USA being the most religious industrialized nation

[filledeperle]

This is something I've been wondering about for a while:

Why are Americans the most religious people of the First World?

90% of Americans believe in God, a large portion attends church regularly, and the majority admit that religion influences their political beliefs, etc., the US is in deep contrast to the other industrialized nations, particularly Western Europe where religion is seen as irrevelant in some countries, there's a larger percentage of people declaring themselves athiests, and church attendance is dismal in some areas.

Why is that? Is it because of all Europe's religious conflicts, having state religions for so many years, and because of facism, as I was taught in history class? And because America never went through all that, that is why religion and faith is more stronger here than in all the other First World nations?

(I don't know about the state of religion and faith in Japan, Australia, and Canada so that's why I didn't mention them)

So, why is America not as secular as the other industrialized countries? And why hasn't faith and religion survived as well in the other countries?

Perle

 

[BVS]

But we're one the most violent industrialized Country. Something doesn't quite equate does it?

 

[verte76]

I don't know, but I think it may have to do with never having had a state Church or anything like an Inquisition. The worst thing that's happened here is the Salem witch trials, and then those turned into a scandal and were generally disapproved of. They happened during a political crisis in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After the crisis was resolved they fell into disrepute. The history of churches in Europe, generally speaking, is stormier.

 

[nbcrusader]

Probably for a variety of reasons.

Probably a major influence is that no single religious body has held significant political power over the United States. Some denominations have power on a more local level.