Two Dutch sociologists are countering the European theory that a rising level of education empties out churches. Frank van Tubergen and Stijn Ruiter compared ‘religious participation’ in 60 countries and found that economic security makes people turn away from religious congregations, as does the regulation of religion by the state.

Their study, to be published in the American Journal of Sociology next month, invalidates the assumption that modernisation leads to secularisation. In an interview with NRC Handelsblad the sociologists offered three examples of their new theory.

In Eastern Europe churches have filled up over the past 20 years. Ruiter and Van Tubergen attribute this to the end of state restrictions on religion after the fall of communism and the economic uncertainty that came with the transition to a capitalist system.

In the US, the a-typical country where people have remained very religious despite economic development, the sociologists say other researchers have not taken into account the uncertainties resulting from the high socio-economic inequality. “In the US you can quickly climb the social ladder, but you can fall off very hard,” Ruiter explained.

Van Tubergen: “Conversely, the link between religiosity and uncertainty explains why the churches in the Netherlands have emptied out. As a result of the welfare state great security can be found outside the walls of the church. It would be interesting to examine the impact of the current economic crisis on church attendance.”

What do you think of the Dutch sociologists’ theory? Have you seen this in the country where you live? And what will the impact of the recession be on congregations?

The Dutch government is working on several measures to curb the influx of so-called import brides and grooms. Immigrants in the Netherlands marrying partners from their countries of origin, the government argues, put a brake on integration. Their partners are often poorly educated and regularly end up in a dependent and isolated position once in the Netherlands. 15,000 such marriages were counted in the Netherlands last year, up 30 percent from 2007.

“Because of their lack of knowledge of the Dutch language, their low level of education and unfamiliarity with the [Dutch] institutions there is a risk that these women will not be able to adequately raise their children to be proper citizens,” integration minister Eberhard van der Laan said in defence of the measures.

In an editorial on the issue NRC Handelsblad sided with experts who say every citizen’s right to a family life is determined by the European Convention on Human Rights. “Who we share our lives with or want to marry is an individual choice. The motives for doing so are by definition not a matter for the state. It is dangerous to try to stem immigration by imposing standards that belong to family law,” the editorial said.

What do you think? Are import brides indeed a brake on integration of ethnic minorities and should the practice be discouraged, in the Netherlands and elsewhere, or should everyone be allowed to marry who they want, even if they are related or underage under Dutch law?