Steve Kroes, executive director of the Utah Foundation, a nonprofit public policy research group, said he would not dismiss research showing a correlation between religious beliefs and economic growth, but he puts more stock in other factors, like low land costs, low tax burdens and reasonably priced labor.

"Nevada is the fastest-growing state in the nation, and it's right next door to Utah, and I don't think you could say that Nevada and Utah are morally equivalent," Kroes said. "I really don't think the morality issue is really what is driving the economies in the West."

And where do countries like China, which historically have suppressed religious observances, fit into the equation?

"China is not a religionless nation," McCleary said. "Buddhism, Islam and various forms of Christianity, as well as ethno-religions, are found in China. China is on a development curve, growing very rapidly in economic, educational terms. We find a strong relationship between economic growth and religiosity."

The bottom line, Kliesen said, is that the greater the belief in hell, the less corrupt a country's public and private institutions tend to be perceived. "This perception, in turn, can affect economic growth."

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