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Poverty and Theism
April 4, 2017 at 9:14 pm
So this is something I was thinking about for quite some time. I grew up in a not-so-wealthy country, and as you guessed it, was pretty much forced into religion. Bottom line is, I have also noticed that wherever there is a higher poverty rate, there is also a chance for a heightened religious belief. Quite the interesting correlation isn't it? Here are some graphs I found of U.S. only.
Note: The religions graph is dated in 2010, whereas the poverty one is in 2008.
![[Image: article-2146697-132B6892000005DC-296_634x504.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i.dailymail.co.uk%2Fi%2Fpix%2F2012%2F05%2F19%2Farticle-2146697-132B6892000005DC-296_634x504.jpg)
![[Image: 800px-US_Poverty_Rates.svg.png]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/US_Poverty_Rates.svg/800px-US_Poverty_Rates.svg.png)
I am not saying this is one hundred percent the explanation for the tendency to resort to theism, but interesting nonetheless.
Leave your thoughts below, I'm interested to hear your thoughts..
Sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...least.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U....verty_rate
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 4, 2017 at 9:18 pm
The Quran records this always being the case in human history. The believers from lower poor class and disbelievers from richer well off class. Nothing new.
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 4, 2017 at 9:32 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2017 at 9:33 pm by Flavius.)
(April 4, 2017 at 9:18 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: The Quran records this always being the case in human history. The believers from lower poor class and disbelievers from richer well off class. Nothing new.
But I still find it cool to see the actual statistics and graphs.
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 4, 2017 at 11:51 pm
Does poverty equate to under education (ignorance) and therefore religion?
Or maybe that religion might be a desperate grasp as an escape from poverty?
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 5, 2017 at 5:42 am
(April 4, 2017 at 11:51 pm)mh.brewer Wrote: Does poverty equate to under education (ignorance) and therefore religion?
Or maybe that religion might be a desperate grasp as an escape from poverty?
both ...when this life sucks, you make sure the next one will be better...
No God, No fear.
Know God, Know fear.
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 5, 2017 at 9:40 am
(This post was last modified: April 5, 2017 at 9:41 am by Mystic.)
(April 5, 2017 at 5:42 am)ignoramus Wrote: (April 4, 2017 at 11:51 pm)mh.brewer Wrote: Does poverty equate to under education (ignorance) and therefore religion?
Or maybe that religion might be a desperate grasp as an escape from poverty?
both ...when this life sucks, you make sure the next one will be better...
Exactly, which shows the wisdom of God allowing us to suffer by all sorts of things.... according to hadiths attributed to the Imams, God favored the poor and oppressed over the rich, and is trying the rich and well off people by the oppressed and poor.
Paradise was meant for poor and oppressed, and rich have to earn it through how they treat poor and oppressed and strive for their rights.
Humanity will one day all be wealthy according to hadiths (a real economic utopia as well as moral utopia) when Imam Mahdi establishes justice on earth but until our hearts are ready to love one another and love his chosen guardian and through his channelling of God's Love, God then for the most part wealth is a trial by which Quran warns not to feel that God has favored anyone through but rather are being tried and for the most part people perish due to it.
And sometimes education makes one according to Quran like past nations, feel pride in the knowledge they are given, and not in need of the higher type!
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 5, 2017 at 9:45 am
There's that preaching again.
I don't believe you. Get over it.
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 5, 2017 at 11:29 am
(This post was last modified: April 5, 2017 at 12:27 pm by Ravenshire.)
(April 5, 2017 at 9:45 am)Jesster Wrote: There's that preaching again.
Yep. He can't even contain his (reported) spam to his own damned threads any more.
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 5, 2017 at 11:47 am
(April 4, 2017 at 9:18 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: The Quran records this always being the case in human history. The believers from lower poor class and disbelievers from richer well off class. Nothing new.
Yes it is true that poor people tend to get jam tomorrow pushed on them a lot more often than rich people. That's because rich people tend to be a lot less susceptible to aspirationalist bullshit when it comes to money.
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RE: Poverty and Theism
April 5, 2017 at 11:55 am
(April 4, 2017 at 9:14 pm)Flavius Wrote: So this is something I was thinking about for quite some time. I grew up in a not-so-wealthy country, and as you guessed it, was pretty much forced into religion. Bottom line is, I have also noticed that wherever there is a higher poverty rate, there is also a chance for a heightened religious belief. Quite the interesting correlation isn't it? Here are some graphs I found of U.S. only.
Note: The religions graph is dated in 2010, whereas the poverty one is in 2008.
I am not saying this is one hundred percent the explanation for the tendency to resort to theism, but interesting nonetheless.
Leave your thoughts below, I'm interested to hear your thoughts..
Sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...least.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U....verty_rate
You get exposed long enough to all the world's religions you will find motifs in them that DO sell ideas of charity and giving to the poor. Unfortunately though, this is is also a distraction that allows both more rich countries and poor countries to lose focus that our ability to be compassionate is not in either a religion or class, but in our species evolutionary empathy.
But on AVERAGE worldwide, the more poor, and more rural or isolated a nation is the more religious it is. North Korea is extremely religious, and isolated economically. It is a myth they don't have a religion, they have their own brand of religion.
The Christians and Muslims in Africa on average live in very poor nations and poverty breeds conflict and more violent competition for resources.
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