Religion has played a major role throughout human history. It has also been key in the formation of many countries. Across the world, there are 5.8 billion people who hold religious faith. With religion playing such as major role in humanity, and there being so many religious people globally, could it be possible there is any country that actually no religion at all?
There isn’t a country in the world without religion. Every country in the world has religious people living in it. There is no nation in the world where everyone is atheist.
Right, it’s clear that there isn’t a totally religion-free nation anywhere, but in order to fully understand why not, we need to look a bit deeper…
Why There Isn’t A Country Without Religion
So, it’s clear that there isn’t a country without religion; but, with so many countries in the world with so many differences between them, why not? How have all countries got this one factor in common? Actually, there are four main reasons:
- Every country has religious people
- Some countries may not officially have religions, but their people still do
- Religion is key to many nations’ histories
- Religions can unite a country’s people together
Let’s quickly go over these points…
Every Country Has Religious People
A first reason why there isn’t a country without religion is because every nation has religious people. Someone’s religion is a deeply personal affair and their own choice. Billions of people around the world are members of major faiths, such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism, irrespective of what country they live in or if that nation has an official religion or not. There is no nation that has no religious people in it at all and therefore there isn’t a country without religion.
Some Countries May Not Officially Have Religions, But Their People Still Do
A second reason why there isn’t a country with no religion is because even secular states have religious people living within them. Countries such as France and China have strongly secular governmental systems. This means that do not recognize religion or allow it to affect their politics. However, even highly secular countries such as these understand that religion is a personal choice, and so allow people to individually choose if they want to be religious or not, whilst keeping religion out of the state.
Religion Is Key To Many Nations’ Histories
A third reason why there is no nation that is without religion is because religion has played such as key role in many country’s histories. All the major world religions go back millennia. They have had vital roles in forming people’s views, ethics, morals and ideals. When many nations were formed, people looked to their religious beliefs to inform how their countries would become. Almost all countries have histories where religion has played a pivotal role. This is a key factor in why there isn’t a country with no religion.
Religions Can Unite A Country’s People Together
A final factor in why there isn’t a country with no religion at all is because religion can play a key role in bringing a nation’s people together. Many countries are made up different ethnic, linguistic and cultural groups. However, major religions often soften these divisions. As a result, religion can be a binding factor for a country. This is not easily abandoned, and in fact many countries promote their religions strongly because of its unifying influence. This is another reason for why there isn’t a country that doesn’t have any religion.
Could There Ever Be A Country With No Religion
Right, so we know today why there isn’t a country that it totally faith-less, but what about looking forward? Could we one day see a country that didn’t have any religion at all? Actually, the answer is also no, and there are four reasons why:
- People will always be religious
- Religion is key to many countries’ identities
- Religion is important for countries international relations
- Countries do not abandon their religions
Now let’s take a brief look at each of these…
People Will Always Be Religious
A first reason why there could never be a country without religion is because people there will always be religious people. The major world religions of today have been around of thousands of years. Even before them, people had religions. Worshipping god(s) is essentially as old as humanity itself. As there have always been religious people there are always going to be religious people. This is why there could never be a totally non-religious nation.
Religion Is Key To Many Countries’ Identities
Another reason why there could never be a fully non-religious country is because religion plays a key role in the identifies of many communities. Religion is a factor that brings people together. Its also something that, for many people, defines them. This mean religious communities are often very important to people within them. Being part of that community gives them human connections, as well as an identity. No community would fully give this up, and therefore within nations there will always be religious communities.
Religion Is Important For Countries International Relations
A further reason for why there couldn’t be a country without religion is because it can be very important for a nation’s international relations. Countries of similar religions, especially if that religion is a key part of their national identity and their population strongly adheres to it, are often allied to other countries with that religion. Richer countries with a religion will often donate significantly in humanitarian and development aid to poorer nations with the same national faith. These international relations factors can be key, and so no country would move away from their religion and abandoned them.
Countries Do Not Abandon Their Religions
A final reason why there could never be a country without religion is because no country ever fully gives up their religion. As we’ve said, every country has religious people in it. Although a state may abandon its religion, the people within a country almost never do entirely. As a result, there will always be religious people in every country in the world.
Has There Ever Been A Country With No Religion
There has never been a country without religion. As people have been religious throughout almost all of human history, there has never been a time when a nation existed without some religious people.
… in fact, looking back through history more countries were religious. Many states around the world are secular now, meaning the government and its institutions are not religious and religious beliefs are left up to each individual. However this has not been the case throughout history. Most countries had deeply religious states up until only a few hundred years ago, or less! This further shows there has never been a time when there was a country without religion.
Will There Be A Country Without Religion
There will never be a country without religion. As people will always be religious, every country in the world will have some people in it who hold religious faith. It is inconceivable for there to ever be a country that where absolutely everyone was atheist.
People religious beliefs are almost always very important to them. Very few people give up their faith, and if they do it is only a small number of people. As a result, as every country has religious people today, there could never be a time when everyone within a nation totally abandoned their faith. This is why we will never see a nation that has no religion at all.