The Link Between Religious Diversity and Economic Development

[thelakelander]

Economic success may be tied to the fact that not all of your neighbors are celebrating the same winter holiday as you.

RICHARD FLORIDA



The holiday season is a time when people all over the world reflect on the role of religion in their lives. But how does religion, and especially religious diversity, affect our economies?

I decided to take a look using data from the Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project on "global religious diversity." The Pew data track the level of religious diversity, measured as the percentage of the population that belongs to eight major religious groups in countries around the world. These include the five major world religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism—which account for about three-quarters of the world's population, as well folk or traditional religions, the religiously unaffiliated (atheists, agnostics, etc.), and other religious groups (Baha'i, Sikhism, Taoism, etc.). The study ranked countries on a 1 to 10 scale based on their having a more equal share of these religious groups.

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2014/12/the-link-between-religious-diversity-and-economic-development/372585/

[urbanlibertarian]

According to the map China is the largest country with a very high level of religious diversity but don't they imprison members of falun gong?

[Redbaron616]

Just because two sets of data correlate does not mean that one causes the other. It may be for other causes not investigated.

[Adam White]

According to the map China is the largest country with a very high level of religious diversity but don't they imprison members of falun gong?

They have done - but I don't necessarily see what that has to do with the story.

Falun Gong are one of many religions - if it really qualifies as such - in a very diverse society. I think the point of the article was to link diversity with economic prosperity.

[WarDamJagFan]

Communist China. A beaming light of prosperity. Median Income - $8K.   Killin it.

[Adam White]

The gap between the rich and poor is very pronounced in China - but I don't know anyone who'd claim that the Chinese economy hasn't prospered over the past 10 - 20 years.

On a side note, China is not a Communist country (regardless of what they call themselves). Lenin and Mao - hardly Marxists as it is - would be spinning in their graves if they knew what happened in China  (so to speak - it's easy enough to check in Lenin's case anyway).

[KenFSU]

To me, the article might be guilty of putting the effect (religious diversity) before the cause (economic development). We need look no further than our own history as a country to see this. Economic development = increased opportunity. Increased opportunity = influx of immigrants from a wide variety of places. Wide influx of immigrants = increased religious diversity. Seems to be, at the very least, equally logical to what the author is suggesting. Without more analysis, it seems the equivalent of saying that "increased ice cream sale causes hotter weather."

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

The intensification of Christian persecution has been real for the past couple of years in China where Christianity is the fastest growing religion by far. I don't know if that is really diversity then.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10945422/Christian-leader-jailed-for-12-years-amid-Chinese-church-crackdown.html

This is a pretty crude statistic anyway and the causal connection is tenuous at best. The US, Britain, and Germany may have moved towards being moderately diverse in religion but this is a recent phenomenon is all of them and it is clear that Europe is moving the other way on diversity altogether, especially in France and Germany.

[I-10east]

Mozambique, one of the few countries in Africa that isn't totally controlled by Islam, and it has a majority Christian population. Which is why that country can be diverse.

[I-10east]

Do you ever bother to check your facts?  Or do you just make up stuff and hope that it sticks?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_South_Africa

Okay, I was definitely wrong about Africa's Christian/Islam split (I get the point with the multiple posts...) and you are definitely wrong if you think that many in mainstream Islam don't subscribe to Islam radicals. That info is in many pollings, it's been covered on Bill Maher etc etc. You can't deny it.

[I-10east]

These are just a few examples of countries that support Sharia Law (what's more radical than that) not to mention some of the other controversial issues that Islamic people support.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/01/study-where-do-muslims-really-stand-on-shariah-law/

[Adam White]

This is a pretty crude statistic anyway and the causal connection is tenuous at best. The US, Britain, and Germany may have moved towards being moderately diverse in religion but this is a recent phenomenon is all of them and it is clear that Europe is moving the other way on diversity altogether, especially in France and Germany.

How is Europe moving the other way on diversity? If anything it's becoming more diverse - and France and Germany are no different.

[Adam White]

After world war two, when hundreds of thousands of Jews immigrated to the USA, Israel and other European countries, the Hasidic and Yeshivish Rabbis tried to implement the old Shtetel life even in modern twenty first century society. Frum Orthodox Jewish groups tried to live together in neighborhoods where they could continue with their Orthodox Jewish Traditions, Customs and Culture. If you happen to drive by in New York City in Brooklyn in the Williamsburg, Boro Park or Crown Heights area, you will definitely realize what I mean.

