How Religion Can Boost Gdp By Increasing Trust Within A Society

Secularisation theory has argued that modernisation has undermined religion. The importance of science and technology on economic development and rational worldview on which they depend on are seen as destroying the belief in supernatural. However religion can contribute to development, but most recently sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in today’s globalising world.

Even up to the year 2016, several hundred years after Christian missionaries and Japanese Christian converts had been persecuted in Japan (日本), there resides a complete total of under one percent of Christians living within Japan, which possesses a population 126,354,292 people. It is quite a different story in China (中国) however. The amount of Christians present in current day China is somewhere between two to three percent of the whole population, which reaches 1,381,537,308 people. China’s Christian population is also developing much more rapidly that Japan’s Christian population. Why is this the case exactly?

Christianity is now the most popular railgun in the world. Christian gave power to the individual believer and god was higher than rulers like Caesar. Now in the west Christianity is the most common belief.

In many Latin American countries, the original native inhabitants were invaded by Europeans looking for land to discover and conquer and riches to be brought back with them. In many cases, Spanish Conquistadors came in conquered native peoples, via superior weapons, or illnesses, and then proceeded to enforce their ways on life on them. Christianity in Latin America, much like Africa, would take root and spread throughout various countries. Although originally brought by force, Christianity in these two countries has flourished over the years, and in a way, has taken on an identity of its own apart from its past. As for Asia, Christianity was spread there earlier. As mentioned earlier, disciples and apostles of Jesus did arrive to some Asian countries and successfully established churches and converted some. However, as time went one, other religions in Asian countries such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and others took precedence. In many cases, Christianity was illegal. This came about mainly during the time of Communism in China and other places, but even in countries like Japan Christianity was forbidden by the emperor. While Christianity has had a turbulent time in Asia, and still does to this day, there are several missionaries reaching out to Asian countries, specifically China. While Christianity is illegal there and it is hard to tell just how many Chinese are Christian, there has been an increase in the efforts to spread Christianity throughout

Throughout history, different civilizations have been exchanging and spreading ideas. Of these ideas, religion often spreads the most drastically, finding new roots in places throughout the world. These spreading religions can greatly affect the nations they spread to, often impacting the political, social, and economic aspects of an area. Religions such as Buddhism in Japan and Christianity in the Americas allowed their monarchies to strengthen their reign on their citizens, adapt their societies to the new theologies, and cultivate wealth through both trade and conquest.

Altemeyer, Bob. "The Decline of Organized Religion in Western Civilization." International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, vol. 14, no. 2, Apr. 2004, pp. 77-89. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com

While the majority of Americans (almost 80%) identify themselves as Christians, religion in the United States is characterized by both a large diversity of believers and variable attendance and adherence levels (Eck, 2002). However, an August 2010 poll showed that almost 70% of Americans believed that religion was losing influence in everyday life, yet most feel that is a negative thing even though politicians continue to discuss religion while campaigning (Religion Losing, 2012). In light of these statistics, many religious scholars have turned to more quantitative methods to establish ways to both improve service attendance, solidify the financial health of churches, and establish a faith-based understanding of current psychographic trends. One of the predominant ways this is happening is through people like George Barna.

One comment I would make in response to this article is: Religion is either good or

Christianity, a monotheistic religion that originated in the country of Israel, was able to diffuse outward with the help of the Silk Road, and spread its practices throughout China and many other parts of the Asian continent. With the help of brave missionaries, Christianity was able to make its spread from east to west, which was primarily known at that time as Nestorian Christianity, or the Church of the East. Nestorian was first introduced into China via the Silk Road in 635, and spread to Persia and India with the help of merchants and missionaries. These Nestorian practicers built churches along the Silk Road, which play part in the solidification of Christianity to new followers, who decided to convert when they encountered Christians and their places of worship.This sect of Christianity also brought its Syriac language and script with it, which in some sense, gave way to different writing systems. Nestorian Christianity produced the doctrine that Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, was two divide people rather than a single unified person, obviously, this isn't still believed in today's Christianity, but the Nestorian religion shows just one aspect of how Christianity both evolved and diffused throughout Asia. As well as religion,

Thousands of years ago, with the expansion of monarchies came the spread of numerous ideas specifically, religion. The culture and daily lives of those living within an empire was based on their faith. At its core, religion was a way to teach people how they should implement their lives, and it was a key part of unifying such large empires. The spread of a religion created countless impacts, with lasting effects on monarchies, that are demonstrated in modern society today. Some of these influences were negative, however they all caused impacts on all aspects of the areas they expanded in. The expansion of Buddhism in Japan and the spread of Christianity in the Americas, demonstrates how the spread of religion results in civic, governmental, and financial repercussions. Between 600 CE and 1700 CE, these monarchs were having impactful changes due to the expansion of a religion. Positive and negative social, political, and economic impacts were created as a result of the expansion of

Religion can be defined as a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance. It contains a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices that allow its followers to live their life a certain way. The world consists of 19 major religions, which are further subdivided into 270 larger groups. According to David Barrett et al, editor of the “World Christian Encyclopedia,” there are 34,000 separate Christian groups around the world. Just from those numbers alone, we can conclude that religion has a prevalent effect on people and society. Religion is viewed as a positive influence on an individual both psychologically and physically. Throughout history we can study the various effects that religion has on society. Studies generally provide great evidence in favor of religion having a positive effect on individuals and society as a whole.

Alfred Adler, another pioneer of psychology, believed that our ideas about God are important indicators of how we view the world (Ansbacher H., & Ansbacher R., 1956). According to Adler these ideas have changed over time as our vision of the world and our place in it has changed. Adler suggested religion was of importance because our view of God embodies our goals and directs our social interactions. Compared to science, Adler believed that religion was more advanced because it motivates people more

Worthy of mention is the Christianity in China. Dubois explains that the advent of Christianity in China was not solely to spread the religion, but was majorly concerned with economic matters. “the age of exploration. This is the time of Christopher Columbus, Vascode Gama and Ferdinand Megallan,

Since the dawn of mankind religion has been one of the most significant elements of a society’s social and cultural beliefs and actions. However, this trend has declined due to the general increase in knowledge regarding our the natural sciences. Where we had previously attributed something that we didn’t understand to the working of a higher power, is now replaced by a simple explanation offered by natural sciences. While advocates of Religion may question Natural Sciences by stating that they are based on assumptions, it is important to note the Natural Sciences are based on theories and principles which can be proven using mathematical equations and formulas. Faith however contrasts from the easily visible feasibility of data

Max Weber believed the religion is a deeply rooted institution that has shaped people’s image of the world, which in turn can impact their beliefs and motives. For instance, religion is used different amongst people of various class and statues. Individuals with high class and statues will use religion legitimate their circumstances and their situation in the world. On the other end of the spectrum, underprivileged individuals will lean toward religion that promise rewards for hard work and good morals (CSP). In addition, Weber believed that religion had supplied the framework that aided the development of various social institution, in particular the economy (PA).