Godly Societies Are More Disfunctional

I love how articles like this meep of the religians. You can probably expect IDE's planted under your lawn, a burning cross in your bedroom ,and a pretty intrusive visit from Homeland Security, spod.

In other news, The sky is blue. Politicians lie and Snoop just rolled a fatty.

I think this is a gross oversimplification. Dont get me wrong im an ardent atheist, I just think that there is more to it than simply being religious. I think that American religious fervor is a manifestation of the real problem, fear. There has been an element of fear ground into the American psyche since the 50's. Fear causes people to do irrational things.

But religion has always led to tolerance & acceptance, hasn't it?

"The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so."

I've been thinking this for a long time.

You get religi-tards everywhere meeproach. The ones in america just get more media coverage.

I think this is a gross oversimplification.

I think the effects of fear are a gross oversimplification. This

There has been an element of fear ground into the American psyche since the 50's

There has been a religious tradition in America since the 1620's.

Fear causes people to do irrational things

Because prayer should be the first thing that occurs to any rational person as a cure for cancer.

Remember that the reason people are afraid today is precisely because of a scary religious conflict.

http://www.youtube.com/v/zHd6m_cirrU&hl=en&fs=1

I think the effects of fear are a gross oversimplification

Maybe oversimplification is the wrong word. Misdirected perhaps?

There has been a religious tradition in America since the 1620's.

Every nation on Earth has some religious tradition, America is no different. All im saying is that religion in the US has taken on a different countenance since the 50's. It was used to separate us from the 'godless heathen commies' ergo became part of the culture of fear. Case in point 'In God we Trust' wasnt implemented until the 50's. The country was founded by Enlightenment Era thinkers who knew the dangers of religion.

Because prayer should be the first thing that occurs to any rational person as a cure for cancer.

An attempt at any cost to cure what is wrong with them. Someone who beforehand didnt believe in a god suddenly starts praying. Irrationality caused by fear.

my god man don't you see? the terrorists are winning.

'Case in point 'In God we Trust' wasnt implemented until the 50's.'

Which 50's are we talking about?

Which 50's are we talking about?

I stand corrected, sir. I got that confused with the 'under God' part in the pledge of allegiance which is what I meant to say.

You get religi-tards everywhere meeproach. The ones in america just get more media coverage.

That makes sense. It's an American study, so the researchers probably got their data by watching TV.

So we put 'under God' in the pledge in the 50's. I think you're proving my point for me. I'm with you that fear is used to control the sheeple, but religion is used instill fear, and fear is used to make sure the populous is religious, and so on and so forth. Which is the chicken and which is the egg, and why does it matter?

This article is about morality. It says that religion makes people more immoral. I see a more direct link between morality and religion than between morality and fear.

Sim City.

Ugh. This is such bullmeep correlation psuedo-science. First world nations follow very specific patterns of healthcare, infant mortality, inequality and the like with Japan and Northern Europe at the top, Germany, Italy and France in the middle and the US hanging around with second world states like S. Korea, Turkey and E. Europe. There all sorts of fun data sets to prove your liberal ideas- I had a great deal of fun linking inequality to privatized health care (came up with a significant correllation) in stat class once, but it doesn't mean everything is clear cut. I mean, as far as I know the vast majority of Japense are following some syncretist version of shinto and buddhism so how the meep does this anaylsis apply to their stats-which are among the absolute pinnacle of 1st world health?

I think there is probably something a little more interesting happening, with imperial or neo-imperial societies (or fundamentalist) soceities that believe that God is on their 'side' have a tendency towards violence. But then again, I think many religious people who adhere to religious principles in their daily lives may not even identify as 'highly religious' on some sample survey. Religion is something so deeply woven into the character of a society you can hardly claim to unravel it from a million other factors. I'm sure if we surveyed the US we'd might find religious people were more likely to drink coke or eat fried chicken and it just doesn't mean meep absent of a lot of other analysis.

Well, yeah. It's just a correlational study. I'd hardly make these findings out to be as meaningless as a correlation between religion and sugar water brand preference, but they don't mean nearly as much as the article is making out. Yes there's a correlation, but not necessarily a cause and effect relationship. The point is that they're linked somehow; and, while intuitive, it's also interesting.