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Crucifixes to stay in Polish schools [364]
Seanususnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/02/10/5-most-religious-countries-in-the-world.html
This is a small list of the 5 most religious countries in the world. Seanus, you surely know and appreciate the fact that there is a connection between the development of ppl and the dwindling of religious attendance? If you look at just any country (except maybe for Western Europe), where are ppl the most religious? Correct, in the rural areas, generally the areas that are less developed than the big cities in that particular country.
Why is religion considered irrelevant in developed countries? Well, for a few reasons: 1) time: ppl don't have (or take) the time to visit a church on holy days as they need their time for other stuff; 2) religion is generally to be regarded as a major hindrance to the development of a country - it just doesn't go together: religion is in generally conservative and developement is progressive.
Almost every, if not every, lifesaving medicine, for example, would not exist if the Church had allmighty power still. Many great researchers, scientists, and so on, would have been burned on the stake or being jailed if the Church had almighty powers still. The Church has been a too much dominant factor in many societies and has caused many countries to never get the chance they actually deserved. Many humanists, like yourself, would be called heretics and be burned or something. The Church, even in more recent times, has, or has tried to put a stop on major progression as it conflicts with its own interests. Church, over time has become a sorry institution and hasn't be a representation of all those religious souls who would do blindly what the Church tells them to do. And in fact, religion is something personal, basically one doesn't need a church to be religious. In NL there is a poem (or oneliner) that in translation says: "I am a god in the deepest of my thoughts", which puts into words exactly how religious sensation should be.
You mentioned the Orthodox countries, but be fair: those countries are generally poor as well. Russia, one would say, is an exception, but do you really think those moguls, oilbarons, mobsters and the like, are going to Church because they are religious? Or would it be more for the public eye? And do you really think churchvisit would be as high in big cities like Moskau and St Petersburgh as it would be in rural Russia? I would like to see a chart concerning churchvisit in the Polish rural area compared to the big(ger) Polish cities. Also, I am curious what will happen to it once Poland becomes rich and faring well.
I know I don't go into this as deep as I want to (mainly due to time-reasons), but I am sure you get my point as an extension to my previous statement that religion flourishes in poor countries and poor areas in certain developed countries. And it seems an inadvertible fact that as soon when countries get wealthier, more developed, et cetera, the role of the church is generally coming to an end. Don't get me wrong with this. If somebody wants to be religious, then that is fine with me. I just tried to point out that development and religion simply don't go together.
Concluding: I think that religion will dwindle severely in PL once it's becoming rich and catches on with the West.
More and more restaurants are incorporating Halal.
So far, I've only seen Subway, which has a few restaurants that offer Halal food besides their normal offer.
>^..^<
M-G (coffee)
