God would be an atheist

[Player-X]

God would be an atheist: Why can't we all be Japanese?


Religion fosters bad behaviorCOLUMN By MARTIN FOREMAN
From God would be an atheist...
First published Nov. 12, 2005

Several weeks ago, a ground-breaking study on religious belief and social well-being was published in the Journal of Religion & Society. Comparing 18 prosperous democracies from the U.S. to New Zealand, author Gregory S Paul quietly demolished the myth that faith strengthens society.

Drawing on a wide range of studies to cross-match faith – measured by belief in God and acceptance of evolution – with homicide and sexual behavior, Paul found that secular societies have lower rates of violence and teenage pregnancy than societies where many people profess belief in God.

Top of the class, in both atheism and good behavior, come the Japanese. Over eighty percent accept evolution and fewer than ten percent are certain that God exists. Despite its size – over a hundred million people – Japan is one of the least crime-prone countries in the world. It also has the lowest rates of teenage pregnancy of any developed nation.

(Teenage pregnancy has less tragic consequences than violence but it is usually unwanted, and it is frequently associated with deprivation among both mothers and children. In general, it is a Bad Thing.)

Next in line are the Norwegians, British, Germans and Dutch. At least sixty percent accept evolution as a fact and fewer than one in three are convinced that there is a deity. There is little teenage pregnancy , although the Brits, with over 40 pregnancies per 1,000 girls a year, do twice as badly as the others. Homicide rates are also low -- around 1-2 victims per 100,000 people a year.

At the other end of the scale comes America. Over 50 percent of Americans believe in God, and only 40 percent accept some form of evolution (many believe it had a helping hand from the Deity). The U.S. has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and homicide rates are at least five times greater than in Europe and ten times higher than in Japan.

All this information points to a strong correlation between faith and antisocial behavior -- a correlation so strong that there is good reason to suppose that religious belief does more harm than good.

At first glance that is a preposterous suggestion, given that religions preach non-violence and sexual restraint. However, close inspection reveals a different story. Faith tends to weaken rather than strengthen people’s ability to participate in society. That makes it less likely they will respect social customs and laws.

All believers learn that God holds them responsible for their actions. So far so good, but for many, belief absolves them of all other responsibilities. Consciously or subconsciously, those who are "born again" or "chosen" have diminished respect for others who do not share their sect or their faith. Convinced that only the Bible offers "truth", they lose their intellectual curiosity and their ability to reason. Their priority becomes not the world they live in but themselves.

The more people prioritize themselves rather than those around them, the weaker society becomes and the greater the likelihood of antisocial behavior. Hence gun laws which encourage Americans to see each other not as fellow human beings who deserve protection, but as potential aggressors who deserve to die. And hence a health care system which looks after the wealthy rather than the ill.

As for sex… Faith encourages ignorance rather than responsible behavior. In other countries, sex education includes contraception, reducing the risk of unwanted pregnancies. Such an approach recognizes that young people have the right to make their own choices and helps them make decisions that benefit society as a whole. In America faith-driven abstinence programs deny them that right -- "As a Christian I will only help you if you do what I say". The result is soaring rates of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Abstinence programs rest on the same weak intellectual foundation as creationism and intelligent design. Faith discourages unprejudiced analysis. Reasoning is subverted to rationalization that supports rather than questions assumptions. The result is a self-contained system that maintains an internal logic, no matter how absurd to outside observers.

The constitutional wall that theoretically separates church and state is irrelevant. Religion has overwhelmed the nation to permeate all public discussion. Look no further than Gary Bauer, a man who in any other western nation would be dismissed as a fanatic and who in America is interviewed deferentially on prime time television.

Despite all its fine words, religion has brought in its wake little more than violence, prejudice and sexual disease. True morality is found elsewhere. As UK Guardian columnist George Monbiot concluded in his review of Gregory Paul’s study, "if you want people to behave as Christians advocate, you should tell them that God does not exist."

I might express that another way. The flip side of Monbiot's argument is that God would be an atheist...

Martin Foreman is the author of "God would be an atheist," a syndicated print column. For information about syndicating this column, visit www.godwouldbeanatheist.com to contact the author.

I see a heated debate in this article. I like heated debates

[Vanit]

Top of the class, in both atheism and good behavior, come the Japanese. Over eighty percent accept evolution and fewer than ten percent are certain that God exists. Despite its size – over a hundred million people – Japan is one of the least crime-prone countries in the world. It also has the lowest rates of teenage pregnancy of any developed nation.

I don't think atheism has anything to do with the way Japanese atc or the teenage pregnancy issue. The way the Japanese act is traditional; a culture that has been passed down for hundreds of years and the core of their culture is honor and loyalty. To say it is a result of atheism is a complete lie and fabrication.

