I found this, very interesting and plausible:
http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-are-americans-religious.html
One of the major questions in 21st century sociology is why are Americans so much more religious than citizens in other industrialized nations. The answer, if there is one, will help us understand why evolution is rejected by so many Americans.
Gregory S. Paul is a writer who has long been interested in this question. His latest contribution is published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology (Paul, 2009).
Paul examined the correlation between religiosity and the Successful Societies Scale (SSS). SSS measures things like crime rates, divorces, mortality rates etc. The United States (U) seems like an outlier compared to other countries.
Does belief in God cause a society to be dysfunctional or are less successful countries more likely to encourage religiosity? Or is there no obvious cause and effect behind this correlation?
You'll have to read the paper to see how Gregory Paul address these questions and how he rules out many possible explanations. I find his conclusion quite intriguing—I never thought of it this way.
"middle class majorities of western Europe, Canada, Austro-Zealand and Japan apparently feel sufficiently secure in their lives that increasingly few citizens feel a need to seek the aid and protection of a supernatural creator" -
Gregory Paul"The majority of Americans are left feeling sufficiently insecure that they perceive a need to seek the aid and protection of a supernatural creator, boosting levels of religious opinion and participation." -
Gregory PaulSo he is saying that because people in western Europe, Canada, Austro-Zealand and Japan trust their government to provide them with free health care, food and retirement funds, they no longer "need to seek the aid and protection of a supernatural creator." Their government is their god.
But most Americans on the other hand, since they do not "yet" receive these handouts from their government, they still have a need for God, right?
Yup, that is consistent with what the Bible says:
1 Timothy 6:10 (New International Version, ©2011)For the
love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people,
eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Mark 10:24-25The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[1] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Footnotes: 1. Mark 10:24 Some manuscripts is
for those who trust in richesSo by Gregory Paul's logic, when socialist policies fail in western Europe, Canada, Austro-Zealand and Japan, will people in these nations go back to seeking aid and protection of a supernatural creator?