(RNS) — Religion is continuing to be a major influence in an increasingly secular Europe — not so much through church attendance and worship but because it is embedded in its values, especially those to do with the economy, according to a Berlin-based think tank, the Rockwool Foundation.
According to the foundation’s research review, religion is playing a far greater role in economic growth and prosperity than many people realize, affecting key economic behavior, including education, family size and savings.
“Anyone who regards religion as a marginal factor overlooks a part of the deep structure of our societies,” lead author and economics professor at the U.K.’s Warwick University Sascha Becker told Religion News Service. “Religion still matters because it has shaped, and in many places still shapes, the social norms and institutions through which policy operates.”
The paper, “Religion and Economic Growth: What We Know and Why It Matters,” surveys a wide range of economic literature. Its authors, including Becker, Jared Rubin of Chapman University and Ludger Woessmann of the University of Munich, looked at evidence through the centuries and across the globe.
Becker cites education as a key area where policymakers need to understand the continuing role of religion in Europe. While most people would understand that religion played a key role in developing literacy because people were taught to read so that they could access the Bible, its influence is still evident today. Many Eur …