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I must take issue with the labelling of European countries as sectarian at all. When you call someplace "a Catholic country" are we referring to an Established Church, to the faith of the majority of citizens, to a legacy culture, support for the hierarchy, what? Because Ireland, Italy, Czechia are markedly diverse nations with pluralistic religions being represented, and those minorities are growing. The first two have a strong history of Catholicism and so as a religion, it's embedded in myriad aspects of common culture that can't be swept away as easily in a sex abuse scandal. Yet in these United States, we have many who will disavow our "Judeo-Christian roots" because of the disestablishmentarianism of our Founding Fathers and enshrined in our Constitution. I think the real comparison would be Arab Muslim nations, which strive towards a "vertical integration" of religious faith, morality, ethnicity, linguistic heritage, culture, and all that. Such a monoculture can make for a powerful nation that is unmatched by even China, which is comparatively a beacon of D.E.I. I mean, everyone else in the world is literally attempting to reimplement Genesis 11. Of course this is a fundamentally silly conversation to have, because the primary goal and aim of Christianity (or Islam or Confucianism or what have you) has never been to enrich the populace or put money in the nation's coffers; that's merely a desirable means to an end. I believe that the OP was alluding to some mythical "Protestant Work Ethic" ideal that is perhaps epitomized by the Amish/Mennonite way of reinventing cloistered monasteries around family units. |