Religion, poverty and development:

 Religion, poverty and development:

Research has shown that the more wealth a country is, the less they become religious, defined by the GDP per capita (Pew,2024). There is also evidence that countries with high birth rate and population growth tend to be religious. Studies has shown that religiosity is less important to 18- to 38-year-olds compared to older generation 40 years and above. In Europe and USA, the appetite for religion is fast dwindling as many find salvation in explorative economy and knew insight in challenging knowledge through technological advancement. Even Israel founded on religious and biblical trajectory is getting less religious, Zimbabwe is more religious than Israel. It has been established that political doctrine founded on Christianity is likely to attract the dwindling old population than the futuristic youth as seen in most developed world. Improved GDP per capita has been associated with political and state secularism (Pew, 2024).

Research has shown that Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more religious people than any other continent. It is believed that this phenomenon correlates with poverty and lack of opportunities to which religion becomes the platform to offer non-existent hope. With some using religion for unorthodox means of amassing wealth, selling hope to a poverty-stricken population failed by their governments. Human survival is based on hope, when faced with an unimaginable crisis, instinctively they seek divine intervention to fill the void of despair. The best explanation was given by Karl Marx, “Throughout the history of class society religion performs two essential functions: it buttresses the established order by sanctifying it and by suggesting that the political order is somehow ordained by divine authority, and it consoles the oppressed and exploited by offering them in heaven what they are denied upon earth” (MacIntyren, 2019)

It is no wonder why failed states, are quick to enforce religious doctrine to divert people’s attention from real societal misfortunes created by their poor governance.

Elliot Pfebve is an academic based in UK.