Religion has long been a central aspect of societies worldwide, but its role and importance varies throughout the globe. As industrialization and globalization continue to impact every aspect of life, many wonder about the changing role of religion in a modern world and if the popular claim that Americans are more religious than Europeans is actually valid.
Elizabeth Lemons
Lecturer of religion
Religion is more central to American identity
For Elizabeth Lemons, a religion lecturer at Tufts, it is important to consider the index of religiousness when trying to answer these questions.
"There are a lot of surveys that show that Americans are more religious than Europeans, but there is some scholarship that questions the accuracy of these surveys," Lemons said. "According to some social science surveys, many Americans report that they go to religious services about twice as much as they actually go, so the discrepancies between attendance at religious services from America to Europe might not be as big as it looks."
Lemons added, however, that even scholars who believe that there isn't a significant difference in religiosity between the United States and Europe also agree that being religious seems more central to the American identity than the European one.
"In America, religious identity seems to be important, while it doesn't seem as important in Europe," she said.
Although there is debate among scholars, Lemons said that a historical explanation is key. According to Lemons, religion has historically been a choice rather than a mandate in the United States; from the beginning, religions in the United States have had to attract followers to their tradition or church, in contrast to the obligatory religious participation of medieval Europe.
"Religion has been more a vibrant part of American culture historically, and so it is something that people engage more rigorously in, rather than it being something that is taken for granted," Lemons said.
Lemons sees a sort of "marketing" of religion in the United States, in which moral values are strongly tied to spiritual beliefs. But she stressed the importance of questioning if the metric for religiousness is dependent on what people say they believe, or how they really act.
"Some people say they go to church but they don't, or they say they believe in God, but what does that mean in their lives?" she said.
David O'Leary
University Chaplain
Don't sound the death knell for religion in Europe
According to University Chaplain David O'Leary, a constant struggle is waged in the United States and Europe to merge science and reason with religion.
"It's a struggle of people willing to say reason and faith, grace and nature and trying to hold on to the ‘and' — it makes it a more sophisticated life," he said. "We have to accept science and nature, but the other side should not try to dismiss religion."
An additional conflict exists between the notion of spirituality and the conventional definition of religion, O'Leary said.
"Most young people say ‘I am spiritual, but not religious.' Well, what does that mean?" he said. "The belief factor is still there, but it might not be in a form of a traditional worship."
Additionally, O'Leary said, the religiosity of a person or group is extremely difficult to assess due to the personal nature of the topic, which makes conclusive empirical evidence on religion rates quite rare. As such, despite the general belief that religion is diminishing in Europe, the degree of this decline may be overstated, O'Leary said, citing active youth movements in Italy as an example of continually prosperous European congregations.
"These religious groups that are trying to get back to the roots of Catholicism are the groups that are thriving," he said. "No one is interested in maintaining a big church anymore — make them all museums. But the active people are the ones in the food lines or caring for the homeless."
Regardless of whether Europeans and Americans conform to established religious ideals or carve their own spiritual paths, O'Leary believes that faith in a higher power is of vital importance.
"I don't think there is anything wrong with experimentation as long as people come back to the conclusion that to be solid and rooted you need something beyond yourself, a faith tradition," he said. "The history of humanity has shown that people have always believed in something. People need community and the support of one another."
Paula Aymer
Associate Professor of Sociology
Cultural differences dictate religiosity
Associate Professor of Sociology Paula Aymer explained that religion is an aspect of culture, and, as a result, cultural idiosyncrasies often dictate the degree to which a population is religious.
According to Aymer, the demographic composition and socioeconomic hierarchy of the United States explain the religious fervor in American culture.
"In the United States, you have greater diversity — there is a great feast of religions," Aymer said. "Religion in America gives meaning to people who are seeking all kinds of meaning. To people who are poor, it gives them a sense of worth, but to people who have everything, it gives them a sense of fulfillment. It makes them feel special."
On the other hand, Aymer believed that European countries were more homogenous in their cultures and demographics, a factor which she though might explain their lack of religious vehemence.
Furthermore, according to Aymer, the historical and political nature of European countries and the United States can explain the respective role religion plays in the present day. Aymer stressed that religion in the United States was built into the very foundation of the nation itself.
"At the very beginning, capitalism and religion managed to form very strong bonds," she said. "Socioeconomic success is often treated as a mark of specialness — that your religious faith, your prayer life and your God marked you for that success."
On the other hand, in Europe there exists what Aymer calls a "civil religion" that doesn't bind people together as much as it does in America.
"Nationalism — belonging and being faithful to the nation and being part of tradition — is more important than fighting for religion," she said. "The nation-state and its values — independence and choice — are letting religion out of their lives."
A particularly noteworthy development, considering the lesser role of religion in Europe as compared to the United States, Aymer said, is that religious organizations comprised of immigrants from the likes of North Africa and the Middle East are actually thriving.
"You are going to see variety in religion [in the future] based on national identity, race and class," she said.
Jeffrey Summit
Rabbi, Tufts Hillel Executive Director
The definition of religion is a key factor
For Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, Tufts Hillel's executive director, the difficulty of assessing religion in different parts of the world begins by incorrectly treating the topic in a monolithic manner.
"Different religious communities have different philosophies in terms of the meaning of religion and why they do it," Summit said. "Certain words like ‘religion' we use fairly freely, but it has different connotations and associations depending on the community where they are prescribing."
Summit said there are many different ways that people identify as Jewish and that not all of these are religious. As such, exploring how "Jewish" Europeans and Americans are is not necessarily related to how religious they are.
"Some people identify Jewish spiritually and religiously, others culturally, and these are all very valid and strong," he said. "Hillel, for example, is [both] a cultural and religious group on campus."
The Jewish community in America is not at all homogeneous; its population ranges from very traditional to very assimilated Jews, according to Summit.
"How people think of themselves ‘Jewishly' plays a significant role," Summit said. "Many Jews in Europe feel themselves being battled and under attack. Anti-Semitism is rising in Europe, but in the U.S., it isn't as much of a factor in Jewish identity," Summit said. "In Israel, the majority of the society is secular and so anti-Semitism is very important."
Summit warned about making generalizations about religiousness demographically because many, especially at college campuses like Tufts, explore a religious and cultural identity on their own terms.
Summit did acknowledge that on American college campuses, the interest in Judaism has been increasingly growing.
"Hillel is the busiest it's ever been," Summit said.
