.forumotion.net/off-topic-forum-f4/don-t-donate-to-the-salvation-army-this-holiday-season-t34.htm

"We're going to take food away from millions of New Yorkers because Christianity says gays are bad"

I'm Christian and don't agree with that sentiment. Keep in mind that not all of us are so single minded.

Obviously, there are more religious people in Saudi Arabia and the USA....Religions are a force for good if you are religious....I doubt drug dealers and rapists are religious...so why would they stop doing things that are said to be bad by the religions they were born with ?

I really don't have much to add here...just wanted to comment on how awesome Kantor's avatar is.

GodOfWar_3ever wrote: (1)Obviously, there are more religious people in Saudi Arabia and the USA....(2)Religions are a force for good if you are religious....(3)I doubt drug dealers and rapists are religious...(4)so why would they stop doing things that are said to be bad by the religions they were born with ?

1) dunno, alot of countries have a lot of religious people, but just arent as "hardcore" about it as say the Christians in the USA

2) well yes, obviously, but the question is whether its actually good for the world as a whole, not just for them

3) based on what? you not watch the news this year? catholic church child abuse scandal, google it...

4) you are not born with religion ffs, you arent born with any belief system...you are indoctrinated to a faith, generally by your community or family, heck you cant call it a choice either really as most people arent given that kind of tolerance and luxury over what they believe

I'd have to say I would have never guessed that Saudi Arabia would agree more with American than any European country.