In the streets of Orthodox Jewish Williamsburg you will see men walking around in very unique Hasidic Jewish clothing. All will be wearing long black garbs, black hats and long beards. All men and boys will also have curls by their side. The women will be dressed according to their Jewish Tradition. A custom called Tzniyus (modest). No part of their body will be exposed except from their palm and face. They will only wear skirts or dresses, for pants are forbidden. Married women will either wear a wig or Tichel (head-scarf) to cover their hair.

The education in Hasidic and Yeshivish schools will be mostly religious. While all schools will designate between an hour and two for social and secular studies, most of the day will pass with learning Torah and Talmud.

The Hasidic Jewish Culture bans from going to college. Although there is no Halachic rule against attending college, the practice is highly discouraged and against Hasidic Jewish Culture. Men are encouraged to grow up to be Torah Scholars and Rabbis, while women are envisioned to grow up good housewives.

Part of the Hasidic Jewish Culture is remaining isolated, which also includes staying segregated from non Frum Jews. While married who go out to work will meet non Jews and non Frum Jews, they will try to abstain from exchanging ideas and philosophies.
Frum Jews will always be polite and helpful for any fellow Jew, regardless of level of observance, for this is one of the foundations of the Jewish Faith. As part of this isolation you won't find a Television in a Hasidic or Yeshivish Jewish home, and in most homes computers will be banned for children. Even adults are highly discouraged from using the web, and those in need for the web for job or business purposes will try not to use it home and only with a good filter.

Hasidic Jews marry at age 18, 21 while Yeshivish marry at ages 21 - 24. Both have large blessed families, with averages of 10- 12 children with some even having close to twenty. The family life is very warm and loving. In Frum Jewish Culture the family life is the center of achievement in a person's life.

Hasidic and Yeshivish Jewish Tradition puts in a great amount of effort in close family relations. In those communities the level of Chesed (generosity and charity) is extremely high. Children are encouraged to help each other and always be nice, as this can be reflected in the many charity drives lead by young kids.

In those Heimishe (term used for Ultra Orthodox Hasidic and Yeshivish Jews) communities the crime rate is extremely low. The drop-out rate for teenagers is extremely low and teenage pregnancy is almost unheard of. Drug rates in teens run between one to three percent and murder rate is at zero. Theft and other hate crimes is something a Hasidic Jew will look at as beyond Jewish Culture.

Heimishe Jewish men try to find jobs after marriage in fields that don't require any degrees. There are amny successful businessmen in real estate, business managers, diamonds and more. Recently there are special Orthodox Jewish programs that teach accounting and special education, where many grow out to be CPA's and Masters in education.

Women mostly work only part time, giving away the rest of their day for parenting. Women will find jobs working in offices, being teachers and some will pursue degrees in education or accounting.

Segregation between men and women, boys and girls is very strong in Heimishe Jewish communities. All schools are segregated. Congregating in Synagouge is fully segregated and the same applies by weddings and other celebrations. There are some extreme Ultra Orthodox communities where the Men and Women even walk on other sides of the street.



Read more: http://www.orthodox-jews.com/jewish-culture.html#ixzz3brkDrWaM

It's worth noting, too, that "sharia law" isn't really a thing. Sharia refers to divine law and there are many different schools of thought or approaches.

A lot of people got their panties in a bunch when they learned that there were "sharia courts" in the UK. Of course, these are nothing more than venues whereby Muslims (or others) can go to settle civil disputes - it's arbitration and the participants agree to abide by the findings of the arbiter. No different than regular arbitration. The scope of these courts is very limited and no one is required to use this avenue to resolve disputes.

Anyway - what people failed to grasp is that a similar arrangement had been in place in Jewish community for over 100 years (the Beth Din).

Muslims and Jews really aren't that different at all.

[Ajax]

here are the ten toughest legal systems in the world.

While five of them are islamic, the rest are not. In terms of population, it would be hard to argue that there are fewer chinese people than all of the sharia law muslims in the world combined.

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/location/10-countries-with-the-toughest-laws-in-the-world/

Whichever country you are in, you should be extra careful with the laws that govern the land. It is a must that you review the basic laws to the strictest ones so you will be more cautious with your activities while you are in a foreign land. Whether you are up for something illegal or not, you need to know that every country implements certain drug offense penalties, gun laws, or simple possession of illegal drugs or of firearms. Hope that you do not have to learn the hard way by being caught in the middle of a hopeless situation. Learn the easy way, find out which countries will punish you the most if you are caught doing something illegal, and find out how these countries are serious about implementing their laws and penalties both to their citizens and tourists.

