Religion and Secular Practices Impact in Countries' Economic Development Around the World

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Countries Could Become Richer by Becoming Less Religious, Study Claims
The value of including social minorities in developed nations characterized by rampant discrimination has been a serious agenda among international organizations such as the United Nations. In 2018, research published in Newsweek found that religious tolerance in society was directly associated with economic growth and that countries could witness an increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) of up to $5000 after three decades if they embraced secularism (Andrew). In the study conducted among 109 countries around the world, The Economic Times reports that secular countries are likely to become richer compared to religious nations (The Economic Times). This study was published in the Science Advances journal and found religion to be an important determinant of the economic prosperity of countries globally. While reports have always indicated that secular nations are more prosperous than religious countries, it is unclear how secularism works to increase the wealth of nations. Contrary to these new developments on the relationship between religion and prosperity of nations, James Williams in 2000, has provided a rebuttal, claiming that Christianity has made significant contributions to human development (Williams). This paper discusses the impacts of religion and secular practices in countries around the world on economic development through a study conducted in the United States between 1900 and 2000.
Classic social scholars such as the French sociologist Emile Durkheim and German sociologist Max Weber supported claims that religion has a close connection with economic growth. Durkheim pointed out that once a country becomes affluent, the meaning of religion is lost while Weber argued that changes in religious beliefs are engines to economic prosperity. In the study conducted by the Universities of Bristol in Tennessee and the UK, data from birth cohorts in the United States extracted from the World...