An alarmingly high proportion of the younger generation is atheist, yet they're the ones that who are causing all the problems this article says being athiest prevents. The real cause for teenage problems is the culture of a country and the values that culture embraces. I'm sorry but its America's culture that may have its faults, and not the absence/presence of religion. I'm an atheist so I'm not merely protecting my beliefs. But I find this article unfounded bs.

Heated, eh :P.

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[jonc2006]

Originally Posted by Vanit

I don't think atheism has anything to do with the way Japanese atc or the teenage pregnancy issue. The way the Japanese act is traditional; a culture that has been passed down for hundreds of years and the core of their culture is honor and loyalty. To say it is a result of atheism is a complete lie and fabrication.

An alarmingly high proportion of the younger generation is atheist, yet they're the ones that who are causing all the problems this article says being athiest prevents. The real cause for teenage problems is the culture of a country and the values that culture embraces. I'm sorry but its America's culture that may have its faults, and not the absence/presence of religion. I'm an atheist so I'm not merely protecting my beliefs. But I find this article unfounded bs.

Heated, eh :P.

yeah you pretty much nailed that on the head there. although i dont really know if you would want to put that the higher proportion of the younger generation is athiest, id say moreso they just dont know where and what to aline themselves with due to pure confusion with what the overall meaning and purpose of religion in their lives is to them in general.

[Cid Highwind]

Having the same thoughts here as Vanit.

And from what I'm experiencing crime rates here are getting higher as well, as are all statistics we don't want to see rising.

Btw, this only lists western countries, I'm actually very curious about the arabic countries where more than 90% is muslim.

Also, about the US vs Japan vs Netherlands and their crime rates. Never in the article I heard him said anything about poverty statistics and the social system. I'm pretty sure those things have an influence many times larger than religion.

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[refraction]

Originally Posted by Cid Highwind

Having the same thoughts here as Vanit.

And from what I'm experiencing crime rates here are getting higher as well, as are all statistics we don't want to see rising.

Btw, this only lists western countries, I'm actually very curious about the arabic countries where more than 90% is muslim.

Also, about the US vs Japan vs Netherlands and their crime rates. Never in the article I heard him said anything about poverty statistics and the social system. I'm pretty sure those things have an influence many times larger than religion.

im in total agreeal on all counts.

i think the quickest way i could sum up everything thats happening.

"It's all going to pot"

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[_E_]

Originally Posted by Cid Highwind

Btw, this only lists western countries, I'm actually very curious about the arabic countries where more than 90% is muslim.

Arab countries are as "muslim" as Europe, if you exclude the poor towns/neighborhoods.

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[Vanit]

I think he meant in general the religious extremists are quite dangerous and in those countries where the mainly live, whichever ones they are, its poverty thats at fault with religion as the catalyst.

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[Kraelis]

I agree with Vanit on all points. Sorry Player-X, better luck next time

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Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur

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[darth sephiroth]

Player_X didn't write that article, he just showed it to us... didn't he?

Next in line are the Norwegians, British, Germans and Dutch.

i'm so proud

anyway, i agree with Vanit that religion is not the reason, it just works as a catalyst to make bad cultures even worse.

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[Kraelis]

Yeah he just showed it, but he was expecting a heated debate.

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[darth sephiroth]

Yeah but it seems everyone is on the same side
It's hard to argue when everyone has the same opinion

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"He's not going too far, he's going around the world" - me
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[Kraelis]

Exactly. Player-X needs to try harder next time

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[Seta-San]

Player-X, go home. quit bringing up political/religous topics. You really are annoying.

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[Proto]

Player-X, go home. quit bringing up political/religous topics. You really are annoying.

Did it ever ocurred to you that you complaining in every single post you make is annoying itself?

BTW I think the low Japanese pregnancy rate has something to do with them having one of the highest teenager abortion rates in the world

[darth sephiroth]

What does that even matter proto? if you have an abortion that means you've become pregnant and that counts up on the teenage pregnancy if you're a teen

btw. Seta san, if you don't like his bringing up of political/religious or similar discussion threads then don't blooming come and read/post in them!!

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"He's not going too far, he's going around the world" - me
"They're looking for a factbook in the fiction section of the library." - me
"I find spam useless and fatally contradictive to its own existence." - me

[Eface]

Like my mom said some time ago:

"I have my belief from my mother, but i never gave you any belief, so you had to find it on your own"

That's a lot of atheist kids, that are seeking for the meaning of belief, and not afraid to ask questions.

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[Proto]

What does that even matter proto? if you have an abortion that means you've become pregnant and that counts up on the teenage pregnancy if you're a teen

If you didn't show up pregnant for the poll then it doesnt apply

[Betamax]

Well one point not meantioned here yet is our rebelious nature. For some, the more you preach at them the more convinced they become to ignore you.

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[Kraelis]

Well... it depends really. When smothered well enough, people can be manipulated into happy little sheep.

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[Vanit]

Following on from what Kraelis said, there's a good book that is an example of that called Brave New World. I highly recommend it.

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