Europeans tend to be religious but, hey, keep politics out of it...

Europeans remain strongly religious but like to keep faith out of politics while cultivating an open mind to various forms of spirituality, according to a new survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation. 

Seventy four percent of people in Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Austria, Poland and Switzerland said they were "religious." Italy (89%) and Poland (87%) topped the German NGO's "Religion Monitor" chart, with France at the lower end on 54 percent.

More than half of Europeans regularly practice their faith and 61 percent pray, with church attendance higher in Poland than in Italy and with Roman Catholics describing themselves as more highly religious than Protestants.

"The Christian faith still has a strong influence in Europe," the survey said. "The role which [religion] plays in tying together the countries of the European Union should not be underestimated."

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The survey also found that religion plays a small role in Europeans' political outlook and the most intimate aspects of their personal lives, however. More...

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