By Christy Barritt

Countries that Believe in God the Most, the Least

The Philippines is the most God-fearing country in the world. That’s according to a new report from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

Ninety-four percent of people in that country say “they’ve always believed in God.”

In other parts of the world, 81 percent of Americans say they’ve always believed in God, while only 37 percent of people living in Great Britain, 25 percent in Japan, and 13 percent in former East Germany say the same.

The report analyzed 30 countries based on surveys from the International Social Survey Program, and stated, “While there is a modest, general shift away from belief in God, there is enormous variation across countries in the level of believers, atheists, and intermediate groups.”

The survey also showed that Russia, Israel, and Slovenia reported an increase in the belief in God and that not a single person in East Germany under 27 years old said he or she knew for sure that God exists.

Young Women’s Values Changed Since 1990s

Young women today are more likely than young men to value a financially successful career. They are also more likely to highly value having a successful marriage and being a successful parent than women did in the ’90s.

The Pew Research Center studied surveys done in 2010 and 2011 and compared them to a 1997 survey. The results showed a shift in values for women 18-43 years old.

In 1997, young men were more likely than young women to place a high priority on marriage, a statistic that was reversed in 2010-2011. Also in 1997, 39 percent of young men and 42 percent of young women said that being a good parent is “one of the most important things in their lives.” In the 2010-2011 surveys, those numbers rose to 47 percent for young men and 59 percent for young women.

Scientists Disprove “God Spot”

Scientists previously believed that only one area of the brain was directly responsible for spirituality. They called this area the “God spot.”

A new study published by the International Journal of the Psychology of Religion has found this is not true.

Spirituality uses many parts of the brain, the study showed. The new research concluded that spiritual experiences are highly complex and occur in multiple lobes.

“We have found a neuro-psychological basis for spirituality, but it’s not isolated to one specific area of the brain,” said Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology at the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, in a press release. “Spirituality is a much more dynamic concept that uses many parts of the brain.”

Bible, Quran, and Book of Mormon Equal, According to Half of Americans

Fifty percent of Americans believe the Bible, Quran, and Book of Mormon hold different expressions of the same truths.

That’s what a new survey by The Barna Group, on behalf of the American Bible Society, found. They also found that Americans’ reliance on the Bible has decreased slightly in recent years.

The survey, which included 2,000 adults, found that 85 percent of Americans own a Bible—down from 88 percent in 2011.

Six percent of people interviewed said that the Book of Mormon is sacred or holy. The Bible, on the other hand, dropped by four percent to 82 percent.

 Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons. 
www.christybarritt.com