4 ms·

Nope. Israel is one of the most secular countries around with more than 40% of the population defined as secular.

maratc 3y ago
There's a difference between "Do you believe in [some sort or form of] God?" and "Do you regularly spend a significant part of your day doing what your God expects from you?" To put that into perspective, imagine a Christian country with 40% of non-believers and 60% of monks (with the monks consistently reporting high levels of happiness). That would strongly remind of Israel. (To be clear, both Jewish and Muslim population is included in the latter.)
- invalidname 3y ago
  Nope, you have a misconception of the country. Source: am Israeli atheist. Majority is secular. Of the religious people the majority are relatively tame. There are some extremist religious people e.g. Hasidim but they are a cult of their own (think Amish). They probably wouldn't even take part in a survey. The reason for happiness is multi-fold: * It's a 3 year average. Notice that Israel is actually slipping due to last year. * Economy was generally good until last October * Army service tends to unify the community * It's a small country which tends to bring people together through collective fate I'm not saying that the religious people aren't happier than the median. But I am saying that based on statistics Israel is relatively secular. More so than most western countries.
  - maratc 3y ago
    You’ll be able to enjoy the YouTube lecture by prof. Yuval Harari (as originally recorded) where he addresses the issues of happiness, measuring happiness, and how and why Israeli society ranks so high.
    - invalidname 3y ago
      Not a big fan of his. I think he over simplifies some ideas for mass consumption. Regardless, this is a self reporting study which is the only way to report happiness. Over the past 3 years prior to October Israel had years of peace which are far more appreciated in a country that has known quite a lot of conflict. I think westerners don't appreciate this as much as we do.
      - maratc 3y ago
        You don't have to be his fan to hear his explanations about the studies and their methodology, it could be very helpful if one wants to understand what makes people report that they are happy. As the people return from the army feeling they have done something significant to protect their country, and with the public discourse drifting away from the regular "Bibi vs. not Bibi" agenda, I fully expect Israel to report even higher levels of happiness next year.
        invalidname 3y ago
        The opposite is happening. There was a decline as it was #3 in last years survey. The army is a unifying force that contributes to happiness after it's over. Not during and not during war. Lots of people died and pretty much everyone knows people who died. I expect the decline to last a few years. 80% are pretty much interested in Bibi taking a hike by now. The only people who still want him have a deep agenda and never liked him to begin with. He's outlived his usefulness even for them.
        maratc 3y ago
        Seeing you expecting it to decline and me expecting it to rise, I guess we could return to this conversation in one year :)
    - jbenjoseph 3y ago
      Do you have a link to his lecture?
      - maratc 3y ago
        You can start from here https://youtu.be/0Oy3sEatMxw?list=PL084D9BAA7417477C&t=3420 https://youtu.be/0Oy3sEatMxw?list=PL084D9BAA7417477C&t=3420
jbenjoseph 3y ago
I disagree as an American who moved here. Many things are closed on Shabbat, including public transport! Nobody is driving on Yom Kippur. There is nothing like that in the world. Also that what in the diaspora we consider religious holidays are national holidays here. Israelis are used to all this and consider it part of their national culture, so maybe religious is not the best word. The Jewish identity has a big national component. Hilonim might not define themselves as religious still possess a profound Jewish identity which can come off as a religious identity to an outside observer.
- invalidname 3y ago
  Public transport is closed due to the minority religious pressure. But there are still traffic jams due to the fact that non-religious people still go out. You can buy pork and shrimps everywhere. As a non religious person I love Yom Kippur. It's super fun. We all go out with bikes and have a blast. We respect the religious people and don't drive (also it's dangerous with all the kids out on bikes). It doesn't mean we're religious. I accept that most feel they have a Jewish identity. But that isn't religion, it's tradition.

There's a difference between "Do you believe in [some sort or form of] God?" and "Do you regularly spend a significant part of your day doing what your God expects from you?" To put that into perspective, imagine a Christian country with 40% of non-believers and 60% of monks (with the monks consistently reporting high levels of happiness). That would strongly remind of Israel. (To be clear, both Jewish and Muslim population is included in the latter.)

invalidname 3y ago
Nope, you have a misconception of the country. Source: am Israeli atheist. Majority is secular. Of the religious people the majority are relatively tame. There are some extremist religious people e.g. Hasidim but they are a cult of their own (think Amish). They probably wouldn't even take part in a survey. The reason for happiness is multi-fold: * It's a 3 year average. Notice that Israel is actually slipping due to last year. * Economy was generally good until last October * Army service tends to unify the community * It's a small country which tends to bring people together through collective fate I'm not saying that the religious people aren't happier than the median. But I am saying that based on statistics Israel is relatively secular. More so than most western countries.
- maratc 3y ago
  You’ll be able to enjoy the YouTube lecture by prof. Yuval Harari (as originally recorded) where he addresses the issues of happiness, measuring happiness, and how and why Israeli society ranks so high.
  - invalidname 3y ago
    Not a big fan of his. I think he over simplifies some ideas for mass consumption. Regardless, this is a self reporting study which is the only way to report happiness. Over the past 3 years prior to October Israel had years of peace which are far more appreciated in a country that has known quite a lot of conflict. I think westerners don't appreciate this as much as we do.
    - maratc 3y ago
      You don't have to be his fan to hear his explanations about the studies and their methodology, it could be very helpful if one wants to understand what makes people report that they are happy. As the people return from the army feeling they have done something significant to protect their country, and with the public discourse drifting away from the regular "Bibi vs. not Bibi" agenda, I fully expect Israel to report even higher levels of happiness next year.
      - invalidname 3y ago
        The opposite is happening. There was a decline as it was #3 in last years survey. The army is a unifying force that contributes to happiness after it's over. Not during and not during war. Lots of people died and pretty much everyone knows people who died. I expect the decline to last a few years. 80% are pretty much interested in Bibi taking a hike by now. The only people who still want him have a deep agenda and never liked him to begin with. He's outlived his usefulness even for them.
        maratc 3y ago
        Seeing you expecting it to decline and me expecting it to rise, I guess we could return to this conversation in one year :)
  - jbenjoseph 3y ago
    Do you have a link to his lecture?
    - maratc 3y ago
      You can start from here https://youtu.be/0Oy3sEatMxw?list=PL084D9BAA7417477C&t=3420 https://youtu.be/0Oy3sEatMxw?list=PL084D9BAA7417477C&t=3420

jbenjoseph 3y ago

I disagree as an American who moved here. Many things are closed on Shabbat, including public transport! Nobody is driving on Yom Kippur. There is nothing like that in the world. Also that what in the diaspora we consider religious holidays are national holidays here. Israelis are used to all this and consider it part of their national culture, so maybe religious is not the best word. The Jewish identity has a big national component. Hilonim might not define themselves as religious still possess a profound Jewish identity which can come off as a religious identity to an outside observer.

invalidname 3y ago
Public transport is closed due to the minority religious pressure. But there are still traffic jams due to the fact that non-religious people still go out. You can buy pork and shrimps everywhere. As a non religious person I love Yom Kippur. It's super fun. We all go out with bikes and have a blast. We respect the religious people and don't drive (also it's dangerous with all the kids out on bikes). It doesn't mean we're religious. I accept that most feel they have a Jewish identity. But that isn't religion, it's tradition.