What Are the Odds?
28 September 2005 by BobInteresting little societal tidbit: Societies worse off ‘when they have God on their side’
RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today. According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.
The actual article can be found here, and here’s a little taste from the abstract:
Abundant data is available on rates of societal dysfunction and health in the first world. Cross-national comparisons of highly differing rates of religiosity and societal conditions form a mass epidemiological experiment that can be used to test whether high rates of belief in and worship of a creator are necessary for high levels of social health. Data correlations show that in almost all regards the highly secular democracies consistently enjoy low rates of societal dysfunction, while pro-religious and anti-evolution America performs poorly.
Ya just gotta love that word “dysfunction.”standards 2008 hospital accreditationinsurance risk aig creditcar credit $3,000 oldemployees credit union albany federalunion alaska mortgage usa federal creditcard california credit account p merchantschools accrediting commission foraccredited home alabama schools Map
28 September 2005, on 9:21 am
Modern religion is a fundamental belief in magic.” “ It is no wonder then, that those who are religious are incapable of moral action, just as children are. To be moral requires that one accept full responsibility for one’s self.” “On a personal level, religiosity is merely annoying–like bad taste. This immaturity represents a significant social problem, however, because religious adherents fail to recognize their limitations. So, in the name of their faith, these moral retards are running around pointing fingers and doing real harm to others. One only has to read the newspaper to see the results of their handiwork.
28 September 2005, on 2:05 pm
It is interesting that the religious zealots on the ID side of the ongoing
debate consistently point to “godless scientists” as “lacking a moral compass”. Yet
as we read about the daily atrocities that take place around the world, we observe
that these acts of mindless brutality are not perpetrated by microbiologists or
physicists but by religious folks.
28 September 2005, on 4:53 pm
I’ve got a post up about this.
Excerpt: Paul is an independent researcher with particular interest in paleontology and evolution, and he’s most well-known for his illustrations of dinosaurs. He’s written on a broad range of topics though, and has published in Scientific American, Free Inquiry, and other magazines and journals. The Journal of Religion and Society is an online-only journal published by Creighton University, a Catholic Jesuit school in Omaha. It is a scholary, peer-reviewed journal, but not by any means a prestigious or influential one.
29 September 2005, on 12:02 am
That’s fascinating. Along the same lines, Carl Sagan has a bit in one of his books about highly religious (and therefore sexually repressed societies — like Saudi Arabia) being considerably more violent than sexually open ones (like The Netherlands). Sorry, can’t remember where he discussed that, but there is likely a correlation there.
25 December 2005, on 12:19 am
Amusing exchange over this post over at Skeptico:
http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/09/belief_in_god_i.html#comment-9928288
29 May 2006, on 2:35 pm
God Is
Nowhere
God is going nowhere
Because God is everywhere good is
God is the highest form of good
For God to leave is unheard of
For God to be erased is insane
We need God
We need goodness
Without God
We lose sight and focus
Without God
We have no heavenly ideal
Without God
We lose our source of power
Without God
Everything becomes physical
Without God
Worlds would be lost
Without God
We would go nowhere
We would no longer be
God is going nowhere
God will ever be
By John D. Evans
The Evans Poetry Collection
P.O. Box 2177
Oak Park, IL 60303
708-214-0706
http://www.jdpoetry.com
“Promoting Global Peace from 2006 to eternity!”
30 May 2006, on 12:23 am
That’s one of the lousiest poems I have ever heard. On artistic merit alone, it should be filed away in the back of a drawer and left there for good.
8 December 2006, on 7:16 pm
If you would just take the time to read one line at a time and ponder on each one, you will better understand the message of this poem. It is unnecessary to succumb to ugliness - even if you disagree. Whether or not you agree, the title of this poem says it all, “God Is” because everywhere good is, God is.
Remain inspired…
John D. Evans
8 December 2006, on 7:25 pm
God exists only in the imaginations of humans along with all the other religions-turned-mythology.
1 March 2007, on 3:12 am
For some, God is an ever-present protector, guide, and comforter. For others, God is unconditional love, salvation, and peace. Whether or not YOU believe in God does not change the fact that God is (for countless people all over the world) and until the end of time - God will remain. As long as we think and say God, there will be God.
1 March 2007, on 3:19 am
John D. Evans — For many, god is used to justify war, oppression, bigotry, hate, injustice and a reason to be selfish.
Humans make their gods any way they want them to be.
You must realize, that some of us do not need a god crutch.
2 March 2007, on 12:17 am
God is no mere “crutch,” but the Ultimate Muse(major source of inspiration) for countless people all over the world. The world would be a much better place if people learned how to be more tolerant and less ridiculous.
You came here. I did not go to you. It seems to be the religious who are the most intolerant. That is the reason for websites like this. Atheists are stuck in the middle of your wars, disputes and then have to put up with your evangelizing…who is right? There are many, many different religions and you all think you are right, just like all the ancient religions of the past and present that have come and gone.
To many atheists, the concept of god is indeed a crutch, and if you need that, so be it. If there wasn’t something in it for the self, most people would not bother with religion. There is that hope for an afterlife that a rational person knows can never be. It’s only wishful thinking for the self.
