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So much for religion and morality

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6 Comments

  1. JamesM wrote:

    Wow, interesting find. I have always suspected this was the case. Nice to have it backed up.

    Monday, December 15, 2008 at 7:20 am | Permalink
  2. Eva wrote:

    Non Believers: David Attenborough, Michael Palin. These are wonderful examples to back up this study. They are the really good guys. The older that I get, the more I have suspected that this was true. I agree, nice to have it backed up. I.E. Michael Palin would not be out murdering wolves from the air. He is the antithisis of the Alaska Palin.

    Monday, December 15, 2008 at 7:49 am | Permalink
  3. Richard P. Mcdonough wrote:

    So obvious without a study, though I am delighted that someone has objectified it.

    Monday, December 15, 2008 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
  4. Karin wrote:

    I hope people realize that the causality is: unrest in society = more need for religious comfort, and not religious belief = a life in crime. It has actually been shown before (although I unfortunately do not recall the name of the scientist) that a low level of social security in a country – meaning for example poor access to healtcare and unemployment benefits – correlate with intense religious belief. The explanation to the finding was that if people don’t feel they can count on the state/society for safety, they need something else to rely on, and this will often be the idea of a loving almighty god.

    Monday, December 15, 2008 at 10:41 pm | Permalink
  5. Rick wrote:

    Tbis is a very interesting study. I do not doubt it – in fact, if anything I guess believe it. However, touching on the latest comment by ‘Karin,’ does this suggest that the people who once turned to faith for their solutions will now turn to the government? Do not get me wrong; I am not religious, nor have I ever been. But even so, this most certainly would result in increased government social influence in the long run, making America even more of a “nanny-state.”

    Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 12:35 am | Permalink
  6. Karin wrote:

    There would be no reason for people to downplay religion until an alternative came along. The U.S. can hardly be said to be a nanny state (except perhaps for financial corporations, which does not count in this discussion) so I don’t see why people would turn from the church to the government? If anything, as financial woes increase, and the budget deficiency is (I believe) too large for the government to afford any increases in social security, I would expect the level of religious faith to be on the increase.

    Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 6:33 pm | Permalink