We're number 1

[Mr.Obvious]

Nowhere in the world do people hold religion in such low regard as in Belgium

Yesterday at 03:00 by Frank Poosen

Foto: ss

The Belgians are completely out of God's grace. Two out of three Belgians believe that religion does more harm than good. This is concluded from an internation study from the renowned research-bureau Ipsos. In no other Western country is that number that high. "Religion is not coming over well these last few decennia", says Rik Torfs. "And that is, for a large part, their own fault."

Relgion, its good for nothing. That is, shortly put, the Belgians attitude. The small, god-fearing Belgium is no more, Ipsos' study seems to imply. The research posed questions in 24 countries, from the United States to Argentina to Japan, about how the 21st-century human relates to religion. Barely, is the answer. In our country 68% of the questioned see religion as a force for evil. The average is 49 percent, no other country is quite so turned off by religion.
Why this is, Ipsos doesn't say. But Rik Torfs, professor in Canon Law, doesn't find it surprising at all. "Belgium is a very secularized country. We banned the influence of the church from almost all domains of society. That has its reasons. In the past there has been quite some misuse of power, many people suffered traumas because of that. Those bad feelings are passed on from generation to generation."


Rik Torfs: "The bishops might do well to communicate properly once in a while." Foto: fb

But make no mistake, says Patrick Loobuyck, moral-philosopher with a specialisation in religion at the University of Gent: "Belgians are no anti-catholics. But the pedophilia-schandals of the recent decennia within the Catholic Church, in combination with the terrorism inspired by Islam, lead to a general dislike of all that smells of religion."

"Religion is an ambivalent phenomenon", says Loobuyck. "It brings out the best - charity, respect - and the worst - bombings in the name of a God - in people. That has always been the case and will always remain the same. In this moment the negative feelings are gaining ground amongst people. When there are murders committed  in the name of religion, or when certain religious people  abuse their power, a general sense of dislike reigns. And then its no surprise that we in Belgium are at the forefront of the world in believing religion cause more harm than good."

"We even score higher than the French", says Torfs. "And that is saying something. Because if there is one people that have banned religion, its the French. But they did it so thoroughly - and so long ago - that they are clearly not bothered by it anymore." The French are eight in that line-up, with 61%.

Tolerant
"Religion is not coming over well these last few decennia", says Rik Torfs. "And that is, for a large part, their own fault. The [Catholic] Church, and other religions, have an image-problem. And no-one has the perfect solution for that. It might decrease over time, but for example the bishops might do well to communicate properly once in a while. That's not happening right  now, which makes them increasingly less familiar. And that often means less loved."

Source: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20171016_03134292