Here are the 10 countries you do not want to get caught doing something illegal, because they have the toughest laws in the world and they are not kidding when they say they are capable of punishing people who offend their laws.

10. Japan

Japan has some of the toughest drug laws in the developed world.  Its Pharmaceutical Affairs Law bans the production and sale of 68 types of drugs. Drugs found to cause more serious addiction and have an adverse health impact are designated as narcotics, possession of which is illegal.

9. Sweden

Sweden has taken a full swing from decriminalizing methamphetamine's  which enabled doctors to prescribe the drug to addicted people. Drug use soared to a whopping 2,000-3,000 drug addicts in just a couple of years. They are now treating all drugs as illegal and stop and search laws have been implemented to catch and punish drug users and traffickers. They have even enforced compulsory urine and blood tests.

8. Vietnam

Vietnam has a different way of punishing drug users and traffickers. The country sends drug offenders to forced rehabilitation centers administered by the Department of Social Evils. These centers offer no rehabilitation or no chance for people to change or to get treated, instead they experience torture, violence, forced labor, and harsh discipline. You can only imagine how bad it is to be in these centers, and it will make you think twice before popping in that drug you have started getting addicted to.

7. United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates is notorious for its implementation of capital punishment against all drug offenders. UAE's laws cover people with any trace of any drug that is considered illegal in the country. Dubai may be one of the most modern and savvy cities in the world, but people should not mess with their drug laws because they are more than serious about implementing it and they mean it when they say they punish all drug users, smugglers, traffickers, and consumers.

6. China

China almost beats Saudi Arabia with the number of its executions. With almost 500 people executed in China after the year 2000, one will really believe that China is serious about punishing drug offenders. They also use penalties such as life imprisonment or death penalty for drug-related issues such as production and smuggling. You surely do not want to mess with China's government when it comes to laws and offenses.

5. Saudi Arabia

The Islamic Kingdom is strict with their laws. Alcohol is also considered illegal, so you can only think how tough they can be with illegal use of drugs. Punishments for possession and consumption of drugs include harsh jail sentences and public flogging. Wait until you have heard about how they punish drug traffickers—a public beheading—the same punishment for murderers and rapists.

4. Indonesia

If you think execution is a scary punishment, wait until you have discovered about Indonesia's punishment for drug dealers. They use a firing squad for maximum penalty and use capital punishment for drug dealers. If the person is proven to be a drug user, he can be imprisoned for 10-15 years. Indeed, Indonesia is one of the countries that implements a serious and tough anti-drug law.

3. Iran

The Islamic regime implements execution of drug traffickers. They have been very strict in implementing this law, more than 10,000 drug users and traffickers have been executed in the past decades. They punish drug users severely and when someone gets caught with just a few grams of Marijuana, he can be punished with 70 lashes. This is how Iran can make drug traffickers and users regret they have ever used illegal drugs in the country.

2. Malaysia

Malaysia is no less harsh than Singapore, which is a neighboring country. Malaysia implements a mandatory death penalty on anyone who gets caught with seven ounces of marijuana, or a half ounce of heroin. These amounts of drug will already make the person a drug trafficker in the Southeast Asian countries. If someone gets caught with less than this amount of marijuana, he will still be charged of penalties such as heavy fines or lengthy prison terms.

1.  Singapore

Singapore is famous for its strict laws—even vandalism will make you regret you did not learn about their laws. Drug laws in Singapore are strict. Anyone who will be caught with at least 17 ounces of marijuana, or half an ounce of heroine or cocaine will be considered as a drug trafficker. What is even more threatening is that in this country, they hang drug traffickers. In 1991-2004, around 400 people were already punished for drug trafficking, a mix of both foreigners and locals.

Come on man, USA isn't even in the top 10?  We incarcerate more people per capita than any of these other losers!  If we're not #1 on this list, then we need to try harder.  Time to ramp up that Drug War and ruin some more lives.  Let's give the Patriot Act more teeth so we can find these miscreants who are smoking dope behind their closed doors.  Why do those potheads need doors and blinds anyway, you know they're up to something. 

[WarDamJagFan]

The USA isn't in this list because you won't be executed for drug offenses, and you're only in jail for a very short period of time on average.