And how ridiculous is it for grown people to still believe in Zeus? Some still do. Vishnu, Allah, God, Isis, there are many more. Humans are afraid to die, and find life difficult to cope with, so they invent coping devices. If you need that, fine…but some of us do not.
You may have a problem with the word and/or the concept of God, but I hope you (in your self-righteous existence) believe in the meaning of God - goodness, love, mercy…
You may have a problem understanding atheists or those who don’t need god beliefs in order to be good people. I do believe in love, goodness and mercy. No god or gods are needed for that. This blog is run by mostly ex-xians in response to the self-righteous xians fundamentalists who come by (as you are now) to show your “superiority” because you think you have a special relationship with an invisible entity for which there is absolutely zero evidence for…except in your own mind.
It is absurd to insult a person because he/she believes in God! God is good.
You came here…what did you expect to find on a site that is titled “God is for Suckers?” Our desire to be recoverted?
Perhaps you have not read the Old Testament. God kills, has a terrible temper, is unforgiving, the only way he could forgive is to kill his own son (and then bring him back to life) and even then your god still will send his creations to a place called hell. The mythology is as absurd as any of the other mythologies that humans have invented.
2 March 2007, on 8:44 pm
I didn’t come here to condemn at all. I am a philosopher and artist. I am here in peace. I am enjoying this intriguing and controversial discussion. I was simply sharing my philosophy of tolerance. Just because atheists do not believe in God that does not make it alright for atheists to ridicule believers in God. I am not religious. I am spiritual. I don’t start wars and I don’t fight them. I am a peacemaker and peacekeeper.
I’m glad to hear that you believe in love, goodness, and mercy - that’s all that matters. By the way, the love, goodness, and mercy of which you speak, in the hearts of many, is God - and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Remain inspired.
2 March 2007, on 9:03 pm
John Evans - God belief would not be a problem if people didn’t use it as a license to tell others how to live. It would not be a problem if religious folks could just live and let live.
The world is full of interesting cultures and religions. I have more than 40 penfriends from about 25 different countries and we can communicate and find good in each other, but they are reasonable people. Unfortunately the fundamentalists in the world are not. This is where the problems come in. If everyone had your idea of what god is, I am sure the world would be a more peaceful place.
How would your views on tolerance be if you found yourself on the chopping block because you did not follow another’s religion? Should we just step back and say “oh well, that’s what they believe, we should be tolerant.” Should we be tolerant when they fly planes into buildings while yelling “God is great!”? I don’t think so.
4 March 2007, on 8:23 pm
The biggest problem with humanity is our humanity. We have frailties. We make mistakes. There are believers all over the world who misuse and abuse the name and meaning of God, but we cannot blame God for their shortcomings.
If your god is perfect, then why are all of his creations flawed? Nothing this god makes lasts, and often “malfunctions”. Then when things go wrong, then humans are to blame? That sounds like you are making excuses for your god.
We define who God is to us. We define what is good. Many people profess one thing and say another, but WE know the true meaning of God. We know that God is love and that God is good, but because the connotative meaning of God varies, it is often abused and misused. God is great, but the evil done “in the name of God” is wrong and, thereby, is not God.
Some of us do not need a god concept to know what love is. We can love, and accept that things are not perfect, and things don’t always go our way.
As for abused and misused and “doing evil in the name of god”…read the bible carefully. So, the stuff about god commanding stonings for smart-aleck children and adulterers, human sacrifice, torture, and all the other awful things this god does and orders can just be ignored while you cherry-pick the niceties that you want to focus on?
My philosophy is that we are all innately good and that perfect goodness is God. We may never reach the perfection of God, but God is an ideal goal for those who believe in good.
Yes, people are generally good.
As for this god stuff… this is an atheist site, in case you haven’t noticed.
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. If god is your ideal goal, then your goal is NOTHINGNESS and it is sad that you can only be good as long as you have god beliefs.
I think there is nothing more we have to talk about back here in the archives. If you want to truly discuss with all here, come to the MAIN PAGE.
18 March 2007, on 2:22 am
The problem with the world today lies not in a belief or disbelief in God, but the problem lies in the mean-spiritedness that seems to lurk within those who do not believe in God. A belief in God is a belief in ultimate good. God is not “my God,” God is everyone’s God. There is nothing wrong with people believing in a higher power than themselves; that does not make them suckers!
Sir, you are skating very close to the line that will take you into proselytizing–which is an unbreakable Commandment here at GifS.
It makes no sense to come to an atheist site and get your feelings bruised. And you would holler the loudest if we came to your church or your blog and smeared feces on your walls–don’t smear yours on ours.
Do we have a deal? Consider this a warning: the minute you cross that line into mental masturbation and orgasmic delight for your beloved savior, your text will be removed and replaced by a stern reprimand. Be sure to read the Comment Policy before you fire up you keyboard at GifS.
Signed: Mods
2 April 2007, on 1:22 am
Thank you for the confirmation that there is a thin line between rationality and irrationality.
Remain inspired…
John D. Evans