Is religion holding us back?

You can correlate 2 seemingly unrelated conditions of a Country, which are level of development and religiousness of a country. The most religious countries normally are the least developed ones. Now there's an exception to the rule, but we will get into it in a moment.
It seems like very religious and poor people instead of trying to get outside of their poverty, they pray God to get outside of it, or hoping for him to give them a better life in the next world. This is a toxic point of view, that holds communities from getting better. Instead of making an effort to get better, they loose all hopes. It makes sense if you consider the poor conditions they live in, and that South-America(which seems to have pessimism as the predominant point of view) is very poor.
Now as I said, USA doesn't follow this rule, but this is for a reason, their Protestant Christianity is very progress inducing, and surely you all have heard of the American Dream. So tell me, is religion holding us back?

I fully agree with you Dieguito, religion IS holding us back.
How much war is fought int he name of "God" and "Allah"? Countless times just because they put Holy in a war. It is just another excuse to do war against another country. What a waste of lives and possible scientific minds especially in the Islamic side. Name one time that science hasn't corrected Christianity's views on how things function without testing it or finding evidence. If god is all "powerful" why hasn't he done jack to help humans if we are that pitiful.

As Mr.

I fully agree with you Dieguito, religion IS holding us back.
How much war is fought int he name of "God" and "Allah"? Countless times just because they put Holy in a war. It is just another excuse to do war against another country. What a waste of lives and possible scientific minds especially in the Islamic side. Name one time that science hasn't corrected Christianity's views on how things function without testing it or finding evidence. If god is all "powerful" why hasn't he done jack to help humans if we are that pitiful.

As Albert Einstein once said: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

Diego.ramirez wrote:You can correlate 2 seemingly unrelated conditions of a Country, which are level of development and religiousness of a country. The most religious countries normally are the least developed ones. Now there's an exception to the rule, but we will get into it in a moment.
It seems like very religious and poor people instead of trying to get outside of their poverty, they pray God to get outside of it, or hoping for him to give them a better life in the next world. This is a toxic point of view, that holds communities from getting better. Instead of making an effort to get better, they loose all hopes. It makes sense if you consider the poor conditions they live in, and that South-America(which seems to have pessimism as the predominant point of view) is very poor.
Now as I said, USA doesn't follow this rule, but this is for a reason, their Protestant Christianity is very progress inducing, and surely you all have heard of the American Dream. So tell me, is religion holding us back?

Certainly, Diego, a lot of statisticis can back up the position that developed countries are less religous that undeveloped ones, however, as past history goes, it is as clear as water that the ultra-religous Empires with their supreme militar power, were able to get their economies developed as they got the natural resources they could. As an example one can put the British Empire, which, being an angelican country, was able to get the second largest empire of the world. Moreover, thinking the protestan religion is the reason for US supremacy is a far cry from the correct correlation: this was able as religion was got apart from the politics.
In this sense, as you say South America has become an undeveloped country with the possibilities of getting far from where it is, I think you are correct on thinking one the main causes, though the relation may certainly not be taking religion as a reason for faith and hope, but how a state intends to get people onto its religous beliefs. Consequently, I think religion has indeed hold us back, but for the reasons I have previously exposed.

Diego.ramirez wrote:You can correlate 2 seemingly unrelated conditions of a Country, which are level of development and religiousness of a country. The most religious countries normally are the least developed ones. Now there's an exception to the rule, but we will get into it in a moment.
It seems like very religious and poor people instead of trying to get outside of their poverty, they pray God to get outside of it, or hoping for him to give them a better life in the next world. This is a toxic point of view, that holds communities from getting better. Instead of making an effort to get better, they loose all hopes. It makes sense if you consider the poor conditions they live in, and that South-America(which seems to have pessimism as the predominant point of view) is very poor.
Now as I said, USA doesn't follow this rule, but this is for a reason, their Protestant Christianity is very progress inducing, and surely you all have heard of the American Dream. So tell me, is religion holding us back?

Yes, it has in some countries as it has been imposed and have had many benefits, as being able to sustain a church without paying any taxes, or getting money for benefic causes but using it for other things in a forgotten corruption.