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Non Religious countries do better

I have in many forums and polls read that Atheists are looked upon as the worst thing ever. I will argue here that living in a democratic country with many atheists is actually a good thing.

Here are the richest countries in the world in GDP (gross domestic product) per person for 2011:

Country US$
1 Luxembourg 122,272
2 Qatar 97,967
3 Norway 96,591
4 Switzerland 84,983
5 Australia 66,984
6 United Arab Emirates 66,625
7 Denmark 63,003
8 Sweden 61,098
9 Netherlands 51,410
10 Canada 51,147
11 Singapore 50,714
12 Austria 50,504
13 Finland 50,090
14 Ireland 48,517
15 United States 48,147
16 Belgium 48,110
17 Kuwait 46,461
18 Japan 45,774
19 Germany 44,558
20 France 44,401


1. Out of the top 20 countries in the list above, 14 belong to the top 25 atheists countries in the world.

Here are the top 4 non religious countries in the world:

1. Sweden - up to 85% atheists - Sweden is leading the world in aid to "poor" countries when looking at giving aid in percent of GDP, Sweden is ranked number one in the world in IT technology, has the most women in the equivalent to the Unites States congress plus many other positive ranks.

2. Denmark - 80% atheist or agnostics. Basically has the same numbers as Sweden with the most aid to poor countries in percentage of GDP. Leader in "happiest country" in the world.

3. Norway - 72% Atheists or agnostics. Once again Norway is really similar to Sweden and Denmark in all the stats about freedom, technology and that the people
are satisfied with their life.

4. Finland - Has the highest school results of the western world in test results for math, reading (The test is called PISA)

Other countries in the top 25 most atheistic countries include:

Japan 65% atheists - Good economy histrionically and has created many high tech things

South Korea - 52% Atheists This country is growing and growing and will soon have the same GDP per capita as most western nations

Switzerland - One of the richest and best countries to live in the world.

Poorest countries in the world: All of these except Nepal is over 98% religious meaning less than 2% atheists or agnostics:

164 Timor-Leste 649
165 Nepal 644
166 Gambia, The 620
167 Guinea-Bissau 585
168 Rwanda 585
169 Afghanistan 575
170 Mozambique 551
171 Tanzania 550
172 Togo 511
173 Central African Republic 483
174 Eritrea 473
175 Uganda 453
176 Guinea 438
177 Madagascar 428
178 Niger 428
179 Ethiopia 351
180 Malawi 350
181 Sierra Leone 347
182 Liberia 258
183 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 211
184 Burundi


You can also look at the most religious christian countries:

Honduras - Over 90% religious - Has the most murders in the world
El Salvador - Over 90% religious - Same problems as Honduras

In Europe the worst performing countries economically as of 2012 are - Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland - Guess what these have in common when it comes to religion..They
are very religious.

The best performing countries in Europe are - Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands - Take a wild guess if the have more atheist. They are all in the top 25 most atheists countries.

Some interesting facts:

This shows the most "happy" countries in the world in which Denmark (80% atheists) is on top. The religious countries are way down below. Of the top 10, 7 are in top 25 most atheistic countries.

1. Denmark
2. Switzerland
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. The Bahamas
6. Finland
7 Sweden
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei
10. Canada

Participants in the various studies were asked questions related to happiness and satisfaction with life. The meta-analysis is based on the findings of over 100 different studies around the world, which questioned 80,000 people worldwide. For this study data has also been analyzed in relation to health, wealth and access to education.


Press Freedom Index 2010- All top countries are from top 25 most atheistic countries except Ireland. USA is in place 22.
1 Finland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Switzerland
7 Austria
8 New Zealand
9 Estonia
- Ireland
11 Denmark
- Japan

Least corrupt countries in the world from Transparency International. The most Atheistic countries on top (9 out of these 10 countries are on top 25 most atheistic)

1. New Zealand
1. Denmark
1. Finland
4. Sweden
5. Singapore
6. Norway
7. Netherlands
8. Australia
8. Switzerland
10. Canada

Global Information Technology report 2011. Most advanced with IT Technology (8 out of top 10 are most atheistic in the world):

1. Sweden
Singapore
Finland
Switzerland
United States
Taiwan, China
Denmark
Canada
Norway
Korea, Rep.
10. Netherlands

Most generous countries when it comes to giving aid to poor countries (percent of GDP) - 8 out of top 10 are the most Atheistic :

Sweden – 1.12%
Norway – 1.06%
Luxembourg – 1.04%
Denmark – 0.88%
Netherlands – 0.82%
Belgium – 0.55%
Finland – 0.54%
Ireland – 0.54%
United Kingdom – 0.52%
France- 0.47%
Spain – 0.46%
Switzerland – 0.45%
Germany – 0.35%
Canada – 0.30%
Austria – 0.30%
Australia – 0.29%
New Zealand – 0.28%
Portugal – 0.23%
United States – 0.21%
Greece – 0.19%
Japan – 0.18%
Italy – 0.16%
South Korea – 0.10%

In the Republican debates they argue that USA gives to much aid but they give much less than other rich countries. Remember that USA is placed 15 when counting the wealth of a country (GDP per capita)

Most Peacful countries:
The Global Peace Index (GPI) is an attempt to measure the relative position of nations' and regions' peacefulness. It is the product of Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks with data collected and collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Top Countries (9 out of 10 are on the list of most Atheistic):

1. Iceland

2 New Zealand

3 Japan

4 Denmark

5 Czech Republic

6 Austria

7 Finland

8 Canada

9 Norway

10 Slovenia

Needles to say, bottom 20 countries in the world were all very religious and over 90% of the population are stating that they are very religious....


