Ask HN: How many entrepreneurs are also atheists?
Is there a connection between non-belief and innovative ideas? For example, having an open mind means you can possibly be more creative (not limited by one thought)?
I would say, a much bigger factor is economics. In the 1980s, the Soviet Union government could not make a TV better than the tiny island of Japan. (Akio Morita observed it in his auto-biography, Made in Japan.) You would have more competition in Japan than in the Soviet Union. So companies would have an incentive in advancing science through investment, regardless of faith. The payoff would be bigger and their would be more capital and investment. Religion, language, family, etc. all would be a minor factor in relative terms to economic environment.
You can also see the difference between Malaysia and Indonesia. Located next to each other, various religions that overlap, yet different economic growth.
Any science conference would have people of different faiths, including atheists. Many religions seem to even promote business and science. More examples:
1) The ancient Greeks would still visit oracles despite advancing mathematics.
2) The best observatories were once at monasteries.
3) Gregor Mendel was a Augustinian friar.
4) Bicameral Kingdoms (Incas, ancient Egyptians) had similar religions, but stayed stagnant for thousands of years compared to the Muslims and Christians: http://saturniancosmology.org/sun.php#a10
5) If you watch the NOVA episode on Gothic Cathedrals, you see how religion led to architecture innovation: http://video.pbs.org/video/1619317222/
6) This book has more examples. (It is not limited to the Catholic Church): http://www.tomwoods.com/books/how-the-catholic-church-built-...
There are plenty of people who are pleasant, productive members of society who believe things that are absolutely ridiculous ( religious and non-religious alike )