Poll Underlines Sharp Divide On Religion

[kdsingh80]

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

Poll underlines sharp divide on religion

Last Updated: Friday, November 26, 2010 | 11:38 PM ET

CBC News

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

Country % who agree

Saudi Arabia 92

Indonesia 91

India 69

United States 65

Russia 59

Italy 50

Turkey 43

Canada 36

Australia 32

Great Britain 29

Japan 29

France 24

Belgium 21

Sweden 19

Source: Ipsos Reid

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.

Be it resolved

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 Former British prime minister Tony Blair and author Christopher Hitchens meet Friday ahead of their debate on religion in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

Everything.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

[Jogi]

Sweden is doomed.

[Jogi]

I wonder if it will make a big difference if they removed Islam from the equation?

Edited December 26, 2010 by Jogi

[SURYADEV]

I 'd say for most of the islamic countries they are referring ISLAM being a force for good rather than religion as a whole.

I much rather prefer living in the 'godless' european natiions than in the socalled religious countries.

[chatanga1]

I much rather prefer living in the 'godless' european natiions than in the socalled religious countries.

what if it was a Sikh theocracy? would you feel different?

[Jogi]

I 'd say for most of the islamic countries they are referring ISLAM being a force for good rather than religion as a whole.

I much rather prefer living in the 'godless' european natiions than in the socalled religious countries.

I meant that maybe West's view on religion is bleak due to all the problems caused by "islamic fanatics" all over the world.

The question was not about God, it was about religion.

[kdsingh80]

Sweden is doomed.

Well Sweden is One country where there is extreme feminism and one of the core theory of feminism is Religions are created by men to control women so it is no

wonder that Sweden is on bottom.

One of the surprising factor is that Russia which was under control of Communist Atheist is now turning itself into a religious country.More Russians than Italians believe that Religion is positive force.

[shaheediyan]

There is some truth and correctness in why so many countries blame 'organised religion'. The word organised is the key. Where the idea is planted that your path is better than or more valid than others etc than there will be social disharmony - the route of intolerance, prejudice, hate and war.

Sikhi has sadly also started to fall down this 'its our way or the highway' mentality. All of the great religions at some point (after organisation/consolidatio) tried to propogate their faith and takeover lands in the same breath. Be it Hinduism, Christianity, Zorastriansim, Judaism, Islam etc.

For me, the real religion exists in tiny minorities of each of the big groups - where emphasis is given to introspection/meditation and truth without bounderies. The rest (majority) are simply in the same secular tribal trap and utilise their faith to a varying level of success through personal effort/research.

When Guru Gobind Singh spoke of corruption in religions, I believe he too was talking about the organised/lost majorities.

[kdsingh80]

The word organised is the key. Where the idea is planted that your path is better than or more valid than others etc than there will be social disharmony - the route of intolerance, prejudice, hate and war.

To be honest this is base of almost all religions to exists O/W Youngsters ,children will ask the question that if our Religion is not better than other then why it was created by the creators of our Religion,what answer you will give to them?

[SURYADEV]

what if it was a Sikh theocracy? would you feel different?

From the state of things I have seen, I don't believe a theocracy of any kind will work. Look at the situation in the muslim lands for non-muslims and dare I say try being a non-catholic in vatican state.

As Shaheediyan pointed out the problem lies in 'Organised religion' that eventually goes onto become a political religion.

Cant remember who said it (either Tagore or Gandhi,) who said something along the line of 'I believe in god because he allows me the right to deny Him'! Now in any theocratic state would I have the right to believe what I want? whether its the fringe spiritual beliefs of mystics or Dawkins style atheistic beliefs or even the right to go out on a friday night for a few drinks and end up in Peppermint Hippopotamus? and not have to worry about the religious police?

Here in the west we do have this right of beliefs.

[Xylitol]

Theocratic states have historically been based on religions that have an inherent intolerance within them.