Skybird
11-21-05, 05:37 PM
Since there were several threads in the the past weeks taking place that included religious themes, and occasionaly in other kinds of threads an opinion was given that religiosity always come up with a better kind of social behavior than politically implemented habits of social behavior ( a thought very popular in the US, it seems to me, the controversy about Europe's "socialism"), the controversial findings of this short study might be interesting (but not welcome for some). Nevertheless, certain traditions in social psychology go into the same direction for quite some while now.
Unfortunately the study ignores the enligthening link between religious Christian ethics concerning work and wealth and fate (especially Calvinism and comparable Christian schools), and economical system and capitalism.
I noticed one basic thinking error, though. Japan is mentioned as the nation of lowest religiosity. While it may have a strong tendency towards technolgy and copying Western style, on sub-company level it nevertheless still is highly influenced by ethics and rules of Shintoism and Buddhist Zen-teachings. But as Zen escapes the Western definition of a religion, it has led the author to conclude that Japan has close to no religiosity at all. I think that conclusion is misleading and caused by his lacking knopwlöedge of Japanese culture. Buddhism in general and Zen in special is hard to be understood by reason or Western religious patterns alone. I also got the impression that the author was basing on a very ritual-focussing understanding of religion, not necessarily it's "inner" content. But I think most "believers" do exactly like that.
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html
Be aware that there are nine sets of figures and tables that must be switched between. At first I missed that there were more figures given.
After having red through it I remembered an old statistic from the fifties, Austria and Germany. It showed that the more prosperous the situation became again, the more wealth there was again, the more the material basis of life was raising again - the more the suicide rates rocketed into the air, by some hundreds percent, sometimes, sometimes even in excess of 1500%.
Unfortunately the study ignores the enligthening link between religious Christian ethics concerning work and wealth and fate (especially Calvinism and comparable Christian schools), and economical system and capitalism.
I noticed one basic thinking error, though. Japan is mentioned as the nation of lowest religiosity. While it may have a strong tendency towards technolgy and copying Western style, on sub-company level it nevertheless still is highly influenced by ethics and rules of Shintoism and Buddhist Zen-teachings. But as Zen escapes the Western definition of a religion, it has led the author to conclude that Japan has close to no religiosity at all. I think that conclusion is misleading and caused by his lacking knopwlöedge of Japanese culture. Buddhism in general and Zen in special is hard to be understood by reason or Western religious patterns alone. I also got the impression that the author was basing on a very ritual-focussing understanding of religion, not necessarily it's "inner" content. But I think most "believers" do exactly like that.
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html
Be aware that there are nine sets of figures and tables that must be switched between. At first I missed that there were more figures given.
After having red through it I remembered an old statistic from the fifties, Austria and Germany. It showed that the more prosperous the situation became again, the more wealth there was again, the more the material basis of life was raising again - the more the suicide rates rocketed into the air, by some hundreds percent, sometimes, sometimes even in excess of 1500%.