Crosspost from !atheism@feddit.de.

An overview of studies which investigate correlations between morality and religious vs. secular / atheist ideologies presented by Phil Zuckerman who is a professor of sociology and secular studies at the Claremont colleges in California, USA.

Summary: Atheists / secular people not only have morals but are even more moral than religious people.

Note: Of course moral is a matter of perspective. In this context we agree that compassion and empathy are our foundations of moral.

  • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
    415·
    10 months ago

    The counter argument that I hear from other atheists that aren’t anti-religious is that religions makes stupid people more moral than they would be if they didn’t have the looming threat of angering their sky daddy.

    • Taleya@aussie.zoneEnglish
      111·
      10 months ago

      Pff no. They just find a way to use the religion to justify what they’re doing

      • eric@lemmy.worldEnglish
        24·
        10 months ago

        Some will, but I’d posit that’s not the dumb people that I’m referring to that are responsible for that. It’s more the smart immoral people that are using religion to manipulate other less intelligent and less logical faithful people into doing evil in the name of religion.

      • RandoCalrandian@kbin.social
        31·
        10 months ago

        This.

        “No matter what I do, it’s ok because sky daddy forgives me! I can be as shitty as I want to people and just feel bad and confess later, and everything is ok!”

        Ever wonder why religions are incredibly popular among criminals?

        • jasory@programming.devEnglish
          11·
          10 months ago

          This certainly doesn’t seem to be a practice among religious individuals any more than non-religious. One still has to factor in that even if “sky-daddy” forgives you, there is still social pressure to “atone” for one’s actions. So trying to pin poor behaviour on belief in a “forgiving sky-daddy”, requires proving that the social pressures disappear, and good luck with that.

          • RandoCalrandian@kbin.social
            1·
            10 months ago

            Like “born again” virgins?

            Using religion to protect from the social pressure is the whole point

            “Only god can judge me!”

            And they get away with it far too often, without even a sense of guilt to slow them down

    • RandoCalrandian@kbin.social
      1·
      10 months ago

      “Moral”

      Religion is the opiate of the masses, for certain

      The problem is that the “moral” things they induce people to do are many times anything but