A survey conducted by Gallup for Baylor University found very strong correlations between belief in an active God which has a plan for individuals and belief that hard work is sufficient for success. It's not difficult to understand why such a correlation would exist — these beliefs can be traced to the Old Testament and have become central in conservative, evangelical Christianity in America.
If you believe in a god which has a plan both for you as an individual and for the nation as a whole, then you will necessarily also believe that this god controls the destiny of both you personally and of the nation as a whole.
In such a situation, neither individuals nor governments can or should attempt to interfere with this. That's why believers in an active God also generally don't believe that the government should provide a strong social safety net and believe in a smaller, inactive government.
If you believe that God is in control and has a plan, then you shouldn't need anything to succeed but the talents which God has provided. You have to actually use them, of course, which means you must work hard to make the most of what God has provided. If you aren't succeeding, it's either because that's what God wants or because you simply aren't trying hard enough.
What this means, then, is that debates about the causes of economic inequality in America — about why a small number of people control so much wealth while the rest of the population has so little — may also be debates about the nature of God. We don't hear anything about these theological premises, though, either because people have taken them so much for granted that they think about them now or because they understand that their arguments wouldn't sound as good if these premises were made explicit.
The data for this survey was gathered for Baylor University by Gallup in surveys conducted in 2010 and they have a margin of +/- 4%.
When asked how they felt about the statement "God Has a Plan for Me," people responded:
Belief in a god that has a plan for everyone is obviously very popular — nearly three-quarters of people in America agree or strongly agree that God has a plan for them. Of course, that must be a good plan; I doubt many believe that God's plan for them is a bad one.
Belief in a god that has a plan for individual people entails believing in a God that is personally active in the lives of individuals as well as in the course of the nation. It also entails that whatever is going on must be fair and just — after all, an omnipotent and loving god would not have a plan that either leads to injustice or is based on injustice.
Those who strongly agree with the statement "Anything Is Possible For Those Who Work Hard" are much more common among those who also strongly agreed that "God has a plan for me":
So more than half of those who strongly agree that "God has a plan for me" also strongly agree that hard work is sufficient for people to accomplish anything. Note just how extreme the difference is between this correlation and the other correlations — it's double the correlation with those who disagree or strongly disagree that god has a plan for them. In total, close to 90% of those who strongly agree that God has a plan for them believe that hard work is sufficient for success.
The existence of such a strong correlation between belief in an active god and belief in hard word shouldn't be surprising. If you believe that God is active in your life and has a plan for your life, then of course God either has already or will in the future provide you with whatever tools you need to accomplish whatever it is that God intends for you. God wouldn't have a plan for you then not do anything to ensure that the plan will work.
It's up to you, though, to use the tools which God provides. It's not necessary for the government to help you; in fact, it would demonstrate a lack of faith in God to rely on the government instead of on God. What's more, it would be immoral to not make the most of what God has given you. Therefore, you have an obligation to God to work as hard as possible and when you do so, God will ensure that you will be just as successful as God intends for you to be.
A reverse corollary to "if you work hard enough you will accomplish anything" is also widely accepted by conservative Christians in America: if you aren't successful, it must be because you haven't worked hard enough.
Therefore, if you aren't successful, it must be because that you're lazy or, at best, that you've been seduced by the temptation of government assistance. Either way, government assistance must be cut or eliminated in order to end temptation and punish those who refuse to work hard. This is all derived from Deuteronomist Theology which is based on the Old Testament texts written by the main author of the Book of Deuteronomy.
Theological & Political Beliefs
If you believe in a god which has a plan both for you as an individual and for the nation as a whole, then you will necessarily also believe that this god controls the destiny of both you personally and of the nation as a whole.
In such a situation, neither individuals nor governments can or should attempt to interfere with this. That's why believers in an active God also generally don't believe that the government should provide a strong social safety net and believe in a smaller, inactive government.
If you believe that God is in control and has a plan, then you shouldn't need anything to succeed but the talents which God has provided. You have to actually use them, of course, which means you must work hard to make the most of what God has provided. If you aren't succeeding, it's either because that's what God wants or because you simply aren't trying hard enough.
What this means, then, is that debates about the causes of economic inequality in America — about why a small number of people control so much wealth while the rest of the population has so little — may also be debates about the nature of God. We don't hear anything about these theological premises, though, either because people have taken them so much for granted that they think about them now or because they understand that their arguments wouldn't sound as good if these premises were made explicit.
Does God Have a Plan For You?
The data for this survey was gathered for Baylor University by Gallup in surveys conducted in 2010 and they have a margin of +/- 4%.
When asked how they felt about the statement "God Has a Plan for Me," people responded:
- Strongly Agree: 40.9%
- Agree: 32.2%
- Disagree: 12.3%
- Strongly Disagree: 14.6%
Belief in a god that has a plan for everyone is obviously very popular — nearly three-quarters of people in America agree or strongly agree that God has a plan for them. Of course, that must be a good plan; I doubt many believe that God's plan for them is a bad one.
Belief in a god that has a plan for individual people entails believing in a God that is personally active in the lives of individuals as well as in the course of the nation. It also entails that whatever is going on must be fair and just — after all, an omnipotent and loving god would not have a plan that either leads to injustice or is based on injustice.
Belief in an Active God vs. Belief in Hard Work
Those who strongly agree with the statement "Anything Is Possible For Those Who Work Hard" are much more common among those who also strongly agreed that "God has a plan for me":
- Strongly Agree: 53.7%
- Agree: 34.2%
- Disagree: 25.6%
- Strongly Disagree: 21.5%
So more than half of those who strongly agree that "God has a plan for me" also strongly agree that hard work is sufficient for people to accomplish anything. Note just how extreme the difference is between this correlation and the other correlations — it's double the correlation with those who disagree or strongly disagree that god has a plan for them. In total, close to 90% of those who strongly agree that God has a plan for them believe that hard work is sufficient for success.
The existence of such a strong correlation between belief in an active god and belief in hard word shouldn't be surprising. If you believe that God is active in your life and has a plan for your life, then of course God either has already or will in the future provide you with whatever tools you need to accomplish whatever it is that God intends for you. God wouldn't have a plan for you then not do anything to ensure that the plan will work.
It's up to you, though, to use the tools which God provides. It's not necessary for the government to help you; in fact, it would demonstrate a lack of faith in God to rely on the government instead of on God. What's more, it would be immoral to not make the most of what God has given you. Therefore, you have an obligation to God to work as hard as possible and when you do so, God will ensure that you will be just as successful as God intends for you to be.
A reverse corollary to "if you work hard enough you will accomplish anything" is also widely accepted by conservative Christians in America: if you aren't successful, it must be because you haven't worked hard enough.
Therefore, if you aren't successful, it must be because that you're lazy or, at best, that you've been seduced by the temptation of government assistance. Either way, government assistance must be cut or eliminated in order to end temptation and punish those who refuse to work hard. This is all derived from Deuteronomist Theology which is based on the Old Testament texts written by the main author of the Book of Deuteronomy.
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