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It's not the specific religion, but whether people follow what that religion teaches. I have a feeling that most Americans were more devout and morally upright

It's not the specific religion, but whether people follow what that religion teaches. I have a feeling that most Americans were more devout and morally upright in the 1930's than Americans, South Americans, or Africans today. All religions and humanists teach against corruption, but that counts for nothing if the population ignores relevant moral teachings. I'm a christian so I'm inclined to believe that Christianity is the "best religion", but I have no doubt that a devout Muslim or principled atheist nation will resist corruption far better than a halfassed Christian nation.

potatolicious 18y ago
So the crux of it is not really religion, so much as it is principles. People gain their moral compass from somewhere - whether it is through religion, culture, or any other source, is irrelevant. What matters is if people are willing to stand up for these morals and principles, and how much force it takes to break them. A group of people with strong moral fiber will obviously resist corruption better than a group of people without. As a Chinese-Canadian immigrant, I've witnessed this first-hand. Where I grew up as a kid population density was extreme (all the people of Canada on a single little island), opportunities were consequently much harder to come by. It was entirely culturally accepted to sneak a little here and there to get an edge on your competition - such were the things you had to resort to if you wanted a crack at getting out of poverty and making a good life for yourself. If you cheated on a test and got caught, your friends would lament you getting caught instead of you cheating in the first place. Compare with Canada, where cheaters are absolutely not tolerated. In my first semester at college, a group member I worked with slacked off, and even decided to copy some other members' work verbatim. We turned on her immediately and came together to get her kicked out of school. This would never have happened where I came from in Asia.

potatolicious 18y ago

So the crux of it is not really religion, so much as it is principles. People gain their moral compass from somewhere - whether it is through religion, culture, or any other source, is irrelevant. What matters is if people are willing to stand up for these morals and principles, and how much force it takes to break them. A group of people with strong moral fiber will obviously resist corruption better than a group of people without. As a Chinese-Canadian immigrant, I've witnessed this first-hand. Where I grew up as a kid population density was extreme (all the people of Canada on a single little island), opportunities were consequently much harder to come by. It was entirely culturally accepted to sneak a little here and there to get an edge on your competition - such were the things you had to resort to if you wanted a crack at getting out of poverty and making a good life for yourself. If you cheated on a test and got caught, your friends would lament you getting caught instead of you cheating in the first place. Compare with Canada, where cheaters are absolutely not tolerated. In my first semester at college, a group member I worked with slacked off, and even decided to copy some other members' work verbatim. We turned on her immediately and came together to get her kicked out of school. This would never have happened where I came from in Asia.