SURVEY: WHAT EUROPEANS BELIEVE 
Faith is a Private Matter - Seven Out of Ten Believe in God - But What About Life After Death? 
By Wolfgang Polzer, ASSIST News Service, assistnews.net 
Friday, February 25, 2005
 
STUTTGART (ANS) -- Seven out ten Europeans believe in God. That is one result of a representative survey conducted on behalf of Reader's Digest Germany. 8,600 persons in 14 European countries were interviewed November through January. The results are published in the March issue of the magazine. 

Poland came out on top with 97% of the interviewees saying they believe in God, followed by Portugal (90%) and Russia (87%). At the bottom of the list are Belgium (58%), the Netherlands (51%) and the Czech Republic (37%). 

The fact that someone believes in God does not necessarily mean that he or she also believes in life after death. 53% of all Europeans are convinced that physical death is not the end – 18% fewer than those who believe in God. 

For 43% of all Europeans religion is necessary to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. This conviction is strongest in Poland (86%), Russia (78%) and Switzerland (54%), whereas relatively few people subscribe to this view in the Czech Republic (27%), the Netherlands (25%) and France (24%). 79% of the Portuguese are convinced that religion is a positive force in the world. 78% of the Poles and 72% of the Spaniards agree. Belgians            (39%), Russians (36%) and the Dutch (34%) are not so sure. [It is interesting to note that although 78% of Russians feel that “religion is necessary to be able to distinguish between right and wrong,” less than half of these (36% of total) “are convinced that religion is            a positive force in the world,” ed.RR.] 
        
Even 15 years after re-unification Germany is still a deeply divided country as far as religion is concerned. In the former Communist East 77% are convinced that God does not exist compared to 22% in the West. 

The belief in God does not necessarily mean that Germans regard him as a personal being. For 83% OF ALL BELIEVERS [caps, ed.RR] God is present in nature, 75% regard him as their creator and 70% describe him as an ever-present source in their life. 
         
Religious faith is widely appreciated as giving a sense of protection  (45%) or meaning in life (39%). Only 1% say that faith intimidates them. Almost one in five regards natural disasters, epidemics or other catastrophes as expressions of God's displeasure. 
         
65% of all believers resort to prayer to get in touch with God. Two thirds of all prayers are concerned with "people who are important to me.” Second on the list are peace and justice in the world. Only relatively few prayers have to do with "my sins and my salvation" (13%)           or "my work and my job" (11%). 

According to the survey churches are losing their influence. Faith is regarded as a matter for the individual. 61% of all Germans say that churches do not have any decisive say in matters of faith.