Good contributions

There is a link, though it's not surprising. Organized religion provides numerous benefits to people of low socioeconomic status, including the development of social networks that can be used to support its members. There's another issue though: religiosity isn't measured correctly, as a lot of researchers think of religion as meaning theism. A lot of atheistic groups are still religious, but aren't picked up in analyses on religiosity.

Although religiosity‘s basic tenet is to seek the highest good in all mankind, the differentiation in ideologies lend to prejudices when these principles are purported as supremacy of thought and personhood, instead of practices to be shared with all mankind. This underlying thought within religious institutions hinder the process of dialogue, negating the overall objective of progression and development within our countries; and, constructs a divide among a diverse population that negates the intent of government. Therefore, the stagnation of conversation on critical issues in society and consensus of thought on practical matters that effect countries, impede the development and implementation of policies that advance people as a whole.

Religiosity (which means to me "people's personal actions when involved in some types of religious matters") comes as I see it in many ways. If it instills major study into how religions work, it quite likely has a positive effect on the country. If it develops into a system of conversion that forces people to do things that they would not prefer to do and, in the process, keeps them from doing necessary things to carry out their lives, then this can be very detrimental - though the instigators may think it is saving their converts. Needless to say, religion can have strange effects on humans as, for example, is exemplified by the "evangelical type Christians" in the SE United States who think Trump is a great helper for God and/or Jesus in the way he carries out his actions that this writer thinks is about as far from Jesus' teachings as is possible.

Noting Talbert-Jackson definition to seek the good of all mankind, I was wondering how can this be an underdeveloped country. Some countries not only serve within their nation but are so blessed that they serve other nations around the world. When you are reaching out to trillions of peoples how can you yourself be underdeveloped? Going to other nation with doctors, education, agriculture, etc. make clearer the parable: "If you give a man a fish you have fed him for a day, but if you teach a man how to fish and cook you have fed him for many days."

Apparently yes, a high degree of religiosity (institutional religion) seems to be linked to underdevelopment in a country. This needs to be researched to be able to say anything more.

In my own opinion, if carefully researched, it will be prevalent in the developing nations especially the Africans