Most Religious US states:

Mississippi: 59 percent are very religious
Utah: 57 percent
Alabama: 56 percent
Louisiana: 54 percent

Least Religious:

Maine: 25 percent
Vermont: 23 percent are very religious
New Hampshire: 23 percent
Massachusetts: 28 percent

Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana are among the poorest with low high school graduation rates and Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts are among the wealthiest and among the top when it comes to high school graduation rates.

To sum it up....Atheistic countries in general give more aid to poor countries, have more press freedom, more advanced in technology, have more women in top government positions, are less corrupt and are wealthy.....

My main point is that the facts show that being more non-religious is not that bad which all the statistic show. I wonder how the economy and everything else would be in the USA if they for example would have a non-religious number as for example Sweden. At least it is an interesting question.....
 
Last edited:

jamesmorrow

Active Member
as much as id like to accept these facts. they do not represent the truth.... ....atheism is not the true cause here... money is.....money allows for higher education, leading to higher level of happiness, leading to lower level of crime and violence, leading to higher levels of atheism etc..... it is wealth... atheism, education and everything else is a byproduct.
 

Man of Faith

Well-Known Member
Very few atheists live like their philosophy of life is true. Most live like there is purpose and meaning in life, like there is such a thing as personhood, like there are moral values and duties in life, and like we should take care of the weak and old. In fact most all of them live like Christians, so the OP is debunked.

There are some atheists that live like their philosophy of life is true, and they were in the old Soviet Union and in N Korea where people are treated like wards of the state and have no value except the value that they have to the government.
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
Very few atheists live like their philosophy of life is true. Most live like there is purpose and meaning in life, like there is such a thing as personhood, like there are moral values and duties in life, and like we should take care of the weak and old. In fact most all of them live like Christians, so the OP is debunked.

There are some atheists that live like their philosophy of life is true, and they were in the old Soviet Union and in N Korea where people are treated like wards of the state and have no value except the value that they have to the government.
I honestly cannot find a facepalm big enough for that statement.
 

Tristesse

Well-Known Member
Very few atheists live like their philosophy of life is true. Most live like there is purpose and meaning in life, like there is such a thing as personhood, like there are moral values and duties in life, and like we should take care of the weak and old. In fact most all of them live like Christians, so the OP is debunked.

There are some atheists that live like their philosophy of life is true, and they were in the old Soviet Union and in N Korea where people are treated like wards of the state and have no value except the value that they have to the government.

Atheism isn't philosophy, it's a position on a single question. But anyway, there is purpose and meaning in life, regardless of whether or not a god exists.
 

Man of Faith

Well-Known Member
I honestly cannot find a facepalm big enough for that statement.

Well let's say that an atheist is born in the US, where the laws and Christian values of freedoms are ingrained in society, then the atheist will think those are their values. But the atheist value system is more like them being born an animal where survival of the fittest rules and its kill or be killed and there is no morals or intrinsic value in any creature other than for food.
 

Tristesse

Well-Known Member
Well let's say that an atheist is born in the US, where the laws and Christian values of freedoms are ingrained in society, then the atheist will think those are their values. But the atheist value system is more like them being born an animal where survival of the fittest rules and its kill or be killed and there is no morals or intrinsic value in any creature other than for food.

The laws are secular laws, what on earth makes you think the laws are based on christian values???
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
Well let's say that an atheist is born in the US, where the laws and Christian values of freedoms are ingrained in society, then the atheist will think those are their values. But the atheist value system is more like them being born an animal where survival of the fittest rules and its kill or be killed and there is no morals or intrinsic value in any creature other than for food.
You really find it hard to believe that morals and ethics can exist without divine command, don't you?
 

Tristesse

Well-Known Member
"I found no philosophy that contained so many truths, and inspired one with so much courage, as Atheism."

The Philosophy of Atheism

Sure, you can people who have a ton of similiar values and are atheists, but the term atheism only requires one thing, and everything else is something else. It's not a philosophy in a broader sense. Much like a jury voting not guilty in a trial isn't espousing a philosophy.
 

Tristesse

Well-Known Member
You need to get over the hurdle that secular laws can't be implemented by Christians.

Certainly they can. Whats religious about speed limit laws? Or whats christian about freedom of and from religion? Seems to fly in the face of, "I am your god you shall have no other gods before me."
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
The ToE doesn't predict morals and ethics.
ToE? Really?

Talk about giant strawmen.

Ethics and morals are simply societal norms. What is believed to be for the greater good of a society, is ethical and moral. The reason there is a version of the “Golden Rule” in nearly every culture in history is that humans do not want harm to come to themselves, therefore they restrain from doing harm to others within their society.

Ethics and morality change and evolve to fit current societal evolution.
 
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